4 Days in Positano, Amalfi Coast
Charm
Darling
Elegant
Sophisticated
Italian Elegance
Delightful Color
These are the words that first come to my mind when I imagine the Amalfi Coast. When I was in high school, my family and I took a cruise through the Mediterranean Sea. A Disney Cruise of course, and if you haven’t done one, you don’t even know what you’re missing out on. No, they’re not all for kids! It was arguably the best trip we’d been on as a family thus far. While meandering up the coast of Italy, day by day we were engulfed in the sophisticated elegance and charm that I truly fell in love with. I remember leaving that trip, promising myself I would make it back there one day. And here we are, living just a short train trip away from the Italian Mediterranean Coast. Of course it was a high priority on my bucket list to visit the alluring Amalfi Coast with my husband. It is the most perfect romantic getaway, honeymoon, babymoon, or excuse for a little extra time with your love.
Post-Phase-1 Italian COVID measures we were able to move throughout the country. You could say we were “panic travelling” trying to make-up for the past 3 months spent in our homes. Positano was an easy commitment for us.
We decided to stay in the town of Positano, arguably the most famous of the Amalfi Coast. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, when you google “Amalfi Coast” it is most often photos of Positano that will populate your google or Pinterest search. A quick warning, the stair situation in Positano is a little crazy. Get your walking shoes on! To get basically anywhere you need to travel over flights and flights of stairs. But that’s what makes this cliffside village so gorgeous!
In this blog I’m going to show you what we did in our 4 day stay, the restaurants we went to, where we stayed, what to do, and what we want to do in the future again when we have some more time. I do think 4-5 days is the perfect amount in this town, we just loved it so much we can’t wait to go back!
How to Get To Positano, Amalfi Coast
We trained from Northern Italy down to Naples using TrenItalia. We always use this app, or this app to book our train tickets. If you plan to fly, flying into Naples (Napoli) would be the best option as well. We then booked a ride with DayTrips to have a private car drive us directly from the train station to the door of our hotel. You can also take a taxi or a bus, though I highly recommend the ease, kindness, and timeliness of DayTrips. It is a tad pricier, but time cost is real!! No, this is not affiliated, I just really liked them!
Where To Stay in Positano
My husband and I stayed in the most charming hotel right on the cliff of the fornillo beachside cliff. We had a stunning terrace and view of the entire coast. The rooms were stunning white, spacious, clean, and did I mention we had a beautiful massive terrace? Click here for a real time video of our hotel room. Our hotel was Dimora Fornillo. It was an incredible bang for our buck considering all I just mentioned as well as breakfast included.
In my opinion, it is quite hard to find an Airbnb right in the center of the town without having to rent a scooter or taxi to get you into the actual town. Unless renting a scooter is on your bucket list, by all means!! My friends had an incredible experience staying in this Airbnb nestled in the middle of a vineyard if that sounds wonderful for you! Click here for $35 off of your first Airbnb booking!
In the future my husband and I would love to stay at Le Sirenuse. It is the picturesque, famous hotel with the most iconic terrace, bar, and pool. If you’re looking to treat yourself, I highly recommend this luxury hotel.
Hotel Poseidon is also a well renowned hotel with incredible restaurants.
What To Eat In Amalfi Area
The amalfi area is Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, and the tiny local towns between each. I thought a section devoted to food was necessary, given how sought after it is here! This area is known for its Caprese Salad (like the island of Capri…). Sorrento lemons make the iconic ceramic patterns, refreshing limoncello, and delicious sorbet. The seafood of course is so fresh and delicious, with shellfish being their most praised. The sorrento mozzarella is so fresh, SO delicious, it is a must. Perfect pairing some Italian tomatoes with sorrento mozzarella, caprese is a must!
Day 1
We arrived in the town in the early afternoon. We got settled in our room, changed into some lighter clothes, and set out to do some shopping! If you’ve never visited Italy in the summer, especially during July and August, it is hot and humid. And I mean like Florida hot and humid. So be prepared!
