Visiting the Amalfi Coast is like stepping into a storybook. There are colorful, charming towns nestled along the winding coastal cliffs that are breathtakingly beautiful. If you follow a lot of bloggers on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve seen more than one person travel to Positano (the most well-known town on the Amalfi Coast) recently. Similar to Tulum or Cartagena, I think the Amalfi Coast has time to be a travel “hotspot”, especially for those of us who #allaboutthegram.
If you’re skeptical about the fantastic photos and the rave reviews from people like me, don’t be! Believe it or not, the Amalfi Coast is even more breathtaking. Stepping out onto our balcony each morning and seeing the water and view of Positano, I felt like I had to pinch myself because it didn’t look real. Everything from the food to the kind locals and the beautiful scenery contributed to our favorite trip to date.
I went back and forth on how best to showcase our 7-day trip to the Amalfi Coast. Initially I thought I would document our trip by day in different posts because we did so much and I had so many photos. While I do plan to share some more in-depth reviews of our hotel, each restaurant and bar we dined at, and the activities we did, I thought it would be helpful to share our overall trip first so you can see everything in one place. Can I go back now?
Positano is the perfect home base for any Amalfi Coast vacation. That’s where the action is – beautiful beaches, shopping, many restaurants, numerous tour options and easy ferry or water cab service to many coastal destinations. With Positano as your starting point, you can easily spend a full week or more exploring nearby towns such as Sorrento, Amalfi, Ravello and Praiano as well as the islands of Capri, Procida and Ischia.
Initially when we started planning, we wanted to stay in Positano, but since we booked only two months in advance, many of the hotels were already full or the only rooms still available were either below par or ridiculously expensive. It was then that I discovered the neighboring town of Pleiano, just 10 minutes from Positano by car or water cab. I’ll discuss this more when I post a review of our hotel, but I’ll say for now that I’m glad we stayed in Pulaiano. The views were incredible, it was much quieter, and getting to and from Positano was a breeze thanks to our hotel’s free shuttle service. It was also much easier to get to neighboring towns from Pleiano and Positano, where the traffic and crowds can get a little crazy.
Most Amalfi Coast guidebooks mention the island of Capri, but we decided to spend the last three days of our trip on the lesser-known island of Ischia. Never heard of it? That’s because the small island of Capri gets all the attention because it’s a famous hotspot with luxury shopping and the island’s famous grottoes.
Ischia caught our attention for several reasons: far fewer people, sleepy, colorful towns and beach clubs, authentic cuisine not suited to the tastes of American tourists, mineral-rich thermal waters (Ischia is a volcanic island!) and the ease of exploring with the ability to rent your own car or scooter. Oh, and Ischia is much cheaper than anywhere else on Capri or the Amalfi Coast.
To the Amalfi Coast
Our trip to and from the Amalfi Coast involved multiple legs. Naples is the closest major airport to the area (about 1.5 hours from Positano), but the direct option from New York City to Naples was too expensive for us to justify, so we booked round-trip flights to Rome (about a 3+ hour drive to Positano.) This was perfect because we were able to get through the typical travel grind and adjust to the time change during the first two days of our trip to Rome.
If flying to Naples is not an option for you, please don’t be afraid to fly to Rome. Take the direct high speed train from Rome Termini station to the Amalfi Coast town of Salerno (you can also take the direct train to Sorrento – I’d use Google Maps to search for where you’re staying and pick the best location!) Very easy. We bought our tickets online in advance, but buying same-day tickets at the ticket booths at the train station seemed like an easy option as well.
The train to Salerno took only 1.5 hours and from there we had a cab pick us up (we used SeaHorse car service) to take us to our hotel in Plejano. We paid 125 euros for a 1.5 hour one way ride and no complaints!
Things to know
You don’t need to speak Italian. Positano and the coastal towns are very friendly to Americans. I would say that most of the tourists we noticed were American, British or Asian. Lots of American honeymooners too! The concierge at our hotel, the waiters at each restaurant and our guides on our day trips to Amalfi and Ravello all spoke fluent English. Ischia is a different story. I don’t speak fluent English is the norm, but we never had a moment where communication became a major issue.
Ready to walk. I don’t know why I even bothered to pack heels to wear to dinner. At the end of the day, even in sneakers, my feet get beat up. Positano and the surrounding towns are built on cliffs and are very hilly. Anywhere you go will involve some hiking – both to and from. Our hotel shuttle always dropped us off in downtown Positano, and from there it was a 10+ minute walk uphill or downhill to whatever restaurant or place we were going to. When choosing a hotel or Air BnB, I would make sure to check if it is accessible by car – some are not, which means you have to walk up the hill with suitcases in tow.
The Amalfi Coast is expensive. Food and drink prices in Positano and coastal towns are similar, if not more expensive, than those in New York. This wasn’t too shocking to us, as we’re used to Manhattan prices, but just be prepared to see a 20 euro cocktail and a 150+ euro dinner bill for two. Our hotel in Pryano was also the most expensive hotel we’ve ever stayed in. Even a 10-minute car or water cab ride can cost more than 30 euros, which is why hotels that offer shuttle services are key if you’re not staying directly in Positano. Of course, you can save money by taking the public bus (only 2€) and buying your own food and wine for a beach picnic (which I would have done if we had more time), but since this was a vacation we knew we would splurge on.
