Amalfi Coast Bucket List
The cliffs are absolutely gorgeous and the water is almost electric blue. Unfortunately, most of the beaches are not sandy and more like small gravel. Thankfully, there were a lot of boats with drivers to go around and explore, which was a lot of fun.
Why the Amalfi Coast belongs on your bucket list
It's strange that so few travelers make it here, even though Italy sees millions of visitors every year heading to Rome, Florence, and Venice. Tourists pour into the country in cars and buses, yet somehow the Amalfi Coast still feels like a discovery rather than a checklist stop. Lost in Ravello on a rainy afternoon, with clouds rolling in off the sea and not a sunbeam in sight, it's easy to wonder why more people don't make the detour here.
When to go
The best months to visit the area are May, June, September, and October. During this time it is possible to swim, hike, and not get trapped behind a bus on a road that has little room for one car. July and August bring crowds and heat that can overwhelm the narrow roads and beaches. Day-trippers from Naples flood the picturesque towns, and traffic can turn a short drive into hours of exhaust fumes. September is the sweet spot: the crowds thin out, the sea stays warm, and the light turns a fantastic gold starting around 5pm. Most hotels and restaurants close from November through March, when the coast is quiet and beautiful but many businesses are shuttered for winter.
Must-visit places on the Amalfi Coast
Positano
Chances are you've seen this town a million times over on Instagram. Well, it's just as good as it looks. Pink and peach-hued buildings teeter on the edge of the coast's steep hill, bougainvillea spills over the railings, and cafes buzz with life, all overlooking a beach of dark volcanic sand. The best perspective of the town? On the ferry as your boat eases into the docks. The whole town rises before you like a painting. Skip Spiaggia Grande if you can and take the path to Fornillo Beach on the town's west side. It's smaller, it's quieter, it's better.
Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei)
Picture a three-hour walk 600 meters above sea level. We told you we were just getting started. Trek through Mediterranean maquis, masserie, and vigne abbandonate. The coast is on your right. Capri is right in front of you. It appears not to be in a hurry though. It's 7.8 kilometers of medium difficulty and totally worth it. You leave out of Bomerano and arrive in Nocelle. You like it more and more. Then, the final stretch that goes down to Positano is the very reason to take a walk.
Ravello
Ravello is located 350 meters above the sea, making it a peaceful and cultured town. Unlike other coastal towns, it does not have a beach, but that does not bother Ravello. Its gardens at Villa Rufolo reportedly inspired Wagner to write Parsifal, and every summer the music festival takes place with the stage jutting out over the sea. Villa Cimbrone has its very own Terrance of Infinity, with marble busts looking out from a balcony with nothing but the sea and sky. It's all a little too much and too beautiful. The town itself moves at half the speed of the towns along the coast, and after a couple of days riding buses along the cliffs, that works well for us.
Amalfi Cathedral
The cathedral seems to be at the summit of a grand staircase, perched over the town, its living room because everyone hangs out on the steps. The Arab-Norman-Byzantine facade with its striking stripes dates to the 13th century rebuild, though the church itself was first founded in the 9th century. The blend of styles is unlike any cathedral you'll see elsewhere in Italy.
Chez Black
Sitting on the sand since 1949, this is classic old-school glamour. The spaghetti alle vongole is the house speciality for a reason; it's as good as you hope. Briny, garlicky, al dente. The wood-fired pizzas are good too, but really, you're here for the beach-side tables, the over-the-top in the best possible way Italian waiters, the ice-cold Peroni, and the waves lapping at the sand as you eat - this is the Amalfi Coast lunch of your dreams.
Atrani
Just a ten-minute walk away from Amalfi and it may as well be on a whole other continent. Atrani is the smallest town in southern Italy and couldn’t care less about making your jaw drop. It’s got a small square, a small beach, a coupla’ small trattorias where the dude you’re waving to from the seafront is the same dude cooking your pasta and pouring your wine, and that’s about it. No bougie hotels, no linens shop, just a legit fishing village. The fact that this place is so close to Positano, yet couldn’t be any less like Positano, is kind of a modern-world miracle. Get there by walking along the coast path or passing through the tunnel. Either way, you’ll be scratching your head the entire journey home as to why this place isn’t as Insta-famous as the other joint down the road.
Capri Island Day Trip
While the island gets rammed during the day, it empties quickly later on and while you’ll need a mortgage to stay, come evening you virtually have the place to yourself. Hiring a private boat to putt you around the coast all day is three figure sum but worth every cent. Elsewhere, wait for lunch until you reach the Boathouse on Marina Piccola bay for seafood spaghetti worth the boat trip alone.
Furore Fjord
Yes, it is! This sea cave is easily reached by boat from Amalfi or Conca dei Marini and rarely feels crowded. Sunlight filtering through the water creates an emerald glow across the entire cavern, giving the Emerald Grotto its name. Stalactites hang from the ceiling and a submerged nativity scene sits on the cave floor, visible through the impossibly clear water. It's surreal.
O'Parrucchiano
This restaurant has welcomed people through its doors since 1868 and the modern-day specialty of the house, big-as-your-head cannelloni, was first created here. The garden dining room is beyond romantic, with a lemon canopy, lantern-lit darkness, and foliage everywhere. It's probably the most romantic spot for a meal anywhere along the coast. The ludicrous perfectness of the place screams in many ways “romantic Italian restaurant” but, somehow, isn't at all put on. Gorge on gnocchi alla sorrentina, look at the catch of the day, sample their excellent house limoncello produced from the huge lemons hanging from the terraces directly above you... Just do it after you've booked a table for dinner and made sure to arrive before the sun sets.
Emerald Grotto (Grotta dello Smeraldo)
It may not be as blue or as famous as Capri's Blue Grotto, but conversely, it's not as crowded either. Perhaps because it is every bit as strange. Sunlight filters through a hole in the roof of the cavern, and the crystal-clear water stains everything a striking emerald green. A boatman poles you through the low entrance of the cave, and before you can mutter your first wow at the jade-like hue of the water, you'll spot the submerged ceramic nativity scene resting on the seabed below. Swimmable if given the low ladder treatment.
Amalfi Coast insider tips
- How to get around: Driving is not recommended as the roads are narrow and winding. Opt for the SITA bus or ferries that operate regularly between Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno. The ferries, in fact, are half the experience as the views of the coast from the water are spectacular.
- Base town: Amalfi town is the place with the best ferry connections and overall best central position. Positano is the glamorous one, but (be warned) everything is twice the price. Minori and Maiori are the local secret: good beaches, good restaurants, and no price shock.
- Hiking shoes: Indeed, you should wear hiking shoes, not fashionable ones or flip-flops. The Path of the Gods, the stairways between towns, and even Positano itself have hundreds of stone steps. Flip-flops are suitable for the beach exclusively.
- Lemons: You will find the largest lemons in the world on the Amalfi coast. The size of softballs, they are a local delicacy. Taste lemons in the form of granita, delizia al limone cake, and sip fresh limoncello. But be careful from where you try these. The ones made in factories and sold in gift shops are often too sweet and do no justice to this incredible fruit.
- Budget strategy: Enjoy your main meal of the day at lunchtime. Numerous restaurants serve fixed-price lunch menus for a fraction of the cost of a dinner. Grab picnic supplies at the local alimentari (deli) and picnic on the beach. No restaurant view can beat it.
- Getting there: You can fly into Naples Airport and then catch the Circumvesuviana railway to Sorrento (although it's pretty slow and can get crowded). From there, jump on the SITA bus that goes along the coast. Alternatively, you could book a taxi transfer or take a ferry from Naples or Salerno.
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