We began our shopping with a little afternoon snack and cocktail at one of the cutest cafes I’ve encountered in Italy. Unfortunately, it’s not right on the water, but the food was delicious, the vibe was amazing, and the cocktails and food were the freshest of fresh. It is called Casa e Bottega. Definitely get the bellini, hand squeezed peaches and prosecco anyone?!
The main streets of Positano are lined with the cutest of linen clothing stores, classic Amalfi ceramic stores (you have to get the one with the lemons!), and handmade leather sandals.
Some of our favorite stores were:
Luisa Positano Moda di Mandara
Theodora
Pepito’s - the children's linen clothing is the definition of adorable
Rallo Antonio - this is the store that I purchased handmade, fit to my foot, custom leather sandals, made in front of me! It was such a fun experience, plus there one of my favorite new pairs of sandals! I highly recommend this store if you’re looking to buy some sandals (which Positano is known for!)
Ceramica Assunta
The heat plus our shopping meant it was time for an afternoon snack! We headed to Collina Positano Bakery for a lemon sorbet, in a lemon! So cute and so refreshing!
Our original plan was to then head to Franco’s Bar, an iconic Amalfi Coast cocktail bar with breathtaking views. Unfortunately, it was one of the many things COVID 19 messed up this year, hehe! It was not yet open due to the pandemic, however you must go there for me!! It is definitely on our list to head there next time. You should know, Franco’s is the Bar attached to Le Sirenhuse I mentioned before. Instead, we randomly came upon a local bar where I finally got my Limoncello Spritz! Aperol and Campari Spritz are absolutely everywhere in Italy. The Amalfi and Sorrento area is known for their limoncello, so a limoncello spritz (limoncello mixed with prosecco) is a must!
We ended the night with a romantic and incredible dinner at the famous Adamo ed Eva. Adamo ed Eva is a Michilen Star restaurant, located high on the Positano cliff side, with stunning views of the sunset. One thing to note, Italy is actually quite inexpensive compared to America. At a Michilen Star restaurant we spent less than $180 for multiple courses and drinks! Don’t shy away if you feel it may be too expensive for you, I highly recommend glancing at the menu first. The service a treat in itself.
Our original plan was to then head to the night club Music On The Rocks, but COVID strikes again! There are actually numerous night clubs located all along the coast from Sorrento, to Capri, all the way to Amalfi. Even if you’re a Grandma like me and prefer to be in your jammies by 10pm on your way to sleep, these night clubs are such an experience! They’re located literally in the rockside cliffs, almost like caves! Such a fun experience! A quick tip with these, it is best to dress nicely. Italians value looking nice and put together. Just like in Chicago or New York you may be turned away if you are not dressed appropriately.
Day 2
Day two was by far our favorite day! We charted a boat all along the coast for 8 hours. I originally found our charter company through Airbnb Experience (you can click here for $35 off if you’re new to booking through Airbnb!). First of all, our skipper and his assistant were SO nice, offering sights, stories, and conversation throughout the day. Even though it was broken English, they were so sweet and added such a fun factor to the experience! Unfortuntely (can you guess why yet, hehe, pandemic again!!) we unfortunately couldn’t go to Capri like we had originally planned. However, we had a blast and it hardly even phased us! I do recommend renting the charter that visits Capri if you are planning to do this as well.
Champagne, aperitivo (Italian happy hour snacks), beer, soda, and water were offered for free! We were able to jump out and swim numerous times, and they even took us into a little grotto that resembles the blue grotto. It was truly stunning!
But, friends, I haven’t even gotten to the best part. About halfway through the charter we were taken to the most chic beach club I have ever seen! Seriously straight out of a movie. Accessible only by boat, and a local secret, we were absolutely in heaven. With stunning white umbrellas, table clothes, and the freshest seafood you could imagine, this was the cherry on top of our charter. The cove was full of locals in their yachts and gorgeous boats spending the day for lunch and a little swimming. Request to go to Conca del Sogno for this experience!
And of course, no boat day in Amalfi is complete without the iconic photo with Positano in the background!
