A 7-day road trip along the Amalfi Coast

Take a look at our 7 days and 6 nights driving tour of the Amalfi Coast and discover with your own eyes one of the most beautiful and renowned corners of Italy .

And, while you're at it, learn how to avoid crowds and stay on a budget while visiting this paradise on earth.

Ready?

The Amalfi Coast Guide in PDF

Would you like a PDF with all the information from this blog on how to plan a trip to the Amalfi Coast on your own?

Save it on your tablet or phone and refer to it whenever you need to.

• Choose when, where, and how.
• Adjust the budget to fit your budget.
• Live your own adventure.

Interested? Then click here and buy it for just €1.95.

Amalfi Coast, with or without a car?

This is the first question you should ask yourself when organizing your route along the Amalfi Coast:

Should you drive your own vehicle?

It depends on when you visit this region of Italy.

If you go in low or mid season, taking the car will give you a lot of freedom of movement. We were on the Amalfi Coast during the first week of June in 2017, and we didn't encounter too many traffic problems(I said too many, not none, for the record...).

Although, to tell the truth, we also take all possible precautions:

• We reserve accommodations with parking space included.
• We avoid entering Positano on 4 wheels.

If you are traveling during the peak season (late June through early September), it would be advisable to leave your car at home. Why?

• The road that runs along the Amalfi Coast is very narrow and gets clogged during these summer months.
• Parking spaces are scarce and are priced quite high, along with hotel parking.

Alternatives? Travel by boat, bus or on foot (as in the case of the Path of the Gods). Or, if you prefer to go motorized, which I understand, how does renting a motorcycle sound?

Undoubtedly, the best option of all to make a route by car along the Amalfi Coast is to travel in low season.

Our route

The tour you are about to read in a few seconds is only a part of a longer trip around Italy in our own car. Therefore, it does not include neither flights nor car rental.

Shall we go there?

Day 1: Arrival and visit to Ravello

After breakfast, we leave our accommodation next to the Maremma Natural Park in Tuscany and head for Ravello, one of the towns with the best views of the Amalfi Coast.

After about 4 hours driving, we left the A30 in Nocera/Pagani to cross the Lattari mountains. But, before getting into the mountain road, we stopped to fill up the tank, do some shopping (we found a supermarket open by the skin of our teeth) and have something to eat.

By chance, we fell into the restaurant-pizzeria Boomerang. Since they didn't turn on the pizza oven at noon, we opted for acaprese salad to share plus a plate of pasta with seafood per head. However, when we saw the size of the plates at the rest of the tables, along with the size of the mozzarella they put in front of us, we cancelled one of the pastas. Despite that, we almost burst trying not to leave anything behind. And by the way, it was delicious and it only cost us 20€, total!

We climbed the Lattari Mountains and were very surprised with the beauty of the vegetation, the rock walls and the views of Pompeii, Vesuvius and Naples from up there. Too bad we had the sun in front of us. The photos don't do it justice.

Shortly after, we arrived in Ravello and we left the car in the parking lot of our accommodation: Dimora Sveva. What a view! My goodness...

We left the suitcases and set off on foot to visit the village and the most famous villas of the Amalfi Coast: Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, each more beautiful than the other.

As the sun was about to set, we returned home to enjoy the terrace overlooking the Tyrrhenian while having a light dinner. Without really knowing why, fireworks enlivened the evening as night fell.

If you want to know more about this town, take a look at the entry dedicated to Ravelo and its villas.

Day 2: The Tre Calli circuit

The next morning, we set off for Bomerano, part of Agerola.

On the map it may look like they are relatively close, but it took us 1 hour or more to reach our destination. If you do as we did, as you leave Ravello you will come across a traffic light that regulates the direction of traffic on one side of the mountain. Don't despair, it takes quite a while to change color due to the fact that the narrow route is quite long, you'll see.

The owner of the B&B A 2 passi dagli Dei let us park the car and even enter our room at 11 a.m. She was a saint! She was great with us.

We left the suitcases, put water in the backpack, the sandwiches we had assembled in the morning, bananas, nuts and all the batteries fully charged. Maddalena helped us a little with the directions to get to the Tre Calli circuitand off we went.

