Italy · Campania
Plan your Amalfi trip
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01Your itinerary
02Where to stay
Piazza Duomo & the historic centre
Best for first-timers who want everything on footThe pedestrianised core around the cathedral steps — every café, shop and restaurant within a five-minute walk, and the busiest, most atmospheric base if you don't mind the daytime crowd outside your door.
A small hotel just off the Piazza Duomo
Look for a property set back on a side lane rather than directly on the square, to trade a sliver of view for a proper night's sleep.
€€€A family-run B&B above Via Lorenzo d'Amalfi
Several converted townhouses on the steep lanes just above the main street offer small terraces and a genuinely local feel.
€€The harbourfront
Best for ferry-based travellers and sea-view seekersCloser to the ferry pier and the beach than to the cathedral, with sea views as the main draw and a slightly more functional, less postcard-pretty streetscape.
A mid-size hotel overlooking the harbour
Worth the premium for a room with a direct sea view and easy access to the ferry pier if you plan to hop along the coast.
€€€Atrani
Best for value and a quieter eveningA five-minute walk east of Amalfi's centre, this tiny neighbouring village offers a quieter, cheaper, more residential base while keeping Amalfi itself within easy walking distance.
A guesthouse on Atrani's main piazza
Staying right on the square means falling asleep to the sound of the town's one communal space rather than tour-group chatter.
€€The hills above town (Pontone & Pogerola)
Best for travellers with a car or plenty of patience for stepsHamlets on the slopes above Amalfi, reached by a steep walk or a short local bus, trading immediate convenience for quiet, genuine views over the rooftops and the gulf beyond.
An agriturismo or converted farmhouse above Pogerola
A handful of working lemon farms rent rooms with terrace views over the valley; book ahead, as these fill with repeat visitors.
€€Affiliate notePostcardRoute is reader-supported. Some links to Booking.com (stays, flights, car hire, tickets and tours, airport transfers) are affiliate links, tracked through CJ Affiliate: if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places we would send a friend.
03Tickets & tours
Amalfi Cathedral (Duomo di Sant'Andrea)
A striped Arab-Norman facade atop a sweeping staircase, built and rebuilt from the 9th century onward, with a cloister of interlaced white arches and…
Tip Buy the combined ticket that includes the Cloister of Paradise and the crypt; the cloister alone, with its slender columns and palm trees, is worth the price.
Valle delle Ferriere nature reserve
A steep wooded ravine above town, named for the medieval paper mills it once powered, now a protected reserve of waterfalls, ancient ferns and lemon…
Tip Start early and wear proper walking shoes; the path is uneven, often damp, and considerably cooler than the town below, a genuine relief in summer.
Atrani
A tiny fishing village squeezed into its own ravine five minutes' walk east of Amalfi, built so densely around one small piazza that it feels like a…
Tip Walk over for dinner rather than lunch; the piazza's restaurant tables fill the whole square once the day's heat breaks.
Museo della Carta (Paper Museum)
A working museum in a converted 13th-century paper mill, demonstrating the hand-made cotton-rag paper, carta amalfitana, that the town has produced…
Tip Ask for the live demonstration slot; watching the hand-pulled sheets formed from pulp is more interesting than the static display cases.
Ravello
A refined hilltop town a short bus ride above Amalfi, home to the cliffside gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone and a view back down over the…
Tip Time a visit to the Villa Rufolo gardens for late afternoon, when the crowds thin and the light over the coast turns gold.
Marina Grande beach
Amalfi's own small, pebbly town beach, a short walk from the Piazza Duomo, with free public stretches alongside paid lido sections and a direct view…
Tip Arrive before 10am in summer for a free spot on the sand; by midday the public areas are genuinely full.
Grotta dello Smeraldo
A sea cave a short drive west of town, named for the eerie emerald light that filters in through an underwater opening, explored by small rowing boat…
Tip Go on a clear, sunny day; the famous green glow depends entirely on direct sunlight hitting the submerged entrance.
Torre dello Ziro
A ruined medieval watchtower on the ridge above Amalfi and Atrani, reached by a steep but manageable hiking trail, with a 360-degree view that takes…
Tip Bring water and start in the cooler morning hours; there is no shade and no facilities anywhere on the trail.
Day trips from Amalfi
Positano
The coast's most photographed town, a short ferry or bus ride west — go for the view and the beach, but expect to pay a premium and climb a genuinely…
Day tripCapri
A seasonal ferry connects Amalfi directly to the island's Marina Grande — the Blue Grotto, Via Krupp and a chairlift to the summit of Monte Solaro…
Day tripPaestum
Remarkably intact Greek temples an hour or so south by car, among the best-preserved classical ruins in Italy and a complete change of pace from the…
Day tripPompeii & Herculaneum
The classic archaeological day trip, reachable by train from Salerno via Naples; go to Herculaneum first if pressed for time, as it is smaller,…
Day tripEverything to do in Amalfi
Skip-the-line tickets, guided tours and day trips, all in one place on Booking.com.
04Getting there & around
Getting around
Decide before you arrive whether you are driving, and lean strongly toward not. The SS163 coast road is one of Italy's most scenic drives and one of its most stressful: narrow, blind-cornered, short on parking, and prone to one-way traffic-light control at pinch points in high season.
Flights
Compare fares into Amalfi and pick dates that suit the days you planned.
Airport transfers
Book a private or shared ride from the airport so the first evening starts at your door, not at a ticket queue.
Car hire from Amalfi
Only worth it for day trips beyond the city — in town, the plan above works on foot and public transport.
Affiliate notePostcardRoute is reader-supported. Some links to Booking.com (stays, flights, car hire, tickets and tours, airport transfers) are affiliate links, tracked through CJ Affiliate: if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places we would send a friend.