Amalfi in 5 Days: everything you need to know

Visiting Amalfi in five days gives you the opportunity to visit places you will fall in love with and want to return to. As the Amalfi Coast is so extensive, in this five-day itinerary I am going to tell you some of the best things to see and do in Amalfi and the other towns along the coast.

During almost a week of travel you will not only get to know the historic center of the city, but you will also get to see incredible places that are located very close to Amalfi, among them: Positano, Salerno, Sorrento, Capri and many other places that hold incredible stories and where you can enjoy a lot of sun.

During this first day in the town of Amalfi you will be able to get to know the whole place, as well as have the opportunity to taste some of the delicacies of the Amalfi gastronomy. The first day will start very early in the morning, assuming you arrived the night before, and the best thing to do on this first day is to sign up for one of the best tours of Amalfi.

To start the day off right I recommend you try some typical Amalfi dishes before touring the town, and for that you have several options in town, including Bottega Del Ferrari, Rua Pizze E Delizie, Hostaria Ristorante da Gemma, or Gelateria Pasticceria Buonocore. In each of them you will enjoy croissants and other specialties.

Piazza Duomo

After eating a hearty breakfast, you will start your day by visiting Piazza Duomo, also known as Cathedral Square. This is a bustling esplanade leading from Via Lorenzo, which is also considered to be Amalfi's main road artery. You will go to the square around 9:00 and not stay there for more than an hour, or maybe an hour and a half.

It is an important place to visit in Amalfi because it houses the Cathedral of Amalfi, a place you will go right after touring the square. Also, if after touring the town all day, you still feel like experiencing Amalfi's nightlife, Piazza Duomo is the perfect place for that.

St. Andrew's Cathedral

Just inside Piazza Duomo is the next place you will visit in this itinerary, which is none other than the Cathedral of St. Andrew of Amalfi. It is an architectural complex that houses hundreds of years of history, since the building was built in the ninth century to keep inside the remains of St. Andrew the Apostle.

You will love to see inside the place, numerous works of art such as medieval frescoes and a Romanesque style crypt. The cathedral is one of those places you have to visit even on your Amalfi itinerary in 2 days or less. It is open to the public every day between 9:00 and 17:00, but in this case, you are going to enter it around 10:00 and stay at least two hours, to leave at 12:00.

Lunch

Leaving the Cathedral of San Andrés you will have time to have some lunch before continuing your tour. In this regard, there are some restaurants you can visit to taste good Italian cuisine. Among the places you can visit to eat good Italian food is L'Antica Trattoria Restaurant, which is very close to the cathedral.

There are also other options you can try such as Ristorante da Emilia, Ristorante Pizzeria da Gemma and Ristorante Maruzzella. In each of them you can find high quality Italian home cooking, which will leave you wanting to sign up for some of the best cooking classes in Amalfi.

Excursion to Torre dello Ziro

After recharging your batteries with a good lunch, it's time to set off on an excursion to the Torre dello Ziro, which is sure to be a unique experience. To the excursion you are going to leave around 13:00, right after lunch. Some recommendations:

• I recommend you to wear comfortable clothes suitable for walking, as well as a light jacket for cool weather and sunscreen.
• This is one of the best tours from Amalfi and you will complete it on foot along the trail route leading up to the Tower, and the price of the tour may vary according to the number of people participating. Although in general it can cost between 30 and 50 euros.
• In addition to seeing incredible landscapes during your walk along the trails, you will have the opportunity to make wonderful plans once you are at the Torre dello Ziro. The tour lasts about three hours, so you will be back in Amalfi around 16:00.

Belvedere Cemetery

After this long walk and interesting tour of the Torre dello Ziro, a slightly spooky but unmissable plan awaits you in Amalfi, and that is nothing less than going to visit the Belvedere Cemetery, where you can go to see the tombs of important figures in local history, such as the poet Errico Petrella, the musician Paolo Tosti and the sculptor Francesco Jerace.

