Things to Do in Amalfi Coast, Italy

Looking for things to do in the Amalfi Coast, Italy? Here’s where to stay, Amalfi Coast beaches, Positano restaurants, Capri, and more!

The Amalfi Coast, Italy has been etched in our memory since Alex and I visited on our honeymoon. The vibrant blue water, dizzying cliffs, and quaint lemon and olive groves make it impossible to forget. Once you’ve been to the Amalfi Coast, it’s in your blood. So as much as we love travelling to new places, Alex and I were absolutely dying to go back. So we said: you know what? Let’s do it! We returned to the Amalfi Coast, Italy seven years later, ready to see whether it was as good as we remembered. Here’s all the things to do there: including where to stay in the Amalfi Coast, Capri Italy, Amalfi Coast beaches, Positano restaurants, and more!

Positano Italy

Was the Amalfi Coast, Italy just as good seven years later as it was on our honeymoon? Absolutely. This gem is Positano. Positano is the most picturesque of the towns on the Amalfi Coast. If you’re wondering where to stay in the Amalfi Coast, Positano is a great option. On this trip, we stayed in a small village right above Positano called Montepertuso. It was a short walk from Positano, so we got to see this view every morning when we walked into town. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend our Airbnb, but Montepertuso is a great spot and much quieter than Positano.

If you’re looking outside of Positano at where to stay in the Amalfi Coast, might we recommend where we stayed for our honeymoon? The bed and breakfast is called Punta Civita and has the most incredible views of the coastline! It’s located between Ravello and a smaller village called Atrani so it’s slightly inconvenient to get to and you have to take the bus to many of the Amalfi Coast towns. However, the views are to die for.

Positano restaurants

One of the best meals we had on the Amalfi Coast Italy was at restaurant Da Vincenzo in Positano. The Linguine alla Napoli was to die for. The pasta cooked to perfect al dente and topped with a perfectly tangy tomato sauce studded with olives and capers. Da Vincenzo’s patio a beautiful view of Positano (above). We went there during the day because it worked out well with our other plans, and it was lovely to see Positano in all its splendor.

Because on this trip we stayed right above Positano in Montepertuso, this time we tried a few restaurants there as well. Since Montepertuso is so closeby, these can be considered Positano restaurants too!

• La Terra (Montepertuso) – This restaurant is up in the hills and has spectacular views! It’s totally romantic and worth it just for the ambience. The food was also quite good; classic Italian.
• Donna Rosa (Montepertuso) – This one was a little pricey, but family owned with good food!

Amalfi Coast beaches

To be honest, we have not been to all of the Amalfi Coast beaches! However, our opinion of the best beaches on the Amalfi Coast is finding places that are a bit off the beaten path. There are two main beaches in Positano: the one right at the center of town and one just west of town called Fornillo Beach. There’s also a wonderful, more secluded cove at the east end of Fornillo beach, just on the other side of the restaurant. There are way less people in this area, and you can leave your valuables on your towel without worrying about it here. We had remembered this beach from our honeymoon and were able to find it again. Here are a few snaps of our favorite beach in Positano. (For help on the location, notice the small cove at the bottom of the photo below.)

On Amalfi coast beaches…get gelato!

On our honeymoon, I remember eating a delicious peach gelato on the beach in Positano. I remember finding it right off the main beach, at a little counter that was attached to a restaurant. With nothing to go off of than our memories of 7 years earlier, we found the same place! And sure enough, there was that peach gelato. And it was just as I remembered: tangy and refreshing, with little chunks of frozen peaches throughout the fluffy golden gelato. It was such fun to relive one of the memories that inspired my love of food in the first place!

Amalfi Coast hiking

Our favorite part of the Amalfi Coast is the hiking. There are hundreds of trails, most of them the old “roads” before new highways were cut into the hillside. The vistas are amazing, and you can end up in someone’s olive or lemon groves if you aren’t careful. Each time we’ve come, we’ve brought a book that helps navigate the trails (though it’s still easy to get lost!). Here’s the Amalfi Coast Hiking guide book we used. On our honeymoon, we literally got lost in a lemon grove and were scrambling to figure out way out of it before it go too dark!

