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Positano and its beach above a deep blue bay dotted with boats

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Naples to Positano and Amalfi by ferry, across the gulf and round the cape

Vesuvius behind you, Capri off the right-hand rail, and Positano stacked up its mountain at the end.

The short answer

Two direct fast boats a day leave Naples Molo Beverello for Positano in the 2026 season, at 10:45 and 14:05, and take about 70 minutes; Positano Jet's adult single is €31, and SNAV lists the same two times. NLG adds sailings at 08:35, 10:00, 10:40, 14:40 and 15:35 that call at Capri or Sorrento first, for €32 (€30 on the 10:40, with a change at Capri). The boats run from April to the end of October or early November; buy from the operator and be at the quay 30 minutes before.

From the quay under Naples's royal castle the fast boats cross the whole Gulf of Naples, run down the Sorrento peninsula, slip through the strait between Punta Campanella and Capri and come round to the Amalfi Coast, landing on Positano's beach in about 70 minutes on the direct run. It is the one way to arrive that shows you both gulfs, and it sets you down in the middle of town instead of at the top of a hill.

Italy

Naples to Positano
about 70 min direct
Distance
about 37 km (20 nm)
Departures from Naples
7 a day, 2 direct (2026)
Adult single, 2026
from €30; €31 direct
Airport to the quay
€5 Alibus
Season
April to early November

Why the sea is the way to Positano

Positano faces the water, and so does the whole Amalfi Coast. Its towns were built where a gorge reaches the shore, their houses stacked up the slope and their churches turned to the bay, and for centuries the sea was the road. Amalfi, twenty minutes further on, was a maritime republic between the 9th and 11th centuries whose ships traded with Byzantium and North Africa. UNESCO inscribed the coast as a World Heritage Site in 1997.

From Naples the boat takes the long way round, and that is its gift. It leaves from Molo Beverello, below Castel Nuovo, in a port system that counted more than 8 million local ferry passengers in 2025, and heads straight across the gulf with Vesuvius standing alone to the east at 1,281 metres. Ahead lies the Sorrento peninsula, the end of the Monti Lattari, the limestone ridge that splits the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno.

To get from one gulf to the other you pass Punta Campanella, where the Greeks kept a sanctuary of Athena and passing ships poured wine into the sea, and the Bocca Piccola, a strait about 5 km wide with Capri on its far side. Then the other coast begins: bare cliffs dropping into deep water, the three islets of Li Galli where the ancients put the Sirens, and Positano, met head on from the sea. Above it the coast road, the SS163, winds for about 50 km along the cliffs.

Along the way

  1. Naples

  2. the first 5 minutes

    Leaving Molo Beverello

    The boats leave from the quay below Castel Nuovo, the royal castle on the harbour front, with the Castel dell'Ovo on its rock to the west and the city climbing its hills behind.

  3. as you clear the harbour, on the left

    Vesuvius across the bay

    The volcano stands alone at the eastern end of the gulf, its Gran Cono 1,281 metres high and its crater 450 metres across. It stays in view, slowly turning, for most of the crossing.

  4. the middle of the crossing, on the left

    The Sorrento peninsula

    The coast runs out towards the west, the towns of the Sorrento shore on top of their cliffs. NLG's 10:00 from Naples goes by way of Sorrento's Marina Piccola, at the foot of the cliff the town is built on, for its 11:00 on to Positano.

  5. at the tip of the peninsula, Capri on the right

    Punta Campanella and the Bocca Piccola

    The boat rounds the cape inside a marine protected area run by six comuni, with Capri across the Bocca Piccola: about 5 km of water, 70 m deep on average. The Greeks had a sanctuary of Athena on the headland. On NLG's sailings via Capri you call at Marina Grande instead and cross to the coast from the island.

  6. to seaward, on the approach to Positano

    Li Galli, the Sirens' islands

    Three small islands off the right-hand rail: Gallo Lungo, 400 m long and shaped like a dolphin, La Rotonda and La Castelluccia. Strabo called them the Sirenussai. The dancer Léonide Massine bought them in 1924; Rudolf Nureyev bought them in 1989.

  7. arriving at Spiaggia Grande, about 70 minutes from Naples direct

    Positano from the water

    The town comes at you all at once, a cascade of houses from the mountain to the beach. You land at the pier beside the Spiaggia Grande, in the middle of the town, with the first cafés and staircases a few steps away.

  8. about 25 minutes beyond Positano

    On to Amalfi

    The leg most people never see from the road: under the cliffs the SS163 is cut into, past Praiano, until Amalfi opens up behind its harbour, the cathedral of Sant'Andrea at the top of its 62 steps.

