The Amalfi coast gets a lot of hype as a sort of luxury travel destination, which it definitely can be, but it’s also possible to visit the Amalfi coast on a budget if you know what you want to prioritize and you don’t mind waiting for the bus! (More notes on buses below, but basically – you can’t count on when exactly they’ll come, but you’ll be waiting at the most scenic bus stops ever!) The stretch of the coast between Positano and the town of Amalfi is probably the most popular, but don’t overlook Ravello (and potentially some of the other towns higher up) – and many people probably consider Sorrento to be part of the Amalfi coast as well. Here is how I spent a weekend on the Amalfi coast in early May 2023, with a focus on hiking and keeping my budget reasonable – of course there are many other ways to do it though!
(Skip past this itinerary to see tips for where to stay on the Amalfi coast, taking the bus around the Amalfi coast, how to get to and from the Amalfi coast, and some of the best photo spots on the Amalfi coast.)
Day 1 – Amalfi
4pm – Try to arrive in the town of Amalfi in time to get your bearings, walk around a bit, and enjoy an aperitivo at one of the restaurants around the plaza for some great people watching. (I enjoyed Pasticceria Pansa Amalfi)
6pm – Grab dinner in town if you like; a quick and budget-friendly option is a touristy “cone” of fish and chips or other fried seafood, from somewhere like Cuoppo d’Amalfi. Or, hustle to the bus first if you plan to cook at your accommodation.
7pm – Start trying to take the bus up to one of the towns high up in the hills – Agerola, San Michele, or San Lazarro. Accommodations are much more affordable there than on the coast, it’s interesting to see some smaller and less touristy towns in the area, and you’ll be perfectly situated for your hike tomorrow morning. You may be able to get on a bus right away, or it may take a couple of hours, so allow plenty of time (see more notes on taking the bus on the Amalfi coast below).
9pm – Get settled in and early to bed; check the bus schedule for tomorrow morning, but you’ll likely be getting an early start!
Day 2 – Path of the Gods and Positano
6am – If you have a choice of bus options to get to the Path of the Gods trailhead, it’s worth going early – beat the heat and the crowds, and enjoy the sunrise/early morning light on the trail. The Path of the Gods starts in Bomerano, and cuts along incredibly beautiful cliffs with views down to the water and a fairly gradual downhill slope, until you hit some stairs and really descend into the town of Nocelle.
9am – From Nocelle, you can walk along the road maybe 20-30 more minutes into Positano, where it’s definitely time for a pastry and cappuccino! I loved the sfogliatelle and view from the terrace at La Brezza.
11am – There are plenty of ways to spend a day in Positano, from swimming and enjoying the beach (or exploring some beaches nearby), to browsing around the shops and climbing up the narrow streets and staircases to get some views from higher up. Enjoy the afternoon, with plenty of choices for lunch and dinner!
[or, if you’re really trying to pack as much as possible into the weekend, you could head to Ravello in the afternoon today – see below – and then spend time in Sorrento tomorrow morning]
7pm – To get back on the bus, you’ll either need to walk back out of town the way you came towards Nocelle, or climb up to where the road going west cuts higher uphill. SITA bus stops are generally marked on maps.
Day 3 – Ravello (or Sorrento)
9am – Take a bit of a slower start today as you pack up and bring your bags with you when you leave the hill towns. Getting the bus down to Amalfi should be fairly straightforward and hopefully on time; in Amalfi, transfer straight to the bus up to Ravello.
[If you went to Ravello yesterday, you should be able to get a bus to Sorrento from the hill towns without having to transfer in Amalfi.]
12pm – Ravello is small, so there’s not too far to explore with your bags, but the views are incredible! Start with some lunch, and then check out the gardens and amazing views at Villa Rufulo.
[Or, take a wander through the streets of Sorrento, then find a good spot for lunch there – ideally with a view!]
Either way, you should have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the views before heading back to Naples in the later afternoon to conclude your weekend on the Amalfi coast!
