Here is our personal top of the Amalfi coast locations. We kept it short and reasonable, as there are loads of detailed articles about these locations. This is our personal opinion and is not to be taken as a travel advice.
Place to be No1: Capri Island. No doubt, we loved Capri the most.
Why? Simple. Because Capri offers the best views over the sea. We found that in Capri, the sea had the best colour of all the coast.
The location: Capri's known history begins more than 2.000 years ago, before Christ, and it regards 2 Roman emperors: Augusts and Tiberius, who decided to settle here during summers and explore the island. Many stories and legends about the island date from those times and ruins since the roman times still exist on the island. Geographically, Capri is an extension of the steep, mountainous Amalfi peninsula being only 20 km away from Sorrento and 33 km away from Napoli. It has approximately 10 square km and 2 towns: Capri and Anacapri. Nowadays, Capri is an elegant island and is a favourite summer location for big celebraties from around the world.
What to do and visit:
visit Anacapri
Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) - Capri's major tourist attraction
Giardini di Augusto (Gardens of Augustus)
Villa San Michele, Monte Solaro
Villa di Tiberio (Villa Jovis)
shopping, is another activity you can do here, especially if you are into big brands like Chanel, Prada etc.
a boat tour around Capri will definitely be an unforgettable experience. Check airbnb for boat tour experiences.
If you are a hike fan and a view lover then do a hike to the Sentiero dei Fortini Borbonici.
Time needed for visiting: If you want to visit the whole island then minimimum 3 days are required to visit both Capri and Anacapri, considering you plan everything very good in advance. If you decided to make a bout tour from Sorrento and not spend here more than some hours, then you will have enough time to explore Capri's beach, the main plazza and also Giardini di Augusto (Gardens of Augustus) .
How to get there: The only way to reach Capri is by boat. Ferries depart from Naples and Sorrento all year long. During the summer months, there are also ferry routes departing from Positano, Amalfi, Salerno, and Ischia. For most of the year, vehicles are prohibited from embarking for the island, with the exception of residents.
Our Opinion: As compared to the other locations we visited, Capri enchants through lush greenery, colourful flowers, astonishing views, intense blue sea and a lot of history. It is also cleaner than the other locations, more elegant and i would say it also gave us some sort of "royal" flair.
Downsides: If you are searching for beautiful sand beaches, then this is not the place to be.
Place to be No2: Positano. A must see location.
Why? Because it is simply something unique - a place of a breath-taking beauty, but a bit too crowdy. That's why we thought it deserved the second place only.
The location: Positano, is the center of the Amalfi Coast, being one of the most romantic places, not only from Italy, but from the entire world. It is approximatelly 60 km away from Napoli and 17 km away from Sorrento. Built vertically on the face of a cliff, it started out as a fishing village and became popular during the 1950's, when writers and artists from all over Europe started to travel here, with the hope that Positano's beauty will trigger their inspiration. The whole village surfaces approximately 8 square km and is a pedestrian town, with many stairs, so be prepared for some sport.
What to do and visit: Positano is a location to relax. There is not much you can do here, except from walking and admiring the views. The place is very instagramable, so if you are into photography, then this is definitely the place to be. Therefore, the following activities can be done here:
walk and get yourself lost through the narrow beautiful streets
have a day on the sandy beautiful beach and do some swimming in the crystal clear waters
shopping
climb the Scalinatella stairs, which connect Punta Reginella on the shore with the highest part of Positano
the Church of Santa Maria Assunta
hike along the coast and inland
Time needed for visiting: If you only want to visit the center, the beach and walk a bit through the narrow streets then then 1 day or even an intense half of day is enough. If you want a detailed visit of the whole area, then 2 days would be enough. Due to its mild climate, it can be visited all over the year, although the high season is late April to early October. This is generally valid for all the Amalfi coast.
How to get there: The closest airport to Positano is Naples International Airport (NAP). Our opinion is that the best way to reach Positano from here is by boat. Nevertheless, by private car or via private transfers it is also possible, but the famously curvy, cliff-hugging Amalfi Coast road leading to Positano requires that both drivers and passengers have nerves of steel and have a sense for adventures.
We did not find a direct route from Napoli to Positano by bus, but only from Sorrento or Salerno. From these 2 locations, you can easily reach Positano by boat, car or by bus, although, again our advise would be by boat, due to the narrow, curvy streets.
Moreover, if you decide you decide to come by car, then you must know that parking here is trully a challenge, due to the very limited number of parking spaces ( Private parking prices are also high: €8 / hour as per May '22). In order to find a place to park, you must either come very early in the morning or be a very lucky person to really find a parking spot.
Our opinion: Probably the most unique place we've visited so far, Positano is a city carved entirely in the rocks. The whole place surfaces approximately 8 square km and because of this, it is always overcrowded, this being the single reason why i could not place Positano on no1. It has a nice small sandy beach and a sea front full of restaurants which creates a dazzling italian vibe, which makes you fall in love with this place.
Downsides: Overcrowded and hard to reach by car, due to the road extreme difficulty.
Place to be No3: Sorrento. Clean, elegant, airy and welcoming.
Why? Because it is a beautiful city, nice to visit, but we did not find it as special as Capri or Positano.
