There is a reason the Amalfi Coast occupies such a prominent place in the imagination of travellers. The coast road clings to cliffs that drop sheer into a Mediterranean so blue it seems unreal, while terraced lemon groves scent the salt air and pastel villages spill down to coves that are almost impossibly picturesque. Six days is enough to experience the coast at its finest — without spending the entire trip in a car.
This itinerary balances Positano's glamour, Ravello's elevated solitude, and the island escape of Capri, staying at three of the finest hotels on this stretch of the Italian coast. The art is in slowing down: lingering over a lunch that extends into afternoon, swimming from rocks warmed by the afternoon sun, and understanding that the coast rewards those who resist the urge to rush.
Planning the Amalfi Coast?
We'll secure the right rooms at Le Sirenuse and Hotel Caruso, arrange private water taxis between villages, and handle every detail — so you arrive to a cold glass of prosecco and nothing left to arrange.
Fly into Naples (NAP) or Salerno — Naples is the main gateway, and a private transfer along the coast road takes around 90 minutes. The moment the road rounds the first headland and Positano appears below — stacked in terracotta and white against the blue of the Tyrrhenian — the journey is immediately worthwhile.
- PMArrive & Check InPrivate transfer from Naples airport to Le Sirenuse. Allow the afternoon entirely for arrival — unpack slowly, take in the terrace view, and let the coast come to you.
- SunsetMusic on the RocksPositano's most atmospheric aperitivo spot, built into the rock at sea level. Arrive just before golden hour for a Campari spritz as the sun drops behind the headland.
- EveDinner at Ristorante Buca di BaccoPositano's classic seafront restaurant — spaghetti alle vongole, fresh grilled fish, and a table close enough to the water that you can hear the waves. The perfect first dinner on the coast.
One full day in Positano rewards exploration both above the village and below it. The morning is for the hills; the afternoon belongs to the sea.
- AMPath of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei)One of Italy's most celebrated coastal hikes — a ridge-top trail offering views over the entire gulf that are simply staggering. Begin at Bomerano and walk east to Nocelle, then descend to Positano. The path takes 3–4 hours at a comfortable pace; wear proper shoes and start early before the heat builds.
- LunchReturn & RestBack at the hotel by midday for a long lunch on the terrace and a siesta — this is Italy, after all.
- PMGrotta dello Smeraldo (Emerald Grotto)Hire a small boat from the beach and head west to this sea cave, where the water glows an extraordinary phosphorescent green through a submerged arch. Best seen on a calm afternoon in good light.
- EveLimoncello TastingThe Amalfi Coast is the birthplace of limoncello — made from the sfusato amalfitano lemon, a PDO-protected variety grown on the terraced hillsides. Stop into one of the family producers on the main steps for a tasting, or ask your concierge to arrange a private visit to a lemon grove above the village.
Take the hydrofoil from Positano's beach — it runs regularly and the crossing takes around 50 minutes. Capri is best experienced as a day trip from the coast: arrive early before the day-trippers from Naples, explore when it's quietest, and return to Positano for dinner.
- AMVilla JovisThe ruins of Emperor Tiberius's clifftop villa — a 45-minute walk from Capri town through scented gardens, rewarded with views in every direction that stretch to the mainland and beyond. Most visitors don't make the walk; this is where you'll have the island largely to yourself.
- Mid AMChairlift to Monte SolaroFrom Anacapri, take the open-air chairlift to the island's highest point (589m). The views — on a clear day — encompass the entire Bay of Naples, Vesuvius, and the Amalfi Coast behind you.
- LunchIl Riccio or Da PaolinoIl Riccio is Capri's finest seafood restaurant, built into the rocks above the Blue Grotto — book well ahead. Da Paolino is the island's most theatrical lunch, set beneath a canopy of lemon trees so dense the light turns gold.
- PMBlue Grotto by BoatThe famous sea cave — where the sunlight enters through an underwater opening and turns the water an extraordinary luminous blue. Go by small rowboat in the afternoon when the light is at its most intense; mornings attract the longest queues.
