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The Amalfi Coast by car

Pizza in Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, then the coast road, which never runs straight for long. Rent the smallest car they have, and leave it parked in Positano: the boat is quicker.

Length
6 days
Budget
€€€ (Over €300 a day for two. What you spend there, not the flights.)
Best months
May–Jun, Sept–Oct
Kind
Road trip
Make it a surpriseFind flights

The route

Where you'll go

  1. 1

    Naples

    1 night

    Collect the car on the way out, not on arrival: nobody should drive in Naples on their first evening.

    Date spots here
  2. 2

    Pompeii

    On the way

    Three hours is enough if you pick a route. Bring water and a hat; there is little shade.

    Date spots here
  3. 3

    Sorrento

    1 night

    Park at the hotel and walk: the old town is small, and the lemon groves hide behind its walls.

    Date spots here
  4. 4

    Positano

    2 nights

    Parking costs more than dinner. Book a hotel with a space, or come by boat from Sorrento.

    Date spots here
  5. 5

    Amalfi

    1 night

    Busy by day, lovely after six, when the day boats leave.

    Date spots here
  6. 6

    Ravello

    On the way

    Twenty minutes up the hill from Amalfi, and a quieter world.

    Date spots here

Day by day

The plan

  1. Day 1

    Naples

    • Land, leave the bags near the centro storico and walk Spaccanapoli end to end.
    • A sfogliatella and an espresso standing at the counter, the way it's done here.
    • The Veiled Christ in the Cappella Sansevero: twenty minutes you'll talk about for years. Book ahead.
    • Evening: a margherita on Via dei Tribunali, then the seafront walk to Castel dell'Ovo as the bay lights up.

  2. Day 2

    Pompeii, then Sorrento

    • Pick up the car and be at Pompeii's Porta Marina gate when it opens.
    • The Villa of the Mysteries, the Forum and the amphitheatre; skip the rest without guilt.
    • Forty minutes on to Sorrento, and a lemon granita in Piazza Tasso.
    • Evening: sunset over the bay from the Villa Comunale gardens, then dinner in the old town.

  3. Day 3

    The coast road to Positano

    • Drive the SS163 early, before the buses, and stop at every lay-by with a view, which is all of them.
    • Check in to Positano and go straight down the steps to Spiaggia Grande for a swim.
    • A late lunch of spaghetti with clams at a beach restaurant, feet in the sand.
    • Evening: aperitivo on a terrace above the town while the houses turn pink.

  4. Day 4

    The Path of the Gods

    • Bus up to Bomerano and walk the Path of the Gods back towards Positano: three hours, mostly downhill, the whole coast below you.
    • Lunch in Nocelle at the end of the path, then the long flight of steps down to town.
    • The afternoon on a rented boat or a sunbed; you've earned it.
    • Evening: dinner with a view over the bay. Book the terrace, not the room.

  5. Day 5

    Amalfi and Atrani

    • Drive or take the ferry to Amalfi, and climb the cathedral steps before the crowds.
    • The paper museum in the Valle dei Mulini: Amalfi has made paper since the Middle Ages. Buy a sheet for a letter.
    • A swim at Atrani's little beach, one bay along, which most people walk straight past.
    • Evening: dinner in Atrani's tiny square, then the walk back to Amalfi by lamplight.

  6. Day 6

    Ravello, then home

    • Up to Ravello in the morning for the gardens of Villa Rufolo.
    • The Terrace of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone: marble busts, a sheer drop and the sea.
    • Lunch in the piazza, then about an hour and a half back to Naples airport.
    • On the way down, the ceramics shops: one plate you'll eat off every Sunday.

Book ahead

Tickets for this trip

The things on this plan worth booking ahead: a time slot, a seat on a boat, a pass. Book before you go and skip the ticket desk.

Tickets through Tiqets. We may earn a commission if you book through some of these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Getting there

Flights to Naples

Where this trip starts. Add where you're flying from, change the dates if you like, then pick a site.

Hire a car

A road trip needs a car. Compare hire companies for the dates you're going.

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2 travellers
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Make it a surprise

Don't tell them where.

Turn this trip into a gift: a ticket they open on their phone, with Ravello already on it and the packing list as clues. You choose when they find out.

Make it a surprise

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