Located in the heart of the city, right in Piazza della Repubblica, the Belvedere Cemetery is open every day between 8:00 and 18:00, so, at 16:00 when you arrive from Torre dello Ziro, it will be a good time to visit the cemetery, where you will not spend more than an hour.

Museum of the Charter

After leaving the Cemetery, you will still have the opportunity to visit one last interesting place before it closes, and that is none other than the Museo della Carta di Amalfi, which is considered one of the main attractions of the city.

-How toget there: To get there you will have to go back to the historic center, especially to the ancient Monastery of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, very close to the Cathedral of St. Andrew.

• Hours: Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 hours, so 17:00 will be the perfect time to get to know it for at least an hour. In winter the schedule may vary, so it is not a good idea to include this tour in your list of things to see and do in Amalfi in winter, because during that season it closes earlier, around 17:00.

Dinner in town

When it's time for dinner, you can find many excellent restaurants in town totry Italian and typical food of the Italian region. Among the restaurants you can find in the city are Il Teatro, Don Alfonso 1890, La Conca del Sogno, Ristorante Pizzeria Da Gemma, L'Antica Trattoria and Ristorante da Emilia.

The opening hours of each may vary, although most of them are open from 12 noon and close between 22:00 and 23:00.

Discovering Amalfi's nightlife

Amalfi's nightlife is lively and fun, so you can find a variety of bars, pubs, discos and nightclubs to choose from. You can find very good options to spend the night dancing, because most of the bars and pubs are open late and offer a varied selection of music and entertainment.

One of the best things to do in Amalfi at night is to stroll around the Piazza Duomo, where you will see many bars, restaurants and stores, where you can run into locals and also tourists looking to meet new friends.

For this second day in Amalfi, you will take the time to visit other places on the Amalfi Coast, beyond the village where you will stay on the first day. You will visit the Valle Ferreira Nature Reserve which is a good place to connect with nature and then you will visit the ruins of Pompeii.

Before starting your tour, I recommend you to have a good breakfast to have enough energy. You can have breakfast at your hotel or place of accommodation, or you can consider the possibility of having lunch in the park of the Ferreira Valley Natural Reserve, before leaving for Pompeii.

Half-day walk through the Ferreira Valley Nature Reserve

After driving for about 45 minutes from Amalfi, depending on the time of day and traffic, you will have arrived at the Valle Ferreira Nature Reserve. In case you go by public transport, it may take a little longer to get there. The nature reserve is open from Monday to Sunday between 8:00 and 17:00, so it will be a good time to arrive around 8:30.

• The space inside is quite large, so you will be able to enjoy the view of the valley with its terraces of almond trees, olive trees and vineyards. You will also be delighted to see and photograph the local flora and fauna, including a wide variety of birds and rare plant species. There are several restaurants in the area, so as soon as you arrive you can find one where you can have breakfast and enjoy typical dishes of the region.
• To enter the Ferreira Valley Nature Reserve, you will have to pay an entrance fee of about 5 euros. I recommend you to include this visit among the things to see and do in Amalfi in January, because the best season to visit it is summer. You can stay there for about four hours before continuing on to your next destination.

Evening excursion to Pompeii

Around 12:00 noon it is time to leave the Nature Reserve for the town of Pompeii, where you can take a tour on your own to see some of the most interesting places of this town that was left in ruins after the eruption of Vesuvius. You can travel by private car or public transportation. You also have the option of joining an excursion that will take you to Pompeii. However, we recommend that you book your tickets to Pompeii in advance and even hire a private guided tour of Pompeii so you don't miss anything.

If you arrive at Pompeii at lunchtime, I recommend you to take advantage of it just before starting your walking tour that can last just over three hours. In the surroundings of the city you can find a wide variety of restaurants and bars where you can enjoy the typical food of Pompeii and this Italian region.

