A Local’s Guide to the Amalfi Coast
When people imagine Italy, the Amalfi Coast is usually one of the first places that comes to mind. With its striking coastline, colorful towns perched atop soaring cliffs, and winding roads leading down to the Mediterranean sea, it has attracted travelers for hundreds of years.
In some ways, it can appear as if time has stopped here; you’ll see fishermen heading out on small wooden boats in search of the day’s catch, vendors yelling and boasting about how their fruit and vegetables are the best, and craftspeople quietly painting and carving inside their shops.
With an extensive coastline dotted with thousand-year-old fishing villages that are still active today, my region is home to some of the freshest seafood in Italy. In the hills above the sea, farmers grow the area’s iconic large lemons in addition to excellent quality olives and grapes. While our beaches are honestly nothing to write home about, myriad coves and bays make boat trips here a delight.
Long a favorite vacation destination for celebrities, the Amalfi Coast is full of chic hotels, high-end restaurants, and trendy bars & cafés. But it’s also much more than just glitz and glamor, and even for us mere mortals there are plenty of pleasures and attractions to keep us entertained. For those visiting, a holiday on the Amalfi Coast is a shot of pure dolce vita (the good life) and an experience you’re sure to remember.
Table of Contents
Amalfi Coast planning cheatsheet
Plan your itinerary with expert advice
- Book an Italy travel consultation with a local expert
My favorite hotels on the Amalfi Coast
- Maison La Minervetta - clifftop luxury overlooking Sorrento. $450/night
- Palazzo Marziale - gorgeous rooms in a restored palace in Sorrento. $200/night
- Casa Santangelo Suites - opulent style in the heart of Salerno. $250/night
- B&B il Duca d'Amalfi - excellent value in Salerno's old town. $110/night
Guided tours and activities
- Private driving tours with Marco (our favorite driver)
- Archaeology & walking tours with Roberto
- Amalfi Coast day trip by car (small group)
- Capri boat tour
- Path of the Gods hike
How to get around
- Car rentals with DiscoverCars
- Train tickets from Trenitalia and Circumvesuviana
- Bus routes at SITA
- Ferries with FerryScanner
- Private transfers through Welcome Pickups
What is the Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast is a chain of small towns and villages located along the Sorrentine peninsula in the southern Italian region of Campania. It’s about an hour south of Naples, the regional capital, and 276 kilometers south of Rome.
The mountainous and rocky peninsula stretches about 10 miles into the Mediterranean sea, separating the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno.
Technically, the peninsula is split into two coastlines: the Sorrento Coast and the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is the section that begins after Positano and runs down to Salerno. The Sorrento Coast is the opposite section that runs from Positano to Sorrento (getting closer to Naples). That said, for practical purposes, it’s easiest just to combine the two coasts and refer to it all as the Amalfi Coast.
While Campania as a region is largely unvisited, the Amalfi Coast is a major tourist hub and it sees millions of visitors every year. When not teeming with tourists, the 20 small fishing villages that comprise the coast often have an atmosphere more similar to an island than the mainland. The slow pace of life feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Naples and Salerno.
With a slightly different history from the rest of Campania, beginning in the 10th century, the area, then known as the Republic of Amalfi, had very close economic and social ties with the Fatimid Caliphate. This connection has had a lasting influence on the region’s art and architecture that can be seen in places like the Duomo of Amalfi and local tiles known as maioliche.
How to get here
Photo: Chris0693, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
From Rome
From Rome, the easiest and most cost-effective way to get to the Amalfi Coast is to take the high speed Frecciarossa train from Rome’s Termini train station directly to the city of Salerno. The journey takes 2 hours and tickets cost as little as 25 euro when booked well in advance. Direct high-speed trains run a few times per day.
From Salerno you can take a bus, ferry, or taxi to your final destination on the coastline.
Another option is to take the Frecciarossa directly to Naples (1 hour and 20 minutes) and then take local transport from Naples to your final destination on the Amalfi Coast. The high-speed train from Rome to Naples runs multiple times each hour.
Once you arrive in Naples, you can take a ferry direct to many of the Amalfi towns or take a train to either Salerno or Sorrento and then transfer to a local bus from there.
High-speed trains are operated by two companies, Trenitalia (Italy’s national rail service) and Italo (a private company).
For detailed info on getting to Naples, check out this guide on taking the train from Rome to Naples.
From Naples
From Naples, you can get to some of the Amalfi Coast towns by taking a ferry from Beverello porto. They only run a few times per day though and don’t go to all towns, so it may not work with your schedule.
