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Italy · 7–9 days

The Amalfi Coast: when to go, what to see, and how to pace it

A short, honest guide to Italy's most photographed coastline — and how to enjoy it without losing the trip to traffic and crowds.

The Amalfi Coast is a 50-kilometre ribbon of cliffside towns south of Naples — Positano tumbling down to the sea, Amalfi with its striped cathedral, Ravello high above the water with the best gardens in Italy. It rewards a slow, food-led pace far more than a tick-list. Most people try to see too much; the trick is to base yourself well, move rarely, and let long lunches and boat days do the work.

When to go

May, June, late September and early October are the sweet spots — warm sea, long evenings, and the towns busy but not overwhelmed. July and August are hot, expensive and bumper-to-bumper on the coast road; if you can only travel then, get on the water early and rest through the afternoon. Many hotels and beach clubs close from November to Easter, so spring and early autumn give you the best balance of weather, value and open doors.

How long, and where to base yourself

Give it five to seven nights, ideally split between two bases so you're not packing and re-packing. A good combination:

• Positano — the iconic, vertical one. Beautiful but steep and busy; best for a couple of nights of the full picture-postcard experience.
• Ravello — high, calm and green, with Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. The antidote to the coast-road crush, and a lovely place to slow down.
• Amalfi town — the flattest and best-connected base, at the middle of the coast where the ferries and buses meet. Underrated, and the easiest option if you'd rather not climb stairs with luggage.
• Naples or Sorrento as a gateway — a night either side makes the airport transfers civilised and adds a city dimension (Naples for pizza and the archaeological museum; Sorrento for easy ferries).

A sensible 7-day shape

• Day 1 · Naples. Land, drop your bags, and eat pizza where it was invented. If you've the energy, the Museo Archeologico holds the mosaics and frescoes lifted from Pompeii — see them before the site itself and the ruins make far more sense.
• Day 2 · Herculaneum, then down to the coast. Smaller, better preserved and far less crowded than Pompeii, and it takes a morning rather than a day. Transfer to Positano in the afternoon.
• Days 3–4 · Positano. One slow day for the town itself — the beach, the church dome, dinner up in the lanes — and one boat day. A small hired boat with a skipper for the coast, or the ferry to Capri if you'd rather someone else drove.
• Day 5 · The Path of the Gods, then move to Ravello. Walk the Sentiero degli Dei from Bomerano in the cool of the morning; it drops you toward Positano via a great many steps. Move bases in the afternoon.
• Days 6–7 · Ravello and Amalfi. The gardens at Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, a concert if the season's on, and a half-day down in Amalfi for the striped cathedral and the paper museum. Keep the last evening free and long.

What's genuinely worth your time

• A boat day — hire a small boat or take the ferry to Capri or along the coast. Seeing the towns from the water is the trip's best hour, and on a hired boat you can swim off the back somewhere the crowds can't reach.
• Ravello's villa gardens at Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone — the Terrace of Infinity at Cimbrone is the single best view on the coast — and a concert at the Ravello Festival if you're there between June and September.
• The Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) — a high, scenic walk from Bomerano down toward Positano; do it in the cool of the morning, walk it downhill rather than up, and wear real shoes. It ends in roughly 1,500 steps down into Positano.
• Pompeii or Herculaneum on the way in or out — Herculaneum is smaller, better preserved and far less crowded. If you do want Pompeii, go at opening and take a guide; it's vast and unshaded.
• The food: lemons and limoncello, delizia al limone, scialatielli ai frutti di mare, mozzarella di bufala from the plain below, fresh seafood, and the best pizza of your life back in Naples.

Good to know

• The coast road is single-lane and slow — ferries between Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno are often quicker and far more pleasant than driving. They run roughly April to October and are weather-dependent, so keep a bus or taxi as plan B.
• It's steep and step-heavy everywhere. Positano is essentially a staircase with a view. Pack light, in a bag you can carry, and bring proper shoes rather than new sandals.
• Book ahead in high season — the big restaurants, any boat day, and the Blue Grotto if Capri's on your list. The best tables go weeks out, not days.
• A car is more hassle than help on the coast itself. Parking is scarce and expensive, and summer weekends bring one-way plate restrictions on the SS163. Handy only if you're touring further — Cilento, Paestum, inland Campania.
• Arrive by ferry if you can. Landing in Positano or Amalfi from the water is a far better introduction than an hour of hairpins, and it skips the transfer everyone complains about.
• Sun and shade. Beaches here are pebble, and the sun off the water is fierce by 11am. Rent a lounger with an umbrella, or do what locals do and disappear for a three-hour lunch.

Common questions

When is the best time to visit the Amalfi Coast?

May, June, late September and early October are the sweet spots — warm sea, long evenings and towns that are busy rather than overwhelming. July and August are hot, expensive and bumper-to-bumper on the coast road. Many hotels, beach clubs and ferry routes shut down from November to Easter, so spring and early autumn give the best balance of weather, value and open doors.

How many days do you need on the Amalfi Coast?

Five to seven nights is right, ideally split across two bases so you are not repacking every morning. Under four nights and the transfers eat the trip; beyond nine and you'll want to add Capri, the Cilento coast or a few days in Naples to keep it interesting. A good default is three nights in Positano and three in Ravello, with a night in Naples or Sorrento to civilise the airport days.

Where should you base yourself — Positano, Amalfi or Ravello?

Positano is the iconic, vertical one: beautiful, busy and very steep, best for a couple of nights of the postcard experience. Amalfi town sits at the centre of the coast and is the flattest and best connected by ferry and bus, which makes it the easiest base. Ravello is high above the water, calm and green, with the Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone gardens — the antidote to the coast-road crush. Most people are happiest combining two of the three.

Do you need a car on the Amalfi Coast?

No, and it's usually a liability. The coast road is single-lane, slow and short of parking, and hotel parking is expensive where it exists. Ferries between Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno are faster and far more pleasant, with SITA buses and taxis filling the gaps. Hire a car only if you're touring further afield — the Cilento, Paestum or inland Campania — and pick it up on the way out rather than keeping it parked all week.

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