15 BEST Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento, Italy

The Amalfi Coast had been on my bucket list for years, and after spending 5 days here in September 2025, I can confirm it fully earns every bit of the hype!!

But with so many towns, day trips, beaches, and experiences to choose from, it can feel overwhelming to figure out what to actually prioritize during your visit.

Should you spend a day in Positano or Amalfi? Is Pompeii worth it? What about Capri? (These are all impacted by where you stay as well!).

So, below are the 15 best things to do on the Amalfi Coast that I’d personally recommend, based on my own trip, a few items we regretfully skipped, and some experiences I’m still thinking about months later 🍋

Best Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast at a Glance

1. Take a Small Group Boat Tour Along the Amalfi Coast

If you do one thing on this list, make it a boat tour!!!

I know a lot of people picture exploring the Amalfi Coast by car (maybe in a cute little red Fiat).

However, while those clifftop road views are iconic, they are also incredibly narrow, packed with traffic, and notorious for making people carsick.

On the other hand, a boat tour gives you all of the jaw-dropping coastal views from the water instead, with a limoncello in hand and zero motion-sickness-inducing hairpin turns.

We booked this small group tour with You Know! Sorrento, and it was my favorite day of our whole trip!!

Our boat only had 6 people on it, which made it feel less like a tour and more like a private luxury experience.

We were greeted with a glass of champagne and given a little passport booklet with QR codes for each destination (including info on the company’s sustainability initiatives, which I loved).

Over the course of the day we:

• Stopped for a swim at the Li Galli archipelago, the mythological islands where sirens once lured sailors
• Visited the towns of Amalfi, Ravello, and Positano with time to explore each
• Made one last swim stop at Punta Germano Cove on the way home — the water was so warm and so blue!
• Were handed limoncello on the way back to Sorrento (we both fell asleep on the boat, a dream)

The tour company also picked us up in Sorrento and dropped us back off in town after, which was a huge bonus because the walk from the port up to Sorrento is NOT fun (many many stairs).

Because this is a small-group boat tour, it sells out quickly! Book your own boat tour in advance of your trip to secure your spot! ⚓🚤

2. Hike the Path of the Gods

The Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) is widely considered one of the most beautiful hikes in Italy!

Full transparency: this is one thing I didn’t personally get to do on our trip (not enough days!), but my best friend honeymooned in Positano and said the Path of the Gods was the highlight of her entire trip.

The most popular part of the trail runs from Agerola to Nocelle (which is right above Positano).

The views along the way are absolutely epic: sweeping panoramas of the coastline, the sea far below, and Positano gradually coming into view as you descend.

Getting to the hike from Sorrento is doable, but long (which is why we had to skip it – it’s a lot easier to access if you are staying in Amalfi or Positano). For a really detailed breakdown of the hike and logistics from Sorrento, this guide from My Wanderlusty Life is excellent!

In short, you need to take a bus or ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi, then a bus from Amalfi to Bomerano (this leg can take up to 2 hours).

When you’re done with the hike, you can take a ferry or bus back to Sorrento from Positano. It’s a long day if you’re piecing it together yourself!

Instead, my recommendation is to book a guided tour like this one that includes transportation. On this tour, you’ll be transported directly to the hiking location from Sorrento, saving over an hour each way!!

You’ll also get to experience the hike with a local and learn way more about the area than if you did it yourself!

3. Have Dinner + Drinks above Positano

Here’s something a lot of people don’t realize before visiting Positano: the town is essentially split into two completely different areas.

The upper town is where you’ll find the winding roads, the iconic cliffside views, the boutique shops, the restaurants, and the famous Instagram-worthy architecture.

The lower town is the beach area (more on that in the next section!).

To get to the upper town from the ferry dock, there’s a staircase + winding road (called Via Trara Genoino) on the left side of Positano that brings you up to Viale Pasitea — the main road that runs along the cliffside town.

Once you’re on Viale Pasitea, you can walk along the winding path to the right side of Positano to get those iconic views you’ve seen all over Instagram (like below!).

The walk from left to right is mostly downhill, which is a nice bonus! (Btw: Wear comfortable shoes!!)

If you’re not staying overnight in Positano like us, I do recommend doing an afternoon/evening here to see what all the hype is about (walk the winding roads, grab drinks + dinner, and soak in the views). This is what we did!

Places like Delicatessen SNC (a ceramic shop) are becoming an Instagram landmark because of the perfect views from their balcony, but there are tons of places to stop along the way without having to wait in line.

For drinks, Franco’s Bar is a beloved spot with panoramic views of the sea. No reservations here, so try to arrive right when they open!

Another option is Il Tridente, arguably the most popular restaurant in Positano. Reservations open only two weeks in advance and go extremely fast, so set a reminder and log on the moment they open.