Your other option is to take a Trenitalia train to Salerno or the Circumvesviana train to Sorrento. In either town, you can then transfer to the SITA bus that stops off in every town on the Amalfi Coast.
Of course, you can also just take a taxi or private transfer from Naples too.
For more information on getting around, see our guide on how to get from Naples to the Amalfi Coast.
How long to spend
The ideal amount of time to spend on the Amalfi Coast is 4-5 days. This will give you enough time to explore the lovely towns, do some hiking, hit the beach, and go on a boat trip or two, including to an island like Ischia, Capri, or Procida. To see the entire coast while minimizing driving, you’d also have enough time to choose two different bases.
Many people visit the coast as just a day trip, coming from Rome or Naples. While doable, these trips usually involve at least 8 hours in a car and give you almost no time to stop and actually explore the towns or beaches.
If you’re pressed for time, you could make a 3-day trip work, but anything less would be a waste.
Towns to visit
If you look at a map of the Amalfi Coast, you’ll see about 20 little towns and villages. At first, you might be tempted to try to fit them all into your itinerary. Don’t do that. When planning your trip, keep in mind that many of the towns here are tiny - Vietri sul Mare and Conca dei Marini have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, for example - and not all of them have specific things to see or do.
Located just a few kms one from the other, the difference between towns is often pretty minimal, so rushing to visit all of them just doesn’t make sense. Instead, I’d suggest that you choose a few places and activities for each day that you’re here and then visit leisurely.
The pleasure of a visit to the Amalfi Coast lies in savoring the experience; good views, good food, a day on the water, a nice hike, sunset cocktails, some down time, etc. This is not somewhere you come to check off boxes and hit “must dos”. So don’t!
1. Sorrento
Located on the northern side of the Sorrentino peninsula, this is the second largest city of the region after Salerno. It’s a bustling little place with friendly locals and a few good sights. Many pleasant shops are located throughout the historical center, providing nice opportunities for window shopping and wandering. One spot definitely not to miss is the Villa communale, a free seaside park and garden with stunning views of the bay and relaxing green spaces.
One of my favorite things about Sorrento is their local woodworking called intarsio. For hundreds of years artisans have been producing inlaid wooden boxes, tables, dressers and all sorts of furniture. If you’re interested, you’ll find shops all over town.
If you are based in Salerno and you want to arrive in Sorrento, the fastest way would be to take the regional Line 2 train to Pompeii, walk to the Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri station and take the Circumvesuviana down the coast. It’s not the most comfortable journey but it will be much faster than taking the bus around the entire peninsula.
For all of the other towns on this list, you will have to contend with the regional SITA bus system if you opt out of renting a car or hiring a car service.
2. Amalfi
On the opposite side of the peninsula from Sorrento is Amalfi, one of the most well-known towns of the Amalfi Coast. As you read this pay attention to the spelling: it’s A-mal-fi, not Al-ma-fi, as many visitors tend to say.
If you do nothing else in this town, you must visit the Duomo. Can it be crowded? Yes. Will it be worth it? Absolutely. Its architecture is a stunning combination of Islamic, Byzantine, and Romanesque that leaves many visitors speechless. After visiting the Duomo, you should stop by the Savoia pastry shop across the street from Piazza Gioia and get a ‘baci di Amalfi’, a pastry with cream or lemon filling.
Following your sweet treat, take a walk to Piazza municipio and head to the nearby tunnel which leads to an elevator that ascends to a stunning and little-known viewpoint over the town and bay. If you head back down to the tunnel and walk all the way to the other end, you will arrive in a cute, small town called Atrani.
Amalfi is a good place to spend the majority of the day or the entire day. There are several museums, great places to eat and one of the only towns on the coast that can keep you occupied for more than 2-3 hours. It is also conveniently close to the next town on the list where you can sneak over to get some deals.
In case you decide to spend a while in town, here’s a nice guide to some excellent restaurants in Amalfi.
3. Atrani
Although nothing special in and of itself, I like to use Atrani as a break from all of the chaos of Amalfi. It’s just minutes away from Amalfi, but exponentially quieter. Atrani is a great place to grab lunch or dinner as the restaurants here are slightly cheaper than the ones you’d find in Amalfi and the seafood is just as fresh. For a great meal, I suggest A’Paranza for their excellent selection of local seafood.
The town is usually used as a kind of passing-by place for travelers as it is not exactly the most stunning place on the coast. The main road that takes you to the other towns passes right above Atrani and there are several houses that are actually built into the lower part of the overpass. It’s a humble little town but for sure worth the visit.