The climb was demanding, but the reward... priceless! And if you don't believe me, take a look at the photos and video I posted in the entry where I explain how to ride the Tre Calli circuit.

After the trekking session overlooking the Amalfi Coast, we had dinner at the restaurant recommended by our hostess, La Selva ( 25€ in total) and went to sleep, we had earned it.

Day 3: The Path of the Gods

We got up early, put a change of clothes in the backpack (bathing suit not to be missed!) and, after a delicious breakfast at the B&B , we went back to our hotel. A 2 passi dagli Deiwe left our belongings, car and keys with the B&B owner.

At 8:30 a.m., we set off for the trail of the Gods accompanied by some rain and a dense fog. However, after an hour of walking, the sky opened up and allowed us to see the spectacle:

The Amalfi Coast at our feet.

And, to tell the truth, the shade provided by the clouds for much of the route was providential. We would have been very hot if they had not been there.

We were in doubt about whether to take the high or low trail. high or low trailbut a large group, accompanied by a screaming guide, made the decision for us: they went to the low trail, we went to the high trail, and nothing happened here. 🙂

After a refreshing lemon granita and a well-deserved snack at the Nocelle square-viewpoint, we decided to take the stairs down to the Amalfi Road from there. Watch out for your knees!

When we arrived at the bottom, we walked along the edge of the road(because there was no shoulder, there was no shoulder) and entered Positano, amazed.

What a beauty!

After a good photo session and walking through most of the town, we arrived at our accommodation: Casa Maresca, a beautiful villa overlooking the sea in the quietest area of Positano.

We put on our swimsuits and into the water ducks!

The small beach of Positano is located at the foot of Casa Maresca, down some stairs(no, no more stairs...). It was a delight, as we had it almost to ourselves at that time of the afternoon.

We went back home(yes, down the stairs, yes... Ouch!).

We took a shower, got dressed up(i.e. a clean T-shirt), hung up our cameras and went for a walk in Positano!

We set up in a good corner to capture the sunset. And we were right, because we ended up surrounded by very pro photographers.

We decided to have dinner in a more alternative place (we live in Italy, we already know that pizza and pasta are great), so we tried the delicious tapas at La Brezza Net Art Café .

And then, we continue touring Positano under the stars. If you visit this city, stay at least one night. It is worth seeing it also under this light.

Day 4: A day at the beach in Positano

The next day, we hung up our backpacks, paid at Casa Maresca and had the luxury of renting sunbeds and umbrellas on Positano's large beach (25€).

A delightful day of sun, swimming with privileged views of Positano, pizza on the beach and wind, lots of wind! So much that, at times, they made us close the umbrella to prevent it from flying away. This annoyed us a bit and, although we knew it was not the fault of the owners of the lido, the umbrella man earned himself an unflattering nickname (which I'd better not reveal here).

At about 4.30 in the afternoon, we picked up and walked to the pier, where we would catch the 5.00 boat to Amalfi (8€/person).

Sailing off the Amalfi Coast at some point during your trip is a must. The views are worth seeing. And this was our chance.

Once in Amalfi, we spent some time visiting the cathedral and having an ice cream(of course!), until the bus left for Bomerano. I was surprised at how comfortable the bus was.

And once back at the B&B A 2 passi dagli Dei, Maddalena gave us the same room. Our car was still where we had left it, with the suitcases inside. So shower, dinner (25€ at La Selva) and to rest at last, because the beach is exhausting 🙂

Day 5: Beautiful Amalfi and Atrani

After repeating a scandalous breakfast at the B&B in Bomerano, we drove down to Amalfi, where our accommodation, the Hotel Floridiana, allowed us to park before it was time for check-in.

And from there, on foot to Atraniwhere we fell in love with its postcard profile.

We bought some freshly made sandwiches in the main square of Atrani, and continued on to the beautiful cove of Castiglione, where we spent most of the day enjoying the sun, the turquoise sea and the shade offered by the cliff behind us.

