The mistake most people make on the Amalfi Coast is trying to sleep somewhere new every night and spending half the trip dragging luggage up and down the coast road. Do the opposite. Pick a base, unpack once, and let the ferries carry you out and back each day. Here is how I would spend five days, and how to stretch it to seven.
First, Choose Your Base
For a five-day trip, base in one town and day-trip from it. Amalfi is the most practical, central and best connected by boat and bus. Positano is the most beautiful and the most expensive, lovely if the view is the point. Ravello is the calm, cultured choice, best for couples who want quiet. Whichever you choose, the plan below flexes to fit. See where to stay on the Amalfi Coast for the full breakdown.
Day 1: Arrive and Settle
Travel in, check in, and do nothing ambitious. Walk your town, find the beach, and take the first evening slowly with an aperitivo and a long dinner as the lights come on along the cliff. Arrival days on the coast are always slower than you plan, because the road is slow, so leave the sightseeing for tomorrow.
Day 2: Amalfi and Atrani
Give a morning to Amalfi town, its striped cathedral and the climb up its steps, then walk the five minutes round the headland to tiny Atrani for lunch and a swim at its free little beach. It is the gentlest possible introduction to how the coast really feels away from the crowds.
Day 3: Ravello
Take the bus up the hairpins to Ravello and spend the day among gardens and views, the terrace of Villa Rufolo and the famous Terrazza dell’Infinito at Villa Cimbrone, where the coast falls away beneath a line of marble busts. It is cooler up here in summer and blissfully calm. Stay for an early dinner before heading down.
Day 4: Positano
Ferry to Positano and let it be a slow, glamorous day, the beach, the boutiques, a long lunch with a view, a swim at quieter Fornillo. Photograph the town from the water on the way in, which is where it looks its best, and leave before the last ferry or plan to bus back.
Day 5: The Sea, or the Path of the Gods
Choose your finale. For a lazy one, hire a small boat or take a group trip and spend the day swimming in coves you cannot reach by road. For an active one, hike the Path of the Gods, the coast’s great cliff-top trail, from Bomerano down to Nocelle above Positano. Either way, end with your best dinner.
Stretching It to Seven Days
With two extra days, add a full day trip to Capri by hydrofoil, catching the first boat to beat the crowds, and split your stay, four nights on the coast and two up in Ravello or over in Sorrento for a change of pace. A seventh day is perfect for a second, slower hike or simply a day with no plan at all.
Shorter, Longer and Alternative Versions
The five-day plan above is the sweet spot, but it flexes easily. If you have only three days, keep the shape and drop the quietest day, giving one day each to Amalfi and Atrani, to Ravello, and to Positano, and save the boat day for another trip. If you have a full week or more, slow everything down rather than adding towns: build in a lazy day with no plan, a second, gentler hike, and perhaps a night or two in a different base to change the view.
Sorrento, just over the peninsula, makes a practical alternative base for a first visit, with more hotels, easier transport and quick ferries to Capri and Positano, though it trades a little of the coast’s magic for convenience. Those with ten days can pair the coast with the wider region, adding Pompeii or Herculaneum, a day on Capri, and even a night in Naples for its food and its energy. Whatever the length, the golden rule is the same: base yourself, travel light between towns by boat, and resist the urge to fill every hour. The Amalfi Coast punishes the over-scheduled and rewards the unhurried, so leave gaps in the plan for the long lunch that runs into the afternoon and the swim you had not intended to take.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do you need on the Amalfi Coast?
Five days is the sweet spot, enough to see Positano, Amalfi and Ravello properly and still have a boat or hiking day. Three days covers the essentials in a rush; seven lets you add Capri and slow right down.
Should you stay in one town or move around?
Stay in one town and day-trip by ferry and bus. Moving hotels every night on the coast road wastes hours and energy. If you have a week, split between two bases at most.
Is Capri worth a day trip from the Amalfi Coast?
Yes, by hydrofoil from Positano or Amalfi, but go early to beat the day-trippers and book the Blue Grotto or a boat tour ahead. It is a long but rewarding day.
Sort your base in where to stay on the Amalfi Coast, work out the boats and buses in getting around the Amalfi Coast, and read my complete guide to the Amalfi Coast.
