A GUIDE TO POSITANO, ITALY
Positano, one of the largest and most popular towns on the Amalfi Coast, got its popularity for good reason. With stunning cliffside homes, easy access to the surrounding areas, and plenty of restaurants for whatever mood you’re in, it’s my favorite town I visited on the Amalfi Coast as well as the one I stayed in for five nights. Check out my full guide to Positano below.
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THE BASICS
How much time should I spend in Positano?
Personally, I spent five days in Positano when I traveled to the Amalfi Coast in the summer of 2022, but that’s because I made it my home base for the duration of my trip. If you’re able to, I’d highly recommend staying in Positano because of how much there is to do there and what an easy jumping-off point it is to the rest of the area. If you can’t stay there due to cost, convenience, or any other reason, I’d recommend spending at least one full day in Positano.
How do you get to Positano?
From Naples: If your first stop on the Amalfi Coast is Positano, check out my full blog post on How to Get to the Amalfi Coast for details from Naples or Rome.
From Other Amalfi Coast Towns: If you’re traveling from other towns in the Amalfi Coast, you can get to Positano via:
- Ferry: This is the main (and most beautiful) way to get around the Amalfi Coast and because Positano is one of the major towns, you can always find a ferry to or from there. You can either book your tickets in advance online here or at the ticket booths near the ferry terminals.
- Scooter: My favorite way to get from town-to-town is via a rented scooter through Sorrento Trips. Check out my blog, Scootering Along the Amalfi Coast, for all of my info on scootering along the Amalfi Coast.
- Bus: Lastly, Sita buses run frequently along Amalfi Drive, which is the only road connecting many of the towns of the Amalfi Coast. Be sure to purchase tickets in advance, as they cannot be purchased onboard.
Once there, how do you get around Positano?
Once you’re in Positano, all you need to do to get around is walk! Other modes of transportation are mainly used to get between towns but the towns themselves are built for pedestrians. However, be aware that all of these towns are built into steep cliffsides so you’ll be trekking up numerous stairs during your time there.
ACTIVITIES
What to buy on the Amalfi Coast:
- Lemon-Printed Garments: As soon as you arrive on the Amalfi Coast, you’ll find dozens of shops selling lemon-printed garments. So many, in fact, that it will be hard to resist buying at least one piece of clothing. Since the Amalfi Coast is famous for its lemons, be sure to pick up at least one fun item as a souvenir of your time in the cliffside towns.
- Ceramics: Across the Amalfi Coast are a wide variety of ceramics shops with handmade and handpainted pieces – everything from mugs to olive oil pourers, to full-fledged tables, and more. Once you go into one of these shops (my favorite is Ceramiche Casola) and see the artists hard at work, you’ll need to take home one of these hand-crafted artisanal goods.
- Handmade Sandals: Across the Amalfi Coast, as well as in the rest of Italy, you can find outstanding handmade leather goods, including sandals, that are custom-made for you. Check out many of these leather shops along the steep hills of Positano for some new summer sandals to bring home with you.
One thing to know about Positano and the rest of the Amalfi Coast is that the beaches are largely not what you envision when you hear the word “beach”. Similar to the rest of the Amalfi Coast landscape, most of the beaches here are rocky, not sandy, and fairly small. While you might not be too comfortable laying out a beach towel here, the views are better than any other beach I’ve seen in the world and well-worth the visit.
Positano Spiaggia
The main beach in Positano is hard to miss and is located right downtown next to the ferry terminal. You’ll find that most of the beach is reserved for lawn chairs costings 35€ each which, while expensive, is worth it for the full day. Considering the beach is pretty rocky and only a small portion of it is saved for those without a reservation, I’d recommend renting a chair. Plus, the chairs come with service from the local restaurant and bar so you never even have to venture back into town for a drink if you don’t want to.
Quick tip:
While the beach chairs make it easy to relax and never have to get up for a drink, the drinks served there are very overpriced. If you want a cheaper method, grab a lawn chair but walk over near the ferry terminal and order your drinks from one of the huts there. The Aperol spritzes here were only 4€ as compared to the +10€ served on the beach and it helps to take some of the stress off the prices you’re paying for the chairs.
