A Luxurious Amalfi Coast Itinerary: 8 Days in Positano and Sorrento

After two years of pandemic postponements, we finally took our honeymoon: one week in Rome, and ten days on the Amalfi Coast and Capri. Our trip was equal parts indulgent and relaxing, along with chaotic Italian travel moments (including some public disgrace…).

The Amalfi Coast is nothing short of glamorous – Positano sunsets with Aperol spritzes, Michelin-starred Amalfi dining, dips in the Med, and a Sorrento cooking class, complete with an Italian Nonna. But it is also frightfully expensive, and can be pretty touristy.

We stayed in Positano, Sorrento and Capri. Capri was my favourite (but also the most expensive), Sorrento was the most useful and well-connected town, and Positano was the prettiest.

This Amalfi Coast itinerary is based on our trip, with the added wisdom of hindsight, and how I’d do things differently next time. If you’re planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast, this itinerary gives you the perfect mix of luxury, food, culture, and lazy afternoons in the sunshine.

Day 1 – Arrival in Positano: Italian Glamour

Afternoon: Arrival in Positano

We’d been in Rome before our trip to the Amalfi Coast, so we took the train from Rome to Salerno, which is an Amalfi Coast town. Not much goes on in Salerno, but you can get the ferry to all the Amalfi Coast towns – this is a very fabulous way to arrive, and definitely sets the tone for the trip. Sitting on the top, indulging my dolce vita fantasies, was very memorable.

Once we got off at the harbour in Positano, those fantasies were quickly dashed with silly practical things like getting our luggage to our apartment. The towns along the Amalfi Coast are incredibly steep, and the houses look like they’re clinging onto the mountains for dear life. Walking up to your accommodation (especially if you’re incapable of packing light, like me) is no small feat.

We resisted offers of taxis at the harbour, as they were a cool €150 for a trip of around 2km. I remember we lugged our bags up the first set of stairs, to the town square and the beautiful church, Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, where I had a temper tantrum and demanded a taxi.

The price was pretty horrifying, but it seems that taxi drivers along the Amalfi Coast charge a fixed fee during the summer season, and, given how hilly it is, they seem to have no shortage of takers. I don’t recommend driving along the Amalfi Coast, because the parking situation can be pretty dire, so my best advice is be aware of this and plan for it.

Evening: Apartment Check-in and Clamshell Pasta

We stayed in a beautiful apartment, Casa Malu, rather than a hotel. The apartment was lovely, and probably suited us better than a hotel would have. We had slow balcony mornings with our coffees, and afternoon naps in the sun. It also gave a slightly more local feel, and the option of a couple of meals “at home” made a nice difference in Positano, which is a slightly bank-breaking place.

On your first night on the Amalfi Coast, it is very important that you eat some vongole. Vongole, pasta cooked with clams, garlic, parsley and white wine, is a classic Italian seaside dish. We stumbled upon Il Grottino Azzuro, which made a delicious one.

Day 2 – Exploring Positano

Morning and Afternoon: Pasta, Sunshine, and Aperol Spritz

We had a very slow start on our first proper day in Positano. We hung out on the balcony with coffees and books, and I had a morning tan (there are few things more indulgent than a morning tan on holiday).

We wandered into town for lunch and ended up at Da Vincenzo, which has a beautiful terrace overlooking Positano. We had Pasta alla Norma, a Sicilian dish made with aubergine, tomatoes and salted ricotta, with compulsory Aperol Spritzes.

After lunch, we walked further down into town for a lazy mooch around. The town is tiny, and very charming – full of lemon trinkets, Amalfi ceramics and fabrics. All the tourists (myself included) go pretty crazy for the linen-look Amalfi beach towels, which are a great souvenir.

Evening: An Iconic Positano Dinner

For dinner, we had booked Chez Black, Positano’s iconic beachside restaurant with the azure blue chairs – I’d heard about it for years, and was absolutely dying to go. You need to make reservations here quite far in advance, and like a lot of popular places, you might have a bit of a wait even with a reservation.

