Every year someone asks whether they need a rental car for the Amalfi Coast. For a first visit our answer is no. The coast road, the SS163, is beautiful and slow, parking in Positano and Amalfi is scarce and expensive, and the ferries do the one thing a car cannot: show you the cliffs from below. This is the three-day shape we suggest when guests ask us to plan it for them.
Day one: arrive by sea, then stay put
From Naples airport the Alibus reaches Napoli Centrale in roughly 25 minutes. A fast train takes you to Salerno in 35 to 40, and from the harbour there a ferry runs to Amalfi in about 35 minutes and to Positano in about an hour, from spring to autumn. Between November and March the boats are fewer, so book a driver for the last leg instead.
Drop your bags and do nothing ambitious. Walk to the beach, find a table before 20:00 and go to bed early. Arriving by water at the end of the afternoon is the best introduction the coast offers, and it costs less than a taxi.
Choose your base by temperament. Positano is vertical, photogenic and full of steps. Amalfi has the best transport and a proper old town. Atrani, five minutes on foot from Amalfi, is the quiet one. Staying in one place for all three nights beats changing hotels: every move eats half a day, and your bags will never be lighter.
Day two: Amalfi, the valley and Ravello
Be at the cathedral steps before 10:00, when the tour groups arrive. Inside, the Cloister of Paradise is cool and nearly silent. Then walk up into the Valle dei Mulini, the Valley of the Mills, where a shaded path follows a stream past the ruins of the paper mills that once made Amalfi rich. It is an easy outing of an hour or two, and the temperature drops by several degrees under the ferns.
After lunch take the bus up to Ravello, about 25 minutes of hairpins. Villa Cimbrone has the famous Terrace of Infinity, and Villa Rufolo has the garden that inspired Wagner. Buy a coffee in the square, sit, and let the afternoon slow down. Come back down before the light goes, or stay for dinner and take the last bus.
Day three: Positano and a boat
Take the morning ferry from Amalfi to Positano, a scenic 25 or 30 minutes. Walk down through the lanes to the Spiaggia Grande, then turn west along the path to Fornillo, the quieter beach with the feel of a fishing village. In the afternoon, book a half-day small-boat trip to the Li Galli islets for a swim stop in startlingly clear water. Shared boats are usually the better value, while a private skipper suits families.
Finish with an aperitivo on a terrace above the town and watch the colours change on the cliff. Then climb home slowly. Positano rewards the person who walks up instead of down.
What to skip
- Driving yourself. You will pay for parking, and you will stop for pictures at the worst corners.
- Midday buses in July and August. They can be full by the second stop, so take a boat or travel early.
- Capri as a day trip from this base. It is a lovely day, but it is two ferries and five hours of transport. Stay a night there instead.
Pack for stairs
Wheeled suitcases and stepped lanes do not mix. Pack a soft bag, wear shoes with grip and ask your host about luggage porters. Most stays here are happy to arrange one, and a few include it. If you want a head start on where to sleep, browse stays in Amalfi, Atrani and Positano with your dates: each listing shows the real walk from the nearest ferry or bus stop.
