Getting Around Positano
Positano has one road, two bus stops and a great many steps. Once you know how those fit together, every one of the tours from Positano is easy to reach, whether it starts at your hotel door or at the pier.
One road, two names
A single one-way road loops down through the town from the SS163 coast road and back up again. It is called Viale Pasitea on the way down and Via Cristoforo Colombo on the way up, past Piazza dei Mulini. Taxis, hotel cars and the local bus use it; the big SITA coach stays on the coast road above. Everything below the loop, down to the beach, is on foot.
Chiesa Nuova and Sponda: the two bus stops
Chiesa Nuova
The stop at the top of town, on the coast road, where Viale Pasitea begins. Use it if your hotel is high up, or to catch the SITA bus towards Sorrento without walking far.
Sponda
The stop at the other end of town, nearer the beach and the church. From here the walk down to Spiaggia Grande is shorter, which suits a day at the pier.
On both, you buy your SITA ticket before boarding, at a newsagent or bar, because the driver does not sell them.
The local bus to Montepertuso and Nocelle
The small orange buses of Mobility Amalfi Coast loop the town's road and run up the mountain to Montepertuso and Nocelle. They are the easy way to reach the Path of the Gods without the climb, and the easy way back down after it. Timetables change by season, so check at the stop.
On foot: the lanes and the steps
The cliff path Via Positanesi d'America joins Spiaggia Grande to Fornillo, and the lanes around the church are mostly steps and ramps. Allow more time than the map suggests.
Porters for your luggage
Porters meet the bus stops and the pier and carry suitcases down the lanes to your hotel, a service worth booking ahead in summer. Agree the price when you book, since it depends on the distance and the number of steps. A private transfer that stops on the loop road is the other way to keep your bags off the stairs.
The pier: ferries, tour boats and the Laurito boat
The pier on Spiaggia Grande is the town's second front door. Ferries tie up on one side from roughly April to October, the tour and private boats on the other, and the Da Adolfo boat to Laurito leaves from here too. The boats to Capri board here as well, while the Pompeii days collect you at your hotel instead. Each tour names its own meeting point on its card, so read yours the evening before.
Starting from the pier?
The coast boats and the private Capri boats board right here, and the Pompeii days collect you at your hotel instead.
Where things are from the beach
| Place | How you get there | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Spiaggia Grande and the pier | Down the lanes from either bus stop | The main beach, the boats, the church |
| Fornillo | The cliff path from Spiaggia Grande | A quieter beach west of the pier |
| Chiesa Nuova | SITA bus stop on the coast road | The top of town |
| Sponda | SITA bus stop on the coast road | The nearer stop for the beach |
| Montepertuso | Local bus, or on foot uphill | The first hamlet above the town |
| Nocelle | Local bus, or the long stairway | The end of the Path of the Gods |
| Laurito | The Da Adolfo boat from the pier | A cove with no road |
Arriving from outside the town is covered on how to get to Positano, and stepping through the town with limited mobility is in the mobility guide.
Next: pick a beach on Positano's beaches, then compare every tour on Positano Tours.