On this visit to the Amalfi Coast, one of our favorite hikes was up to a huge, round hole in the mountain that towers above Positano. Up at the top, there were no other people in sight. Alex and I sat looking down on Positano, listening to the traffic and boat horns echo up from the beach below.

Capri Italy

Capri Italy is an easy 30-minute boat ride to the island of Capri. This was one of our favorite spots on our honeymoon, so we couldn’t wait to go back. The day was a bit cloudy at first and looked like it was going to pour, but luckily the sun surfaced for the majority of the day. Capri Italy is a pretty swanky location, and the main part of the island is filled with all sorts of swanky shops and restaurants. But don’t worry: it is possible to do Capri on a budget! When we went on our honeymoon, we brought a picnic and literally spent NO money except for the boat ticket to get there! What we’ve loved to do when we go to Capri is to go hiking. Since many people go for the shopping and eating, many times the hiking is not very crowded. The photo below is of the Arco Naturale, a natural arch that’s part of one of the hikes.

Of course when in Capri, get the Capri salad! Ordering Insalata caprese (or, Capri Salad) was something I’d been looking forward to the entire trip. It tasted absolutely divine after a day of hiking. And on this trip to Capri, we made sure to spring for some tangy lemon and orange granitas. They’re essentially flavored Italian ice and so, so refreshing on a hot day.

Our favorite part: the best known sight in Capri Italy is Il Faraglione, a formation of three iconic rocks. This is the view that everyone knows and loves! We were looking forward to photographing this incredible spot, but were worried the cloudy weather wouldn’t cooperate. Luckily, by the end of the day we were able to get a bit of blue sky to snap these shots.

Here we are leaving Capri to head back to Positano. Just at the end of the day, some sprinkles started to fall! The weather had cooperated perfectly for us, giving us sun just when we needed it. In all our time on the Amalfi Coast, this has been our one bout with rain. It’s typically very sunny in the summer!

Ravello Italy

On our final day, we took a day trip to Ravello. Ravello is an Amalfi Coast town that’s high up in the cliffs. It’s famous for its beautiful villas, built for the rich and famous, and utterly killer views. Alex and I came on our honeymoon, and I felt like a visit to the Amalfi Coast wouldn’t be complete without seeing Ravello again.

Our favorite part is Villa Cimbrone, a villa in Ravello built in the 1900’s with gorgeous gardens open to the public. We came back to see one special place: the Terrace of Infinity. It’s one of the more beautiful views in the world, we think. Scroll down to see…

This! The Terrace of Infinity. It’s an extraordinary place, up on this balcony with the blue sea stretching for miles, surrounded by angelic looking statues. It makes you feel both insignificant and special, all at once.

And one more iconic Amalfi Coast shot in Ravello! Here’s the photograph you see on the cover of all Amalfi Coast guidebooks (if you’ve never seen one, you’ll recognize it now). It’s in a different villa called Villa Rufolo, which sits just around the corner from Villa Cimbrone. Since we had come that far, I insisted on going into that villa as well to snap that lovely shot.

More Amalfi Coast hiking

After visiting these villas, we hiked down from Ravello to catch a ferry back. Though we had taken the bus there, we decided to walk back down to get our exercise. Steps like these are everywhere on the Amalfi Coast: they connect all the towns to each other! And they’re much better going down than up. Walking on these steps and paths is one of my favorite memories of the Amalfi Coast. You’ll pass by quaint little doors set into the rock walls, and even baskets of lemons being sold on the honor system. Also, there’s typically not many people on the steps even in high season, so it feels secluded and secret.

The evening of our last day in the Amalfi Coast, we decided to hike all the way from the beach at Positano to our favorite “hole” towering above the town near Montepulciano. After squeezing through tiny paths and steep inclines, we made it to the top and gazed over Positano one last time.

The Amalfi Coast is absolutely stunning, and we are so grateful to have been able to take another trip there.  It was so special for us to revisit a culture and place that meant so much to us early in our marriage. We left feeling rested and relaxed, though we’d been on our feet constantly! Thank you so much for letting us share these memories with you.

Have you ever been to the Amalfi Coast, or thinking of taking a trip there? Let us know your thoughts or questions!

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