36 Hours on the Amalfi Coast, Italy: Things to Do and See

To get from Sorrento to Amalfi, the best, and most picturesque, way is by ferry (about an hour and a half, depending on stops, about €25). Close to Amalfi’s harbor, its cathedral, called Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea but known more popularly as the Duomo di Amalfi, dates to 987 but has been renovated several times over the centuries (entry €3). The Romanesque and Byzantine elements illustrate how the port town was connected to other maritime powers during its heyday. According to legend, if you go up the stairs (62 in total) hand in hand with the person you love you won’t end up marrying them. After checking out the sacred site, return to the earthly realm with a cappuccino and cornetto at the beloved Pasticceria Pansa, a cafe and bar beside the cathedral (€12 at a table, €4 if you are standing at the bar).

Above Amalfi, the Path of the Gods, a hiking trail with olive trees, vineyards and lemon groves hanging over the Mediterranean, is busy in high season. But the quieter, more secluded, shaded and adjacent hike is the Valle delle Ferriere, which passes by the ruins of paper mills that used to be a prime source of income here. The full three-hour-or-so loop also leads into a nature reserve with stately poplars, and the picturesque medieval village of Pontone, but you can edit your route to a shorter distance. After your hike, check out Amalfi’s Museo della Carta, or the Paper Museum, in a 13th-century mill and lovingly restored in 1971 with original wooden mauls and printing press on display (admission €3).

Jackie Kennedy put La Tonnarella, a simple but charming beachside restaurant that its owners say she frequented, on the map during the time she was falling in love with the region. It’s worth the hundreds of steps down from the quiet fishing village of Conca dei Marini, about a 10-minute taxi ride from Amalfi’s harbor (about €24 to €29; catch one from the stand). Dishes include tiny fried calamari and spaghetti with fresh lobster. Lunch for two, without wine, about €100.

From Conca dei Marini, take the Sita Sud bus (about 25 minutes) to Positano, the epicenter of the Amalfi Coast’s shopping: Ceramiche Casola has been creating handpainted plates and the like since 1925. The colorful plates cost about €80 each and the store can ship bigger items, like flowerpots, home. Bottega di Brunella kimonos and dresses in silk and linen are designed and made right in town (the organic linen pants cost €225). Meanwhile at Safari Positano, handmade sandals (from €85) come in almost every combination of style and color imaginable. After shopping, reward yourself with a cup from Buca di Bacco gelateria — try the Limone di Amalfi or strawberry (€5 for two flavors).

In a 1953 Harper’s Bazaar essay, John Steinbeck wrote of Positano as a small, remote fishing village with few visitors. Now the town has sadly become quite overrun, but Le Sirenuse has the same legendary family ownership as when Steinbeck visited it. Antonio and Carla Sersale keep the property both comfortingly familiar but always updated. One of the hotel’s bars, Franco’s, is named after the beloved patriarch and is one of the best locales for aperitivo (classic Negroni, €25). A new mosaic-tile artwork, designed by Nicolas Party, was added to the hotel’s much-photographed swimming pool in 2024. And this year, Le Sirenuse launched a chic beach club in Nerano, 25 minutes away (open to nonguests). At the restaurant, La Sponda, hundreds of candles on the terrace add to the romantic vibe, but the €160 minimum spend per person for nonguests might be prohibitive. Aldo’s, also in the hotel, is the more casual option (dinner for two, about €160).

For those looking for a nightlife experience in a cave overlooking the sea, Music on the Rocks in Positano is open from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily with V.I.P. booths and D.J.s playing everything from the 70’s to Lady Gaga (entry €30 to €50, including a drink). Clubs carved into the rocks seems to be an Amalfi signature: Il Pirata in Praiano, a town that’s one of the coast’s under-the-radar treasures, morphs from beach club and restaurant to a sophisticated bar-lounge after hours until 1 a.m.. Try the Mr. Negroni Goes to the Coast, with housemade vermouth, Campari, Solaro Capri Gin and limoncello foam (€20).