Best things to do while in the Amalfi Coast in May

You can do all of those things with your time, so I'd just play it by ear. A hike would be tops on my list. The Capri day trip would be lowest--it just does not seem like long enough and too crowded to enjoy. It's all about just enjoying the beauty.

I would absolutely do Capri if the weather is nice enough to spend a few hours at one of their beach clubs.

The Positano beach is not terribly attractive.
I recommend a day in Ravello. There are two villas which can be toured, one of which has a beautiful garden with a stunning view of the coast. One of the villas is sometimes a concert venue. It is worthwhile checking to see if anything is on offer when you are there.

Are you familiar with the Travelmar ferries (https://www.travelmar.it/en/index)? They operate April through October. To visit Ravello, you could take a ferry to the town of Amalfi, then a bus to Ravello (or hike that part, if you can deal with steep hills).

Day trips to Capri are very crowded. Capri deserves several overnights if you want to include it.
My favorite place on the AC is Ravello.

Thank you all for your great insights. We will be in this part of Italy the last week of May. I did see that Capri can be very crowded. What was intriguing was the opportunity to snorkel and see the grottos (blue, green), although if the water is rough this may not be an option. As far as the path of the gods hike, we are currently slated to go on a guided tour that will drive us to Sorrento to begin the hike. Ravello is an area that we had not considered. Would you do this instead of Capri?

Hi, anti-Path of the Gods guy here. Three nights is just two full days, and I would not use one of these on PotG. It makes for a long day, and may wear you out. Also, not sure what that tour company is doing… it starts in Sorrento? Or is that just where they pick up? The most traveled and scenic part of the trail runs between Bomerano and Positano, so you may be expending effort to go all the way to Sorrento just land back where you started. A guide for PotG would be kind of a waste anyway, it’s well marked and extremely well traveled.

Capri is totally worth doing as a day trip if you can get there early enough. Coming from Positano there may not be a very early ferry (they launch from Salerno.) Avoid the crowds by skipping past Capri Town and get up to Anacapri. Take the chairlift up to Monte Solaro. The crowds really don’t make their way up to Anacapri until the afternoon. In the morning, it’s positively tranquil. Capri Town is a tourist trap.

I would suggest a day exploring Ravello and Amalfi before PatG. The views from Ravello and Villa Cimbrone are much the same as you get on the hike (and you can have a glass of wine while you admire them!) Ferry to Amalfi and then bus (or splurge taxi) up to Ravello. I absolutely love Ravello, and Ristorante Salvatore was one of the best meals I had in all of Italy.

I have never been to Capri, or hiked the Path of the Gods. BUT, in April 2022, Positano didn't look appealing enough for us to step off the small boat we chartered - beautiful to view from the water, but way too steep, and way too full of people - like a Caribbean cruise ship port overwhelmed by day trippers.

The views from the Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, on a partly cloudy day, were absolutely beautiful. I give that experience 5 stars. We were there in the late morning, and we had the Terrace of Infinity to ourselves.

Sounds to me like Ravello may be a more worthwhile trip than the path of the gods hike. thank you again for all the great tips and insights!

In late May of 2019 we stayed in Positano for four nights and thought Ravello and Amalfi were both great day trips. We also did a day trip to Capri and followed some of the suggestions from the RS guidebook--we did not have issues with crowds mid-week. On the Amalfi day we spent an hour or so on the beach when we returned to Positano in the afternoon and that was plenty, since we have many other chances to go to beaches when we travel in the US.

To the op: I just noticed that you mentioned the green, aka emerald grotto. That is the worst tourist trap I have ever encountered. I have detailed our experience several times on this forum. I’m not even sure you can go there other than on the boats which seem to control the concession.