Amalfi Coast Travel Guide (+ Tips for Traveling with Kids)

The Amalfi Coast was the last stop of my Italy summer vacation. It was also my favorite! After being non-stop for a week visiting Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Pompeii, it was nice to just sit back and relax. This is one of the reasons I purposely left it for last. Here are a few tips to help you plan your own trip to the Amalfi Coast.

How to get there: After visiting Rome we took a train from Rome to Naples and then had a private driver meet us at the train station to take us to our hotel in Sorrento.  It was probably a 40 minute drive, however we did stop for three hours to visit Pompeii. I booked the driver at least three weeks in advance through Your Italy DMC (they were great!).

Quick Tip: If you are traveling with children, I highly recommend hiring a private driver as oppose to taking a bus. I read a few things on Trip Advisor about pick pocketing at the bus stations, plus it’s a hassle if you’re traveling with luggages, strollers…etc. It’s well worth the money.

Where to stay: Essentially when people visit the Amalfi Coast they typically stay in Positano or Sorrento. These two locations are perfect for island hopping. I was originally planning on staying in Positano, but all the hotels were sold out (I traveled in July). Many Europeans take their annual holidays in mid-summer and head to the Amalfi Coast, so things can sell out pretty quickly. I finally got lucky and a hotel opened up in Sorrento.

I actually enjoyed staying in Sorrento over Positano, mainly because I was traveling with my four year-old and Positano has so many stairs it would have made it such a mission going up and down with a stroller or even having him walk. I loved walking the streets of Sorrento (for the most part it’s all flat) and not to mention I loved admiring all the lemon trees. 

Planning day trips: 

Capri 
After arriving to Sorrento in the afternoon, we used that day to relax and head to the beach. The next day I planned a day trip to Capri. I recommend you get there early (around 10AM). I booked a private boat through my hotel, which was perfect (especially if you want to take tons of pictures and don’t want other people staring at you haha). You can also book a semi-private boat if you’d prefer. Our boat driver made a few stops so we could take pictures, go snorkeling (the water was AMAZING) and we also went inside the Blue Grotto. The Grotto (a natural sea cave) was so much fun and the water is an azure blue, which was stunning!

The boats basically parks outside the cave opening and you have these smaller wooden row boats that pick you up to take you inside the Grotto. The entrance to the cave is so tight you have to lay on your back in the rowboat to get inside. There’s typically a separate fee to go inside the Blue Grotto, not covered in the boat tour price (unless they tell you it is).

Positano
On our third day, we booked a private driver (we used Your Italy DMC again) to take us to Positano. We were originally planning to visit Positano, Ravello and Amalfi, but the streets to Ravello and Amalfi were closed so we ended up just visiting Positano. Looking back, adding the others would have been too ambitious and I'm glad we were able to dedicate a day to Positano.

Positano was absolutely gorgeous. There really are no words to describe this place. The pictures you see on Instagram don't do it justice. I loved seeing the rows and rows of orange umbrellas alongside the colorful homes on the cliffs.

Spiaggia Grande is the name of the beach we visited and one of the most popular ones in Positano. It's a bit pricey though--about 20 euros per person (this will get you inside as well as get you a chair and umbrella).

After lounging on the beach, we headed to grab lunch at Chez Black. They had one of the yummiest pizzas I had in Italy. Then we walked around and visited some shops.


Quick Tip: The beach is made up of stones, which can get pretty hot. So if you're traveling with little ones make sure you bring them some reef shoes (and maybe some for yourself too!)

Sorrento
We spent another two days in Sorrento before heading back home to Miami. My favorite was Leonelli's beach (it's more of a lagoon).  I highly recommend this one for families and kids. It's one of the few places you can actually get a sunbed on the sand along the coast. The other ones are on a platform and you have to go down a few steps to go inside the water.

Other helpful quick tips: 

Don't forget to pick up a bottle of Limoncello in Sorrento. It's a sweet, Italian lemon liquor and makes a great souvenir.

For my fashion lovers, you must get yourself a pair of leather sandals. Artisans make them on the spot! You'll find better deals in Sorrento as oppose to buying them in Positano.

Overall, visiting the Amalfi Coast is an experience I'll never forget. I can't wait to go back. Hope this was helpful. I'll be sharing more Italy travel guides in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here's a link to my entire Italy itinerary.

Happy travels!