Today is the coast road in full: a slow, winding drive through villages that cling to the cliff above the sea, with the Mediterranean an impossible blue below. Allow the whole morning — this is a journey to be savoured, not hurried.
- AMPraiano & AtraniStop at Praiano — quieter and less photographed than Positano, with a more authentic village atmosphere — and then Atrani, the smallest municipality in Italy, tucked into a crease in the cliff and largely overlooked by tourists. A cup of coffee here feels like a secret.
- NoonArrive RavelloCheck in and take the afternoon at the pace Ravello demands: slow. The town sits 365 metres above the sea and the air genuinely feels different up here — cooler, quieter, perfumed by gardens.
- PMVilla Cimbrone Gardens & Infinity TerraceWalk through the Villa Cimbrone's extraordinary gardens to the Terrazza dell'Infinito — the Terrace of Infinity — a balcony of stone busts that appears to float above the Tyrrhenian Sea. Gore Vidal, who lived in Ravello for 30 years, called the view "the most beautiful in the world."
- EveRavello Festival ConcertFrom June to September, Ravello hosts its renowned music festival — concerts performed on the outdoor stage of Villa Rufolo with the sea as backdrop. Even outside festival season, the Villa Rufolo gardens at sunset are extraordinary.
A day that moves between the ancient and the medieval — from one of the world's great archaeological sites to the town that gave this entire coast its name.
- AMPompeii RuinsThe UNESCO-listed ancient city, frozen by Vesuvius in 79 AD — two hours minimum to cover the essential streets, the Villa of the Mysteries, and the haunting plaster casts. Arrive at opening (8am) in summer; the site becomes uncomfortably crowded by midmorning. A guided tour reveals layers of detail that independent visitors miss entirely.
- PMAmalfi TownThe medieval Republic of Amalfi was once a maritime power rivalling Venice. Explore the Arab-Norman Cathedral of Sant'Andrea, the Byzantine cloister (Chiostro del Paradiso), and the Piazza del Duomo — genuinely one of Italy's most beautiful town squares. The streets behind the piazza are lined with ceramics workshops and paper mills (Amalfi invented European paper-making).
- EveDinner at Marina GrandeAmalfi's oldest restaurant, occupying a 13th-century fisherman's house on the seafront — seafood pasta, fried anchovies, and a glass of Fiano di Avellino as the boats rock in the harbour.
Save the final morning for the coast at its most unhurried. No agenda, no transfers until the afternoon — just the water, the light, and whatever remains of the limoncello.
- AMPrivate Beach ClubSecure a sun lounger at one of Positano's beach clubs — La Fontelina or Da Adolfo, reached by water taxi — and spend the morning in the sea. The water is clearest in the early hours before the afternoon boats arrive.
- NoonFarewell LunchA final seafood lunch on the terrace before checkout — ask your concierge to pack fresh sfusato lemons and a bottle of estate limoncello for the journey home.
- PMTransfer to NaplesPrivate transfer to Naples airport, or by ferry to Salerno then onward by road. Allow generous time — the coast road is unpredictable, and delays in July and August are near-certain.
Practical Information
Getting there: Naples International Airport (NAP) is the main gateway — a private transfer to Positano takes 60–90 minutes depending on traffic. If you can, avoid driving the coast road yourself: it is narrow, winding, and the buses have absolute right of way. A private driver or water taxi removes the stress entirely.
Getting around: The private water taxi is the luxury option between villages — faster than the road, spectacular, and worth every euro. The public ferry between Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, and Salerno is perfectly good and far more pleasant than sitting in coast road traffic. For Pompeii and inland excursions, a private driver is recommended.
Pace: Resist the urge to cram too much into each day. The Amalfi Coast rewards slowness — a two-hour lunch that drifts into afternoon, an unplanned swim from a rock, a conversation that goes nowhere. The best moments here are not on any itinerary.
Shoulder season savings: May and October offer significantly lower room rates, uncrowded beaches, and the coast at its most authentic. The weather is reliably warm, the sea swimmable, and the restaurants actually welcoming rather than overwhelmed. For value and experience combined, shoulder season is the optimal choice.