Italy's Amalfi Coast: 4-Day Weekend Travel Guide

Southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast seems to be on the dream list of even the most well-traveled, giving it the quality of an impossible dream. A common misconception is that it’s a place that’s hard to get to or afford (or both).

You can explore the Amalfi Coast in low-key or high-style, spending anywhere from $200 to $2,000 per night. Either way, you'll have a magical time and will no doubt plan to return.

Where is the Amalfi Coast?

The Amalfi Coast is a legendary 25-mile stretch of coastline along the Tyrrhenian Sea in southern Italy. The most popular section, from Positano to Maiori, is just eight winding miles. It’s a 1.5-hour drive south from the nearest major city, Naples.

Best Time to Visit the Amalfi Coast

It’s no secret that the Amalfi Coast is inundated with tourists for nearly half the year, with visitors of all types—from jet-setters to backpackers and everything in between. The old advice was to avoid July and August. Nowadays, early September and late spring can also be packed with crowds.

Our current recommendation is to visit between late September and October, when the crowds have thinned out and the sea temperature is still perfect for swimming. In November, as with most European resorts, everything will start to close down.

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Things to Do in Amalfi Coast

First-time travelers will want to visit the larger cities of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, but this small region has plenty of off-the-beaten-path options to help you make it your own.

While it’s almost inevitable that travelers will try to guess which iconic coastal resort in this country is worth visiting first—the Amalfi Coast or the Italian Riviera—the easy answer is that you can’t go wrong either way. Packed with history, charm, and stunning scenery, each is unique enough that you’ll be tempted to experience both. However, the next four days in the south can tip the scales.

Day 1: Positano

If you’re leaving from the East Coast of the United States, plan on a late afternoon flight that will get you to Rome early the next morning, a six-hour time difference. Rome isn’t exactly on the edge of the Amalfi Coast, but it’s close enough. A local driver can get you to Positano in just over three hours. Or, take public transportation and take the high-speed train to Salerno, which takes just 90 minutes. The latter takes you a bit further along the Amalfi Coast, but you avoid traffic, buses, and questionable local trains. From Salerno train station, walk to the ferry terminal (less than half a mile) for a unique introduction to the coast and proof that arriving by sea is like no other.

Start in glamorous Positano and head east. From the water, you’ll recognize the town from the famous green and yellow-tiled dome of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. Positano is a magical blend of elegance and casual authenticity. A delightful mix of multi-coloured villas and hotels climb up the half-bowl slope above the dark pebbles of the main beach, Spiaggia Grande. You can happily get lost in the narrow pedestrian streets, browsing in the high-style boutiques and art galleries. Vines and bougainvillea adorn the outer walls and create shady canopies.

Unlike most Italian towns, there’s no central square to encourage wandering. Eventually you’ll reach the beach, which is lined with open-air, scenic restaurants like Chez Black. You can rent lounge chairs and umbrellas, grab an ice cream, and kayak or swim from bay to bay in the dark, deep blue waters. Come 6pm, you’ll hear church bells ringing as local boys play football on the beach, and you’ll feel like you’re in a mid-century Italian movie.

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For a change of scenery, walk a little west to the second beach, Fornillo, which is lined with beach bars and offers an even more relaxed and natural atmosphere. Keep your eyes peeled for a small, breathtaking cove between the two, where stone steps invite you to take a private swim.

Just outside the city is the magnificently situated Il San Pietro di Positano, one of the world's top holiday destinations. Owned and managed by the legendary Vito Cinque, the Relais & Chateaux hotel rises from a small headland and offers terraced gardens, romantic restaurants and rooms and suites (no two are alike) with panoramic views of the coast. A lift carved into the cliff takes guests to a private beach and sun terrace.

Day 2: Secret Spots Around Positano

By taxi or bus, it’s time to experience the winding Amalfi Drive. Grab a seat on the right to enjoy the stunning sea views. But don’t go all the way to Amalfi today (45 minutes away). The typical experience is to follow the coast to Amalfi and wonder at the signs on the road between the two towns. Below these signs, down the cliff, are lovely, often mid-priced hotels, restaurants and beach clubs. They offer a level of privacy and semi-distantness that most visitors, especially on their first trip, never experience.

