Positano vs Ravello vs Amalfi
Positano is the coast's most photographed town — houses cascading down to a single pebble beach, with Le Sirenuse and Il San Pietro as its two defining addresses and Covo dei Saraceni sitting directly on the harbour for a lower-key stay. Ravello, 350 meters above the sea, trades beach access for clifftop gardens — Belmond Hotel Caruso's infinity pool and Palazzo Avino's pink façade both look straight down the coastline rather than out to sea level. Amalfi itself, in between, is the coast's one genuine town — a working harbor, a striped Arab-Norman cathedral, and Hotel Santa Caterina's seaside estate a short walk from the centre.
Getting to the coast
Fly into Naples (NAP), then continue by private transfer or ferry — there is no train along the coast itself, and the single coastal road is narrow, cliff-hugging and slow, especially in summer traffic. Ferries between Naples, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi are often faster than driving between April and October, when the seasonal boat schedule runs at its fullest.
“There's no train to the Amalfi Coast — the ferry, not the car, is usually the faster way between towns.”
Capri and the coast's rhythm
A day boat to Capri — the Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rock stacks, the funicular up to the piazzetta — is the classic add-on from any Amalfi Coast base, typically 45 minutes to an hour offshore. Most coast hotels close from November through March; the season runs April to October, with July and August at full capacity and premium pricing.
