Where to stay in the Amalfi Coast – The best towns & Hotels

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Are you planning a trip to Italy and want to know where to stay in the Amalfi Coast?

We have visited the Amalfi Coast twice in recent years and it is clear to see why it is one of Europe’s most attractive destinations. The Amalfi Coast has great weather, great food, great scenery and lots of day trip options to make your holiday varied and exciting throughout your visit. Choosing where to stay in the Amalfi Coast will have a big impact on your stay overall. From getting to the airport, to day trip transport and choosing where to visit, your base will play an important role.

There are numerous great options for choosing where to stay in the Amalfi Coast. With 13 towns lining the region, selecting a base can be overwhelming. Rather than taking you through all of the options, this guide will break down our top 3, including why stay there, things to do and hotel & restaurant recommendations. We will also include the pros and cons of staying in each location to help you make the best choice for your stay in the Amalfi Coast.

How to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples Airport

Where you choose to stay in the Amalfi Coast will ultimately determine the best way to get there. For the most part, we would recommend one of two options. If you stay in Sorrento, take the bus – it’s quick, comfortable and the drive has incredible views along the way.

Bus

The bus from Naples to Sorrento is run by Curreri Viaggi and is the easiest way to get to Sorrento from Naples Airport. The journey takes around 90 minutes total and costs €13pp for a return ticket. The bus can be a little bit tricky to find when you leave the terminal but you can get instructions here. This journey also has some stunning views of the coast, as well as phone charging ports on board. You can get tickets for this bus service here.

When you reach Sorrento, you can get an additional bus to one of the other towns in the region, depending on where you choose to stay.

Ferry

Alternatively, a great way to get a first impression of the region is to travel to Sorrento/Positano/Amalfi by Ferry. The ferry port in Naples

There are two main operators of ferries for this route, Lucibello, which has a high speed ferry that takes around an hour and NGL, whose options typically take 1.5 hours.

Prices for the ferries vary based on the demand and time of the year but usually cost around €30pp each way. The Positano Jet services numerous other options throughout the coast including ferries to Capri so you will likely use their ferries at some point on your trip.

Where to stay in the amalfi coast

Sorrento

Perhaps controversially, our top recommendation for where to stay in the Amalfi Coast isn’t actually part of the coast itself. For us, Sorrento is the best place to use as a base for exploring the Amalfi Coast, offering the chance to access North & South easily. Sorrento is also a great town in its own right, with lots of things to do throughout the day, as well as being a great base for day trips.

If you do plan to stay in Sorrento, make sure to read our guide to spending 3 days in Sorrento to help you plan your itinerary.

Why stay in Sorrento

Accessibility & Location

Sorrento is the easiest place to reach in this area from Naples Airport, which is a big selling point for us. You can get here by a direct bus from the airport or you can also take the ferry from Naples port.

As a result of that, Sorrento offers great flexibility for exploring the region in every direction. You can go North as far as Rome in around 3 hours by car. You can easily reach the ruins of Pompeii in less than one hour, there is a direct ferry to Capri and buses that take you through the towns South as well.

Size

Sorrento is larger than some of the other options in this region, meaning it doesn’t quite feel as crowded as Positano for example. That being said, many of the streets are quite narrow so you will certainly feel crowded as you walk along the shops etc. throughout the town.

Because Sorrento is a bit larger you have the benefit of a much wider range of bars, restaurants and hotels to choose from. Again, this will make it less stressful to get a table etc. and we found restaurants, bars and hotels in Sorrento to be more affordable than the likes of Positano.

Why you shouldn’t stay in Sorrento

While we think Sorrento is the best option for staying in the Amalfi Coast, it does come with some drawbacks.

Location

Sorrento’s location is both a positive and a negative for exploring this region. Because Sorrento is an entry point to the Amalfi Coast, all of your other stops are further South meaning it can be a bit more difficult to reach some of the more Southerly locations like Salerno, particularly if you are relying on public transport. That being said, it is still completely manageable with good planning so this isn’t a major drawback.

Transport

That brings us to the next drawback – transport. The Amalfi Coast is very popular and it’s dramatic clifftop coastline means that many visitors are not comfortable driving the roads there. For example, as you enter Positano from Sorrento, the road bends and narrows a lot, meaning, if you meet a bus, some gymnastic style reversing may be required.

