Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi coast has been nothing but good to me. Located in the Campania region of Italy, and down the coastline line in between Sorrento and Salerno, you have beautiful pastel colored houses, spectacular views and stunning beaches. The two times I’ve gone I’ve discovered more and more to do down there, and it’s definitely a must see when visiting Italy. Here are some of my biggest recommendations and tips when visiting the coast!
My first-time visiting was back in October of 2017. I stayed at a hostel located in Atrani, which is the town right next to Amalfi. It’s much smaller and less touristy than Amalfi, however that also means less shopping and things to do. Though if you’re looking for a quieter beach and a less expensive (yet still phenomenal) dinner, this a definitely a good place to stay at or visit.
While here I also visited Amalfi a few times. Again, even though it may be a bit more expensive to stay in the town, it’s certainly worth every penny. There’s plenty more restaurants and shopping to do around here, plus there’s also a little port, which is one other way to enter the town if you don’t want to take the winding coastline road. The boats to Capri and Positano also leave from here as well, so once you’re done exploring Amalfi, you can hop on the boats and get a beautiful view of the coastline while traveling to your next stop. Another strong recommendation when here, is to take the hiking trail from Amalfi up to Ravello, another town located above Amalfi and Atrani. From here you can grab a gelato and admire the birds eye view of the coast and neighboring towns such as Minori and Maiori. To make your way back down, either take a bus back to Amalfi, or take the stairs and local paths down to Atrani. This is what I did, not only do you get to continue to see amazing views, but you get a chance to work off that gelato (or two, if you’re like me).
On my recent travels here is when I visited Positano and Capri. And I’ll tell you what, it’s extremely hard to pick a favorite. Though if I had to choose, I would say Capri. My family and I started off our day by taking a boat from Positano to Capri, and after walking around and getting familiar with some of the area for a few hours, we had a private boat tour around the island. This is arguably one of the best travel moments I’ve had. After our boat guide took us into the Blue Grotto, known for its crystal blue water that illuminates the cave like nothing you’ve ever seen before. After spending a few minutes and luckily being allowed to swim in there, we spent the next two hours floating around the entire island of Capri and Anacapri. The only way I could truly explain how I felt, was a complete and total relaxation like I’ve never experienced before. Drinking, eating and listening to music while floating around these beautiful islands, with not a place to be or a worry in the world felt indescribable. If there’s any recommendation or tip you take from this post, it’s that you NEED to do this in your lifetime. The next day, we hiked to the top of Monte Salaro. This is the perfect hike for everyone. You can either walk up stairs (a lot of them) or take the bus up to the starting point of the trail. From here, you can either hike the trail up, which took me around an hour – hour and a half, with the all the stops for pictures and just taking in the scenery. Or at the starting point, they have a chair lift to take people up one by one to the top, and I don’t believe it costs too much either. Either way, it’s definitely recommended to make it up to the top of the mountain, which is the highest point in Capri/Anacapri. The view up here is absolutely spectacular. You can see the island from all different angles, and even out towards the Amalfi coastline. There’s also a little restaurant up there, and though it’s a little expensive, it’s a picture-perfect place to refuel and enjoy that Aperol Spritz with the Instagram worthy view. On your way back down, you can either take the chairlift, or the trail back down, if you’re still feeling up to it. Back at the starting point, they have a bunch of little shops and stores to wander around, as well a bunch of restaurants if you’ve decided to save your money from up top. Two days wasn’t nearly enough time to spend in Capri/Anacapri. There was so much still left to do and I felt as if we hardly got a chance to explore the islands. Visiting here again is definitely going to be on my bucket list.
Another hike that is an absolute must, is the Il Sentiero degli Dei, or the “Path of the Gods”. This begins in Bomerano, a small town near Agerola, and goes down to Nocelle, the upper part of Positano. However, for an extra 1,500 steps you can arrive down into the center of Positano. You start off by taking a SITA bus to Bomerano, and from there the hike is about 3 hours long. A little long, but 110% worth it. You follow the path along the upper coastline above all the towns, with some of the most amazing views of the coast, Positano and Capri. Just be prepared to stop every several minutes because I can assure you, you’re going to want to take a ton a pictures. It really is breathtaking. And like I mentioned, if you continue following, or even just take the bus back down, it’s a perfect hike to end at the beach in Positano, with a cold drink in hand.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Positano. Arguably the most popular, well known, and beautiful of the towns, it does not fall short of expectation. Our first day here, we went off the beaten path a little bit and spent our time at the Fornillo beach, which is about a 15-minute walk from the Marina Grande beach, or the main beach in Positano. This was much more secluded than the main beach, so there was plenty of room to find a spot to anchor down at and enjoy the sun and beautiful water. However, it is much rockier than the main beach, so this is where you’re gonna have to pick and choose. After spending time on both though, you really can’t go wrong with either, so I suggest spending a few days here and doing both! The rest of the town is just as you would expect, beautiful pastel colored houses, with tons of shopping and restaurants. There’s also the dock which has the ferries to Sorrento and Capri, however there’s not much other than shopping, eating and beaching here in Positano. Nevertheless, it is the perfect place to do all those things. It’s a great town to get a nice hotel, with an overlook of the ocean and put the worries of your world away for the time you’re there. PS: if you do come to Positano, go to a little café called La Zagara, and get the delizia al limone, a delicious lemon sponge cake, with lemon frosting. I had three while in Positano, and two of them were within like an hour of each other. That good.
So, when you eventually visit the Amalfi coast, here are the musts!!
- Private boat ride around Capri/Anacapri. You will absolutely love it.
- Stay in Capri/Anacapri, and hike to the top of Monte Salaro.
- Hike the Path of the Gods.
- Hike up to Ravello.
- Soak up the sun in Positano.
- Go to La Zagara and get a delizia al limone… and when you finish it get another one for me.
Bonus: Drink lots and lots of Limoncello!