Positano

italy- no stairs forget it!
we were in positano, for a day trip a matter of weeks ago, early may ( second time there) we had a driver drop us off in the town and so not too may stairs. but really, it has LOTS of stairs, or roads that are not flat. and expect to pay $$$.
have you considered an alternative town like say amalfi, sorrento etc, flatter and less stairs. double check with any accomodation as one of our accomodations ( in amalfi had 100 stairs- yes we counted them)

My husband has his heart set on Positano but we may end up having to stay close by and go there during the day. Where did you stay and were you happy with it?

Diane, I just stayed in a town called Atrani which is a quick, non-stairs walk from Amalfi. It's an authentic little town with its own sandy, and (unless it's high season) public beach. I loved it. I don't think there's hotels but my Airbnb was terrific. You have great transportation access in Amalfi, there's regular ferry service to Positano. I've got bad knees so I feel you!

If you just want to hang out at a beach, don't go to Positano. The hotels along the beach with easy access are expensive, as are MOST Postiano hotels...Cove Saracena would be best but is a 5 star and tends to get booked well in advance.

Less expensive B & B's and Pensiones can be found high in the hills...you would need to taxi down to town and the cars can only go so far...so walking down terraces and stairs to the beach would be necessary....most Italian towns have pedestrianized zones..

A good and easy beach holiday can be found on Ischia ( Bay or Naples 45 min from Naples port) choose a town like Forio where you can take a taxi to the beach and just walk everywhere easily. This is a very beautiful island with sandy white beaches...

I travel to the region every year...and have stayed at Hotel Royal Prisco in Positano...a bit of a hike up the hill midway...but if walking is an issue, this is not a good choice....

We spent a week in Positano last September and had a wonderful apartment with a breathtaking view but we found we walked down the many steps to the town, and beach, and walked back up the road. The stairs going back up were just too hard and we are mid sixties, fit and exercise daily at home but this was too much for us (especially me!!!). I know there are hotels with direct beach access but I do not know their cost.

We stayed six nights in Atrani in May 2016. We liked it, but we're not beach people. The beach there is small and not exciting, in my opinion. Also, in "spring" there may be no concessions available (lounge chairs, umbrellas). They really don't get going until very late May, I think. Minori and Maiori might be possibilities; they're more flat. Hopefully others will have suggestions.

We stayed in Minori this March and liked it very much. The main part of town is flat and there is a lovely beach side wide park/sidewalk.. Know that the beachs along the Amalfi Coast are all (mainly) stoney. But the views are beautiful.

Praiano has an upper and lower section, the lower section is near the beach. You can take a bus or taxi to Positano for a day.

We spent just 3 nights there and it was getting arduous to climb back up all the time and we were only about half way up....but that is where the magnificent views are. Yes, it's pretty from the beach, but that's not what you are after I think. One suggestion would be to stay somewhere close by like others suggested, that is also pretty and much more easily walkable. Then take a bus, or driver to Positano for lunch or dinner. They will drop you off close by some wonderful restauransts so you can dine with the iconic view. Another day, you could ferry over and stay at the beach. There are ways to do it.

I would suggest choosing a different base town near the water, than take the water ferry via travelmar directly to the beaches at whatever town you'd like. We hit pretty much every coastal town, they are all full of stairs and hills with the exception of Atrani mentioned earlier.

I run half marathons for fun, and all of these towns are taxing on me. Stairs and hills like whoa!

I think travel in Italy and France is hard in general, you will find stairs, ramps and hills all over. Even the bathroom in most restaurants is down or up the stairs. You have plenty of time between now and next spring to start walking and get into a bit better of shape, and I am not talking weight, just endurance and core. I am a big girl, but I have good core strength and walk regularly and I was able to walk 6-10 miles day during our 20 day trip and Positano was steep but not undoable for me. The beaches on the Italian Riviera are mostly rock and most of the towns (Amalfi and others with beaches) rent out chairs and umbrellas for the day, so look into doing that (and they look like they start filing up early in the morning not sure how the chair rentals work). The beach in Positano is also a high traffic area, which does not sound relaxing or peaceful to me (I really don't want a bunch of non-beach goers milling around while in my bathing suit). My dream would be to base in Sorrento and visit a different beach each day, there are so many small towns with these tiny beaches that look so wonderful.