We booked a table at their cocktail bar instead of dinner and had a private little table right on the terrace with the most incredible sunset views!

Ristorante al Miramare is where we had dinner after Il Tridente, and I’m so glad we ate here! It was so quiet and intimate compared to Il Tridente, with sprawling ocean views!

Each table has big windows in front of them that can be opened, giving you incredible views of the Positano cliffside all lit up at night with the yachts in the harbor below.

And the food was amazing – we had burrata, tuna tartare, truffle zucchini pasta, and tiramisu. I’m still dreaming about it!

Note on getting back to Sorrento: the last ferry from Positano runs around 7 PM, so if you’re doing dinner, your options are the bus or a private transfer. We splurged on a private transfer with Sorrento Taxis (recommended by our hotel) and it was 100% worth not stressing about the bus at 10 PM after a long day.

4. Visit Positano’s Beach or a Beach Club

While the upper part of Positano is where the majority of hotels, restaurants, and views are, the lower part is still worth exploring too! This is where you’ll arrive via ferry, with the colorful cliffside towering above you.

Spiaggia Grande is Positano’s main beach that you’ve no doubt seen many photos of.

The beach has a very small free section alongside several beach clubs. The most popular is the one with the blue and white umbrellas: L’Incanto Beach Club.

You can rent chairs and an umbrella here for a small fortune if you have a full day to spend at the beach! (For more information on the beach clubs of Positano, check out this post from Christie Kanani!).

We only had an hour-ish here on our boat tour, so we just headed to the Ocean Bar (part of L’Incanto Beach Club) to sit and admire the views (and pay wayyy too much for a limoncello spritz – worth it!).

There are other restaurants and shops around this area (like the Instagram-famous Ché Black) as well as places to grab a lemon sorbet!!

My advice: Positano has a lot to offer, but it’s a small place and the two sides of town require some effort to get between (aka lots of stairs). If you only have a few hours in Positano, decide in advance whether you want to prioritize the beach experience or the upper town experience. If you’re doing an evening visit for dinner (like we did), focus on the upper town. If you have a full day to spare, do the beach (or both!).

5. Day Trip to Capri

Before our trip, Capri was honestly the day I was least excited about. I’d read mixed reviews online, and it seemed like it could be overcrowded and overrated!

Naturally, it ended up being one of my favorite days of the entire trip!! In fact, next time I visit this part of Italy, I would definitely stay overnight in Capri to see even more.

But if you’re like me, you’re probably planning a day trip to Capri during your time on the Amalfi Coast.

And the key to a great Capri day is taking the earliest ferry possible, heading straight to Anacapri first (not Capri town), and taking taxis instead of buses!

Some people opt for a boat tour to Capri, but we decided to do a self-guided tour of the island via ferry from Sorrento.

Highlights of our day:

• Mount Solaro chairlift — a 20-minute ride above orchards and rooftops with views of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius in the background. Coffee and lemon cake at the top plus more insane views of the island!
• Lunch at Scuie Scuie in Anacapri — lemon ravioli and lemon slushies, one of the best meals of the whole trip
• Gardens of Augustus — just €3, incredible coastal views, and a sneak peek at the iconic Via Krupp switchbacks below
• Marina Piccola beach — my absolute favorite beach of the entire trip (see below!)

I have a full post breaking down exactly how to do this day trip to Capri! If Capri is on your list, go read that before you plan anything!

6. Swim at Marina Piccola, Capri

I could have combined this with the Capri day trip above, but Marina Piccola deserves its own moment because it was one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to!!

To get there, you can either hike or take a bus/taxi from Capri town (the central area of Capri).

If you decide to hike, you’ll exit the Gardens of Augustus and follow the signs for Via Krupp — the famous paved footpath with iconic hairpin switchbacks that zigzag down the side of the island to the sea.

It’s steep going down but not difficult, and the views from the path are absolutely insane. Allow about 20 minutes for the descent. (You can also take a taxi or bus from Capri town to save the steps).

When you arrive at Marina Piccola beach, you’ll find two sections of rocky beach divided by a small café and shops. We went to the right side, but the left side has a cool natural rock archway and was slightly less crowded, so worth checking out both!

The water is the most gorgeous shade of turquoise blue, and there are rock formations to jump off of if that’s your sort of thing.

There’s also a small café right off the beach serving beers, snacks, and a mango smoothie that I highly recommend.

If you have more than a few hours and want a lounge chair and umbrella, the Bagni beach club rents them for around €30!

7. Visit Villa Rufolo Gardens, Ravello

Ravello is a hilltop town perched above the town of Amalfi that most people either don’t know about or don’t think to visit, and that’s exactly why you should go!

The town itself is very quiet and a world away from the crowds you’ll find in Positano and Amalfi. It’s not accessible by boat, so you’ll need to drive up from Amalfi (about a 15-minute drive up through the hills).