  9. Positano

Where to sit or stand

From Naples to Positano, sit or stand on the left, the port side. Vesuvius, the Sorrento shore and then the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast all pass on the left, because the boat keeps the mainland on that side the whole way round the cape. Capri and Li Galli pass on the right, so cross over at Punta Campanella and on the approach to Positano. Coming back, take the right. On the enclosed fast boats, ask for or take a window seat on that side early; Positano Jet's boats have open-air panoramic areas, the best place to be for the last ten minutes into Positano.

Ways to do it

When to go

From Naples airport and Napoli Centrale to Molo Beverello

How do you get from Naples airport to Positano?

Every boat to the coast leaves from Molo Beverello, in front of Castel Nuovo and Piazza Municipio, about 2 km from Napoli Centrale. From Capodichino airport, ANM's Alibus runs to the port about every 15 minutes by day, from 05:30 to midnight, calling at Piazza Garibaldi (Napoli Centrale) and Varco Immacolatella and ending at Molo Beverello; ANM sells the €5 single on board from the driver. The city's shared taxi, renewed to 31 December 2026, costs €6 a person between the airport, the station and Beverello, and leaves once three passengers are aboard. A regular taxi on the city's fixed fares is €24 from the airport to the port and €15.50 from the station, and the fixed fare to Positano itself is €145 a car.

The ferry lines run their own shuttles, sold only with a boat ticket: NLG's leaves the airport every hour from 08:15, takes about 30 minutes and costs €10 with one bag; Alilauro's runs from 1 April to 31 October from the coach park, costs €10 and takes about 40 minutes. From Napoli Centrale, take metro line 1 from Garibaldi to Municipio, beside the port, or walk the 2 km with light bags.

Alibus airport to Beverello
€5, about every 15 min, 05:30 to 00:00
Shared taxi
€6 a person, airport, station, Beverello
Taxi fixed fare
€24 airport to port; €15.50 station to port
Ferry line shuttles
€10, only with that line's boat ticket
Taxi to Positano
€145 fixed fare

Timetables, fares and tickets

How much is the ferry from Naples to Positano, and how often does it run?

In the 2026 season Positano Jet's direct boats leave Naples at 10:45 and 14:05 for €31 (children 3 to 12 €23.50), and SNAV lists the same two times. NLG's sailings via Capri or Sorrento leave at 08:35, 10:00, 10:40, 14:40 and 15:35 for €32 to Positano, or €30 on the 10:40, with children 2 to 12 at €18.50; to Amalfi NLG charges €32.50, or €26 on the 10:40, and Positano Jet €32 with a change of boat in Positano. Infants under 2 travel free on NLG without a seat.

Buy online from the operator. Positano Jet adds a booking charge of €1 a leg and up to €1.50 presale, keeps 20% of the fare if you cancel up to 24 hours ahead and 50% up to an hour before, and waives both when it cancels. Be at the quay 30 minutes before departure.

Direct, Positano Jet
€31; 10:45 and 14:05 from Naples
NLG to Positano
€32 (€30 on the 10:40)
NLG to Amalfi
€32.50 (€26 on the 10:40)
Last boat to Naples
18:15 from Positano via Capri (SNAV)
Check in
at the quay 30 min before

Luggage on the boats

Can you take a suitcase on the ferry from Naples to Positano?

Yes, at a price, and the free allowance is small. NLG carries one bag of up to 50 x 30 x 15 cm and 5 kg free and charges €5 for each further piece. Positano Jet includes one bag of up to 40 x 20 x 25 cm and charges a supplement for anything larger. Alilauro, on the connecting boats, allows 50 x 35 x 20 cm and 9 kg and charges €3.50 a bag. On NLG, loading and stowing your bags is up to you, and in Positano you land on the beach pier at the bottom of a town of staircases, so ask your hotel about a porter before you sail.

NLG
1 bag 50 x 30 x 15 cm, 5 kg free; then €5 a piece
Positano Jet
1 bag 40 x 20 x 25 cm free; supplement above
Alilauro
1 bag 50 x 35 x 20 cm, 9 kg free; then €3.50

Out of season, and when the sea says no

How do you get from Naples to Positano in winter?

By train and boat via Salerno, or by train or boat to Sorrento and the bus over the hill. Regional trains reach Salerno from Napoli Centrale in about 40 to 50 minutes for €5.80, and Travelmar's boats from Piazza della Concordia, by the station, run all year to Amalfi (35 minutes, €12) and Positano (70 minutes, €17). Or take the Circumvesuviana from Napoli Garibaldi to Sorrento, every 30 minutes and 72 minutes end to end, or Alilauro's weekday boat from Beverello, and SITA Sud's bus over to Positano. SITA also runs a bus from the port of Naples to Amalfi: on its October 2026 timetable at 09:00 and 14:30 on weekdays and 14:00 on Saturdays from Varco Immacolatella, two hours to Amalfi by way of Vietri sul Mare.