4. Ravello
If you put “Amalfi Coast” into Google, you will almost certainly come across a photo of a singular pine tree sticking out from Villa Rufolo overlooking the bay – that’s Ravello. With some of the best views of the Amalfi Coast, this tranquil town is an ideal place to visit if you want to take it easy and enjoy some greenery. While you tour Villa Rufolo’s beautiful gardens and admire the town’s characteristic architecture, make sure to pick up an ice cream at Gelataio Baffone.
Ravello is a little more popular with an older crowed and is more low-key but don’t let that deter you from going. It is a beautiful place to travel to, especially if you want to see a concert or the park and it has a kind of mystic quality to it that is lacking in some of the other towns.
5. Cetara
Located just a few kilometers from Salerno, this sleepy fishing village has one peculiarity that is often overlooked, but very much of interest to any foodies or history buffs. Cetara is known for its collatura dei alici, a 2,000 year old Roman-era fish sauce (called Garum in antiquity) that is still made today by pressing anchovies and salt together in a wooden barrel. It’s the perfect condiment for when you want a seafood pasta, but don’t have fresh fish.
Just like all of the other places on this list, Cetara is a cute seaside town with stunning views. In southern Italy, and in Italy in general, it is common for a town or village to have a specialty that sets them apart. Cetara is a very standard town but has this very particular, and I think super interesting and tasty, specialty that is for sure worth the visit even if it’s just for an hour or so.
It’s important to appreciate the little things on the Amalfi Coast and Cetara is one of those little things.
6. Minori/Maiori
These two tiny towns are located just down the coast from Amalfi and Atrani. I’ve put them together because you should visit both, one after the other for the perfect combination of tasty pastries and great swimming.
You should arrive in Minori in the mid-to-late morning to pick up some pastries at the famous Sal di Riso pastry shop. Going along with the region’s lemon theme, they have a local delicacy called the delizia al limone, a delightful lemon pastry. Grab a few and then head over to the neighboring town of Maiori to relax on the Amalfi Coast’s largest free beach. While many of the beaches along the coast have become privatized, this one somehow managed to stay public and it’s the perfect place for a low-budget snack and swim.
Both of these towns are built in a vertical way that stretches from the coastline up into the mountains, nestled between two hills. Although they are larger than Atrani, they are still both mostly residential or vacationing towns that don’t really have much going on other than locals going about their business and tourists enjoying the beach. These are both places to relax rather than places to see per-se.
Photo: gian luca bucci, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
7. Positano
No list of Amalfi Coast towns would be complete without Positano. Probably the most famous town on the Amalfi Coast, outside of Amalfi, the town has an expansive private beach, a clutch of good hotels, and many luxury house rentals that feature stunning views of the bay below. Built into the side of a steep cliff, the location is incredibly scenic, but also very challenging to move around.
A magnet for wealthy travelers, celebrities, “fake-it-til-you-make-it” Instagram influencers, and every other type of vacationer in existence, it is also the region’s most expensive destination. The extreme fame means that crowds here are intense at almost any time of year.
One of the other, lesser-known things about Positano is that it has a long tradition of sandal making. The town’s leather sandals are distinct and can be bought in shops all around.
If you’re going to skip a town along the Amalfi Coast, this should be the one you skip. Other than the handmade sandals, there really isn’t anything special about Positano. You can get the exact same views, food and better hospitality at any of the other towns along the coast.
If you visit, get some ideas on where to eat in our Positano restaurant guide.
8. Vietri Sul Mare
My personal favorite town of the coast, Vietri Sul Mare is one of its most underrated destinations. Easy to get to from either Naples or Salerno, the town is known for its beautiful and surprisingly affordable ceramics. The central street is lined with local shops that have been family-owned for generations. There’s also a large ceramic factory whose facade is completely covered in tiles.
Like nearly everywhere else on the Amalfi Coast, Vietri has a decent city beach where you can cool off or catch a gorgeous sunset. It gets crowded during high season, but is relatively relaxed outside of the peak period. There is a small public section but if you want to relax a bit more in general, I would simply wait until the end of October so the beaches open up to the public so you don’t have to worry about paying to go to the beach.
I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this town. If I could, I would buy a house here. It truly encapsulates the essence of the Amalfi Coast without all of the chaos of the other places. When I was explaining in the introduction about how time stands still in some places, this is the place I was referring to.
Additionally, unlike places like Ravello, Vietri has a bunch of restaurants and cafes to enjoy between buying handmade ceramics and looking out into the bay.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
9. Conca Dei Marini
What better to do on the coast than make a pilgrimage to the the birthplace of one of Italy’s most famous sweets? Conca Dei Marini is where the famous Sfogliatella was born more than 400 years ago.