When I say I was pooped after this day, I mean I was POOPED. Eight hours of sun and champagne is a recipe for a nap in this girls world hehe. We ended the day with dinner at Le Tre Sorelle located right on the world famous Spiaggia Grande (the main beach). The views were so great, but I must admit the food itself was quite touristy. After a day of too much alcohol, your girl wanted a pizza. If you know me, I actually hate pizza! Well, American pizza. Italian pizza? Huge fan! Unfortunately I thought the pizza was a bit to “American” to entice tourists. In the future I’d go for a seafood past. If you’re a mussels sort of person, you will love it! Right next door is Chez Black, with an identical view, and pretty similar view! If you want a great people watching dinner spot with a stunning view, go ahead and give it a shot! Though I do think there are better options.
Some other great restaurants I’d suggest are:
Ristorante Bruno - also great for a glass of wine before or after dinner, these views!
Day 3
Our last full day in this adorable spot was our beach day. We’d originally planned to spend the day at the iconic beach with blue and white stripped chairs lining the coastline, Spiaggia Grande. If you’re not into crowds and plan to head to Positano during peak season (summer) head instead to Spiaggia Fornillo. It is right next to Grande, just a short walk past the cliff, with equally stunning views, blue striped chairs, restaurant options, and less people.
Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy this day, and for some reason (I have a hunch it was due to the fact that it was Monday right after COVID local travel restrictions were lifted), the beach was sadly closed. No worries! Instead, we hopped on the bus (only 2 euro each) and headed to the town of Amalfi! See this is the funny part. Generally you hear Amalfi Coast so you think, well, we must be going to the town of Amalfi! Wrong! The actual town of Amalfi is much smaller than Positano, with a bit less charm than the beautiful Positano. We spent a total of one hour walking through the church, square, and stores of Amalfi! Seriously! It’s quite small. Although, if stairs are not suitable for you, or you have small children, amalfi is a great plan B as a place to stay. You can visit Positano beaches by simply hopping on the boast, a water taxi, or chartering a boat like we did!
We spent the afternoon going through a few more stores, soaking up the charm of the winding streets, and headed back to get ready for dinner. We spent a good hour on our charming terrace with a bottle of wine from one of our new favorite wineries in the Collio region (Northern Italy, known for whites). This is one of the only wineries we’ve visited from this region so far, but we cannot wait to go back to get some more. A bit pricier than most, but only about $40 (generally good wine is around $5-$10 per bottle in Italy) for their award winning bottles that can be bought in the states from upwards of $100 each!
Closing off this gorgeous trip with a stunning dinner at another favorite Ristorante Max. This is a charming courtyard style restaurant, with wonderful service, twinkle lights, and a romantic vibe. The food is unbeatable, and I couldn’t recommend it more! At first we did not want to go here due to the fact that there was no view of the coast, but let me tell you friends, the food made up for it! If you only have one night available for a romantic dinner, I do suggest Adamo ed Eva for the food and atmosphere, but this is a fabulous second!
Day 4
If you have another day here, there are a few more things that we are planning to squeeze into our trip next time.
That is the Path of the Gods hiking trail. We originally wanted more time at the beach so we decided to forego the hike this time around, but I think next time I’d like to see it. Known for its stunning views, if you’re a hiker, you have to add this one to your list.
Capri, like I said this was in our original plan, but, COVID hehe.
The town of Ravello, directly above Amalfi is also highly recommended by the locals. We chose to forgeo it this time, but will probably head there for a quick morning trip instead of Amalfi next time.
We would also love to go to Pompeii or Herculaneum in the future.
And another beach day never hurt anybody ;)
Our kind driver from DayTrips picked us up in the morning, took us to our train, and our trip was sadly finished.
If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I actually have a “travel tips” highlight where I explain how to use google maps to save places that you want to visit in the future, whether you have a trip planned or not! Click here to view that, go through these places and be sure to save your favorites! You can also click here to save my entire Amalfi Coast google maps save list. I’d love to hear which ones you end up going to! Never hesitate to DM on Instagram or shoot me an email here, I love hearing from you!
XO, Di