How many days in Amalfi Coast? Best Amalfi Coast Itinerary ideas + map: how to plan your stay

[2024 Update] Amalfi Coast itinerary ideas and map to help you decide how many days to stay, what to see and how best to see it.

One of the most common questions about visiting the Amalfi Coast are how many days are enough to see it and the best way to include it in a wider Italy itinerary.

The short answer is:

You need one day on the Amalfi Coast if you want to just get an overview of its most famous towns

You need 2 days on the Amalfi Coast to quickly see its highlights and Capri

You need 3 days or more if you want to tap into the local atmosphere, spend a day on the beach, have moments to stop and soak it in.

The long answer is that you can make the most of a stay in the Amalfi Coast no matter how much time you have, may it be one day or one week!

My personal advice! Personally, I recommend you spend 4 days on the Amalfi Coast. With this amount of time you can see the main ‘big three’ towns, take a day trip to Capri, see smaller towns, relax, eat and shop. This is my favorite way to explore the area and feel the atmosphere, which gets lost in the crowds and tour groups during shorter stays.

Need to know: if you want to add Pompeii to your Amalfi Coast itinerary I recommend you add a full day for it.

In this article, I am going to share Amalfi Coast itinerary ideas and insider tips that will help you plan your stay at best.

In this article, we will cover:

• Amalfi Coast Map with best places to see highlights
• How many days to spend on the Amalfi Coast: itinerary ideas self guided + Amalfi Coast organized trips
• Best transport Amalfi Coast
• Amalfi Coast travel tips

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Amalfi Coast Map + best places to see

The most famous places on the Amalfi Coast are the towns of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

Positano is maybe the most popular of all, and a favorite with glamorous, overseas tourism.

The town develops over a steep cliff and has pretty, colorful houses and stunning views.

You know the Instagram photos with girls posing in stray hats on terraces with stunning views of the sea behind them? Or fancy breakfast in luxury hotels with sea views? Those are usually taken in Positano!

Time needed to see Positano: a couple of hours or up to a day if you want to avail of one of the beach clubs.

Amalfi is the town that give the name to this stretch of coast. It is a historic, pretty town with a stunning duomo and a couple of interesting local museums.

Time needed: few hours / half day depending

Ravello is a stunning small town perched on top of a high cliff, offering breathaking views of the Amalfi coast. Unlike the other towns, it is high up and therefore has no beach access.

Since it is very scenic, it is a town people come to for views, more than the town itself: tourism focuses mostly on Villa Cimbrone, which is a popular photo spot.

Time needed: a coupl of hours if you just want to catch the views

Other towns to see on the Amalfi Coast

Depending on the time you have and what you most want to see you, other popular destinations on the Amalfi Coast are:

Vietri – lovely small town close to Salerno famous for handmade ceramics (lovely for authentic Italian souvenir shopping)

Maiori and Minori – lesser visited, delighful Amalfi Coast towns connected by a scenic walking path ‘sentiero dei limoni’ (path of lemons)

Furore – a stunning fjord with a small beach

Capri island – wonderful island with stunning views, elegant shopping and a glamorous feel

Sorrento – not on the Amalfi Coast as such but wonderful town with pretty city center, lovely views and wonderful food + access to the island.

You can find our full guide to the best towns on the Amalfi Coast here.

Pin this – before you keep reading, pin this or bookmark it for later!

How many days do you need in Amalfi Coast? Itinerary ideas at a glance

You need 2 days on the Amalfi Coast to see the highlights and 3 days or more if you want to also see Capri and Sorrento.

At a glance:

If you have one day on the Amalfi Coast, you can see one or two towns (see below for tips on which ones)

If you have 2 days on the Amalfi Coast, you can visit 2 towns each day and do some hiking

If you have 3 days or more, you can add a trip to the island of Capri

If you have 4 days you can add a trip to Sorrento.

This is how to best organize your time.

Please note: these itineraries foresee an overnight stay on the Amalfi coast. If you cannot stay and need to make your way back to Rome or Naples, I recommend you plan an organized tour instead which will allow to cut down on transport time. Below I share some options.

Amalfi Coast itinerary ideas for 1-5 days

1 day on the Amalfi Coast itinerary: self guided

If you only have one day on the Amalfi Coast, chances are you want to see the area highlights first, the towns of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

The tree of them are connected by ferry, bus or a combination of the two and while a day for the three of them is a rather short time to see them it is technically possible to do it.

Unless you are set on the three of them, I would recommend either to visit Positano and Amalfi or Amalfi and Ravello.