Then you can start touring the ruins of the city, and see some of its most interesting places, including the Great Theater, the House of Mosaics, the Forum, the Villa of the Mysteries and the Amphitheater, each of them of great importance to the city in its golden age. At the archaeological site you can take a guided tour.

Around 5:00 p.m. you should be back in Amalfi, a journey of just over an hour and a half by car. Once in Amalfi you can choose whether to go back to your accommodation, or take the opportunity to get to know a bit of the city's nightlife before going to rest.

For this third day of your Amalfi tour, you will continue touring the Amalfi Coast, this time to visit interesting places such as Praiano, Positano and Ravello. You will start the day very early, arranging everything to leave for the meeting point of your excursion to Praiano, Positano and Ravello.

Breakfast will be served in Praiano. The best thing about visiting these places on an excursion is that you will also have the opportunity to visit some of the best beaches in Amalfi.

Enjoy the views of the Mediterranean from Praiano

The trip starts with a visit to Praiano, where you'll arrive around 9:00 and it won't take you long to fall in love with its cobblestone streets and views of the Mediterranean. If you go with a tour guide, he or she will show you some of the most beautiful places in the area, including the Cerullo Tower viewpoint, the Villa Cimbrone Garden, the convent of San Domenico or the promenade; if you go on your own, these are the places you should see.

In Praiano you will stay for at least three hours, to get to know every corner and photograph every place. In this town you will be able to have breakfast and walk for enough time. I recommend that you visit some of the best beaches in Praiano before you leave. Among the ones I recommend the most are: Praia Grande, Marina di Praia, and Praiano di Mezzo.

Around 12:00 you should be leaving for your next destination on this third day, which is Positano.

Photographing the narrow streets of Positano

In about 40 minutes or so, if you're driving, you'll be in Positano, the next place on your five-day Amalfi itinerary. This means that once you arrive in town, the clock should be just under 13:00.

Once you arrive in town, one of the things you can't miss is to sign up for one of the best tours of Positano. If you go on your own , you can also take this tour to see some of the most incredible places in town, including its narrow streets, colorful houses and ancient churches.

But before doing this tour, I recommend you to look for a place to eat, taking into account that the time you will arrive at this place is perfect for lunch. La Scalinatella, Ristorante Casa Mele, La Taverna del Leone, Il Tridente, Casa e Bottega, Ristorante Mirage, La Tagliata and Ristorante al Palazzo, are some of the gastronomic options available here for lunch.

Getting to know the cultural richness of Ravello

After staying for about three to three and a half hours in Positano, it's time to move on to Ravello, another of the incredible towns on the Amalfi Coast. If there is one feature you will love about Ravello, it is that it is a town with many cultural activities to discover.

Here you will stay for about three more hours, so you should arrive in this town around 17:30. From then on, you will have the whole afternoon to yourself in Ravello, where you can go to visit the famous garden of villa Rufolo, the amphitheater theater of Villa Romana and the Museo Archeologico.

After a rather entertaining three hours, it is time to return to Amalfi to rest from a long day and start a new day with full energy.

For this fourth day in Amalfi, you will get to know three jewels of the coast: Capri, Anacapri and Sorrento. Your day will start very early, around 8:00, at which time you will have breakfast either at the hotel or somewhere outside your accommodation, just before departing to the first point on your itinerary, which is none other than Capri.

After breakfast, the next thing to do is to hop on a water cab or ferry that will take you to the island of Capri in about an hour, so you will be on the island around 9:00. To find out the exact ferry schedules, I recommend you visit their official website.

Going to see the Blue Grotto and other amazing places in Capri

Once you arrive in Capri between 9:00 and 9:30, it's time to make a decision, either sign up for one of the best Capri tours, or dare to see the island on your own. In case you decide for the second option, I recommend you to stay in Capri for at least three hours to see most of the island.

