How to Plan an Amazing Amalfi Coast Getaway

Greetings everyone!

We are back from our recent trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy! We’ve gotten so accustomed to being at home and I was a little unsure of what to expect when we arrived…

Italy was the warm welcome back to travel that I was craving! Many aspects even felt close to a pre-pandemic world…somewhat. This was actually our third trip to Italy (crazy!). Our previous trips we focused on Rome, Florence and Cinque Terre.

The Amalfi Coast is a 50 km stretch of towns South of Naples nestled in the cliffs. It consists of 13 towns, each with it’s own distinct charm. There is a faint smell of jasmine that invigorates your spirit as you wander the narrow streets of each town.

I was completely overwhelmed when I started planning this trip. 2 years ago (ahem…the dreaded 2020), we were planning to do the Amalfi Coast and I was so confused by where to stay/base and how to get around that we shifted gears and started planning a trip to the South of France instead. Of course that didn’t happen! Sometime last year I resolved to make this trip happen. It’s a classic tourist spot, but there’s no denying the allure of this coastline.

Summary of this Guide:

How to Get to There
Where to Stay (Towns+Hotels)
How many days
Things to Do
Restaurants Recommendations
What to Pack

How to Get There:
Getting to the Amalfi Coast is a bit of a haul from Rome and seems complicated but it just requires a bit of planning. You have a few options: Option 1) You can fly to Rome and then arrange transportation (train or fly) to Naples, then to your starting point in the Amalfi Coast. If you choose the train, you have to take a train from Rome Fiumicino to the main train station in Rome and there is a direct train to Naples (1.5 hours). Then you would need to hire a driver or take a bus to your starting point on the Amalfi Coast. Option 2) You can fly into Naples and arrange a car, bus or ferry to your starting point. We chose to fly into Rome because we didn’t want to deal with a connection in flying from Atlanta. Some might not mind this but coming from the US, I really like direct flights to a major city if possible. Option 3) You can fly to Rome and hire private car to take you straight to the Amalfi Coast. We hired a private car to drive us to Positano from FCO. The total trip time was about 3.5 hours and it cost about $450. This was an expensive option, but when we factored in all the various points of changing train stations, plus time spent buying tickets and waiting on the train, we thought this would be the most time efficient and convenient. Our driver was so friendly and gave us lots of recommendations for restaurants! He stopped so we could get a bite to eat as well. After a long international flight it was nice to just look for our name on a piece of paper once we landed. These are just things to consider. For us it was well worth the extra cost. Rob found a car service just by doing a google search of car services to the Amalfi Coast.
Where to Stay:
I wish I kept track of how many hours I spent researching this! It’s definitely overwhelming, but I’m so pleased with the places we stayed and honestly feel they were the places best suited for us! We chose 3 different bases because I really wanted to experience these places early and late in the day when the crowds subsided. We chose Positano first. This was busiest area of the places we stayed, but at night it was pretty relaxed! It was gorgeous at nighttime with all the lights from the restaurants and hotels set against the cliffs. We stayed at the Hotel Reginella, a small family owned hotel with about 10 rooms. Where we stayed felt a little removed from the hustle and bustle. Breakfast was served on our balcony each morning looking out to the sea!
Our hotel:Hotel Reginella (My absolute favorite of our trip). We booked a Deluxe Sea View room. Other places I looked into were the Hotel Poseidon, but it was too expensive for us! I really prefer these smaller hotels to the bigger name places. I enjoy the experience of staying at a smaller hotel.

Praiano was our next stop. I chose this place based on the everything I read, it sounds a little more relaxed than the usual stops along the Amalfi Coast. I adored this place! It was much quieter than Positano. We weren’t close to the main center of town, but I didn’t mind! Praiano is about a 30 minute water taxi ride from the town of Amalfi. Perfect for a 1/2 day or full day trip. We stayed at Hotel Onda Verde (it was so lovely, but our room was a little noisy) but earplugs did the trick! This was more a resort experience because of the small pool (not heated) and nearby beach. Perfect if you want to have time to relax and truly settle into vacation. The breakfast spread was amazing! I treated myself to a massage one day too! Everyone was so kind and friendly! 5 star service for sure!
Another hotel we looked at was the Hotel Pellegrino or the Hotel Margherita
Our last stop was Ravello. Up in the hills, with gardens to explore. It felt different from our previous two stops, but also had a little more going on than Praiano. There is main square with plenty of shops and restaurants and a little more foot traffic from day trippers. I’m still deciding which place I liked the most, but I think Ravello is the winner! If you prefer to be by the water then I would recommend Praiano.
We stayed at the Gala Residence, very simple but the most affordable place we stayed with an impeccable view. Please note that the pool in the pictures is an extra charge and not a part of the property. I think it might have been 10 Euros per person, not a big deal, just something to note. We were about a 10-15 minute walk from main town center (straight up). If you want to be closer to town, there are many options!
We considered staying in Capri as well, but instead opted for a day trip. I thought Capri was nice, but pretty touristy (better for a boat tour). I don’t know if I would have liked being based there. Anacapri is what I would recommend for a base because it’s little quieter than Capri. If you prefer being in the center of the action Positano, Amalfi and/or Capri would be the place for you!