If you want to see Positano, Amalfi and Ravello in the same day without a tour, I recommend you:

Start your day in Positano, visit the city, then catch the bus/ferry to Amalfi Town and head straight to Ravello

Have lunch in Ravello, enjoy the views when the sun is still high

Head back to Amalfi for an afternoon in the city and dinner. Find our guide to Amalfi town here.

This is the best sequence in terms of transport and will bring you back to Amalfi for the evening which is convenient to then head back to your hotel, since Amalfi is one of the main transport hubs in the area.

1 day on the Amalfi Coast with an organized tour

Several organizes tours serve the Amalfi Coast. For comfort, support, areas covered and overall customer care, my favorite is this one by LivTours, which covers Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, comes with lovely cars (with car seats for kids if needfed), English speaking chauffeur and all relevant licences and authorizations.

2 days on the Amalfi Coast itinerary

If you have two days on the Amalfi Coast you can follow the same itinerary as below but spending more time in each of the towns or you can head to Capri.

Capri is easily reached form Amalfi and Sorrento and is a wonderful place to visit for a day.

The ferry crossing is quick and easy and will lead you close to Capri town center and from there you can easily explore the island, spend a day on the sea taking a Capri island boat tour or explore Anacapri and the best view points in Capri.

You can find our guide to Capri here and a recommended Capri one day itinerary here.

3 days on the Amalfi Coast itinerary

If you have 3 days on the Amalfi Coast, you can head to Sorrento.

Technically Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast but on the Sorrento Coast (the other side of the same promontory) but it is so close to the Amalfi Coast proper and so pretty, it simply belongs in a guide to the area!

Sorrento has a lovely and historical town center, beautiful sea views and some of the best food in Italy. So, if you are a foodie, Sorrento is a place you do not want to miss!

Sorrento is a bigger town than others on the coast and you can easily spend the full day here. You can stroll, visit the local museums and beautiful church/ cloister, or you can dive into the glorious foodie scene of this town with a food tour – if this may be your thing, I recommend you get in touch with the Gourmet Girls Sorrento as they have a fabulous one (no connection with them, I just love what they offer)

Good to know! Sorrento is very well connected to Naples and the islands and it is also a brilliant getaway town to the rest of the coast. You can read how to get from Naples Airport to Sorrento here.

4 days on the Amalfi Coast itinerary

If you have 4 days on the Amalfi Coast you can explore a little off the beaten track and in this case I recommend you visit the towns of Minori and Maiori and walk the lovely path that connects the two.

Minori is the most scenic of the two towns. Small and pretty, Minori was a vacation spot during ancient Roman times and still has the ruins of an ancient Roman villa and is it is also known as the birthplace of patisserie Sal de Riso, now one of the best known in Italy!

The town of Maiori is just beside Minori and it is connected to it by a wonderful scenic walking trail called the path of lemons.

The pat of lemons is a trail among lemon grows that connects the two towns: historically it is the path that was used by lemon growers to bring the lemons from the groves to the port and now is a scenic walking path with wonderful views over the towns and the sea below.

Maiori itself is a peasant town with a family friendly vibe: you can spend the afternoon here relaxing after your walk or you can catch the ferry and head back to Salerno or maybe get to Cetara and Vietri, all easily reached from here.

5 days on the Amalfi Coast of more: what else to see

If you have 5 ore more days on the Amalfi Coast, my suggestion would be to take it easy and savor each place at a slower pace however, you can also visit additional destinations nearby.

The most popular would be Pompeii and Naples or you could stretch to the lovely islands of Procida or Ischia.

Best way to get around the Amalfi Coast

The best way to visit the Amalfi Coast on your own is by ferry, bus or far.

Amalfi Coast by ferry – regular and budget friendly ferry services connect the several Amalfi Coast towns in the good season (spring to fall).

Tickets can be bought on the day and require no previous booking – this is the best place to visit Amalfi coast towns on the coast

Amalfi Coast by Bus – the towns on the Amalfi Coast are connected by buses managed by the company SITA.

These are a great way to reach towns such as Ravello that are not on the sea and the best way to visit the Amalfi Coast when ferries are not available.

Amalfi Coast by Car – The Amalfi Coast is a scenic drive so visiting by car is tempting however, a couple of considerations.

The Amalfi Coast gets very crowded in summer and both driving and parking will have you fight with traffic jams and limited space.

I highly recommend you avoid driving here in the high season and opt for alternative transport options instead.

Amalfi Coast Travel resources

When planning a trip to this area, make sure you also check:

• How to get to the Amalfi Coast from Rome
• Amalfi Coast packing list
• Tips for visiting the Amalfi Coast with kids

I hope you found this Amalfi Coast itinerary ideas useful and they helped you plan you stay and answer the question: how many days do you need on Amalfi Coast? Safe travel planning!