Which towns on the Amalfi Coast are worth the trip, and what should you book ahead? Start with Positano and Amalfi, add Ravello for its villa gardens, and work east toward the ceramics town of Vietri sul Mare. Book the Path of the Gods trailhead transport and any Capri crossing a day or two ahead in summer.
Positano
Must-visitGo for Spiaggia Grande, Arienzo beach club
Top sights
- Spiaggia Grandea few hours to a full beach day; reserve a lounger ahead in July and August
- Arienzo beach clubreached by about 300 steps or a boat taxi; reserve loungers ahead in peak season
Book ahead: loungers, summer
Read the full sectionShowing Positano
- Rent a car only if the odd-even plate rule doesn't block your dates. The SS163 is narrow and slow.
- Clear a half-day for the Path of the Gods, the coast's one hike worth planning a whole morning around.
- Book a Capri crossing, a beach-club lounger or a cooking class a day or two ahead in summer. Everything else on this page takes tickets at the door.
Where to go on the Amalfi Coast
These 12 towns sit inside the Costiera Amalfitana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since December 7, 1997, and run the length of the SS163 from Positano to Vietri sul Mare. A MonkeyEatingMango itinerary tags each sight Must-do, Maybe or Skip if tired.
Positano
Must-visit
- Spiaggia Grande: a few hours to a full beach day; reserve a lounger ahead in July and August
- Arienzo beach club: reached by about 300 steps or a boat taxi; reserve loungers ahead in peak season
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Positano, the coast's western anchor, climbs almost straight up from the water, its pastel houses stacked so steeply that some hotels sit 400 steps above the beach.
Spiaggia Grande, the main beach below the town, fills with colorful umbrellas and faces the cliffside silhouette most Amalfi Coast photos show. Arienzo, a quieter cove reached by its own long staircase or a boat taxi, draws visitors away from the crowds for clearer water. Base here for one or two nights if the steps don't bother you.
miketnorton (CC BY 2.0)Positano's cliffside houses above the Tyrrhenian Sea
Amalfi
Must-visit
- Duomo di Sant'Andrea and the Cloister of Paradise: 30 to 45 minutes; EUR 3.00 adult, EUR 2.00 reduced, paid on arrival
- Museo della Carta (Paper Museum): 45 to 60 minutes including the demonstration
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Amalfi gave the coast its name and, for a few centuries, ran a maritime republic that traded across the Mediterranean. Its striped Duomo di Sant'Andrea sits atop a steep flight of steps in the main piazza. Its harbor still anchors the coast's bus and ferry routes.
Climb the Duomo's staircase in the morning, before day-trip buses from Sorrento and Naples fill the piazza. Step into the Cloister of Paradise beside it, a 13th-century arcade of elegant arches around a bright courtyard. The Museo della Carta, a working museum in a former paper mill, still demonstrates the handmade paper the town exported for centuries. A short walk up leads to a free clifftop belvedere over the harbor at Amalfi's hillside cemetery.
Jorge Royan (CC BY-SA 3.0)Amalfi's harbor and town below the cliffs
Ravello
Must-visit
- Villa Rufolo: 30 to 45 minutes; EUR 8.00 ordinary, EUR 7.00 for groups of 15 or more, EUR 6.00 for over-65s and children 5 to 12
- Villa Cimbrone, Terrace of Infinity: 30 to 60 minutes; 9 am to 5:30 pm, last entry 5 pm; no price published, confirm at the gate
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Ravello sits back from the water on the hill above Amalfi and Atrani, reachable only by bus or taxi, and trades the coast's beach towns for two villa gardens and a summer of classical music. The views open wider from up here than from any town at water level.
Villa Rufolo's terraces step down toward the coast from the main square. From July to September its Belvedere stage hosts the Ravello Festival. Villa Cimbrone's Terrace of Infinity looks out over nothing but sea. Visit both in a morning, then stay for lunch before the bus back down.
Deror_avi (CC BY-SA 4.0)Ravello, set back from the water above Amalfi
Atrani
Must-visit
- Piazza Umberto I and the beach: 1 to 2 hours on foot from Amalfi
- Ravello-Atrani hike via Torre dello Ziro: 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on the route
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Atrani is a ten-minute walk from Amalfi and often billed as one of Italy's smallest towns, its lanes packed so tightly around Piazza Umberto I that the whole center fits in a single frame. Its own small beach draws a mostly local crowd once the day-trip buses have emptied out of its neighbor.
A marked trail climbs from Ravello down to Atrani past Torre dello Ziro, a ruined watchtower with views back over both towns, an alternative to doubling back on the bus. Come early or in the evening if Amalfi's crowds have spilled over for the day.