Essentials for a Weekend on the Amalfi Coast
- Where to stay on the Amalfi coast:
- Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello: The town of Amalfi is maybe the most convenient if you want to be able to visit Ravello as well, but Positano is also a good connecting point and arguably more picturesque – they’re probably both very expensive. Ravello has some beautiful views but is harder to get to and probably more expensive than the less touristy hill towns like Agerola, Bomerano and San Lazzaro.
- Agerola, Bomerano and San Lazzaro: Staying in this area can be more affordable, and also puts you close to the start of the Path of the Gods trail if you want to do that one morning. You can get the bus up to this area from Amalfi, or direct from Naples. I may have found the cheapest accommodations in the area – the Beata Solitudo hostel in San Lazarro, which is in a very cool old building and has separate gender dorms that I thought were reasonably comfortable.
- Sorrento: People also love Sorrento, but to me it seemed far enough away from the other towns that I wouldn’t want to be based there if I were interested in exploring the coast between Positano and Amalfi. I did actually spend a night there after visiting Pompeii, before going to Naples and taking the ferry to Ischia and Capri, and I definitely saved money by staying a little ways out of town (near the Piano train stop, just two stops from the main Sorrento stop).
- Taking the bus around the Amalfi coast: The road along the Amalfi coast is notoriously narrow, curvy/hilly, and congested; most people don’t recommend driving, even though it does seem romantic and beautiful! There are taxis but I didn’t consider those in terms of cost, so then your option is the bus. Luckily there is a pretty extensive bus system, so you can get where you need to go, it’s just a question of timing. I was there in early May 2023 and it was already fairly crowded, so I really can’t imagine what it would be like in summer; especially if you’re looking to travel on a budget, Amalfi is definitely a good shoulder-season destination. Be prepared to wait and to hold your ground in crowds jostling to get on the buses as they arrive, but remember there will usually be another bus coming soon, and hey, you’re waiting at the most beautiful bus stop ever! In 2023, you had to buy paper bus tickets at the “tabacchi” shops (which luckily are all over) – the cost varies based on the length of the trip, so you just tell the person selling you the ticket where you want to go. (You can buy several tickets in advance, as long as you know the different routes you need.) The bus company is called SITA and you should be able to find printed timetables once you’re in the area; when I googled “SITA bus Amalfi” I didn’t get a website for the actual company, but this page seems to have decent information.
- How to get to and from the Amalfi coast: You can take a combination of trains, ferries, and buses to get to different parts of the Amalfi coast. The train goes from Naples to Sorrento, and then there are bus connections from Sorrento (and other stops on the train) to various towns on the Amalfi coast, and between the towns. You can also take the ferry from Sorrento to Capri, and Capri to Amalfi (and maybe Positano). Personally, I arrived in Amalfi on the ferry from Capri, and left by bus from San Lazarro, connecting to the train to Naples.
- Best photo spots on the Amalfi coast: For me, the entire Path of the Gods hike was incredibly stunning; I loved the view of Positano towards the end of the hike as well. I also liked the views down into Positano as you climb up towards the road. There are some beautiful views from Ravello down towards the water – especially just from the bus stop right outside the gate into town!
P.S. – My actual Amalfi area itinerary: I spent 3-4 days in the area (depending on if you count Pompeii) – this was definitely a crazy pace, and I would have loved to have more time on Capri, but for me it was a good balance for exploring as much of the area as I could in a short time and on a fairly tight budget. Definitely recommend Ischia, if you can fit it in as well! (And there are many more affordable accommodation options on Ischia than Capri.)
- Day 1 – Pompeii (stayed in Pompeii town the night before), sleep in Sorrento
- Day 2 – Explore Sorrento briefly in the morning, then train to Naples, lunch there, ferry to Ischia
- Day 3 – Morning ferry from Ischia to Capri, lunch and exploring on Capri, late afternoon ferry to Amalfi, bus to San Lazarro
- Day 4 – Path of the Gods hike, bus from Positano to Amalfi to Ravello, sleep in San Lazarro
- Day 5 – Morning bus and train to Naples, then on to other parts of Italy
Want more 48 hour Europe itineraries? Check out 48 Hours in the Cinque Terre, 48 Hours in Split and Hvar, 48 Hours in Prague, 48 Hours in the Netherlands, 48 Hours in Florence, or several Greek island itineraries.