Although many think it is from Naples (myself included, until very recently), that reputation is incorrect and unjust! Naples can have its pizza, but sfogliatella unequivocally belongs to Conca dei Marini! For the best one, go to Bar Santa Rosa and enjoy this tasty morsel while overlooking the bay.
Conca is probably the smallest town on this list and can be visited in an hour or less depending on how much you want to relax there. Outside of the sfogliatella and the beach, there is not much to do there.
However, if you are there with a loved one or a partner and you want to do something romantic, I’d recommend planning to arrive there just before sunset to order your sfogliatella and watch the sun go down along the coast while mopeds buzz by.
Photo: I, Mess, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
10. Gragnano
If you’re visiting the Amalfi Coast with a car (or choose to hire a driver or taxi for a day or two), I highly recommend a visit to the little town of Gragnano.
Located slightly more inland and not actually considered part of the Amalfi Coast, it’s home to some of the best artisanal pasta makers in Italy. Local shops produce pasta by hand and some even dry it on wooden racks as was done for hundreds of years. Even if only for a quick pit-stop, it’s worth the 20-minute drive inland.
Gragnano is not a pretty town by any stretch of the imagination. Its not ugly, but you don’t go there because you want to see the town. You go there because you will eat or buy (or eat and buy) what is guaranteed to be the best pasta you will ever have in your life. It sounds like an exaggeration but it’s not! They have been making pasta for hundreds of years with recipes passed down over generations. They know what they’re doing!
This is one of those places that tourists don’t go to, ever, so you are bound to have a real, authentic experience that not many people get to have outside of locals and the occasional visiting family member.
The Valle dei Mulini outside of Gragnano. Photo: Mentnafunangann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do
The Amalfi Coast is mostly about the views and the water, but there are lots of other good things to do as well. There’s a good network of hiking trails in the mountains, interesting agricultural and gastronomic experiences (cooking classes, wine tasting, farm visits, etc.), and shopping for local crafts and art.
Here are some of my favorite things to do when visiting:
1. Visit the Valle Delle Ferriere
Valle delle Ferriere is a national park located inland from Amalfi. It’s a gorgeous natural area replete with waterfalls, abandoned ancient Roman ruins, and phenomenal views over the entire peninsula. The park’s main trail takes about three hours of moderate hiking and can be completed with a guide or on your own.
The park has an entrance fee of €5 euros, and the trailhead is in the town of Pontone, reachable via SITA bus from Amalfi.
2. Hike the “Sentiero degli Dei” trail (Path of the Gods)
Sentiero degli Dei is far and away the most famous hike in the Amalfi Coast. Correspondingly, it’s also the most crowded. It is beautiful though.
When you finally reach the top of the trail, you’re rewarded with a 360 degree view of not just the peninsula but the entire bay. It is simply stunning.
There is no cost to enter the trail and it’s open year round. The trail takes about four hours to finish and is doable without the help of a guide.
If you’re interested in a tour, this small-group hike is run by local outdoors guide Enzo Masullo who has great reviews on Tripadvisor.
A view from the “Path of the Gods” hike. Photo: Jules Verne Times Two / www.julesvernex2.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
3. Take a boat trip (to Procida preferably)
There are three major islands that surround the Bay of Naples: Procida, Ischia and Capri.
Hands down, my favorite Island is Procida. It’s small, homey, has excellent seafood that won’t leave you penniless, and its brightly colored houses give the island a classic Mediterranean island feel. Located on the northern rim of the Bay of Naples, it is the smallest of all the islands but in my opinion offers the most.
Although tourists do come to the island in the summer, it is still largely home to locals and well-to-do Neapolitans. If you’re looking for a relaxing, not crowded beach, Chiaolella is perfect, especially if you go at the end of October. Don’t forget to try a sweet specialty from the island called the lingua di Procida (the tongue of Procida) which is just a creme or lemon creme-filled pastry.
Depending on the time of year you plan to go to Procida, you will need to take a boat that leaves from Naples. A one-way ticket to Procida from Naples on the standard ferry costs around €17 and is usually slightly cheaper on the return. The ride lasts about an hour. If you’re looking for a faster boat, there is the Aliscafo which cuts the ride down to 30 minutes and costs around €22 each way. If you get seasick easily, I would strongly advise against taking the Aliscafo and just stick to the slower standard ferry.
As a local, I would advise against going to Capri. Everything, even a bottle of water, is expensive there, its always incredibly crowded (except in the winter when it’s cold), and the seafood you get on the island is identical to what you could get on Procida except much more expensive. Unless you want to go there for the sake of saying that you went there, I wouldn’t go.
That said, I know that Capri is still likely to be on many visitors’ bucketlist and that they’ll wind up going anyways.
