Positano from Rome with a direct bus

I’m sure you’ve seen those dreamy pictures of a steep hill lined with colourful houses facing the azure sea that’s Positano. A lot must have written this town’s name on their bucketlist, and yet not many knows how to tick it off. Well, here’s the guide that’ll finally lead you to one of Italy’s dreamiest city.

Most of the guides to Positano advise you to take the trains. However, they’re mostly pricy and you need to exchange in one or more cities. Such a fuss, right? There’s actually another Solution, a direct bus to Positano from Rome for only 21 Euros!

Marozzi Bus is what I’m talking about, although their website is only in Italian. It’s quite simple to navigate however, and if you have any questions feel free to contact me or just write a comment!

The Trip, Tickets, and Schedules

Travel during Summer

If you’re traveling during summer (1 June-30 September), well then you’re in luck! Between these dates, the Marozzi Bus has a daily direct bus from Rome to Positano. You will depart at 7.00 am from Rome Tiburtina Bus Station (not Termini!, you can take the metro B to this station). At 11.30 you will arrive at Positano! You will however change bus once in Sorrento, to a smaller one. It’s a simple change, though, and they will inform you about it clearly so don’t worry!

The Marozzi bus travels through the line of Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. So if you’re departing from Rome and want to see other places along the Amalfi coast or the ruins of Pompeii as well, you definitely can with the Marozzi!

Day Trip to Positano

If you’re planning a day trip to the Positano, the Marozzi bus will depart from the same place you arrived at 16.10, and arrive in Roma Tiburtina at 9 in the night. Be on the bus stop about 15 minutes before departure! The one way ticket cost 21 Euros and return ticket 37,5 Euros.

Traveling to other cities from Positano

Directly from your Marozzi bus stop in Positano, you can find a Tabaccheria (a small kiosk). If you’re planning to go to Sorrento (a station where you’ll find more options of transport: Trains, Long-distance Bus, etc), you should buy a ticket for the SITA Bus here. The SITA Bus is a local means of transport, they run along the Amalfi Coast. Be sure to check their timetable, you can find it here. It’s much better to buy tickets in a Tabaccheria since there have been bad experiences trying to buy the tickets on board. (Higher price, unclear information, miscommunication…)

From Positano, the SITA Bus takes an hour to reach Sorrento. Sorrento is also a lovely town, with great delicious seafood pastas. Try it if you have some free time in Sorrento. I traveled to Naples from Sorrento, and the journey took about an hour. There’s a train every half hour or so. This train is not the safest train in the World, but in my experience so long as you pay attention to your belongings and stay alert it’s definitely not a problem. Again, I bought tickets from a Tabaccheria since the owner speak enough English for him to understand me, and recommend the best means of transport.

Travel during other months

If you’re not traveling in June-September, you can still take the Marozzi bus from Rome to Sorrento. They depart at 3 in the afternoon from Rome Tiburtina and arrive at Sorrento at 7 pm. From Sorrento, take the SITA bus to Positano. They have available departure times for your connection: 19.25, 20.00, 21.00 and 22.00. However, this Marozzi connection does not depart daily, so make sure to check the timetables!

Review

The bus is very comfortable, with AC so don’t worry about the summer heat. You can store your big luggage in the luggage compartment on the side of the bus, or bring your smaller luggages on board and store them overhead. It’s definitely much more comfortable than struggling with your bulky baggages to board trains and change connections, and always keeping a hand on them. There was no toilet, although you will have a 15 Minutes Rest-stop where you can buy snacks or go to toilets. This takes place in the middle of the trip (2 hours after departure).

Tiburtina station looks quite ‘shady’ on first impression. But as long as you stay alert (side note: you should always be alert in Rome), there is definitely nothing to be afraid of. It also has some small coffee shops and bakeries if you’re looking for some snack to bring abroad. You are allowed to eat on the bus. The bus station is directly across the train station, it’s different from the local bus stops. You will find clear pointers to reach there and if you’re ever in doubt, just try asking around. The location for Tiburtina bus stop can also be checked in google maps!

The Ticket itself has your seat number printed on it, although it’s quite difficult to locate the seat numbers on the bus. Sometimes tourists just sit on the ‘first come-first serve’ basis, but if you ever find yourself without a seat, just speak to the person sitting on your designed seat. They’re mostly clueless as well about the seat number, especially since it’s all written only in Italian.

Tips

Try sitting on the right side of the bus from Rome to Positano, you’ll have access to this grand scenery of the Amalfi coast. It’s so beautiful!
While the Marozzi bus is quite on-time for Departure, the SITA Bus as well, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? Especially if you’re trying to catch a connecting train or bus. So make sure to be on the bus stop earlier, and it’s much better to take an earlier bus than the one you’re scheduling for.
Positano is quite a maze, especially when you’re trying to navigate your ways through the houses, so make sure you have a map, or that you have available phone connection + enough battery to rely on google maps!

That’s it! Enjoy your trip to Positano, and if you have any questions I will do my best to answer them as soon as possible!

LINKS
Marozzi Bus Website
SITA Bus Timetable