Almalfi Coast

Are you actually staying on the Amalfi Coast or in Sorrento? Are you more interested in views or historic sites? Are those 4 full days or does it include travel days? That's important in that region because plenty of your travel days will be wasted getting there.

For me we chose to stay in Sorrento instead of the Amalfi Coast because Pompeii, Naples and Herculaneum were more important than scenery. Quite honestly we enjoyed Capri and it's views considerably more than the towns along the Amalfi Coast.

Nothing set in stone, but we have done Italy a lot so I’d say we are looking more for beautiful views, some nice churches and places to enjoy the sun. Most likely four full days.

Sleeping on Capri and seeing the Amalfi Coast from both land and sea. Ferries are in full service during the summer months and that is when I recommend going. I would also do a day trip to Naples.

Stay in Amalfi town. One day take the take the bus to Ravello and visit Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. They are beautiful gardens with great views. When you go to Positano, take the ferry. When you return from Positano, take the ferry back. The views of Positano and coast from the ferry are fantastic. If you have time, one day try to go to Capri. Do you have 3 or 4 nights? If you have 4 nights, I would spend 1 night in Capri and 3 in Amalfi. There's a lot to see in Capri such as Villa San Michele, Giardini di Augusto, Monte Solaro and several walking paths with great views.

DItto on staying in Amalfi Town and taking a day trip to Ravello. The gardens are indeed stunning. Enjoy the Sfogliatelle at the coffee shop to the right as you face the Cathedral of St. Andrew (which was an interesting visit). We stopped at Pompeii for the day on our way from Rome.

For me, I wouldn't recommend a stay in Positano. Its expensive and there wasn't a lot to do. BUT, that view from where the bus between the Amalfi cities stopped at the top of the hill looking down into the city was absolutely stunning!

OOO I like Marypat and Marco's ideas! Amalfi is my choice on the coast because of its transport connections and feeling less "rich and fake" than Positano. One of my favorite hikes is out the back of Amalfi. Ravello is a great trip too! The Capri idea is something I had never thought about, as long as the boats are running, taking ferries to Amalfi, Positano, and Sorrento actually sounds like a nice idea, but the only complication would be the transport from your lodging to the port and that could take time and the ferries could be pricey taking a lot of them.

It would help to know when you are going and where you'll be coming from and going to.

Not knowing any of that, I say consider Salerno. It is actually on the Amalfi Coast (unlike Sorrento or Capri), and it's connected by high speed rail to Naples and points north, so it's the easiest to access. It has a well-preserved medieval center, and is a terminus for buses and ferries along the AC. It also has a large sandy beach and a lovely seaside promenade, and many good restaurants. IMO the villages on the AC aren't nearly as interesting as almost all other Italian towns and villages - but the views are indeed superb. Staying in Salerno also offers the opportunity for a visit to Paestum's 3 Greek temple ruins, which are only surpassed by those on Sicily (and maybe one or two in Greece which has great archeological sites but not very well preserved temples).

Month and Year? Kristin, it's getting very late to book this area for 2024. Your choices are going to be limited.

When you say enjoy the sun, do you mean that a gulf-beach is important? Beach space can be pebbled and very limited (and charged for) in this area. The towns on the actual AC are so small that they don't have a lot of churches; this is not like visiting an historic bastion of culture like Rome or Florence. Night life and restaurants are certainly important to many in Positano. As supremely attractive and unique as is Ravello, the distance to any riparian coast is a deal-breaker for many newsboard posters.

I've only slept in Sorrento (not actually on the AC), but in spread-out (and steep) towns like Positano, I would think that distance to walk to shopping or dining might be a decision factor. It's indisputable that Sorrento has the best transport connections for daily daytrips, but you don't seem to prioritize that.