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48 Hours of Cliffside Bliss on the Amalfi Coast

48 Hours of Cliffside Bliss on the Amalfi Coast

Positano sunsets, lemon-scented lanes, and secret coves

Trip Overview

Two days on Italy's most storied shoreline let you taste, smell and see the Amalfi Coast without racing past it. You'll zig-zag up stepped lanes thick with lemon blossom, bite charcoal-grilled anchovies that were flapping on a boat ten minutes earlier, and watch the Tyrrhenian slide from noon sapphire to molten bronze. Mornings are for coastal drives and empty coves. Afternoons for slow limoncello in shaded piazzas. Nights for clifftop tables where church bells fight the waves for your attention. Keep the pace active. But leave space to linger, this coast repays anyone who refuses to hurry.

Pace
Active
Daily Budget
$220-280 per day
Best Seasons
April, June and early September for warm, uncrowded days
Ideal For
First-time visitors, Photography lovers, Couples, Food-focused travelers

Day-by-Day Itinerary

A complete plan for every day of your trip

1

Positano Pastels & Fiordo di Furore

Positano to Praiano
Be on Positano's main beach at 8 a.m. while fishing boats still outnumber selfie sticks. A 15-minute climb to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta puts a 13th-century Byzantine icon in front of you and a terrace of pastel houses stacked like sugar cubes below. You'll hear only gulls and the slap of sandals, smell espresso drifting from Bar Internazionale, and see the coast's vertical drama before the heat arrives.
Morning
Spiaggia Grande & Path of the Gods lookout
Drive 20 minutes west to the fjord where a single stone bridge arcs above a turquoise slit. Descend the cliffside staircase. Cool spray hits your face while waves echo inside the natural canyon. Five minutes on, Conca dei Marini hides the Grotta dello Smeraldo: a rowboat glides into a cavern where seawater glows electric green, taste salty mist as the oarsman sings old Neapolitan verses that bounce off dripping walls.
2 hours $0
Lunch
La Tagliata, Montepertuso
Wood-fired local meats & garden vegetables
Afternoon
Fiordo di Furore & Grotta dello Smeraldo
Quieter than Positano but still on the SITA bus route. Infinity pool faces the same sunset for half the price of Positano hotels.
3 hours $22 boat + $6 parking
Arrive before 3 p.m. to avoid cruise-ship crowds
Evening
Sunset aperitivo in Praiano
Bar del Sole, then dinner at Kasai

Where to Stay Tonight

Praiano (Casa Privata, boutique house-hotel carved into cliff)

Order the sfusato lemon granita at Bar del Sole at 7:30 p.m., the sun drops directly between Capri's Faraglioni from their terrace.

See all Amalfi Coast accommodation options →
Marble-clad cathedrals, lemon-scented gardens, and a final cliff-drive back to sea level.
Day 1 Budget: $240
2

Amalfi Cathedral & Ravello Villas

Amalfi to Ravello
Enter Amalfi through the Marina Grande port gate just as vendors unload crates of purple eggplant. The 9th-century Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea rises in striped stone; inside, centuries-old incense mingles with salty air. Climb 62 steps to the bronze portal, each footfall echoes like a drum. Next door, the Museo della Carta lets you feel warm cotton fibres between your fingers as they still hand-press Amalfi paper using 13th-century waterwheels.
Morning
Amalfi Cathedral & Paper Museum
Bus 25 hairpins 350 m uphill to Ravello. Villa Cimbrone's Terrace of Infinity spills marble busts toward the horizon, Capri floats like a mirage. In Villa Rufolo's gardens, classical notes from the summer festival stage levitate above the coast. Taste garden-grown oregano brushed on focaccia from the kiosk. The herb's peppery bite matches the breeze that rises from the ravine below.
2.5 hours $12 combined ticket
Lunch
Trattoria da Gemma, Amalfi
Linguine al limone & anchovy fritters
Afternoon
Ravello Villa Cimbrone & Villa Rufolo gardens
Wake to bells from the same tower you photographed yesterday. Private elevator drops you straight to a salt-water pool carved into the rocks.
3 hours $14 combined entry
Book garden concert tickets online if visiting June, September
Evening
Return to Amalfi for gelato & people-watching
Pasticceria Pansa (since 1830) for lemon-custard gelato on the cathedral steps

Where to Stay Tonight

Amalfi (Hotel Luna Convento, 13th-century monastery turned hotel)

Catch the 5:10 p.m. SITA bus from Ravello to Amalfi, locals ride it like a social club and will hand you home-dried figs through the window.

See all Amalfi Coast accommodation options →
SITA Sud buses link all towns hourly; buy €8 day passes at any tabacchi. Between Praiano and Amalfi, the ride clings to cliff edge, sit right side for sea views. Ferries run Positano-Amalfi April-October; add €15 for the 30-minute hop if you want to skip hairpin roads. Taxis inside towns are fixed fare (Positano-Amalfi €70), but agree before boarding.
Day 2 Budget: $230

Practical Information

Everything you need to know before you go

Getting Around
Book Praiano or Amalfi hotels 3-4 months ahead for May-September; reserve Grotta dello Smeraldo rowboats only if arriving on a cruise day (check Port of Salerno schedule).
Book Ahead
Rubber-soled shoes for wet grotto boats, light linen for humid cliff walks, portable phone charger, outlets are scarce in 12th-century convents.
Packing Essentials
Sleep in dorm beds at Atrani's Mamma Hostel (€45), eat €4 panini at Il Pirata in Atrani, and hike the Valle delle Ferriere trail instead of paying for gardens, total drops to €120 per day.
Total Budget
$470 for two days including lodging, meals, transport and entries

Customize Your Trip

Adapt this itinerary to your travel style

Budget Version
Check into Le Sirenuse in Positano (€1,200 suite), charter a private gozzo to Capri at sunset with prosecco service (€600), and dine at Ravello's Michelin-starred Rossellini's tasting menu, weekend total €2,500+.
Luxury Upgrade
Swap cliff buses for the Positano-Amalfi ferry (kids love wave spray), choose Praiano's Hotel Onda Verde with sea-access platform for safe swimming, and break cathedral steps with granita bribes, budget barely changes.
Family-Friendly
Swap cliff buses for the Positano-Amalfi ferry (kids love wave spray), choose Praiano's Hotel Onda Verde with sea-access platform for safe swimming, and break cathedral steps with granita bribes, budget barely changes.
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Things to Do

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Budget Guide

Trip costs and money tips for Amalfi Coast

Getting Around

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Where to Stay

Accommodation guide for Amalfi Coast