Amalfi Coast (Positano and Amalfi)

The Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana) is a cliff-hugging stretch of the Salerno coast in Campania, Italy, roughly 60-70 km south-east of Naples, with Positano and Amalfi as its two best-known towns. Reaching it from Naples takes either about 70-90 minutes by seasonal fast ferry from Molo Beverello to Positano and Amalfi (operators such as NLG and Alilauro, roughly EUR 20-30 one way, April to October only), or about 2 hours 15 minutes by Circumvesuviana to Sorrento and then SITA Sud bus (about EUR 3.40-5 per leg). A third route is the train from Napoli Centrale to Salerno, then a Travelmar ferry or bus to Amalfi, about 2 hours in total. Because of the multi-leg transfers and a long day, this trip is the most demanding on the list. In Positano, visitors can walk down the stepped lanes to Spiaggia Grande, browse boutiques and see the dome of Santa Maria Assunta. In Amalfi, the Duomo di Sant'Andrea, with its striped facade and Cloister of Paradise, dominates Piazza Duomo, and the Museo della Carta explains the town's paper-making heritage. Lemon terraces, small ceramic shops and narrow lanes fill both towns. A suggested one-day arc is to take an early ferry to Positano, spend the morning there, take a short boat or bus to Amalfi for lunch and the cathedral, and use the late-afternoon ferry or bus to return, leaving a generous margin since sailings are seasonal and buses can be delayed. May-June and September are best, while August crowds and midday traffic on the coast road make the bus slow. Ferries are the most reliable choice in season. Costs run about EUR 20-30 each way by ferry, with buses adding EUR 2-5 per leg. Food stops include seafood and pasta with lemon at the waterfront in each town, plus delizia al limone pastries, and tickets for buses are sold at tabaccherie, with a surcharge onboard. Comfortable shoes are essential because both towns are built on steep stairways.