If you’re interested in a boat tour, I’ve listed two good ones below. For a full list of tours, see my recommendations at the bottom of this article.
If you’d like to visit one of the islands as an organized tour, here are two options:
The island of Procida
4. Visit a winery and sample local wine
If you’re looking for a wine tasting with a little bit extra, Le Vigne di Raito winery in Vietri Sul Mare organizes a picnic for you complete with a basket and a stunning view of the coast. The vineyard is located on top of a hill overlooking the coast.
This option is much better than trying to find a public park with a nice place to sit and packing your own things and lugging it up a hill. All you have to do here is go to the vineyard, they give you a picnic basket complete with local cured meats, cheeses, bread, crackers, sandwiches, fresh and pickled veggies, a homemade dessert and of course the local wine. They also supply the cutlery, water and a blanket.
The whole experience costs €55 per person and lasts up to two hours. A perfect relaxing way to pass the afternoon without having to worry about all the planning.
5. Go on a food tour
Sorrento Food Tours has several great tours around the region but the biggest bang for your buck is the Sorrento Food Tour & Limoncello Experience. They take you on a 3 hour walking food tour where you get to taste local cured meats, beer brewed with lemons, handmade gnocchi alla Sorrentina with regional mozzarella, and of course pizza.
Between stuffing your face you’ll be able to meet with the chefs of the area and learn about the city and region’s history while walking in Sorrento’s old city.
The tour costs €89 per adult, €75 for children between 5 and 12 and is free for children under 5. The whole experience takes about 3 hours but you will be full for much longer.
Here are a couple of good food tours:
Walking food tour in Sorrento - this is the one run by Sorrento Food Tours (the company I mentioned above).
3-hour farm/food tour - a nice choice if you want to skip the walking, but still try lots of local products (including olive oil, limoncello, cheeses, etc.). It includes a guided visit to a local working farm, some tastings, and a farm-to-table lunch.
6. Explore the Paestum archeological site
Although not part of the Amalfi Coast, this incredible archeological site is just a quick 20 minute train ride south of Salerno. The site showcases Ancient Greek temples which are still standing after 2500 years and are an excellent example of southern Italy’s mixed past.
This is by far my favorite archeological site in the region, even beating Pompeii. The tickets are €10 in the winter months and €15 between March and November.
To get there, all you need to do is take a regional train from Salerno and get off at the Paestum station and walk about five minutes down the only road there is that leads you directly to the archeological park.
For a tour, here are two I recommend:
Private tours of Paestum - run by local guide Roberto Musio
Small group tour of Paestum - run by Askos Tours, a well-reviewed local company.
Paestum archeological site
7. Catch a concert at the Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium in Ravello
This modern, curvy building in Ravello is meant to imitate the shape of the coastline is home to some of the region’s coolest concerts. Depending on when you come, be sure to check out what events are happening in or outside of this concert hall.
I know I said not to come during the summer months but if you don’t heed my warning, every year there is a music festival called Ravello Festival in early August. The highlight of which is a dawn concert overlooking the entire Amalfi coast as the sun rises behind the mountains.
8. Spend a day hopping between towns
Any visit to the Amalfi Coast should include at least a day dedicated to hopping between the many towns and villages that dot the coast. Many visitors come and just stop at the best known towns like Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi, but, for me, the best places are the lesser-visited villages where you can still see what local life is really like.
9. Take a cooking class
If you want a more hands on experience where you can learn how to make local food like an expert, Amalfi Heaven Gardens offers a cooking course full of regional recipes. The dishes they will teach you how to cook vary on what season you go because they only cook with what is in season at the time of the class.
Just to give you an idea of some of the food, you could learn how to cook fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and anchovies, shrimp-filled ravioli in a lemon cream sauce, spaghetti alla nerano (with fried zucchini) and chocolate eggplant. The place is located just outside of the city of Amalfi and is accessible with the regional SITA bus.
The class lasts about four hours and the average price per person runs between €129 and €139. This is one of those experiences that is worth the extra money since it is something you can continue to enjoy long after you’ve left the Amalfi Coast.
If you want to book this exact tour on Viator (run by Amalfi Heaven Gardens), this is the link to the correct experience.
10. Taste our famous lemons
It wouldn’t be a trip to Amalfi without trying some of the local lemon and lemon products. Amalfi Lemon Experience offers several different tours but I recommend the ‘classic lemon tour.’ You get to tour the lemon gardens along the coast, see how they are cultivated on steps, and at the end of the tour you’ll be able to taste the region’s famous limoncello and other products like lemon cake and lemonade.
