Positano, the crown jewel of the Amalfi Coast is definitely one of the places you should visit at least once in your lifetime or add to your bucket list. I loved everything about Positano from the jaw dropping views to the amazing food. This post covers all the best things to do in Positano along with a mini travel guide.
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Table of Contents
Best Things to Do in Positano
1. Have a Beach Day or Visit a Beach Club
One of the best things to do in Positano is to enjoy beach time. You can either go to the famous Spiaggia Grande or go to a more secluded beach like Fornillo just on the other side of the ferry port. There is also a small free section closer to the ferry port to the right side (closer to the cliff).
Another way to have a beach day is to go to one of the beach clubs like Arienzo.
With a beach club, it is best to make a reservation online and with the rest, you should get there early to get the prime locations for a beach chair and umbrella. Both of these are offered for a fee.
Note – the beach is all pebbles and not soft sand so bring water shoes.
2. Enjoy the Views
There are beautiful views everywhere you look in Positano! If I could tell you only one reason as to why you should visit Positano, I would simply tell you to come for the views. Cliffs, colorful buildings, the calm blue sea, bougainvillea cascading terraces, vivid ceramic displays and jaw dropping sunsets are all the things you can look forward to seeing in Positano.
I have a post that covers all the best Instagram photo spots in Positano. See HERE for more!
3. Do a Photo Shoot
I did a photo shoot with Italy vintage Tours and it was one of the best things I did in Positano. I got to ride in style all over Positano in a vintage Fiat 500 and stopped at several places in and around Positano to take pictures. There are a couple of companies that offer this service but Italy Vintage Tours were excellent! Not only were they cheaper than the competition but also provided an excellent service. I loved how well they communicated with me. Check them out HERE.
4. Go Shopping
Almost all streets in Positano are lined with little boutiques selling pastel colored clothing, leather sandals, all things lemons and brightly colored ceramics.
5. Have a Meal with a View
Breakfast, lunch or dinner, there are quite a few restaurants and bars from Michelin Star to roadside, that you can dine in with gorgeous views of Positano.
I wrote an entire post dedicated to restaurants and bars with the best views in Positano and you can check it out HERE.
6. Hike the Path of the Gods
If you love to hike, then check out some amazing views of the Amalfi Coast from the cliff above! The Path of the Gods hike is a moderate hike that starts in Bomerano and ends in Nocelle, a village just above Positano. You can start from Positano but I don’t recommend it as you will need to climb up almost 1800 steps. My recommendation is to start at the official trailhead in Bomerano and end in Nocelle and then climb the steps down to Positano or take a bus back.
See HERE for a very detailed post on the Path of the Gods, including how to get there and what to expect.
7. Visit Other Amalfi Coast Towns
Visiting the other Amalfi Towns is easy to do from Positano. You could easily take a ferry or bus to the Town of Amalfi and then visit that town and Atrani from there. You can also visit Ravello if you want to beat the crowds. To get to Ravello, you can either take a taxi from Positano or take a ferry to Amalfi town and then a bus to Ravello.
While not on the Amalfi Coast, you could also visit Sorrento for the day and enjoy all the beautiful views of Mount Vesuvius.
8. Take a Cooking Class
If you love to cook Italian food, why not try a cooking class? Buca di Bacco offers a cooking class where you get to taste everything you made after.
9. Do a Boat Day
In my opinion, one of the best way to experience Positano and the surrounding Amalfi Coast is to see it from the sea. A full or half day boat tour is a great way to do this! I did a full day tour where we started in Positano and went all the way to Atrani and back. There are quite a few boat trips starting from Positano but I can highly recommend the one I did with Valentine’s Boat Tour.
I wrote an post about my experience. You can check it out HERE.
10. Go to Capri
The Isle of Capri is an easy day trip from Positano. The earliest and latest ferries to and from Capri are actually from Sorrento but the timing is not at all bad from Positano.
See HERE for things to do in Capri and how to spend one day on the island.