In the middle of the afternoon, we returned to the hotel to drop our bags and take off the salt. We visited the beautiful cloister of Paradise and headed back to Atrani to capture the lighting of the lights after sunset.

In addition, I'm not sure how, we managed to get a table without a reservation at the restaurant L'Abside for dinner. Mmmm! What a cherry on top of a perfect day.

By the way, walking around Amalfi during the night also has its special charm.

Day 6: Cetara, the end point

After a very good breakfast at the Hotel Floridiana, which competed in quantity and quality with the one we had at the B&B , we had a very good breakfast. A 2 passi dagli Dei in Bomerano, we headed for Cetara, the last stop on our drive along the Amalfi Coast.

Our accommodation, the B&B La Sorgente, was at the top of the village. They advertise free parking, and it was, but the space we occupied was a narrow space on the main street itself, which didn't look private in any case.

However, they let us in early and changed our room so that we had a private bathroom. So we were very comfortable.

We went down to the beach of Cetara, although the number of paying hammocks and the accumulation of bathers in front of the village cut us off a bit. We decided to eat a fish fry, but we didn't get the choice right either.

And at the end, we walked to the outskirts of Cetara to take a dip in a nearby cove overlooking Salerno (you can see it on the map at the bottom of this page). If you make it this far, don't expect something as spectacular as the cove of Castiglionein Atrani.

After a shower, we strolled to the pier to take a nice farewell postcard. And once the sun set, the highlight of our visit to Cetara arrived:

 The restaurant Punto e Pasta.

It is a small slow-food establishment with typical Cetara dishes, with very few tables and part of the cutlery made of plastic (this little ecological part was its only negative point).

We took the recommendations of the guy who sang us the menu, with great detail, and enjoyed a delicious dinner for 15€/person. If you pass by Cetara, try this restaurant. And, above all, let yourself be advised. 🙂 🙂

Day 7: Heading for the Adriatic

Breakfast at the B&B La Sorgente was OK, although it paled in comparison to those we had tried at the B&B in Bomerano or the Hotel Floridiana in the very center of Amalfi. Above all, it lacked savory options.

We paid 70€ per night for 2 people, breakfast included, and set off for the Foresta Umbra in the Gargano natural park, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.

And what a coastline! You won't believe your eyes.

To be continued...

Budget

• Accommodation: 572€/6 nights/2 persons (47.7€ per person per night).
• Meals: 361.5€/2 persons (30.1€ per person per day)
• Tourism (villas, boat/bus, lido, cloister, etc...): 78.6€ (39.3€ per head)
• Gasoline: €40.

In total, during our 7-day, 6-night drive along the Amalfi Coast, we spent 1052€, 526€ per person.

Are you traveling to Italy by plane?

I like to start my flight search in Trabber because the price it shows you is final (including credit card and other fees). Of course, I always check eDreams and Momondo offers as well.

You never know who will have the best deals 😉.

When to buy your flights

In the case of international flights it is worth doing a search in the 4 search engines above 6-8 months in advance.

However, for domestic or intra-European flights I recommend waiting 2-4 months before the date to make the purchase (unless you find offers that are hard to refuse).

Vueling, for example, tends to run low-cost promotions every few years.

Useful Links

• Bus schedules along the Amalfi Coast.
• Boat schedules connecting the main coastal towns.
• Our apartment with view in Dimora Sveva, Ravello.
• B&B A 2 passi dagli dei, in Bomerano.
• Accommodation at Casa Maresca, Positano.
• Hotel Floridiana, in the very center of Amalfi.
• B&B La Sorgente, Cetara.
• Flight deal search engines:Trabber,eDreams,Momondo, andVueling. 
• 5% discount on your IATI travel insurance.

And so that you don't miss any details, here are the highlights of each stage:

• Ravello and the villas with the best views on the Amalfi Coast.
• The Tre Calli Circuit, an alternative route along the Amalfi Coast.
• The Path of the Godsdescends to Positano from the heights.
• Positanoone of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
• Amalfi (and Atrani) in 24 hours.

Do you want to know more about how to organize a driving tour of the Amalfi Coast? Leave me a comment below and I'll be happy to help you.

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