The tour takes about an hour and a half and costs only €25 per adult (€12 for kids between 2-10 and free for kids under 2). A word of advice - on this tour, like most tours in the region, I would recommend wearing hiking shoes and be prepared for uphill paths.
11. Visit the Amalfi Paper Museum
A little bit out of the ordinary but a wonderful way to learn about the diverse history of the region, the Amalfi Paper Museum (Museo della Carta in Italian) will take you though how some of the oldest, if not the oldest, paper making factories in Europe worked. Paper making has existed in Amalfi since the 1300s and was likely brought over or exported from Syria and Palestine which was brought to them from China.
The museum’s tickets are very affordable with a guided tour costing €6. You’ll even have the opportunity to make your own paper using ancient techniques at the end of the tour. Not your average painting museum!
12. Check out the Ravello Coral Museum
If you’re looking for another museum off-the-beaten-path, the Coral Museum of Ravello is a great place to spend 30 minutes to an hour. Coral has been an important part of local art for centuries. Whether it be art that is supposed to look like coral, or hundreds of years old incredibly intricate art actually made from it, this museum has it all.
Expect to pay less than €5 to enter the small but fascinating museum.
13. Tour the ancient Roman Villa in Minori
Tucked away in the little town of Minori is a hidden gem of the Amalfi Coast. An incredibly well preserved Roman villa sits in the center of the town underneath some residential buildings. The only things that come close to this villa in the region is Pompeii or Herculaneum.
You’ll be able to see walls with original paint and frescos, intact tile floors and the many rooms of the villa. This place is open all year round and the best thing about it is that it’s free to the public.
Where to stay - best bases
The two best places to base yourself on the Amalfi Coast are Sorrento and Salerno.
In terms of access, they’re the two easiest towns to get to from anywhere else and they provide the best transportation connections to all the other towns of the coast.
These are also the biggest two cities on the coast which means that they have the most amenities, better prices, and a much more local feel than the smaller towns. They also have the best public transportation connections, so are easy to get to and around from.
There’s enough to do in each city to keep you occupied for a few days and you have great selections of restaurants, cafes, and bars that won’t all be booked solid. After days spent visiting the small villages of the coast, you’ll be glad to come home to a busy little city with things going on.
While you might be tempted to stay somewhere like Positano or Amalfi, know that you’ll pay heavily inflated prices and be surrounded almost exclusively by other tourists.
Something else to keep in mind is that the towns of the Amalfi Coast are tiny, so a few hours in each is generally adequate for a visit. If you stay in them, you will quickly find that you run out of things to do.
How to get around
An NLG ferry boat. Photo: Abxbay, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Amalfi Coast is notoriously challenging to get around, regardless of how you do it. Unlike most of Italy, you don’t have train service on the peninsula, so you’ll be reliant on buses, limited ferries, taxis, or your own car.
For detailed info on travel from Naples to the towns of the Amalfi Coast, read our article on getting from Naples to the Amalfi Coast.
By public bus
The regional SITA buses can take you from Salerno or Sorrento to all major points across the Amalfi Coast. The tickets range in price from €1.30 to €3.40 depending on how far you need to go, and buses are scheduled to leave about every 15-20 minutes. However, be aware that they are often late and don’t always follow the posted timetables.
By ferry
Fans of boat travel will be happy to know that ferry service is available from various towns on the coast. Naples, Sorrento, Salerno, Positano, and Amalfi all have ferry terminals. Keep in mind, though, that some towns may only have a connection with one other town – i.e., you may be able to get from Sorrento to Positano, but not from Sorrento to Amalfi. The 3 companies that run the routes are: Travelmar, Alilauro, and NLG.
If you want to compare prices and timetables for all the different ferry providers in one place, try using Ferry Scanner. It’s easy to use, schedules are always up to date, and the price difference between using them and booking direct is negligible.
Taking taxis and private drivers
Taxis and private drivers are available almost everywhere, but know that during the busy season they book up rapidly. This is not a region for making last-minute bookings.
If you’re looking for a private driver for transfers and day tours, we always recommend Marco Puglia who is based in Sorrento.
By car
Unless you’re coming in the off season, I would strongly advise against renting a car. The roads of the Amalfi Coast are narrow and winding, traffic is intense, parking is incredibly limited, and there are rules for what days certain cars are allowed to drive. Having a car on the Amalfi Coast often winds up being much more of a hassle than a benefit.
That said, if for some reason you do plan on renting a car, I also always recommend checking prices on DiscoverCars. It’s an online aggregator that includes offerings from all the major international rental companies as well as lots of smaller local agencies, which often have much better pricing.