Yes, Chez Black is full of mostly tourists, but it is absolutely worth it – the food is excellent (my first Neapolitan pizza of the trip did not disappoint), and the vibe is really good. All the staff are incredibly upbeat, and the whole thing feels like a holiday party. Also, you may spot a celebrity.

Day 3 – A Relaxed Positano Beach Day

Morning and Afternoon: Positano Beach

Positano’s beaches are rocky, rather than sandy, like most of the beaches along the Amalfi Coast. The main beach is Spiaggia Grande, with its iconic rows of colourful umbrellas. A large section of the beach is made up of various lidos, which rent out sunbeds and umbrellas.

In the middle of the beach is the “spiaggia libera”, the free beach, where you can bring your towel and sit without paying. We stayed in the free section (paying to go to the beach is an odd concept, coming from the Southern Hemisphere), but I see why the lidos are popular, especially on pebble beaches.

Lunch on the balcony at Casa Malu

My husband managed to convince me that we should go back up to the apartment and have lunch on the balcony. I’m not sure why I agreed to this, but I can only imagine that he lured me there with the promise of fat green olives, ice-cold prosecco, and increasing my step count.

All that was lovely, but the walk all the way back up for lunch was a pain, and I wouldn’t do it again (particularly since we went back down in the afternoon for more beach time). Have lunch at Savino, which is right on the beach, or get a sandwich at the Wine Shop instead, and remain at sea level.

For a casual but very fabulous lunch and afternoon beach experience, make a booking at Da Adolfo for lunch – you can only get here via water taxi, and you can book a sun lounger too. This is more beach shack than Amalfi Coast glamour, but the food is local and very delicious.

Evening: Dinner on a Vine Covered Terrace

Dinner at La Zagara in Positano

We went for a stroll after the beach and ended up at La Zagara, which we loved. We had come straight from the beach, but it was casual enough. We sat on their terrace covered with vines, which has beautiful views out over Positano. The burrata was amazing, and I had a ravioli topped with mussels – heart eyes.

I see it now gets a pretty horrendous rating on Google Maps, so exercise caution. Other fabulous options nearby are D’Aiello and Restaurant Max.

Day 4 – Ravello & Villa Rufolo

Morning: Manicured Gardens at Villa Rufolo

By day 4, we were ready for some proper exploring. For probably the first time on this trip, we were up early for a trip to Villa Rufolo, in the tiny town of Ravello. Ravello is slightly inland, without a port, so we got the ferry to Amalfi and then took a bus up to Ravello.

The ferries make getting around the Amalfi Coast towns quite easy and very glamorous. You can buy tickets from a ticket booth at the pier. Once you have a ticket, find the relevant sign on the pier for your destination, which is sometimes just a person holding up a sign saying “Amalfi” or “Capri”.

Once the ferry arrives, they shout the destination a couple of times, the tourists pile on, and that’s that. Get there a few minutes early to make sure you’re in the right place.

Once in Amalfi, you have a choice of a taxi or a bus to Ravello. The buses are very crowded in the summer (a delightful/horror of a story awaits you on day 6 of this itinerary), and are quite infrequent, but the taxis are very expensive. We managed to get onto a bus, but were the last two allowed on, and were pretty squeezed in like sardines.

Villa Rufolo in Ravello

Villa Rufolo was worth the bus trip – it has beautiful terraced gardens overlooking the ocean, and you can spend ages wandering around. It was built in the 13th century by a wealthy merchant family, and has unique Moorish architecture, manicured flowerbeds, and absolutely stunning views. Between July and August, during the Ravello Festival, Villa Rufolo hosts outdoor concerts.

Afternoon: Lunch in Ravello

We had a very casual lunch on the town square – try Ristorante Vittoria, Cumpa Cosimo or Mimi Bar Pizzeria.