In any season the boats can be held by the sea. The operators warn that sailings may change or run late in rough weather; if the line cancels, Positano Jet charges no penalty. On a windy day check before going to the port, and never rely on the last boat of the day with a flight to catch.

Napoli Centrale to Salerno
40 to 50 min, €5.80 regional train
Salerno to Positano by boat
70 min, €17, all year (Travelmar)
Naples to Sorrento by train
72 min, every 30 min (from 17 Oct 2026)
Naples to Sorrento by boat, winter
Alilauro, 5 a day Mon to Fri, €19
Naples to Amalfi by bus
weekdays 09:00 and 14:30, 2 hours (SITA, Oct 2026)

Worth knowing before you go

Where to stay at either end

Three of our Amalfi Coast hotels are in Positano, a short walk or a porter ride from the pier, and the same boats continue to Amalfi.

The journey in pictures

A ferry passing Positano, its houses stacked up the mountainside
The Li Galli islets rising from a bright blue sea off Positano
A fast ferry at the quay in Naples with the bay stretching beyond
The cliffs of the Sorrento peninsula above green water near Vico Equense
The Amalfi coast and a deep blue sea seen from the Path of the Gods
The ferry arrival view of Positano's beach and hillside houses from the water

Questions people ask

Good questions about Naples to Positano and Amalfi

Is there a direct ferry from Naples to Positano?

Yes, in season. Positano Jet's 2026 timetable has direct sailings from Molo Beverello at 10:45 and 14:05, and SNAV lists the same two times; they take about 70 minutes to the pier at Positano's Spiaggia Grande. NLG's other sailings, at 08:35, 10:00, 10:40, 14:40 and 15:35, call at Capri or Sorrento first. The boats run from April to the end of October or early November.

How much is the ferry from Naples to Positano?

On the 2026 fare lists, Positano Jet's direct boat costs €31 one way for adults and €23.50 for children aged 3 to 12. NLG charges €32, or €30 on its 10:40 via Capri, with children 2 to 12 at €18.50 and €5 for each suitcase beyond the small free bag. Positano Jet adds a €1 booking charge per leg and up to €1.50 presale.

Is there a ferry from Naples to Amalfi?

Yes. NLG sells Naples to Amalfi at €32.50 one way, or €26 on its 10:40, with sailings that call at Capri or Sorrento and continue along the coast via Positano. Positano Jet sells it at €32 with a change of boat in Positano. All year, the alternative is the train to Salerno, about 40 minutes, and Travelmar's 35-minute boat to Amalfi for €12.

How do I get from Naples airport to the Positano ferry?

Take the Alibus to Molo Beverello: €5, about every 15 minutes by day, via Napoli Centrale. The city's shared taxi costs €6 a person and a taxi €24 on the fixed fare. NLG and Alilauro run €10 shuttles from the airport to the quay, sold only with their boat tickets; NLG's leaves hourly from 08:15 and takes about 30 minutes, and Alilauro's runs from April to October.

How long is the ferry from Naples to Positano?

About 70 minutes on the direct boats, Positano Jet's figure for the 20 nautical miles across the gulf and round Punta Campanella. Sailings that call at Capri or Sorrento take longer, and the 10:40 includes a change of boat at Capri. Allow 30 minutes at the quay before departure, and the time to get to Beverello from the airport or station.

Do ferries run from Naples to Positano in winter?

Hardly by boat to Positano itself. The direct boats stop at the end of October. In winter 2025 to 2026 NLG ran one weekend boat from Naples to Sorrento at 10:00, connecting with its 11:00 on to Positano; the 2026 to 2027 winter timetable was not out on 27 October 2026. Alilauro sails Naples to Sorrento on weekdays all winter, with the SITA bus on to Positano, and Travelmar's boat from Salerno runs all year: 70 minutes to Positano for €17.

Which side of the ferry is best from Naples to Positano?

The left, port side. Vesuvius, the Sorrento shore and the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast all pass on the left, because the boat keeps the mainland on that side all the way round the cape. Capri and the Sirens' islands of Li Galli pass on the right, so cross over at Punta Campanella and as Positano comes into view. Coming back, sit on the right.

Naples to Positano and Amalfi

Vesuvius behind you, Capri off the right-hand rail, and Positano stacked up its mountain at the end.

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