Майкл Гиммельфарб (CC BY-SA 4.0)Atrani, the small town beside Amalfi
Praiano
Must-visit
- Sunset from the village: any clear evening, no booking needed
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
At sunset, Praiano holds the light longer than Positano does, a cheaper, quieter fishing village between Positano and Amalfi with a comparable view.
Stay a night or two here to save on a Positano hotel without losing the view. There is no major ticketed sight, just the cliffs and the water below them.
gian luca bucci (CC BY 3.0)Praiano's cliffside houses between Positano and Amalfi
Vietri sul Mare
Must-visit
- Ceramics workshops: 1 to 2 hours browsing; some offer a bookable hands-on painting class
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Vietri sul Mare marks the coast's eastern end, where the SS163 meets Salerno. The town has made hand-painted majolica ceramics, and plates, tiles and bowls in its blue-and-yellow palette line shopfronts throughout the center.
Weekday mornings are the quietest time to browse. The town also has one of the coast's longer sandy beaches.
Bernard Gagnon (CC BY 4.0)Vietri sul Mare, the coast's eastern terminus
Maiori
- The beach and promenade: a half-day to a full day
- Sentiero dei Limoni to Minori: about an hour through lemon terraces
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Skip the stairs: Maiori is the coast's flattest town, with its longest stretch of sand and a seafront promenade. Come here for a real beach day without climbing back to a hotel afterward.
The Sentiero dei Limoni descends through terraced groves to Minori, a walk shorter and less strenuous than the Path of the Gods. Reserve a beach-club lounger ahead if visiting in August; the free public stretch fills early.
Daria (CC BY 3.0)Maiori's beach, the coast's longest stretch of sand
Minori
- Villa Romana: a 1st-century Roman villa; check posted hours, no advance booking found
- Pasticceria Sal De Riso: a pastry stop, famous for its pear and ricotta tart
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Stay in Minori instead of Ravello's hilltop rooms for a flatter, cheaper base with its own Roman villa and a reputation for pastry that outruns its size. Order n'dunderi alla minorese, a pillowy semolina-and-ricotta gnocchi the town claims as its own, at one of the harborfront restaurants.
The Villa Romana, a 1st-century seaside villa, sits a short walk from the beach. Board a ferry here rather than further along the coast in summer: boats fill up before they reach Minori's stop.
Daria (CC BY 3.0)Minori's beach below Ravello
Cetara
- Colatura di alici at a harborfront table: a meal stop, about an hour
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Cetara is a working fishing village near the coast's eastern end, built around a 14th-century watchtower, with a harbor that still lands anchovies and tuna rather than tour boats. Day-trip crowds mostly skip it.
Try spaghetti dressed in colatura di alici, an amber, intensely salty fermented-anchovy sauce made in Cetara. The watchtower, Torre Vicereale, still stands above the harbor it once defended.
Bernard Gagnon (CC BY 4.0)Cetara, a working fishing village on the coast's eastern end
Furore
- Fiordo di Furore: 30 to 60 minutes; free, reachable by SITA bus or a coastal boat tour
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
The Fiordo di Furore, a narrow gorge spanned by a high arched bridge that frames the inlet below, gives the scattered hamlet of Furore its name and its one reason to stop. The fjord draws a quick stop from every passing car and has drawn Italian film crews for the same shot.
Steps lead down from the bridge to a small pebble beach that crowds fast once the heat sets in. Furore is also a base for a hillside wine tasting or an agriturismo stay.
miketnorton (CC BY 2.0)Furore's cove below the village
Conca dei Marini
- Emerald Grotto: 15 to 20 minutes inside the cave; about EUR 6 at the land entrance or an Amalfi boat round trip for about EUR 10 with cave entry extra; verify both before you go
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
Wedged between Amalfi and Positano, Conca dei Marini is easy to pass on the SS163 until the Emerald Grotto gives it a reason to stop. Capo di Conca, a watchtower-topped headland, overlooks the village.
Reach the grotto by a cliffside elevator and stairs on the coast road, or by boat from Amalfi, for a short look at the sea cave's turquoise-green light. Most visitors pass through on the way between Amalfi and Positano rather than staying the night.
Mess (CC BY-SA 3.0)Capo di Conca and its watchtower, Conca dei Marini
Scala
- The Duomo di San Lorenzo and the hamlets: a half-day on foot
- Plan it: 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary, 7-day hiking and beach itinerary
The oldest town on the coast, Scala faces Ravello across the Dragon Valley and is made up of three hamlets: Scala Centro, Minuta and Pontone. Scala draws a fraction of Ravello's visitors despite sitting a short walk away.
Its Duomo di San Lorenzo anchors the main hamlet. Trails from Scala connect to Ravello, to Pontone's Torre dello Ziro, and down to Amalfi. Come for the quiet and the hiking rather than a single sight.