After lunch, spend some time exploring Ravello, or visit the gardens at Villa Cimbrone, another beautiful villa with manicured gardens and sea views.

Evening: A Positano Wine Bar

Get the ferry back to Positano, and have dinner and sundowners at the Positano wine bar, Le Tre Sorelle Wine Room.

Day 5 – Exploring Amalfi

On our fifth day, we took the ferry to Amalfi and spent the morning exploring the town. Amalfi is a lot like Positano, although a bit smaller, with fewer tourists. It’s also slightly flatter, which makes walking around a bit easier.

We had booked lunch in Amalfi, at La Caravella. This was the only Michelin-starred restaurant we went to on this trip, and it was very much worth it. We weren’t able to get a dinner reservation, but luckily, they had space for lunch.

Interestingly, we seemed to be the only people in the restaurant, and it felt like they had opened for lunch just for us. I’m not sure why, but it was absolutely fabulous. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with paintings and ceramics, and it was like having lunch in an upscale Italian art gallery.

The meal is a seven-course tasting menu, which is paired with wines from Campania. Many of the courses were fish-based, which I loved, but there was a vegetarian version for my husband. The whole thing was very serene, and so different to the sunshine and crowds outside. It’s not cheap, but if you’re going to have one special meal on your trip, you can’t beat La Caravella.

We got the ferry back to Positano after lunch, where we were much too stuffed to do anything except drag our seven-course selves up the mountain for sundowners on the balcony. If you’d like a drink with excellent views in Positano, go to Franco’s Bar (they don’t take reservations).

Day 6 – Path of the Gods & Arrival in Sorrento

Early Morning: Hiking the Path of the Gods

We started very early on this day, so that we could hike the Sentiero degli Dei (the Path of the Gods) – necessary after yesterday’s feasting. Particularly in summer, you should start as early as possible, as it gets incredibly hot towards midday (we were done by just after 9 am).

The hike is about 6km, and takes around 3.5 hours. It starts in Agerola and ends in Nocelle, which is just above Positano. From Nocelle, you can take a bus or walk down the roughly 1700 steps into Positano.

Because we were staying in Positano and we had such an early start, we did the hike in reverse, starting in Positano and ending in Agerola. This made sense as we didn’t have to mess around trying to get a (very expensive) taxi early in the morning, and we just walked to the traditional end of the hike in Nocelle.

The downside of this was that we had to ascend the infamous 1700 stairs from Positano into Nocelle, rather than going down them, which was a pretty punchy start. Also, if you’re hiking this way, the views are mostly behind you, and the hike is mostly uphill, so I can see why the traditional route goes the other way.

The Path of the Gods Hike on the Amalfi Coast

That said, the views on the hike and the cool air so early in the morning were definitely worth it, and we saw very few other people. There was still some mist, and some goats hanging around on the path as we got closer to Agerola.

Either way you do the hike, there is a Lemon Point in both Agerola and Nocelle, which is your reward for finishing – they serve delicious, icy, lemon granitas, which are very welcome at the end.

Late Morning: Swimming at the Fiordo di Furore

After our hike, we had planned to have a swim at the Fiordo di Furore, a stunning beach below Agerola, then find something simple for lunch near the beach, and get a bus back to Positano. There are buses in Agerola, but this is where things started to go spectacularly badly.

If you are squeamish, skip this part. Just know that I don’t recommend buses on the Amalfi Coast in summertime – have a swim at the Fiordo di Furore after your hike, and get there by taxi. Read on if you’d like a lol at my misfortune.

We got a bus in Agerola without a very long wait. The problem is that the buses during the summer season on the Amalfi coast only run roughly every hour, and are incredibly overcrowded (standing room only, and even then, you’re packed in like sardines) and very hot.

The trip down the mountain was a hairpin bend nightmare (put San Michelle on the Amalfi Coast into Google Maps for an idea), and the lack of air conditioning, overcrowdedness, and generally terrifying-looking drops into the ocean below were too much for me and my granita-filled belly.

