Day 1
Amalfi on foot
Climb the cathedral steps to the Duomo and its Cloister of Paradise, then wander up the Valle dei Mulini to the Paper Museum. Spend the afternoon on Marina Grande beach and end with a granita on the piazza.
Once a medieval maritime republic that rivalled Venice, Amalfi now folds a whitewashed tangle of lanes, staircases and vaulted passages into a cleft in the cliffs. At its heart the striped cathedral presides over a café-lined piazza, while the scent of lemons drifts down from the terraced groves above.
It makes the perfect base for the coast: ferries and buses fan out to Positano, Ravello and Capri, and green trails climb straight from town into the hills. Come for the sea, stay for the granita, the seafood and the impossibly blue water.
Itinerary
Day 2
Ravello and Atrani
Take the bus up to Ravello for the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone and their vertiginous terraces. Walk or ride back down and stop in tiny Atrani for a quiet dinner by its beach.
Day 3
Positano or the Path of the Gods
Either catch the morning ferry to Positano to wander its vertical lanes and swim, or bus to Bomerano and hike the Path of the Gods high above the sea. Return by boat as the cliffs turn gold.
Highlights
🏛️Landmark
Duomo di Sant'Andrea
Amalfi's striped cathedral rises above a dramatic flight of 62 steps, its Arab-Norman facade glittering with gold mosaic. Inside rest the relics of Saint Andrew, brought from Constantinople in 1208, and a bronze door cast in Byzantium, the earliest of its kind in Italy.
🏛️Landmark
Chiostro del Paradiso
Attached to the cathedral, this 13th-century cloister frames a garden of palms with whitewashed, interlacing Moorish arches. Built as a burial ground for Amalfi's nobles, it's the quietest and most photogenic corner of the whole complex.
🌿Nature
Valle delle Ferriere
A shaded canyon behind the town where waterfalls tumble past prehistoric ferns that survive in its humid microclimate. The trail climbs from Amalfi past ruined ironworks and mills, about ninety minutes up into a green world few day-trippers ever see.
🖼️Museum
Museo della Carta
Amalfi has made paper by hand since the Middle Ages, and this museum fills a 13th-century mill in the Valle dei Mulini with its original water-driven machinery. A short demonstration shows how a sheet of the town's famous cotton paper is still pulled by hand.
🏖️Beach
Marina Grande & the Waterfront
Below Piazza Duomo the town spills onto a pebbly beach and a harbour of fishing boats and ferries. Swim off the sunbeds, then walk the seafront promenade to Piazza Flavio Gioia for a lemon granita in the shade.
✨Experience
Path of the Gods
The coast's most famous trail runs high along the cliffs from Bomerano to Nocelle, above Positano, with the sea glinting far below the whole way. It takes two to three hours, mostly downhill, and a bus from Amalfi gets you to the trailhead.
Neighbourhoods
Amalfi Centro Storico
The medieval core around Piazza Duomo, a maze of covered alleys and tiny shops climbing away from the sea. Central and lively, though it empties dramatically once the day boats leave.
Atrani
A tiny fishing village a ten-minute walk east, wrapped around its own little square and beach. Far quieter than Amalfi and one of the most unspoilt hamlets on the coast.
Ravello
High above Amalfi on a mountain shoulder, famous for the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. Refined, cool and calm — the place to sleep if you want views over crowds.
Positano
The coast's vertical postcard, cascading pastel houses down to the beach. Glamorous and pricey, an easy ferry hop for a day or a splurge.
Where to eat
Scialatielli ai frutti di mare
A thick, hand-cut fresh pasta invented in Amalfi, tossed with clams, mussels, prawns and calamari. Order it at a harbourside trattoria with a glass of local white.
Delizia al limone
The coast's signature dessert: a dome of sponge soaked in limoncello and filled with lemon cream. Light, tangy and utterly local — save room for one.
Limoncello & sfusato lemons
The tapered Sfusato Amalfitano lemon, sweet and thick-skinned, becomes the region's PDO limoncello, poured icy after dinner. Family shops let you taste before you buy.
Spaghetti alla colatura di alici
Spaghetti dressed in colatura, an amber anchovy sauce descended from ancient Roman garum and made along this coast at Cetara. Simple, salty and deeply regional.
Good to know
Best time to visit
May to June and September to October are the sweet spot: warm sea, long light and calmer streets. July and August are hot and packed, with ferries and buses at bursting point. Many hotels and restaurants close from November to March, when the coast goes quiet and rainy.
Getting around
Amalfi itself is walked on foot, since cars can't enter the old centre. Between towns, take the SITA buses along the corniche or, from April to October, the far more scenic ferries; a COSTIERASITA day pass covers unlimited bus rides. Base here and Positano, Ravello, Capri and the Path of the Gods are all easy day trips.
- Currency
- EUR €
- Languages
- Italian
How much does Amalfi cost?
A realistic daily budget per person, in three styles.
Backpacker€70per person / day
Mid-range€150per person / day
Comfort€300per person / day
Amalfi is generally considered a pricier destination in Italy.
Local tips
- ✓Take the ferry between towns when you can — it skips the traffic and the views beat any bus.
- ✓Buy SITA and ferry tickets before boarding, from a tabaccheria or the kiosk; you can't pay the driver.
- ✓Sleep in Atrani or Ravello to escape the day-tripper crush that fills Amalfi by midday.