We visited Ravello as part of our Amalfi coast boat tour and had about an hour here, which was definitely not enough to see all this town has to offer! But, we were able to scratch the surface.

The main thing to do in Ravello is visit Villa Rufolo, a 13th-century villa with terraced clifftop gardens overlooking the sea.

Entry is €8 and absolutely worth it!!

The gardens are stunning, with colorful flowers, ancient stone architecture, and jaw-dropping views of the Amalfi coastline with boats dotting the water below.

8. Go Ceramics Shopping in Ravello

Ravello is famous for its ceramics, so if you’re looking for a meaningful souvenir to bring home from the Amalfi Coast, this is where to find it!

Our tour guide pointed us toward Ceramiche Cosmolena, which is a beautiful family-run shop with a huge range of hand-painted ceramics, everything from kitchenware to decor and more.

Of course, a lot of them are yellow, blue, or lemon-themed, but they had plenty of other varieties too!

After browsing for a while and selecting our souvenirs, we had a limoncello spritz (my first second of the trip!!) and a Greek-style salad with fresh feta, olives, and olive oil at their outdoor patio. Sooo yummy!

Much more satisfying than a fridge magnet from a tourist shop in Amalfi!

9. Half Day Trip to Pompeii

Before our trip to Italy, I was iffy on whether or not I wanted to visit Pompeii, but I am SO glad we did!!

The ruins of Pompeii absolutely blew me (and my husband) away, so I definitely recommend adding it to your itinerary if you can.

Luckily, if you are staying in Sorrento, it’s super easy to get to Pompeii! (Another reason to stay in Sorrento over the actual Amalfi Coast).

The Circumvesuviana commuter train runs directly from Sorrento to the Pompei Scavi station in about 30 minutes, and tickets cost less than €3. The entrance to the ruins is literally a 2-minute walk from the train station.

(If you are staying on the Amalfi Coast, you can still visit Pompeii too, it just will take a bit longer!).

The one thing I’d strongly recommend is booking a guided tour of Pompeii.

Pompeii is absolutely massive (like way bigger than I expected). It would take several days to fully explore each part of it!

And without a guide, it’s hard to understand what you’re looking at when you’re there. Our tour guide brought the city to life in a way that walking around with a map never could have!!

Highlights from our guided tour included:

• The Forum — the main center of ancient Pompeii, with the Temple of Jupiter and views of Vesuvius
• Plaster body casts at the Macellum — haunting and unforgettable
• The bath houses, complete with explanations of how the heating systems worked
• The brothel, which has paintings on the walls and tiny concrete beds for… you get it.
• The theaters, the largest of which held up to 20,000 people! Felt like Gladiator
• The Women of Pompeii exhibit in the gladiator barracks

We personally booked this 2-hour tour which was perfect for us! We got the lay of the land with the tour guide and saw the most important areas, and then she gave us recommendations for how to spend the rest of our morning there.

One important travel tip: give yourself plenty of wiggle room for the return journey. Delays are common for the train journey back to Sorrento from Pompeii, so give yourself plenty of buffer time in between if you have something planned after Pompeii!

🏛️ Make sure to check out my Pompeii day trip guide where I cover our full Pompeii experience in detail!

10. Visit the Amalfi Cathedral

The Duomo of Sant’Andrea (aka St. Andrew’s Cathedral) is the most iconic landmark in the town of Amalfi, and worth more than just admiring from below!

The cathedral sits right in the main square of Amalfi, known as Piazza del Duomo, at the top of a grand staircase (which reminded me of the steps in Dubrovnik from Game of Thrones).

It’s dramatic and beautiful but also covered in people trying to get the perfect shot.

Don’t just admire the cathedral from the steps though! It’s definitely worth going inside. Entry is just a few euro and includes:

• The main interior of the cathedral with its stunning altar
• A beautiful garden courtyard with colonnades, arches, and a palm tree in the center
• The crypt below

I’d allow yourself about an hour to explore the Cathedral fully!

11. Swim at Mandingo Beach in Amalfi

Right when you arrive in Amalfi by boat, you’re greeted with towering views of the colorful cliffside and a picture-perfect European beach below it.

This is Mandingo Beach, and one of the most beautiful we saw during our time on the Amalfi Coast! (I’m really a sucker for colorful umbrellas and turquoise water).

There’s a free section of the beach near the rocks, as well as several beach clubs (hence the umbrellas) . After grabbing our lemon sorbet, we went straight to the free side to cool off before jumping back on our boat tour!

This beach was absolutely packed when we visited (a lot of families), but still plenty of room to swim and enjoy the dreamy postcard views.

12. Take a Cooking Class in Sorrento

You really can’t visit Italy and not take a cooking class.. I mean you CAN, but what the heck is the point of that?

