Getting to Positano - the real story!

Is it possible it is so stunning that we all forget the trek getting there?

Without undercutting the amount of time I spent studying in undergrad and grad school, I felt fairly prepared for our week in Positano based on an insane amount of reading and research I had done. From reading all the tips on the best ways to get to Positano, to what to expect once there. However, comma, I feel like the incredible beauty and splendor that is Positano makes one forget the little details of getting to one of the most desired places in Italy.

For starters. Getting there. You guys, it’s a thing. Sure, everyone talks about how winding the roads are, but what no one talks about is getting out of Naples! We had explored ALL the options for getting there, but since we were arriving by train from Rome, the idea of schlepping our luggage to the ferry (which, since there are no direct ferries to Positano from Naples, you can take one ferry to Sorrento, and then you transfer again by ferry or bus to Positano, and based on ferry and bus schedules, there can be a lot of waiting and time traveling). With four of us traveling, we took our hotel up on the offer to arrange car service, and hopefully save time.

While I would highly recommend this, especially after taking the ferry multiple times while in Positano, no one talked about the insane traffic around the train station in Naples. Or – and if we had more time to discuss – how Naples does itself a disservice by having the train station and surrounding area be the first impression of Naples for most travelers (translation: not impressed!). We arrived on a Sunday a little before noon, and our driver was waiting for us. Luckily we had a nice big Sprinter van to load all of our bags and plenty of room once in the car. And then the waiting. So. Much. Waiting.

Simply getting out of the train station and around the Dupont Circle-esque roundabout outside the train station took 45 minutes. At this point we had not even approached the fabled roads leading into Positano. Fortunately, in anticipation of the inevitable car sickness from the winding roads, I stocked up on these candy-like drops. Thank goodness. The motion sickness, combined with a wee bit of jet lag kicking in, I took the car ride as an opportunity to get some shut eye.

After nearly two hours, we arrived in Positano – yay! However, once we started getting out of the car, I realized this is the part where they offer a porter to transport your luggage for you to the hotel. We passed. The dragging of luggage to our hotel – which was thankfully down the hill from the transfer parking lot – was a bit intense: the narrow, cobbled walkways filled with what felt like the tales of the number of high season tourists and not end of season traffic we had envisioned, made the navigation less than desirable.

Of course, once we arrived to our hotel, the breathtaking beauty of Positano-induced-amnesia kicked in, and we found our trek to be the kind of story we would laugh about over the (many) Aperol Spritzes we would be enjoying during our stay.

Stay tuned for more on our time in Positano, including my favorite spots for eating, shopping and things to do!

P.s. our trains out of Naples were rather early the day we departed, and alas, our car ride back to Naples was under an hour!