Can you do the Amalfi Coast on a Budget?

I actually think you can! I do not consider us budget travelers by any means, but you could easily get more bang for you buck renting an apartment. We looked into this, but with the uncertainty of COVID I felt more comfortable booking hotels with a good cancellation policy! If you rent a place and have a kitchen, you can shop at markets and cook some of your meals in your place. I found the price of food and snacks to be very reasonable, especially compared to food prices in the US right now! We got a few snacks and did a little happy hour on the balcony of our hotels. I also found great prices at all 3 locations for hotels, there’s a big range of options! You can easily spend less on lodging, but you may be further away from the town center. You can also spend quite a bit more (I’m looking at you, Le Sirenuse or Caruso, A Belmond Hotel)! Although, it’s probably dream of mine to stay at the Belmond one day because WOW! We were booking these places in January 2022 for a trip in late May. The most expensive things were private transfers between towns. However, this made everything super easy. I think you could take the bus, but I’m not sure where you could put your luggage.

3. How Many Days:

We contemplated spending 3-4 days in Tuscany or even Puglia. We realized it would have been almost a full day of travel to get up to Tuscany. Instead, we chose to just focus on the this rugged coast and I’m thrilled we did! I think 3 days would have felt rushed for everything we wanted to do. 9 days + 1 night in Rome before flying home was the sweet spot. Although if you have an extra day use it in the first stop because I always forget about the jet lag and recovery time! If you are short on time I think you could enjoy the highlights in 5 days with one home base.

4. Things to Do:

Climbing stairs?! Kidding, but not really. Get ready to gain some elevation! Take a Private Boat Tour (around Capri or along the entire Amalfi coast), do a cooking class or wine tasting. We looked into Airbnb experiences, but a few of them just didn’t work out for our schedule. In Ravello, I recommend the Villa Ruffalo and Villa Cimbrone Gardens. There are also many beach clubs to go to, but to be honest that’s not really our thing! I know Il Pirata in Praiano has beach chairs you can reserve. Maybe we just needed 1 more day! :). Obviously there’s tons of shopping, especially in Positano. Can you believe I didn’t buy one souvenir?! Everyone talks about the handmade custom sandals, so check that out if you want a souvenir!

We booked our boat tour through this site and just searched for options that looked right for us! We did a private tour, because they were really reasonable. I think if we had done one up the whole Amalfi Coast it would have been quite a bit more, but we definitely considered it!

The Path of the Gods: Sentiero Degli Dei.

The hike is about 8km long (5 miles). This is an incredible trail high in the cliffs. What better way to gain an appreciation for the landscape than by climbing up into the rocky terrain. The day we did the whole trail was very cloudy when we started and we were pretty much were hiking in the clouds (see pictures below). So my first tip is look and see if you can see the top of the cliffs. If you can’t, you might want to wait until it clears for better views on the trail. Luckily we did a portion of the trail a few days earlier when we were in Positano and it was very clear that day!

The trail and officially starts in Bomerano. You can either start in Praiano and climb the steps up or take the bus to Bomerano. You hike to the town of Nocelle and from there you can either take a bus back to Positano or take the steps down. Just be aware it’s a lot of steps (about 1500)! There are a couple of places to stop and enjoy lunch (Rifugio Dei Mele, epic spot) or a Lemon granite. When we stayed in Postiano we did the steps up and short section of the trail. You can also arrange private transportation for drop off and pick up but it will be pricey.

I read so many people talk about this hike being “moderate”. I disagree. I thought this hike was tough and very technical. There was a lot of scrambling up and over rocks throughout the hike. Trails in Italy are much more rugged so just remember what we see in the US (guardrails, safety ropes, trail signs) are pretty much non existent here. If there are rails, it’s made out of wood and doesn’t look super sturdy (part of the charm, right?!). I just wanted to disclose because I think it’s important to go into this hike knowing it’s not a casual jaunt. As true hiking nerds, we brought our trekking poles and good hiking shoes. I’m very glad we had these as I saw some people slipping and falling in regular sneakers. The rocky terrain can be slick in some places so good grip on your soles is essential. It makes the trek a little easier on your body too!

We also did the Path of the Lemons, Sientro di Lemoni. It was decent and easy. The Path of the Gods is more work, but the views are more exciting!

5.Where to Eat:

Amalfi Coast specialties: Shellfish, Sea Bass, Scialatielli pasta ( a thin, flat pasta that is unique to the Amalfi Region), Risotto Ai Frutti Di Mare (Risotto with shellfish and tomatoes), Lemon Delight for dessert and of course Limoncello!

