Villages stacked up cliffs above the Tyrrhenian, lemon terraces, and a corniche road cut into the rock. One of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe, and one of the least suited to a conventional beach holiday.
The two things people don't expect, and both change the holiday.
Positano is essentially a staircase — the town runs down a cliff and there are no roads through it, so everything involves steps, often hundreds of them. The beaches are small, pebbly and mostly private clubs charging for a sunbed. If you want a fortnight on sand this is the wrong coast entirely. What it is instead is the most beautiful place in Italy to walk, eat and take boats from, and Sorrento — flatter, better connected and half the price — is the practical base a lot of people should choose.
Villages, boats, and one very good walk.
The postcard village, and a staircase from top to bottom. Beautiful, expensive, and best seen from a boat.
A cliff-top walk from Bomerano to Nocelle above Positano. Three hours, mostly downhill, and the best thing on the coast.
Ferry from Sorrento or Positano. The Blue Grotto if the sea is calm, and the chairlift up Monte Solaro. Go early.
Above the coast, with two villa gardens looking straight down at the sea. Cooler, quieter and the best views anywhere here.
Forty minutes from Sorrento. Herculaneum is smaller, better preserved and far less crowded than Pompeii.
The road is slow and the buses are packed. Ferries between Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi are quicker and vastly more pleasant.
On the coast, or above it at Sorrento. The difference is steps and money.
The famous village. Hundreds of steps, small pebble beaches, and the highest prices on the coast.
The town the coast is named after, with a cathedral and a small beach. Flatter than Positano and better connected.
Above the coast with the best views. Cool, calm and a bus or taxi down to the water.
Not technically the Amalfi Coast. Flat, well connected by train to Naples and Pompeii, and half the price.
May to June and September to October. July and August are hot and the road is gridlocked.
Peak summer brings 32°C, coach traffic on a road with no room for it, and the highest prices of the year. May, June and September give warm sea, walkable temperatures and far more room — September has the warmest water. Many hotels close from November to March, and the ferries stop, which leaves the coast road as the only way in.
2h 45m to Naples (NAP), year-round from most UK airports.
90 minutes to Positano by road, an hour to Sorrento. Private transfer or the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento.
Euro. Cards widely accepted.
Ferries in season, SITA buses year-round, and taxis are expensive. Driving the coast road is not recommended in summer.
We'll be straight about the steps, pick between Positano and Sorrento, and write the payment plan out in full.
No. The beaches are small, pebbly and mostly private clubs. Come for the villages, the walking and the boats.
Positano for the setting and the photographs, and be ready for steps and prices. Sorrento for flat ground, good transport and half the cost.
Positano has hundreds of steps and no through roads. If anyone in the party has mobility difficulties, Sorrento or Amalfi town are far better.
Yes — an hour and ten minutes by high-speed train to Naples. It's the Italian trip we book most often.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
11 nights · Apr, Oct · from £2,699pp
12 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £3,399pp
12 nights · Jul–Oct · from £3,099pp
11 nights · Jun–Oct, Dec–Feb · from £1,799pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