The location: Sorrento is one of Italy's famous resort towns, placed on the bluff that ends abruptly at a sheer cliff that plummets straight down to the sea. With a surface of 10 square km, the city is the central point of interest, when it comes to reaching any other location from the Amalfi coast, because it is very well connected to Napoli International Airport (CAP), Positano, Amalfi, Capri, Ischia, Pompei and many other locations like Ravello, Minori etc. Having splendid views, beaches, history, shops and of course, the local italian food and vibe, Sorrento offers all the elements of a wonderful summer destination.
What to do and visit:
Piazza Taso - Sorrento's main square, walk down the Corso Italia street and stroll through the narrow side-streets away from the crowded main street
go to the beach
Basilica Sant’Antonio - dates since the middle ages, having an impressive interior
Cathedral of Saints Philip and James, also known as Duomo di Sorrento
San Francesco Monastery
Giardini di Cataoldo - a limoncello factory which a splendid instagramable lemon garden, just in the middle of Sorrento
for art lovers: Villa Fiorentino Park or Museo Correale
Time needed for visiting: 1-2 days should be enough for visiting Sorrento center, the shopping streets, as well as the beach area. If you want to visit all attractions, then you would probably need about 4 well-oragnized days.
How to get there: Sorrento is the best connected location of all the Amalfi coast. It can be reached easily from Napoli by train, bus, car or boat.
From Napoli Airport you can take the Airport Shuttle Service direcly to Sorrento Central Station. The cost is €10/pers. The trip takes approximately 1 hour and 20 min.
From Napoli Central Train Station, you can take the Circumvesuviana train (commuter train) directly to Sorrento Central Station. Although, many recommend against taking this train because it has no air conditioner, it’s not always running on time, and a high rate of pickpocketers, we took this train, and we felt very safe. It was pretty empty also and it costed only €3 / pers. The trip takes approximatelly 1 hour.
Choosing a private transfer from/to Napoli (or NAP) is the most confortable and "high-class" option. It costs approximately €100 / 2 persons. In case you want to choose this option, we kindly recommend Eduardo, who was the best driver one can have as he also offered us a lot of information about the Amalfi coast and gave us a lot of tips. For more information check his website: www.eduardoshoreexcursions.com
Our opinion: The city is clean, it offers a significant number of affordable accomodations, it is overall affordable, organized, welcoming, airy, offers beautiful views over the coast and a shopping street. It is the best connected place from all the Amalfi coast, having direct connections to Napoli, Napoli Airport, Positano, Salerno, Capri, Ischia etc. Therefore, we do recommend choosing your accommodation in Sorrento. As a side note, Sorrento reminded us a lot of Palma de Mallorca and its vibe, so if you liked Palma you will love it here.
Downsides: There is only a very small natural public beach strip. Near the harbour, there is artificial, extremely crowded, suspended private beach. When we were there, the water was pretty dirty, maybe due to the harbour near-by. The access to the private beach costs between €10-€25 / pers depending on the amenities. The public beach is free, but small and dirty.
Place to be No4: Amalfi Town. Dissapointing.
Why? Mainly because of the tourist traps and the lack of the italian vibe.
The location: Amalfi is a town with history, being one of the first Italian cities to emerge from the so-called "dark ages" after the fall of the Roman Empire. By the 9th century, it was the most important port in southern Italy. Today, the distinctive architechture of the historical buildings which prove the former city’s wealth, can still be admired. Sadly, not all buildings are in well mainatained.
What to do and visit:
go to the beach
wander through Amalfi's streets
Duomo di Sant’Andrea and the Cloister of Paradise, Amalfi's magnificent cathedral and monastery, both situated exactly in the main square
Museum Arsenale della Republica, which can give you a glimse about Amalfi's glorious past. The entrance cost approximatelly €5/pers and a tour takes about 30-min.
Time needed for visiting: Amalfi is only 6 square km, and considering what it offers, half of day would be enough.
How to get there: You can easily reach Amalfi from Sorrento, Salerno or Positano, by boat, car or by bus, although our advise would be by boat. There is also a direct connection by boat from Napoli Harbour to Amalfi.
Our opinion: Although nowadays, Italian natives refer to this hillside city as "the pearl of the Mediterranean" and the city is named in almost all tourist guides as the place to be, we felt very dissapointed by it. It is extremely touristic and here I mean, not only that there were a lot of tourists, because they were in all locations on the Amalfi coast, but it was touristic in regard to the poor quality of services and as well the tourist traps. Moreover, beside the big Dom in the center, there is not really anything else to see. The architecture is nice, but no impressive, a lot of buildings are not well maintained and the beach was extremely dirty. We saw it once, but we do not think we will return to this place again.
Downsides: Terrible beach. Many tourist traps.
Place NOT to be No4: Napoli. Extremely Dissapointing.
Although not on the Amalfi coast, this is the point from which 99% of the travels to Amali start. This is the reason why we put Napoli on our list. Short and simple: We do not recommend visiting it Napoli.
Our opinion: I do not even know how to start... It is by far the dirties places I have ever seen in my life and is definitely comparable to the poorest areas from the South America. Moreover, it felt pretty unsafe.
For more useful information including prices about the Amalfi Coast, read our article
Safe travels, dear traveller!