Best time to visit
Late October – best time to visit
The best time to visit the Amalfi Coast, and southern Italy in general, is late fall, especially the end of October. While other parts of Italy start to shift into shoulder season by mid-September, high season in the Amalfi Coast runs well into October.
If you want to avoid the busiest crowds and pay cheaper prices while still being able to enjoy everything that the Amalfi Coast offers, late October is perfect. The end of the month is still warm enough for swimming, boat trips, hiking, and sightseeing. While there is the occasional shower, heavier rains don’t come until later in November, and you’ll typically still have warm, sunny days.
You’ll still find other tourists at this time of year, but it won’t be anything like the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of summer and late spring. Because of this, hotels have good availability and lower prices, restaurants will not all require reservations, and many tour operators and service providers will offer discounted rates.
Spring & Summer – crowded mayhem
Beginning in early spring (April) and running until mid-October, the Amalfi Coast is in the swing of peak season. Unlike in much of Italy (and southern Europe in general) shoulder season here does not really exist. The only “low” period is our rainy and overcast winter.
During the high season, you’ll find packed crowds everywhere you go, sky-high prices, sold out hotels, full restaurants, mobbed beaches, and lines for just about everything that you want to do. The high temperatures can also make sightseeing a bit of a drag.
My recommendation? Skip this time of year altogether.
Winter
From early November until April, the Amalfi Coast can be rainy, overcast, and gloomy. For Mediterranean standards, it can also actually be pretty cold – ranging from 5 to 15 C. As the main draw of the coast is being outside and by the water, almost no one visits at this time of year.
Over the winter, many restaurants, hotels, and tourist services shut up shop entirely. While the towns have year-round populations and don’t ever resemble ghost towns, they do become very quiet. If you choose to visit at this time, expect limited availability for just about everything and questionable weather.
Other things to know
How far is the Amalfi Coast from Naples?
The Amalfi Coast is a peninsula near to Naples that contains 13 towns. Technically, it starts around the town of Positano (at the tip of the peninsula) and runs up until the city of Salerno. Naples to Positano is 56 km (35 miles) and the trip takes 1 hour and 30 minutes by car.
What’s the fastest way to get from Naples to the Amalfi Coast?
The fastest and easiest way to get from Naples to the Amalfi Coast is to hire a taxi or private driver. By car, getting from Naples to any town on the Amalfi Coast usually takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, costing from 120-200 euros.
Via public transport, the quickest way to get from Naples to the Amalfi Coast is to take a ferry from Naples’ Beverello port to Positano or Amalfi. Direct ferries take about 1 hour and 30 minutes - less time than driving if there’s traffic - and they depart up to 3 times per day. The port terminal is also adjacent to the city center and it’s easily reached by bus or even walking. That said the departure times may not line up with your schedule, making using the ferry inconvenient.
Another option is to take a high-speed train from Naples to Salerno and then take a taxi or ferry from Salerno to your final destination on the Amalfi Coast. Trains between Naples and Salerno run every 20 minutes and the journey takes 40 minutes to one hour. Tickets cost as little as 5 euros.
Read our guide to transportation on the Amalfi Coast for more info.
Can you get a taxi on the street in the Amalfi Coast?
There are taxis available throughout the Amalfi Coast, but rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft do not exist. Also, while you can find taxis on the street in Positano and Amalfi, from most other towns you will need to call and request service. In the summer, taxis are extremely busy and you will need to book many services in advance if you want to guarantee availability.
Can you visit the Amalfi Coast without a car?
The vast majority of people visiting the Amalfi Coast do so without a car. In fact, from April to November (high season), having a car is almost always more of a hassle than not. Public transportation on the Amalfi Coast is good, with public buses, frequent ferries, and even train service to some towns. You’ll have no problem visiting and getting around without a car.
That said, if you only have one day to visit the coast, you probably want to hire a driver or use a combination of ferry/bus and taxi to maximize your time. But if you’ll be visiting for multiple days, not having a car is not an issue at all.
Can you walk between towns on the Amalfi Coast?
Footpaths, trails, and sidewalks run all over the hilly slopes of the Amalfi Coast, connecting towns. Some towns are only a few minutes walk from each other, while others would require multi-hour hikes through the hills. You won’t want to solely rely on walking to get around the Amalfi Coast, but you can certainly walk between some of the towns.
Is the Amalfi Coast expensive?
The Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s premier tourist destinations and millions of people visit every year. As such, it is a rather expensive region. Everything from a beer to meals, hotels, and tour guides will cost more than in lesser-visited parts of Italy. Also, high season here runs from practically April until November, meaning that you don’t have many “shoulder season” discounts.
Can you visit the Amalfi Coast on a day trip from Naples?