Fornillo Spiaggia
Fornillo, the second-largest beach in Positano, is longer and more secluded than the main beach and a great place to go if you want to escape the crowds and not get stuck paying for a beach chair. You can get here by walking on the pathway that bends behind the ferry terminal. However, note that because of the angle of the beach, the sun will set on Fornillo much earlier than on Positano beach, so I’d recommend coming here in the morning.
Arienzo Spiaggia
Arienzo Beach, located further outside of Positano, is a much smaller and more secluded beach than the previous two in this post. However, it’s known for the Arienzo Beach Club, which makes it more crowded and party-focused than the prior two as well. You can get here by walking about 30 minutes along Amalfi Drive and then down 300 steps, taking a Sita bus to the Arienzo stop, or by taking a private boat.
Fiordo di Furore Beach
While not technically located in Positano, Fiordo di Furore beach is one of my favorite of the Amalfi Coast because of the beautiful view of the Fiordo di Furore bridge you have while relaxing on the beach. The beach is located halfway between Positano and Amalfi and you can get there via scooter, car, or bus. This beach is small and rocky but its unique setup means that it’s a favorite for cliff-jumpers, giving you plenty of entertainment while you relax on the beach. Note: Beyond a small stand service beer & other bottled drinks, there are no restaurants or bars here, so plan accordingly.
One of our favorite activities we did all trip was a full-day boat tour of the Amalfi Coast, leaving from Positano. After all of your exploring of the coast from the road, it’s time to get a new perspective: from the water!
There are a ton of different boat tour options on the Amalfi Coast, including private tours, group tours, tours to Capri, sunset tours, and so many more. Considering we had just done our day trip to Capri the previous day, we opted for a group boat tour (which is MUCH cheaper than the private boat tours) of the coast with BlueStar Positano for only $70 USD per person, whom I could not recommend more highly!
Here are a few reasons I recommend this boat tour over others that I researched:
- Reputation: BlueStar Positano is a highly reputable company and our lovely experience was proof of that. I had originally booked an Airbnb experience that was canceled the night before due to insufficient sign-ups. When you go with an established company with BlueStar, you reduce the risk of this happening and needing to change your whole itinerary.
- The Route: There are multiple routes you can take on full-day boat tours, including to Capri and to see the Blue Grotto. I preferred our route because:
- I liked the opportunity to see Capri on my own terms
- I’ve heard the Blue Grotto was a waste of time & very touristy
- We got to see a lot of little bits of the coastline that would be missed if you just go on the ferry
- The Price: This was the most affordable boat tour I found and I could hardly believe it considering the service we received. Remember, affordable does not always equal cheap!
Located along Amalfi Drive near Positano are a few different viewpoints of the coastline that are worth checking out. Better yet, why not check them out via scooter and check off an Amalfi Coast bucket list item at the same time! Rent a scooter from Sorrento Trips and scooter your way up and down all of the viewpoints over the course of one afternoon. Looking for more photo spots near Positano? Check out this blog post for all of my favorite photo spots in the area.
The viewpoints are located at the following coordinates, which you can type into your mapping app:
- Viewpoint #1: 40.614891, 14.432953
- Viewpoint #2: 40.616815, 14.438703
- Viewpoint #3: 40.617630, 14.440485
- Viewpoint #4: 40.618753, 14.445467
- Viewpoint #5: 40.620474, 14.459068
- Viewpoint #6: 40.618448, 14.462665
- Viewpoint #7: 40.619459, 14.465128
- Viewpoint #8: 40.620309, 14.466726
RESTAURANTS
The meal, however, was equally as outstanding. The menu isn’t available online, but we ordered four dishes and each was better than the last. Honestly, if I had to recommend one restaurant in all of Positano to go to, it would be Il Capitano.
For the most affordable but least assuming place on this list, head to Saraceno d’Oro for some classic Italian pasta and house wine one night. We didn’t read about this place online or make reservations in advance, we just happened to walk by it multiple times and every single time it was packed, which is generally a good sign that you should grab a table. If you have limited time, this restaurant wouldn’t be at the top of my list, but if you’re looking for a good dinner and don’t want to break the bank, this is the spot for you.
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