On the edge of Praiano, be sure to stop by Il Pirata. A flower-lined path leads to this pretty beach club—but the “beach” is just a series of platforms where you can jump into the water and work up an appetite for delicious seafood (rent a lounge chair). The life-changing pasta dish here is made with zucchini, provolone, and parmesan.

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If you think this kind of local scene appeals to you, just down the road is Marina di Praia, a sheer cliff-back beach accessed by a coastal walkway under a rocky ceiling. There are just a few restaurants and bars, boaters bringing in tourists and the day's catch, and a lively atmosphere.

Feeling even more adventurous? It’s about 10 minutes along the coast to Fiordo di Furore. There’s no real town to mark the spot, but you can use your phone to get off the bus before a bridge. Under that bridge (lots of stairs) is the much-photographed fjord, a narrow bay that winds under the bridge’s arches to a small pebble beach. There are no services, but the swimming is fabulous.

End your day with dinner at La Locanda del Fiordo. Set on several levels with lush landscaping, the mid-priced hotel is a true cliffside discovery, where you can dive and explore the caves at the bottom. In fact, the street restaurant at this little gem is so popular that people book a table to enjoy the fabulous insalata di mare (seafood salad). As you dine, imagine experiencing a treasure of the Amalfi Coast that few tourists have ever heard of or even visited.

Day 3: Amalfi and Ravello

You’ll quickly notice that Amalfi’s iconic town has a different texture and layout to Positano. After the bus or taxi drops you off on the shore, a walk under an arch leads to a vaguely symmetrical layout that at first seems reminiscent of the towns of Cinque Terre, with a lovely square and fountain in the middle. As you climb up past boutiques selling linen shirts, gelaterias (the local lemons are highly prized) and artisanal pizza places, turn left or right to find a half-hidden staircase and discover how the locals live and grow their lemons on these steep slopes. The impressive 9^pearlBuilt in the 19th century, St. Andrew's Cathedral, with its striped marble Byzantine façade, dominates the town square and is unlike anything else in Cinque Terre.

Luxurious Ravello is conveniently located in the mountains above Amalfi. About 30 minutes by taxi or bus, the steep, winding Ravello is worth the commute for its polished feel and deep history. Greta Garbo used to holiday here. The writer Gore Vidal set up home here. One of her favourite places is 11^pearl-the century-old Villa Cimbrone is a place you can visit for a few euros. It is located far above the sea, Infinite Terrace The Infinity Terrace, lined with marble busts, is one of the most iconic spots in Italy.

In a coastal area blessed with unforgettable hotels, the 11th-century Hotel Caruso^pearl which has been run under the Belmond luxury brand for a century, is a sight to behold. “The infinity pool looks like a ship sailing towards the horizon, where sea and sky are indistinguishable,” says managing director Alfonso Pacifico. If you can tear yourself away from this palace, where even the fitness centre has incredible views and the signature Caruso suite has a private garden overlooking the Amalfi Coast, the hotel offers a free daily boat tour.

Day 4: Walking the Shore

Centuries before there were cars or roads, residents used their own feet. Today, the Amalfi Coast remains a place for wonderful walks. After three days of pasta and gelato, head up the many steps that will take you from the rare heights of Ravello to the seaside. If you’re flying out of Rome in the afternoon, there’s time in the morning to stroll to the twin towns of Minori and Maiori. Swim at both of their sandy beaches. Minori is compact, as its name suggests, while Maiori is more horizontal and has a palm-lined promenade.

Minori’s popular Pasticceria Sal De Riso opens at 7 a.m.—so stock up on a bag of tortes and other pastries while you’re by the sea. But know that the taste of the Amalfi Coast will linger on your palate longer than the limoncello cream on your panettone.