Mentnafunangann (CC BY-SA 4.0)The Duomo di San Lorenzo, Scala's parish church
Things to do across the Amalfi Coast
Hike the Path of the Gods
- The trail: 2 to 3 hours Bomerano to Nocelle, or longer on the full Agerola-to-Positano route; free, no booking
- Best months: spring and fall, to avoid the trail's near-total lack of shade in summer
"The Path of the Gods is a nine-kilometre long nature trail on the Amalfi Coast." Hiked the shorter way, from the hamlet of Bomerano to Nocelle above Positano, it runs closer to six or seven kilometers and takes two to three hours.
Start early: the trail has almost no shade and climbs along open cliffside for most of its length. Clear days open views across to Capri and the Li Galli islands. The trail ends with a long staircase down into Positano itself.
Jules Verne Times Two (CC BY-SA 4.0)A cliff along the Path of the Gods, between Agerola and Positano
Take a boat trip or day trip to Capri
- The crossing: ferries and hydrofoils from Positano, Amalfi or Sorrento; book ahead in peak season
- Best months: year-round; calm-sea days are best, since rough weather cancels the crossing
Capri is worth the crossing for the Faraglioni rock stacks and Marina Grande's harbor. Every town here treats it as a day trip, not a place to sleep.
A full day covers both sights; departing from Sorrento instead of the coast trims the crossing to a half-day. Check the operator the morning you plan to go, since swells cancel sailings with little notice.
Carmen Fiano (Public domain)The Faraglioni, Capri's rock stacks
Take a boat tour along the coast
- A coastal cruise: half a day to a full day; book ahead in July and August
- Best months: May through September, for calm water and warm swimming
A boat tour trades the SS163's hairpins for a view of the same cliffs from the water, stopping at coves and sea caves that the road never reaches. Most operators depart from Positano, Amalfi or Praiano.
Morning departures give the calmest water; late afternoon brings better light for photographing the cliffs. A half-day tour covers the stretch near your base; a full day can run from Positano past Amalfi and back.
Nan Palmero (CC BY 2.0)A boat moored off Positano
Take a cooking class
- A hands-on class: 2 to 4 hours including a shared meal; book ahead, especially for small groups
- Best months: year-round, with classes based at farms around Positano and Furore
Book a pasta-making class ahead, especially a small one. Most are built around fresh pasta and the lemon-based dishes the region is known for, often at an agriturismo, a working farm that doubles as a cooking school.
Expect to roll and cut pasta by hand before sitting down to eat what the group made. A shared meal closes most classes, often ending with a lemon dessert.
Antonius Ferret (Pexels)A pasta-making class
Go wine tasting in the hills above Furore and Tramonti
- A tasting: 1 to 2 hours, longer with a vineyard tour; book ahead, most wineries are small and family-run
- Best months: September, for harvest; otherwise any season
Vineyards here grow uphill, in the terraced hills behind Furore and in Tramonti, tucked into the Lattari Mountains. Tramonti has grown wine for more than a thousand years from native grapes including Tintore, Piedirosso and Biancolella, under the Costa d'Amalfi DOC.
A typical visit pairs a walk through the vineyards and cellar with a tasting of several wines alongside simple local food. September brings the harvest and the most activity in the cellars.
Peter Dyllong (Pexels)A terraced hillside vineyard
Tour a lemon grove or taste limoncello
- A grove visit or tasting: 1 to 2 hours; book ahead for a specific farm tour, walk-in tastings are common
- Best months: year-round
The coast's lemon terraces grow the sfusato amalfitano, a large lemon that gives the limoncello sold in nearly every shop from Positano to Minori its color and scent.
Take the farm tour if you have a couple of hours to spare; a walk-in tasting at a shop in Amalfi or Positano works just as well for a quicker stop.
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Toni Seyfert (Pexels)Lemons on the branch
Getting around: car, bus or ferry
Ferries and SITA buses cover every town on this page except Ravello and Scala, which sit above the water and depend on the bus alone.
Travelmar's 2026 one-way fares from Salerno run from EUR 6 to Vietri sul Mare up to EUR 17 to Positano, and its coastal service runs through October 31. Alicost operates a second seasonal route. SITA SUD runs five routes year-round, with tickets sold at tabacchi shops or the Unico Campania app, and its schedules shift with the season.