I started to think I’d really like to get off and walk, but because the buses were so full, the driver wasn’t stopping at bus stops along the way, to avoid having to pick up any more passengers (a British couple on the bus who had a ziplining appointment missed it entirely because the bus just didn’t stop).

I eventually got to a point where I knew I absolutely had to get off, and I told my husband to make the bus stop. Just as he was looking around him with a mixture of helplessness and terror (exactly what you want on your honeymoon!), I ruined pretty much everyone’s holiday by throwing up.

Although I will never forget the mortifying sound of the entire bus beginning to shout “fermata, fermata, per favore”, a pleasant side effect was that the bus driver did actually stop, and we were deposited on the side of the road, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

Walking down the mountain was a pain, but I was so happy to be off the bus that I didn’t care (and I’m sure they were pretty glad to be rid of me, too). We walked into the nearest town and sold a kidney for a taxi back into Positano. We also, unfortunately, missed out on our swim, as by that point, we were running late for our checkout in Positano.

Moral of the story: don’t take buses on the Amalfi Coast in summertime.

Afternoon: The Ferry to Sorrento

With my reputation ruined, we had no choice but to leave Positano for Sorrento that afternoon. Kidding, that was always the plan.

Sorrento

We stayed at Hotel Continental, which was like nowhere else we stayed at on our trip to Italy. It was central, the views were stunning, and the staff all seemed like esteemed career hoteliers who returned each summer season to play their roles.

There’s an enormous pool, a lido attached to the hotel, and a very upmarket breakfast offering, complete with prosecco and gelato.

Evening: Dinner at a Rustic Sorrento Trattoria

Dinner at La Cantinaccia del Popolo in Sorrento

My appetite miraculously restored by the change of scenery, we went out to dinner at La Cantinaccia del Popolo in Sorrento. This was one of the best meals we had on the Amalfi Coast. It was a lot more casual and less glamorous than a lot of the restaurants we went to (with zero view to speak of), but it was rustic, friendly, and beloved by locals.

You can’t make a booking, and it’s very popular, so there is a queue. But while you wait in the queue, you are offered pecorino and wine – this was a sweet, homely touch which we loved.

The restaurant on the inside was beautifully rustic, with hams hanging from the ceiling, a deli counter, and well-priced house wine. I had the gnocchi alla Norma, which was great. Since we were sitting next to the deli, I spotted some delicious-looking meatballs (clearly, my appetite was back with a vengeance by this point).

They were on the menu as a part of a pasta dish, but I asked for just one, to try them, and the very obliging waitress assured me that wouldn’t be a problem. Another lovely homely touch, that really made me feel like I was in the home of a friend’s Italian nonna (or maybe I just needed some nonna TLC after my dramatic morning…).

Day 7 – Sorrento Beach Morning & Afternoon in Pompeii

Morning: Gelato for Breakfast and Sorrento Beaching

The hotel breakfast at Hotel Continental is worth mentioning because I still think about it. The breakfast room is nothing short of opulent, and all the staff seem like they’ve worked there for about 30 years. The breakfast buffet was excellent, with all the usual delights (including prosecco), but with the addition of gelato!

Served in a very old-school silver-domed trolley, this was a highlight of my trip (I love doing things on holiday mornings that you’d usually wait until later in the day to do, because they feel extra indulgent in the morning – bathing, tanning, napping, eating gelato…)

We spent our first morning in Sorrento at the hotel pool, so that I could have my required holiday morning tan, before we ventured to the hotel lido. Sorrento is relatively flat – the town is set on the cliffs above the beaches, rather than clinging to the mountains. This makes walking around a lot easier, but it means that getting down to the beaches can be a faff.

Leonelli’s Beach at Hotel Continental in Sorrento

Enter hotel cliff elevators: Hotel Continental had a lift in the lobby, which took us down to the level of the beach. There’s a short walk through a tunnel dug right into the cliff, and then you’re on a lovely sandy beach. The lido was great, and not terribly full, since it was mostly hotel guests.

