My husband and I are considering the Rick Steves toward southern Italy in May/June 2026. We want to extend our time after the tour and go back to the Amalfi Coast as the tour spends little time there. What are other people‘s recommendations who have traveled to the Amalfi coast? How many extra days and what is there to see and where to stay?
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
3070 posts
I did the Southern Italy tour last year, and the Amalfi part was not my favorite. I felt it was too crowded (this was mid September), and I was really glad the tour stayed in Maiori, which was pleasant and quieter. Not sure what there would be to see in the immediate area.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17037 posts
If you are taking the RS' Best of Southern Italy tour I can see that there are 2 nights spent on the Amalfi Coast, 2 nights in Sorrento, and finally 2 nights in Naples. I think the amount of time spent in the area (6 nights in total) is adequate.
If you would like to spend more time, maybe, after the end of the tour in Naples, you could go back for another 2 or 3 nights so that you can get it out of your system. If you didn't have a chance to see Capri while on the tour, maybe you could stay in one of the town where there is boat service to Capri (like Positano or Amalfi).
But considering the crowds that characterize the coast nowadays, I'd rather prolong my trip to go somewhere else. Even the island of Ponza (or any of the Gulf's islands) or the Cilento coast, all of which are not far from Naples.
Posted by
Bend, OR
1658 posts
I agree with Liz, I also think there was enough time spent in that area especially considering the size of the crowds. Our tour also stayed in Maiori, the only place that felt stressless. You have a free day to explore and we walked the Lemon Trail and then took the ferry to the town of Amalfi….wall to wall people. We also stayed in Sorrento which was crowded as was Capri which we visited on another free day. The only reason I would extend my stay a couple of days would be to stay in Naples, to visit Herculaneum but then I still really want to see it.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
8926 posts
Hi Julie, my daughter & I stayed in Salerno for two nights & Amalfi for three nights (both on the Amalfi Coast) - traveling independently. We took the earliest bus up to Ravello for gorgeous views from the beautiful gardens. We also took the ferry over to Positano for an afternoon.
I see you’re stopping at Paestum - excellent! We took the train over there from Salerno. Salerno wasn’t busy but the rest of the Amalfi Coast is very crowded.
I’m going to throw out another idea - take the quick train from Napoli Centrale to Caserta (Caserta has a wonderful palace & enormous garden, if interested), and take the train to the Puglia region. There’s so much there, and you will have beautiful seaside small cities to choose. Trani, Giovinazzo, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli to just name a few.