Driving the SS163 means accepting the targhe alterne, an odd-even plate rule that blocks half the cars from the road between 10 am and 6 pm on restricted dates. Comune di Praiano publishes the calendar under ANAS ordinance 340/2019. The 2026 dates were these, and the 2027 calendar is not published yet:
| Period | Restriction |
|---|---|
| Easter week (March 30 to April 6) | Odd-even, 10 am to 6 pm |
| April 25 to May 2 | Odd-even, 10 am to 6 pm |
| May 30 to July 31 | Weekends and holidays only |
| August and September | Every day |
| October | Weekends and holidays only |
Residents of the coast's comuni and Agerola, disabled-permit holders, taxis are exempt, and hotel guests with a booking may drive only to arrive on check-in day and to leave on check-out day.
The best places to visit on the Amalfi Coast at a glance
| Place | Go for | Book ahead |
|---|---|---|
| Positano | Spiaggia Grande, Arienzo beach club | loungers, summer |
| Amalfi | the Duomo and Cloister of Paradise | no |
| Ravello | Villa Rufolo, Villa Cimbrone | no |
| Atrani | the beach, the Ravello hike | no |
| Praiano | the sunset | no |
| Vietri sul Mare | ceramics workshops | no |
| Maiori | the beach, the lemon path to Minori | loungers, August |
| Minori | the Villa Romana, pastry | no |
| Cetara | colatura di alici | no |
| Furore | the Fiordo di Furore | no |
| Conca dei Marini | the Emerald Grotto | no |
| Scala | the Duomo, the hiking trails | no |
Plan your Amalfi Coast trip
For trip length, getting around and costs, start with the Amalfi Coast guide. The best time to visit page has the coast's measured weather month by month, and the Italy things to do guide covers the mainland's own sights. When you build a trip with MonkeyEatingMango, the booking checklist lists what to book and how many weeks ahead. Every sight on a day's plan is marked Must-do, Maybe or Skip if tired.
Last updated November 2026.
Common questions
How many days do you need on the Amalfi Coast?
Three to four days covers the main towns at an easy pace: a base in Positano or Amalfi, a day for Ravello's villas, and a day for the Path of the Gods or a Capri crossing. A week allows a second base further east, around Minori or Cetara, and time for the quieter towns.
Is it worth renting a car on the Amalfi Coast?
Most visitors do better without one. The SS163 is a narrow, two-lane road with hairpin turns, parking is scarce in every town, and a summer odd-even plate rule blocks half the cars from driving it on many dates. Ferries and SITA buses reach every town except Ravello and Scala, which need a bus.
What is the Amalfi Coast's odd-even license plate rule?
The odd-even plate rule is a traffic-reduction rule on the SS163: on even-numbered dates, cars with a plate ending in an even digit cannot drive the road between 10 am and 6 pm, and vice versa on odd dates. Residents of the coast's towns, disabled-permit holders and taxis are exempt, and hotel guests with a booking may drive only to arrive on check-in day and to leave on check-out day.
Is Positano or Amalfi better to visit?
Positano is the postcard view, a resort town built almost vertically up the cliff, best for a stay of one or two nights. Amalfi is flatter and more central, with the coast's main bus and ferry connections, so many visitors base there and day-trip to Positano instead.
What are the Amalfi Coast's towns?
Twelve towns make up the Costiera Amalfitana between Positano and Vietri sul Mare: Positano, Praiano, Furore, Conca dei Marini, Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello, Scala, Minori, Maiori, Cetara and Vietri sul Mare. Tramonti, inland and reached by a separate road, is sometimes added as a 13th.
What is the Path of the Gods?
The Path of the Gods is a nine-kilometer trail along the coast's upper cliffs, running from Agerola to Positano according to Italy's national tourism board. Hiked hamlet to hamlet, from Bomerano to Nocelle, it runs closer to six or seven kilometers and takes two to three hours.
Can you visit Capri from the Amalfi Coast?
Yes. Ferries and hydrofoils run to Capri from Positano, Amalfi and Sorrento, and most visitors treat it as a full day trip. Rough seas cancel the crossing, so check the operator on the morning you plan to go.
Do Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone need advance tickets?
No. Both gardens in Ravello sell tickets at the gate for a standard visit: Villa Rufolo charges 8 euros for adults, with reduced rates for groups, seniors and children. Villa Cimbrone's gardens open daily but publish no ticket price online, so confirm the current rate at the entrance.
Which Amalfi Coast town is known for ceramics?
Vietri sul Mare, at the coast's eastern end, is its ceramics town. Hand-painted majolica plates, tiles and homeware fill workshops throughout the center, and several offer a bookable hands-on painting class alongside the usual browsing.
When do the Amalfi Coast's ferries stop running for the season?
Travelmar's 2026 timetable lists its coastal routes as available through October 31. SITA buses run year-round and become the only public option once the ferries stop, though Ravello and Scala depend on the bus in any season since neither has ferry access.
Written by Shobhit Shrivastava · Founder
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