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Positano Tours › Day Trips from Positano Without a TourUpdated 2026-09-11

Day Trips from Positano Without a Tour

Hours, prices and access verified by the Positano Tours team — last checked 2026-09-11

The Amalfi Coast seen over the bow of a boat heading for shore

The short version. Capri and Amalfi are easy on your own in season: the ferries from Positano's pier take about 30 and 25 minutes. Pompeii is harder, because there is no railway on the coast: a bus to Sorrento and the Circumvesuviana, or a tour with hotel pickup. The Path of the Gods is best done alone. A tour earns its fare where the journey is the problem, and the day tours from Positano are built around exactly that.

In this guide

  • Capri and Amalfi by ferry, and Amalfi by bus
  • Pompeii by public transport, honestly
  • The Path of the Gods on your own
  • What a tour adds, and when it is the better buy

Why going alone is easier here than you think, and harder

From Positano the sea is a public road. From roughly April to October ferries leave the pier on Spiaggia Grande for Capri, Amalfi, Sorrento, Naples and Salerno, and anyone can buy a ticket. That makes the island and the next towns simple to reach alone. What the sea cannot do is take you inland, and there is no railway anywhere on the coast, so Pompeii is a different kind of trip. Knowing which is which saves you money on one and a long, hot afternoon on the other.

Can you do Capri by ferry alone?

Yes, and many people do. The crossing takes about 30 minutes in season, and you land at Marina Grande. From there the funicular, the island's buses and taxis take you up to Capri town and Anacapri, and you choose your own time. What you give up is the view of the island from the water: the grottoes, the Faraglioni and the swims that the boat days are built around. You also pay Capri's €5 landing tax and, for the Blue Grotto, a rowboat from the harbour or the grotto itself.

Amalfi by ferry or by SITA bus?

Both work. The ferry takes about 25 minutes and lands you at Amalfi's harbour, with the coast seen from the sea on the way. The SITA SUD bus runs along the SS163 from the Sponda or Chiesa Nuova stop; buy your ticket at a newsagent or bar before you board, because the driver does not sell them. In summer the bus is crowded and the road is slow, so the ferry is usually the better way.

Can you reach Pompeii by public transport?

Yes, with patience. There is no train on the coast, so you take the SITA bus to Sorrento, then the Circumvesuviana train towards Naples to the station for the ruins, and walk to the entrance. Buy the park's ticket, €20 for the ancient city, at the gate or online. It is a long day with two changes each way, and you will want to leave early. That journey is precisely what the Pompeii tours from Positano sell: a van from your hotel, the ticket in the fare, and a guide.

What does going alone cost?

Less in money, more in time. The table sets the independent way against a tour for each trip, with the tours' own starting fares.

TripOn your ownWhat you pay aloneBy tour, from
CapriFerry, about 30 min, April to OctoberFerry, €5 tax, island transport$183 a person, shared boat
AmalfiFerry about 25 min, or SITA busFerry or bus ticket$110 a person, coast boat
PompeiiSITA to Sorrento, then CircumvesuvianaBus, train and the €20 ticket$211 a person, ticket included
Path of the GodsSITA to Bomerano, walk, local bus downBus ticketsNo tour needed

Where do the ferries leave?

From the pier at the western end of Spiaggia Grande, beside the tour boats. Several companies run the routes, among them Travelmar, Alicost, NLG, Positano Jet and Alilauro, and the timetables change every season, so check the operator's own schedule for your dates rather than an old one online. Getting down to the pier from your hotel is covered on getting around Positano.

When do the ferries stop running?

Roughly from November to March. Outside the season, Capri and Amalfi are reached from Positano by road, and many hotels and restaurants close. The tours that start in Naples keep running all year, and so does the SITA bus. The season is set out on the best time to visit Positano.