It’s entirely possible to visit the Amalfi Coast as a day trip from Naples, but you need to plan things well. You won’t be able to see every town, but you’ll be able to stop in major ones like Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, and Atrani, and stop at lots of fabulous scenic viewpoints.
Public transport on the Amalfi Coast, while extensive, can be very slow. Traffic can also be terrible and parking is extremely limited, so driving yourself can also be a nightmare. If you want to visit on a day trip, the easiest thing to do is to hire a private driver who will pick you up and drop you back off in Naples and take you around for the day, without any need for you to park, wait for buses, stand in ferry lines, or get stuck in traffic.
Our favorite driver-guide is always Marco Puglia.
Can you visit the Amalfi Coast on a day trip from Rome?
Visiting the Amalfi Coast as a day trip from Rome is doable if you take the high-speed train to Naples and then hire a private driver to take you around the coast for the day. You’ll need at least 8 hours of time on the coast to see anything, and you need to budget 2 hours of travel in each direction. So, you’ll need a bare minimum of 12 hours to do a day trip to the Amalfi Coast from Rome.
The train from Rome to Naples runs from early in the morning until late in the evening, the journey takes 1 hour and 10 minutes, and departures run multiple times every hour. Once you arrive in Naples, a driver can pick you up at the train station and bring you straight to the coast.
Driving from Rome to Naples is slower than taking the train (3 hours instead of 1) and ultimately means that you’ll spend almost 14 hours in the car if you attempt to do a day trip.
Tours & Excursions
Walking tours & archaeology tours
If you’re interested in taking a tour while on the Amalfi Coast, you’ll find all sorts of neat experiences.
While there are lots of short walking tours of the individual towns, I usually think that they’re really only worth it for Naples and Salerno, which are bigger cities. Ravello can also be interesting if you’d like to visit some of its beautiful villas.
Of course, archaeological tours are often another highlight of any visit to the Amalfi Coast. Just nearby you have the ruins of Pompeii, Paestum, and Herculaneum, three of the finest examples of Roman ruins anywhere in Italy.
Local guide Roberto Musio is an archaeologist-guide based in Salerno who runs really fun and interesting tours to the ruins of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum, as well as walking tours of Naples, Salerno, and Ravello.
Path of the Gods hikes are another favorite of visitors to the coast. While there are a lot of stairs involved, the hike is pretty moderate in difficulty, so doable for most people in decent physical condition.
Driving tours
For those with limited time, a full-day driving tour is a great way to see a lot of the Amalfi Coast in a little bit of time. Most driving tours are 8-9 hours and drivers can typically accommodate up to 6-8 guests in their vehicles.
When possible, I recommend doing a driving tour on the day you arrive to the region as it gives you a good introduction to the entire Amalfi Coast and it saves you some money on a transfer as you can get picked up at the train station, airport or ferry terminal in Naples and then finish the tour at your hotel on the coast.
Sorrento-based guide Marco Puglia runs full-day driving tours all around the Amalfi Coast. He’s lived his entire life in the region and a day with Marco is always, fun, informative, and casual.
Small group driving tours are also an (cheaper) option.
Boat trips
The Amalfi coastline is stunning, and seeing it from the water really is a unique experience. To explore by boat, you have all sorts of different options.
If you’re thinking about getting out on the water, the most cost-effective thing to do is just a hop a ferry between two connected towns or take a hydrofoil to an island like Procida, Ischia, or Capri. Capri is by far the most heavily visited island, so if you’re looking for something more local in feel, I’d recommend Procida or Ischia.
There are also lots of organized boat tours of the coastline and islands. The most popular tour is a quick trip out to Capri’s Blue Grotto or half-day boat tours that circle Capri.
If taking a boat tour from Capri, be aware that many skip the Blue Grotto. This is because wait times can be absurdly long, meaning that you wind up sitting anchored for half of your tour time or more. Personally, I don’t think that it makes any sense spending so much of your time waiting around to see the Blue Grotto when there are dozens of other grottoes all around the region.
Here are some good potential tours:
Full-day Capri boat tour from Sorrento (small group)
Amalfi coastline boat tour from Sorrento (small group). For the same tour but with departure from Salerno, look at this one. For departure from Amalfi, try this one.
Full-day boat tour of Procida and Ischia (small group)
More Amalfi Coast travel info
For more advice on planning your trip to the Amalfi Coast (and Italy in general), have a look at some of our other guides and itineraries!
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Roberto Musio
Amalfi Coast Expert based in Salerno
Ciao ragazzi! 👋
Hi, I'm Roberto, and I've been a tour guide and travel consultant here for the last 12 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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