Positano: Da Gabrisa For a starter: The Uovo, patate e tartufo was fabulous!

Restaurant Mediterraneo the food was solid and I loved the atmosphere here!

Il Tridente- We went here for drinks and dessert. The setting is incredible, but it comes with a price. Our cocktails were 20 Euros each!

Cafe Positano is a great place for drinks or appetizers, we ate here our first night and got a table on short notice (which was the main reason we ate here). The setting was really pretty, but my main dish was a little bland. Next door was Ristorante Da Vincenzo and it was also recommended to us!

I tried making a reservation at La Sponda, but it was booked over 2 months before our trip. I’m sure it’s great, but sometimes these places feel out of my league! Another spot I wanted to try Zass Restaurant (another Michelin Star restaurant), but it was also fully booked when I started making reservations. Just like any major tourist town there are places with great food and places with not so great food. Red Flags I look for: If there are people outside asking you to come in (watch out), if there are pictures on the menu (they are usually terrible pictures too, haha!), and if there are 10 country flags of different languages on the menu…odds are it’s going to be sub-par. Sorry, but it’s true. Sometimes we’ve eaten at these places when we’re desperate. These restaurants are usually in a prime location (near the water or town center) It can be fun for people watching! If you want great food, ask the locals for their recommendations!

For wine lovers, I recommend trying the Costa d’Amalfi (White or Red) at least a few times because it’s really nice!. We have a soft spot for the bolder flavors from Montepulciano and Chianti. We noticed the price of bottles are not sold at an uncharge like in the US! Amazing!

This site has some great info about Italian wines and how they are labeled.

Praiano: Il Pirata (I got the Gnocchi), Il Pino (awesome view and great food), and Kasai (I loved the relaxed vibe here). We had lunch at Ristorante Franchino ( Hotel Onda Verde), and it was really delicious!

Ravello: Garden Restaurant, Giulana’s View (super casual, but a seriously awesome view) for pizza. Babel Wine Bar (we ended up canceling here because it was super tight quarters and we were approaching our COVID test to re-enter the US. I’m really bummed though because I heard such great things about it! We made reservations at pretty much every place with just a few exceptions. Positano is most critical for reservations! We did more casual things for lunch like grabbing a sandwich at a market.

Gelato: Can we just take a moment to appreciate Gelato?! God, it’s the best! Still haven’t found anything that comes close to it in the states!

Positano: I cannot find this place anywhere on google or trip advisor but it is right next to the Hotel Reginella and the gelato was so good!

Ravello: Baffone Gelateria, there are other places in the main square, but this place was slightly off the main square.

Also be sure and try some Lemon or Orange Granite!

6. What to Pack:

Probably one of the worst packing jobs I’ve done in awhile. I don’t know why but the only thing I got right was my hiking clothes. Bring light layers. I had some things that were just a little too heavy or thick. When we were in Positano it was very chilly at night, but Praiano and Ravello were much warmer. And Ravello was really humid! So bring items that layer well, definitely a good sun hat!

Other notes:

Be aware that google maps is very unreliable with these Italian Streets. We got lost, dozens of times. I think you’re better off asking for directions! :)
In Positano, The streets are busy! The pedestrian path is narrow and you just need to keep an eye out for scooters and cars coming by constantly. This was Rob’s least favorite thing about Positano. Suprisingly, it didn’t bother me as much (usually it does), but that was another benefit of staying in some quieter places, we got a break from that in our other stops.
If you have more time: I would consider a few days in Ishchia! Lesser known than Capri with a more authentic Italian feel. Even more time? Tuscany or Puglia, even Sicily would have been really cool to explore! Adding it to my list…
We hiked from Ravello to Maiori and Minori, which I’m glad we saw, but they are much more modern hubs that aren’t quite as picturesque as the other towns in my opinion.
Amalfi was really pretty, but felt way too touristy for me (even more than Positano, in my opinion). I’ve learned that travel is so personal and what I like and enjoy will be different than what you look for on a trip! I am a firm believer that you need to see a place for yourself to form your own opinion!
Mid-late May is a good time to visit if you hope to avoid peak summer crowds (yikes!!) and don’t mind the colder water. We both actually love swimming in the cold water! Another great option would be September, when the summer rush has passed and the water still be warm.

Additional Resources:

Here is a list of all the towns and different pro/cons to consider for you base. Amalfi Coast Town Guide.

Search the Ferry Schedule Here: We bought our ferry tickets right before departing.

The Amalfi Coast is enchanting and it’s fun to imagine what this place was like 50 even 100 years ago. There will always be people who think it’s overhyped. While there are spots that are quite touristy, I really felt the magic in Praiano and Ravello!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram for photos and reels. Below are pins to save and share with your friends. :)

Until the next escapade,

-Savannah