Amalfi Coast, Italy

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Visit Amalfi coast

The Amalfi Coast is a spectacular 50 km section of coastline that follows along the southern edge of the Sorrento Peninsula from Positano to Vietri sul Mare (just west of Salerno). Along the route there are several small towns that are very worthy of visiting, divided by dramatic cliffs and rocks plunging into the Mediterranean, and very attractive coastal scenery.

The road that follows along the coast is very busy at the height of summer, but don't let that deter you from visiting - around each corner you find a view even more impressive than the one before, so driving fast will not be your highest priority!

Many places get described in travel guides as 'awesome', 'stunning', spectacular and so on. in this case believe them - the Amalfi Coast is one of the great coast roads of Europe, perhaps the world.

Towns and villages of the Amalfi Coast

Heading from west to east the villages to visit are: Positano, Praiano, Furore, Conca dei Marini, Amalfi (and very near neighbour Atrani), Scala, Ravello, Minori, Tramonti, Maiori, Cetara and Vietri sul Mare. Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Ravello are the most popular of these with visitors.

The largest town on this stretch of coast is Amalfi itself, while the most glamorous are perhaps trendy Positano and Praiano to the west. Note that ferries to the equally impressive island of Capri leave from Positano.

Head east from Amalfi to Ravello for some of the best views along the coast, and above all to the terraces of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone above the town. The churches at Praiano and Conca dei Marini also have particularly good views.

There are also various small villages hidden away in the hills behind the coast, reached by pleasant walks from the main resorts.

General Amalfi Coast information

While beaches exist along this section of the coast, in the small towns, the coast is perhaps not ideal for those seeking to simply spend a week on the beach.

Try one of the numerous fish restaurants that will attract your attention and offer a great chance to sit and enjoy great fresh food while quietly enjoying the atmosphere.

The Amalfi Coast is now a listed UNESCO World heritage Site.

(Note: when we visited we didn't have a car and we stayed in Sorrento - which meant catching buses along the Amalfi Coast. The buses were always very crowded and it would have been nice to have been staying somewhere along the Amalfi coast itself, at least for one night. A hire car would also have been very welcome. But buses from Sorrento is a much cheaper option, and also avoids the car parking charges that can be quite hefty in the villages along the coast!)

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