11. Visit the Church
The beautiful tiled dome of Santa Maria Assunta is one of the most striking architectural buildings of Positano. It glitters in the sunlight almost like a jeweled center piece. This church is actually quite nice from the inside as it is from the outside and dates back to the 2nd half of the 10th century.
12. Enjoy the Sunset
The sun going down each evening in Positano is a truly magical sight and is one of the best things to do in Positano! You can witness the sunset as you sip cocktails or eat at restaurants and bars like Francos, Aldo’s, Terraza Cele or Eden Sky bar OR you could witness it for free from a vantage point on via Christoforo Colombo found at GPS coordinates – 40.628102, 14.489243
Positano Mini Travel Guide
This next section is a mini travel guide to Positano that will hopefully help you plan your trip well.
How Many Days to Spend in Positano
Positano is a very popular day trip for most people visiting the Amalfi Coast. However, in order to really experience Positano well, I think you should stay overnight. Positano is even more magical at sunset and night as it is during the day.
Positano also makes for a really great base to explore the Amalfi Coast. So, how many days you spend here will depend on what else you do on the Amalfi Coast. If you are going to Capri or any of the other Amalfi Coast towns for the day, then you may want to spend a few days in Positano, using IT as a base to explore. If you are not doing this, I recommend at least 2 nights in Positano to experience its full charm.
How to Get to Positano
No guide to Positano is complete without how to get there! The best way to get to Positano is to fly into Naples airport and then take a ferry or taxi. You can also take a train to Sorrento and then take a taxi, SITA bus or ferry to Positano. If you are taking a train from Naples to Sorrento, you can either take the commuter Circumvesuviana or the Campania Express I recommend taking a Campania Express, especially if you have bags.
Your taxi options to Positano from Naples can either be shared or private. For a shared taxi, check out Day Trip. For a private taxi, I highly recommend Euro Limo. I used them and they were excellent!
I do not recommend driving. For one thing, there is a driving restriction in place in the summer where they alternate days between odd and even number plates but for another parking is a nightmare and expensive.
Where to Stay in Positano
Next on this travel guide to Positano is where to stay. Accommodation in Positano is not cheap so that is one thing to take into account when planning a trip to Positano.
Below are a list of hotels with good reviews and really good views of Positano.
- Buca di Bacco
- Hotel Marincanto
- Villa Mary Suites
- Villa Giusy
- Alcione Residence
- Hotel L’Ancora
- Palazzo Margherita
Where I Stayed
Le Sirenuse
Le Sirenuse is considered to be one of the best hotels in the entire world and consistently makes such lists. The views from this hotel are truly incredible and their service is absolutely top notch. They have a Michelin Star restaurant, two bars and a outside restaurant. It’s also very close to the beach. I will definitely stay here again when I go back to Positano.
Hotel Poseidon
Hotel Posiedon is another hotel with excellent reviews and views. I absolutely loved their breakfast and they have a restaurant (Il Tridente) which gets raving reviews. I really enjoyed my stay here and will stay here again too.
Best time to Visit Positano
Positano is lively anywhere from April to October. It’s not that you cannot visit during other times, but you may find that restaurants, shops and beach clubs are closed during off peak times. Plus the weather is not exactly ‘fun in the sun’ type of weather either. The purely summer months from June to August is when Positano is really crowded. This is when all of Europe is more or less on vacation which adds to the crowds. The shoulder months of April/May and September/October see lesser crowds but there is a chance for rain and rougher seas. It is honestly a bit of a gamble. Also, I’ve been hearing that more and more people are coming during shoulder season now and the crowds really don’t lessen during these times either. I visited early September and had the best weather. Yes, it was a little crowded but I avoided the crowds by starting my day early.
How to Get Around Positano
Positano is very walkable BUT note that there are so many steps! If you have mobility issues, you may want to stay at a hotel closer to the main road Amalfi has just one main road that vehicles take that makes a loop around.
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1 comment
Beautiful!