The Path of the Gods on your own

This is the one day trip you should do without a tour. Take the SITA bus to Bomerano, in Agerola, walk the 7.8 km path west to Nocelle in about two to two and a half hours, and take the local bus down to Positano, or the long stairway if your knees allow. Carry water, wear proper shoes, and start early in summer. The route in steps is on things to do in Positano.

Can you reach the beaches by boat on your own?

Yes, two of them. The Da Adolfo boat, with a red fish on its mast, runs from the pier on Spiaggia Grande to the cove at Laurito, where there is no road. Arienzo's beach club runs its own boat too, which saves you the stairway of about 300 steps. Neither is a tour; each is a short ride you pay for on the day. The beaches are on Positano beaches.

Sorrento on your own

Sorrento, on the other side of the peninsula, is easy by the SITA bus or, in season, by ferry from the pier. It is where the Circumvesuviana railway ends and where many Capri boats start, so a day there also shows you whether it would make a better base. Buy the bus ticket before you board, and allow for summer traffic on the coast road.

A three-day plan without a single tour

  1. Day one: the ferry to Amalfi in the morning, lunch there, and the bus or ferry back.
  2. Day two: the Path of the Gods from Bomerano to Nocelle, and the local bus down.
  3. Day three: the ferry to Capri, the island on foot and by its buses, and the last ferry home.

Add a Pompeii tour on a day the sea is rough, and you have seen the whole region with only one fare.

What does a rough day do to your plans?

On a windy day the ferries can be cancelled, and the boat tours too. The road does not close, so the SITA bus and the Pompeii tours keep running. If you are travelling alone, keep your Capri day flexible and have a road plan ready: Pompeii, Sorrento, or a walk up to Nocelle. A tour booked with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead costs you nothing to move, which a ferry ticket may not.

Is it cheaper to go alone?

Almost always, in money. A ferry to Capri or Amalfi costs a fraction of a boat tour, and the bus and train to Pompeii cost less than a van from your hotel. What going alone costs you is time, a change or two each way, and the swims and stops a tour includes. For a single traveller or a couple on a budget, the ferries are excellent value; for a family, the sums change once you count every ticket.

What a tour adds that a ticket does not

  • The view from the water. A boat day swims in the coves and passes the grottoes that a ferry sails straight past.
  • The journey solved. A Pompeii tour turns two changes each way into a van from your hotel.
  • A guide. Pompeii without one is a field of stones; with one it is a city.
  • A fixed plan in a busy season. The ticket and the time are settled before you leave.

When is the tour the better buy?

For Pompeii, almost always, unless you enjoy public transport as part of the trip. For Capri, when you want the grottoes and a swim rather than the island's streets, or when the ferry times do not fit. For Amalfi, when you want to swim along the way. For the Path of the Gods, never. And in rough weather, the road tours are the ones that still run.

Mix the two. Take the ferry to Amalfi one day, a boat to Capri on the calmest day, and a Pompeii tour on the day the sea is up. You get the best of both, and free cancellation keeps the plan flexible.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to Pompeii without a car?
There is no railway on the Amalfi Coast, so it is a road trip: about an hour and a half each way from Positano. The Pompeii tours from Positano include the transfer, and most put the park ticket in the fare. Going alone means the SITA bus to Sorrento and the Circumvesuviana train.
How long is the ferry from Positano to Capri?
About 30 minutes, on services that run from roughly April to October. Operators and timetables change every year, so check the season's schedule before you travel.
What is the Path of the Gods?
The Path of the Gods runs 7.8 km high above the coast from Bomerano in Agerola to Nocelle, above Positano, taking about two to two and a half hours. From Nocelle you either walk down the long stairway or take the local bus.
How much is the Pompeii ticket?
€20 for the ancient city since 12 January 2026, and €25 with the suburban villas. Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month. Several tours here already include the ticket, and their cards say so.
Do the ferries run all year?
No. They serve Positano's pier from roughly April to October. Outside those months you travel by road, and the tours that start in Naples keep running.

Go alone where it is easy, and let a tour carry the rest. Every day out is compared on Positano Tours.

When a tour solves the journey