Afternoon: Exploring Pompeii

Pompeii

We left after lunch for a train to Pompeii, where we’d booked a tour. In hindsight, we should have done Pompeii in the morning instead – it was incredibly hot walking around the ruins in the afternoon, and the morning would have been cooler. Learn from our mistakes, and get out to Pompeii as early as you can in the morning.

Even with the heat, Pompeii is extraordinary. I’d wanted to see it since I was a bambino, and I’m so glad we did. It is surreal seeing how well preserved the city is, and how abruptly it came to an end. The layout is still intact, and a lot of the homes still have their original mosaics. There are bakery ovens, fast food counters, and evidence of the plumbing system.

We’d already had lunch in Sorrento, but if you haven’t, Giardino dei Sensi looks amazing for a long lunch, or get pizza at Mercato Pompeiano.

Evening: Local Cuisine in Sorrento

Dinner at Ristorante Zi’ntonio in Sorrento

We had dinner back in Sorrento at Ristorante Zi’ntonio, which was very relaxed and local, and specialises in fish and pasta. I had my first (and only) non-pizza/pasta meal of the trip, although I was in no way deprived: caprese salad, zucchini flowers, local fish, and lemon cake – life’s delights.

Day 8 – A Sorrento Cooking Class and the Ferry to Capri

Morning and Afternoon: A Cooking Class at an Italian Farmhouse

A cooking class at DeA in Cucina in Sorrento

For our last morning in Sorrento, we booked a cooking class with DeA in Cucina in Sorrento.

As always, we booked this class very late, but I’m so glad we did it. It ended up being one of the best things we did on the trip, and it was a lovely way to end this part of our holiday. We’re often a bit wary of cooking classes because my husband is a vegetarian, but the menu for this one was perfect – two vegetarian pastas, tiramisu, and wine.

Martina, who runs the class, met us in Sorrento and drove us up to her grandmother’s house, where the class takes place, in her absolutely tiny and very Italian car. The best part about the drive was watching her expertly navigate Sorrento’s impossibly narrow lanes perfectly casually, chatting away with ease – the perfect Italian experience!

The house was on a farm in the hills above Sorrento, and was like everything I’d ever imagined an Italian farmhouse to be – it’s inspired a lifelong desire to live in Italy one day. There were rambling terraces, family cows, and an enormous terracotta kitchen with copper pots and a big wooden table.

The cooking class itself was so much fun. We did a group experience, but it was quite small, with only four other people, so there was a lot of hands-on time. Martina’s Nonna was there to help, too, although she spoke very little English.

We made two pastas – the first was a lemon and cream pasta, and the second was a mozzarella and ricotta ravioli, with a zucchini cream sauce. The vegetables were from their garden, the eggs were from their chickens, and the cheese was from their cows – have you ever!

Pasta and cows at DeA in Cucina in Sorrento

Afterwards, we had our pasta, with wine from their 80-year-old grapevines, and then our tiramisu. On our way out, we stopped to say hi to the cows. This was an absolutely perfect day, and I’ve recommended this class to everyone I know who’s going to the Amalfi Coast.

Evening: The Ferry to Capri

After Martina dropped us off back in Sorrento, we checked out and got the ferry to Capri, where we stayed for two days, and which was definitely my favourite Amalfi Coast town.

FAQs About the Amalfi Coast

Final Thoughts

The Amalfi Coast is glamorous and indulgent (and expensive), as well as slightly chaotic and inefficient. That said, it is so worth it (plus, a bit of chaos is part of the charm in Italy). The Med is warm and impossibly blue, the holiday mood is infectious, and the food is amazing.

Even if you choose to do very little adventuring, you can fill your Amalfi Coast days with espresso, morning swims, long lunches in the sunshine, more swims, afternoon Aperols, and sunset pasta and wine – IMHO, there is no better kind of holiday.