The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni di Capri, Marina Grande and Marina Piccola, the Piazzetta di Capri, Monte Solaro, the Charterhouse of San Giacomo, and Villa San Michele are some of the places I recommend you to visit on your tour.

Visiting the other side of the island: Anacapri

On the other side of Capri and inside the same island is Anacapri, so you will love to take a walk around this place. The Augustus Garden, the Axel Munthe Museum, the Belvedere of Tragara, Monte Barbarossa and Castello Barbarossa are some of the places you will love to visit on your tour of this side of the island.

To enjoy the island to the fullest, I recommend staying about three hours, in addition to the three hours you will stay on the Capri side. And since on this side of the island you will surely get a little hungry because it will be lunchtime, I recommend that you try the Anacaprese gastronomy in one of its restaurants.

Among the recommendations I give you to eat in Anacapri are: Le Arcate, Due Pini Ristorante Capri, La Tablita Restaurant & Pizzeria, Ristorante Da Gelsomina, Capri Pasta, Il Geranio and La Limonaia.

Traveling to the city of Sorrento

After six hours touring the island of Capri and Anacapri, it's time to hop on a ferry or sign up for one of the best excursions from Capri to Sorrento. The trip takes about 20 minutes and usually costs about 13 euros per person.

• Upon arrival in Sorrento you can start touring the entire city on your own, where I recommend you stay at least four hours to see as many sights as possible. You also have the option to sign up for one of the best tours of Sorrento, where a guide will tell you everything you want to know about the city.
• Around 19:00 you should be back in Amalfi to enjoy a good dinner at the hotel or somewhere close to your accommodation, to rest and leave early to enjoy your last day on the Amalfi Coast.

For the last day visiting the Amalfi Coast, you can go to three amazing places: Cetra, Vietri-Sul-Mare which is known for the ceramic village, and Salerno. In each of these places you will not only see amazing sites, but you will also have the opportunity to photograph everything.

Breakfast will be in Cetara and to get from the town of Amalfi to this town, you will have to travel by car or public transportation. If you go on your own and by private car, it will probably take a little less than 25 minutes to get there. You can also take a ferry, which takes about 40 minutes from Amalfi to Cetara.

Admire the views of the Bay of Naples in Cetara

Once you are in Cetara, around 9:00, I recommend you to take your time for breakfast, in any of the restaurants in the area, where you can find a variety of Italian dishes. Right after making this obligatory stop for lunch, it is time to enjoy incredible views of the Bay of Naples and the Viceregal Tower.

After that, I recommend using the rest of your time in Cetara to wander the streets, visit the Church of San Francesco and walk along the Promenade. I also recommend you to visit the Monastery of San Salvatore and the Church of San Antonio. Of course you can not miss some of the beaches of Cetara.

Visiting the ceramic village: Vietri-Sul-Mare

After three hours of touring Cetara, you will continue your way to Vietri-Sul-Mare, famous for being listed as the ceramic village. Arriving in Vietri Sul Mare, around 12:00 or 13:00, certainly one of the first things you have to do is to visit the village of Ceramica, known for the production of Vietri ceramics.

But before embarking on this adventure, I recommend you to go for lunch to continue your tour of Vietri-Sul-Mare, and is that in this place you can find different places to eat some Italian dishes.

Once you have had lunch, it will be time to visit interesting places like the Giusso Castle, the monastery of San Salvatore or the church of San Antonio. At approximately 16:00 you should be on your way to Salerno.

Salerno

After a 20 minute drive by private car you will arrive in Salerno, where you will have the whole afternoon to get to know the city, either by joining one of the best tours of Salerno, or by going to see the city on your own.

In either case, I recommend you visit places like the Cathedral of Salerno, the Arechi Castle, the Provincial Museum of Ceramics of Vietri or the Botanical Garden. Since you will be staying here until the afternoon and evening, you will have the opportunity to visit some restaurants and cafes.

After your tour of Salerno, you have the option of staying in the city to go back home the next morning.