Amalfi Coast day trip from Sorrento or Naples
A day trip to the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento or Naples: Positano, then Amalfi with its cathedral and Paper Museum, and Ravello with Villa Rufolo, Villa Cimbrone and Ravello Cathedral. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 days
Amalfi Coast in 1 day
Day 1
Historic centre of Positano
A walk down the steep lanes of houses stacked above the beach, past shops, the majolica-domed church and the seafront.
Fiordo di Furore
A deep sea gorge under the coast road bridge, with steps leading down to a tiny pebble beach between steep cliffs.
Amalfi Cathedral
Cathedral of St Andrew at the top of a long flight of steps, with a striped Arab-Norman facade and the Cloister of Paradise.
Paper Museum (Museo della Carta)
Museum in an old paper mill in the Valle dei Mulini, showing how Amalfi's handmade paper was made with water power.
Villa Rufolo
Medieval villa in the heart of Ravello with layered gardens on a terrace high above the sea, used for summer concerts.
Villa Cimbrone
Villa at the tip of Ravello's ridge, with gardens, statues and the Terrace of Infinity looking down over the coast.
Ravello Cathedral
Romanesque cathedral on Ravello's main square, with bronze doors and two carved marble pulpits.
Watch: Amalfi Coast
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
Getting there
From Sorrento, SITA buses follow the coast road to Positano in about 50 minutes, and ferries run in season in about 40 minutes. From Naples, ferries go to Positano and Amalfi in the warmer months in under two hours, or the Circumvesuviana train runs to Sorrento for the bus. Local buses link Positano with Amalfi, and Amalfi with Ravello, in roughly 40 and 25 minutes.
Staying in Sorrento or Naples? This day fits into those city plans, and in the Trip Builder it is one click under each of them.
When to go to Amalfi Coast
May, June, September and early October are the best months, warm enough for the sea with fewer crowds and less road traffic than July and August. Many hotels, restaurants and ferry routes close or are reduced from November to March. The Ravello Festival of music runs in summer, with concerts on the terrace of Villa Rufolo.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Amalfi Coast on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Amalfi Coast on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Amalfi Coast on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Italy from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Amalfi Coast
- The coast road is narrow and slow, and buses fill up in summer; start early and allow extra time between towns.
- Ferries between Positano and Amalfi run in the warmer months and avoid the road traffic; check the last boat or bus back to your base.
- Ravello is reached by a local bus up the hill from Amalfi; the bus stop is just outside Amalfi's main square.
- Wear comfortable shoes: Positano and Ravello are built on steep slopes, with many steps between the beach, the streets and the villas.
- Driving is hard in summer, with little parking and traffic limits in places; most visitors use the buses and ferries.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Amalfi Cathedral: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fiordo di Furore: Mess, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Historic centre of Positano: JeCCo, CC BY 4.0
- Paper Museum (Museo della Carta): Parisma62, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ravello Cathedral: Rigorius, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Villa Cimbrone: Jensens, Public domain
- Villa Rufolo: Istvánka, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
