5 Stops That Make An Amalfi Coast Itinerary Work
Most Amalfi Coast itineraries try to cram in eight towns in four days.
In this guide
- 1. Positano, for one night and the photos
- 2. Ravello, for the bit everyone skips
- 3. Amalfi town, for half a day
- 4. The Path of the Gods, for the morning
- 5. Capri, but only if you have a spare day
- How many days you actually need
- Getting between them
- When to go
- Where to eat without the tourist tax
- What to skip entirely
- Common questions
- The short version
Which sounds thorough and is actually miserable, because the coast road is one lane in each direction, carved into a cliff, and shared with buses that need three attempts to get round a corner. Ten kilometres can take an hour in August.
Five stops. That’s the itinerary that works.
1. Positano, for one night and the photos
The famous one. Colourful houses stacked up a cliff above a beach, and it genuinely is as good as the pictures.
It’s also the busiest, the most expensive, and it’s built on a gradient that will destroy your knees. Everything is stairs. There is no flat bit.
One night is right. Arrive in the afternoon, watch the sunset from a bar, have dinner, do the beach the next morning and move on. Two nights and you’ll have seen it.
Stay up near the top if you can. The walk down is fine and the walk back up at midnight after dinner is not.
2. Ravello, for the bit everyone skips
Ravello is 350m up, away from the coast road, and it’s the antidote to Positano.
Quiet, green, considerably cooler in summer, and the views from the villa gardens are the best on the whole coast. Villa Cimbrone’s terrace in particular is the view that ends up on postcards.
Most people day-trip it. IMO staying a night here instead of a second night in Positano is the single best swap on this itinerary.
3. Amalfi town, for half a day
The town the coast is named after, and honestly it’s the one that most divides people.
The cathedral is genuinely spectacular, the staircase up to it is a proper moment, and the rest of the centre is small and gets very crowded by mid-morning.
Half a day covers it. Go early, see the duomo, have lunch, then get the ferry somewhere. It’s also the main transport hub, so you’ll probably pass through anyway.
4. The Path of the Gods, for the morning
The walk from Bomerano to Nocelle, high above the coast, looking down on everything.
It’s about three hours, it’s not technical, and you don’t need to be a hiker. You do need decent shoes and to start early, because there’s very little shade and it gets brutal by eleven.
Walk it downhill, from Bomerano toward Positano. The other direction is 1,500 steps uphill at the end and people genuinely cry.
▶ Watch This Before You Go
5. Capri, but only if you have a spare day
Here’s the honest bit. Capri is lovely and it’s a separate trip, not an add-on.
The ferry, the crowds at the Blue Grotto, the funicular, the prices. Doing it as a rushed day trip from Positano means you spend four hours travelling to stand in queues.
If you’ve got a spare day, go and stay over so you get the island in the evening when the day-trippers have left. If you haven’t, skip it without guilt and spend the day on the water instead.
How many days you actually need
Three days is the minimum that doesn’t feel rushed. Positano, Ravello, Amalfi town, one walk or one boat trip.
Four to five days is the sweet spot. Everything above, at a pace where you can sit down for two hours at lunch, which is the entire point of being there.
A week and you’ll want to add Sorrento or Naples, or use it as a base for Pompeii and Vesuvius.
Anything less than three days and you’ll spend most of it on the bus.
Getting between them
Ferries are the answer wherever possible. Faster, cooler, no hairpins, and the coastline looks better from the water. They run roughly April to October.
SITA buses are cheap, frequent and packed. Buy tickets before boarding from a tabaccheria. Sit on the right heading east for the views.
Driving is for confident drivers only, and parking in Positano costs more per day than some hotels. FYI a lot of people hire a car and regret it within an hour.
When to go
May, June, September are ideal. Warm, sea’s swimmable, everything open, and it’s busy rather than unbearable.
July and August are hot, extremely crowded and the most expensive. Ferries sell out, the road jams, and you’ll queue for everything.
October is lovely and things start closing toward the end. November to March, much of the coast shuts and ferries stop.
Where to eat without the tourist tax
The coast is expensive and the gap between a good meal and a bad one at the same price is enormous.
The rule that works: walk uphill. Restaurants on the main drag and directly on the beach charge for the position. Go five minutes up any staircase away from the water and prices drop while the food gets better.
Look for places with a short handwritten menu and no photographs of the dishes. And if someone is standing outside trying to bring you in, keep walking.
The local things worth ordering are scialatielli ai frutti di mare, anything with the lemons, and the mozzarella, which comes from just inland and is nothing like what you get at home.
What to skip entirely
- The Blue Grotto queue in peak season. Two hours of waiting for four minutes inside.
- Driving the coast road yourself in July or August.
- Booking a hotel with a sea view you will not use. You are out all day.
- Trying to do Pompeii and the coast in the same day. Both deserve their own.
Common questions
How many days for the Amalfi Coast?
Three minimum, four or five ideally. Fewer and you’re mostly in transit.
Where should I base myself?
Positano for the looks, Amalfi for transport links, Ravello for quiet. Splitting across two is better than one.
Do I need a car?
No, and it’s usually a mistake. Ferries and buses cover everything, and parking is punishing.
Is Capri worth it?
As an overnight, yes. As a rushed day trip from the coast, not really.
Which town is least touristy?
Ravello, comfortably. Atrani, next door to Amalfi, is tiny and lovely and almost nobody stops there.
The short version
Positano for a night, Ravello for the views and the quiet, Amalfi town for half a day, the Path of the Gods one morning, and Capri only if you can give it a proper day.
Four or five days, ferries over buses, and don’t hire a car.