This was one of my absolute favorite experiences of the entire trip, because who doesn’t love fresh cooked pasta and unlimited wine?

We booked this pasta cooking class with Tirabusciò Sorrento, a locally-owned cooking school in the hills above Sorrento. The class includes round-trip transportation from the center of Sorrento to their garden kitchen!

After arriving, we started the class with wine and a live mozzarella-making demonstration. Our instructor explained the whole process including “the magic water”, and then let us taste all of their different olive oils with fresh bread and the mozzarella.

Then it was time to cook! We made:

• Eggplant parmigiana — including frying the eggplant ourselves (fun fact: you never fry in olive oil in Italian cooking, it’s too heavy. Use sunflower or vegetable oil!)
• Fresh pasta — both ravioli and spaghetti!! I was shocked by how much you have to knead pasta dough.. like, until your hands are cramping. But the results were incredible!!!

We ate everything we made with more wine, and then finished off the class with fresh tiramisu – the best I’ve ever had!!

I’d highly recommend this cooking class to anyone visiting Sorrento!! 🍝

13. Try All the Limoncello Spritzes and Lemon Sorbets

Less of a single activity and more of a daily ritual you should fully embrace while you’re on the Amalfi Coast is the lemon culture 🍋

The Amalfi Coast is known for its giant lemons (called Sfusato Amalfitano), which are significantly larger than normal lemons!! These are what’s used to make limoncello, which originated in this area!

These lemons even have an IGP status, which is an EU certification that guarantees that at least one phase of the production happens in a specific region.

Not only will you find the actual lemons everywhere along the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, but also tons of different foods that utilize the lemons. In fact, our favorite meal from the trip was a heavenly lemon ravioli in Anacapri!!

The lemon theme extends beyond just food – you’ll find lemon-inspired ceramics, souvenirs, kitchenware, dresses, literally everything you can imagine.

My two favorite lemon specialities besides the lemon ravioli were limoncello spritzes and lemon sorbet.

A limoncello spritz is the local spin on the classic Aperol spritz — same idea, but with limoncello instead of Aperol. It is so refreshing, especially in the Italian summer heat!

I had my first one at Fauno Bar in Sorrento’s main piazza on our very first evening and was immediately converted. After that, I had them in Positano, in Ravello, pretty much everywhere we stopped… lol.

But the most famous lemon speciality is lemon sorbet because it’s served inside a hollowed-out lemon and makes for a great photo op (also great on a hot day).

We had our first one in Amalfi after visiting the cathedral and exploring the town, and even though it felt a tad overpriced, it was sooo yummy and refreshing!!!

14. Visit Regina Giovanna’s Baths in Sorrento

Regina Giovanna’s Baths is the ruins of an ancient Roman villa just outside Sorrento, with a natural protected seawater pool and several cliff jumping spots along the shoreline.

It’s a popular spot with locals who hike out there, which gives it a much more authentic feel than the more touristy beaches elsewhere on the coast.

You can get there by hiking from Sorrento (about 2.5 miles) or by catching a local bus.

We passed by it on our boat tour, but sadly didn’t have time to squeeze it into our already action-packed itinerary!

I will definitely be doing this on our next visit, but hopefully you can make time for it on your trip.

15. Dinner at Marina Grande, Sorrento

The perfect way to end a day in Sorrento is by visiting Marina Grande for a sunset dinner.

Marina Grande is a small port area in Sorrento that feels completely different from the busier tourist center of town.

To get there from the center of Sorrento, head down Via Marina Grande! Right as you make your way around the bend, there’s a great look out over the marina to watch the sunset.

After that, continue down to the end of the road until you reach the marina, where you’ll find a row of seafood restaurants right on the water.

We had planned to eat at Porta Marina Seafood based on a recommendation, but there was a long wait, so we pivoted to the restaurant right next to it (Trattoria da Emilia).

We got to sit right on the water and enjoy a bottle of their house wine and the best seafood pasta of my life!! All while a band played Italian music. It was a core memory for sure!! And a nice change of pace from the busy streets of the Amalfi Coast.

Final Thoughts

Despite the insane crowds, the Amalfi Coast is one of those rare places that does actually live up to the Instagram hype!

Honestly, the hardest part is that there is SO much to do and see, and depending on how much time you have, it can be hard to fit everything into your itinerary.

If you’re short on time and need my top recommendations, I highly recommend a boat tour around the coast and a cooking class as the bare minimum.

But if you have more time, adding day trips to Pompeii (half day) and Capri (full day) are absolutely worth it!

You can read my detailed guides on all 4 of these activities below:

• 🚢 Boat Tour Along the Amalfi Coast (coming soon!)
• 🍋 Day Trip to Capri from Sorrento
• 🏛️ Half Day in Pompeii (coming soon!)
• 🍝 Cooking Class in Sorrento (coming soon!)