So excited for this portion of my Italy travel guide (see pt 1 here), because the Amalfi coast is truly one of (if not the most) beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life. My Amalfi coast travel guide is going to give y’all the scoop on where we stayed, what we did, favorite restaurants (as well as a few restaurants we didn’t necessarily love), and a few other tips and tricks.
Where we stayed (advice on where you should stay)
Michael and I stayed in Praiano, which is about a 10 minute bus ride from Positano (where all the action is/the most popular city in Amalfi coast). As I mentioned in my original post, Michael was in charge of finding our air bnb’s so he decided to stay in Praiano because he found a really cute bed and breakfast there (we stayed at Hotel Maresca), and didn’t find an air bnb in Positano he loved.
Hotel Maresca was actually SO adorable, and breakfast is included every morning. The view was to die for and the breakfast was really good! BUT I will say, I 100% recommend staying in Positano. All of the things we wanted to do or restaurants we wanted to go to were in Positano, so we were consistently taking the bus back and forth. (The bus ride is super cheap, but still. Not the most convenient).
Things to do in Amalfi Coast
- Path of the Gods Hike. This is one of our favorite things we did on our whole trip! (See this website for details on where it starts and more info about the hike. There are a lot of different options). This hike definitely wasn’t easy. We started in Praiano, climbed a million steps, and then hiked all the way over to Positano. Then climbed down a million more steps to get to the Positano beaches. SO, if you do this hike…just be prepared! Bring water and protein bars and wear good tennis shoes for hiking. But the views were absolutely gorgeous and it was 100% worth it. (Our legs were sore for a few days after though!)
Outfit details: grey tank | sports bra | colorblock leggings | black nike sneakers | tortoise sunglasses
2. Take a boat tour to Capri
Outfit details: white tank | denim shorts | gold hoop earrings | tortoise sunglasses | bandana
PIN IT
There are tons of different boat tours that leave from the Amalfi Coast and take you to Capri. You can ask your hotel receptionist or air bnb person, or walk down to the beaches in Positano to find a boat. (Our boat tour left from Praiano and it was through Princess tours). I’d definitely recommend going early because this is pretty much an all day thing.
To be honest, Capri wasn’t our favorite. When we went it was SUPER crowded and we ended up just waiting in a lot of lines. BUT, the boat tour made it 100% worth it. The view of Positano from the water was absolutely breath taking. We also drove through some of the grottos, and actually got an opportunity to jump in and swim! (So, wear or bring your bathing suit). The water is the most amazing color blue you will ever see. (A ton of people love Capri btw – we just didn’t have the greatest experience).
Favorite restaurants in Positano
- Chez Black – we ate here after our path of the gods hike. It’s down on the beach of Positano and AMAZING. Such a cool vibe and the food was so good. We split the most amazing prosciutto pizza here! Maybe one of our favorite meals while we were in Amalfi coast
- Ristorante Max in Positano – we went here based on amazing yelp and trip advisor reviews and the food was SO good. We didn’t have reservations so we had to sit inside, but the environment was still cool and the food was wonderful. Make sure you try the zucchini flower to start, and then we shared the shrimp/zucchini pasta. LOVED! It’s a little more on the pricey side but not bad at all
- Bucca di bacco – we had gelato here after our dinner at Max. I can’t speak to the restaurant over all but their gelato is really good, and it was fun to walk on the beach after!
The two restaurants we went to that we didn’t love…our first night we had dinner at La Cucina in Praiano. The sunset views were absolutely to die for, but the food was just okay, and the service was awful. Then for Michael’s birthday dinner we went to Da Vincenzo, which is a little more on the pricey side, and in our opinion…not really worth it. The food was decent, but nothing spectacular or very memorable (just our opinions)!
outfit details: criss-cross t-shirt dress | suede booties (similar here) | leather crossbody bag | sunglasses
Random tips/advice
- Positano is known for their lemons! There are a few lemon stands all over the city – you must try their fresh lemonade or any other lemon treat! SO yummy
- The buses are great because they’re cheap – but make sure you pay attention to the schedule, or ask a local (like a shop owner) about the schedule. We got stuck a few times because we found out the bus wasn’t coming for another few hours
- Walk/explore as much as possible! It’s great to have a plan, but leave yourself time to just wander the streets, go into some shops, and explore the city. It truly is so magical.
Hope this Amalfi Coast travel guide helps with any trip planning you might have, or inspires you go to go Amalfi Coast! Let me know if y’all have any questions!
xo Lauren
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