As a result, most people visiting will use public transport to get around, namely the buses. The buses run frequently, they are cheap and you can enjoy some unbelievable views along the way. However, they are busy, really busy, meaning you need to arrive early, have your ticket and hope for a seat. We visited before we had our first child so we found it manageable but if we were visiting with our child today, this option could be very difficult.

Other than that, Sorrento is a beautiful place to visit in its own right, gives you loads of options for day trips and can be more affordable than the likes of Positano. With that in mind, we always prefer to choose a hotel in Sorrento as our base for the Amalfi Coast.

Positano

Positano is the most renowned destination to stay at in the Amalfi Coast, and has become one of the most popular locations in Europe.

Why stay in Positano?

When you think of the Amalfi Coast, it’s the image of the pastel houses built into the mountain that immediately springs to mind. Positano is the Amalfi Coast’s most iconic destination, possibly it’s most beautiful and definitely its busiest. We think stays in Positano are perfect for shorter stays, definitely suitable for honeymoons and romantic stays and also for those wanting a quintessential luxury bucket list stay in the Amalfi Coast. If you plan to visit Positano, don’t forget to use our full one day Positano itinerary to help you get the most out of your trip.

Luxury

A stay in Positano screams luxury and that is why it has become increasingly popular for romantic holidays, honeymoons and luxury stays. If you are visiting the Amalfi Coast on a bucket list/one off holiday for a special occasion it is hard to look beyond Positano as the signature place to stay in the Amalfi Coast. Equally, if you are only planning to visit for a few days and don’t necessarily want to see everywhere in the region, Positano is probably the best option for your trip.

Location

Positano is at the heart of the Amalfi Coast and choosing a hotel in Positano will give you great access to day trips in every direction. Equally, with much of the accommodation here perched into the mountains overlooking the sea, a stay in Positano means you are guaranteed to enjoy some of the most incredible views in Europe. Being able to sit at a nice restaurant at sunset, looking out at the sea is enough to sell a stay in Positano to almost anyone and will make your trip truly memorable.

Why you shouldn’t stay in Positano?

Overcrowding

While Positano is an incredible place, it is quite compact and with that, the crowds are much more noticeable. Positano has a population of around 4,000 people but attracts up to 12,000 visitors per day meaning overcrowding has become a growing concern. The streets in Positano are quite narrow and the beach areas are relatively small, meaning space is at a premium. I don’t know about you but when the temperatures are high in mid summer, the one thing that kills a relaxing holiday for me is constantly navigating through crowded streets.

Cost

As Positano is the most renowned location in the region, it comes with a cost to match that status. The sense of exclusivity attached to Positano often creates a spike in prices that may be considered too much for a lot of visitors. When you visit Positano from another town in the region it is easy to feel like you are missing out by not staying there. But in our experience, it is better to stay outside of Positano and have easy access to it to strike the best balance for your trip to the Amalfi Coast overall.

Hills

Another big consideration when it comes to staying in Positano, is that it is hilly. If you choose a hotel in Positano that is built into the hills, it will require walking up/down hills to get around and this will not be suitable for anyone with accessibility issues or prams.

Where to stay in Positano?

Hotels in Positano are notoriously expensive and come with a premium due to exclusivity of the area. The hotels in Positano recommended below are based on off peak prices (excluding June-August) but prices can be much more depending on when you intend to visit.

AMALFI

If you are looking for a great all round place to stay on the Amalfi Coast, then the charming town of Amalfi is the one for you.

Why stay in Amalfi?

While choosing a hotel in Amalfi will give you many of the same great benefits as the other locations, it doesn’t come with the same cost. You can get great hotels in Amalfi like this one for much less than you would typically expect to pay in Positano or Sorrento without losing any quality.

Amalfi is also really beautiful in its own right and has a flatter terrain than some of the other towns in the region, making it a more walkable option overall. Amalfi is located in the centre of the coast, making it a great base for day trips to Positano, Capri, Ravello and Maiori.

Amalfi also has one of the nicest (and largest) beaches on the Amalfi Coast, which is a big selling point over Positano and Sorrento. Overall, Amalfi offers a more relaxed feel without losing any of the scenery you come to expect with the Amalfi Coast.

Why you shouldn’t stay in Amalfi?

Unless you plan to rent a car and drive directly to Amalfi from Naples airport, it is a little bit harder to get to than the other two options.

If you plan to stay in Amalfi or further down the coast, we would recommend renting a car (if you feel comfortable driving) but as we mentioned, the roads here are not for the faint hearted. Amalfi is also much further away from the likes of Pompeii and Capri so it isn’t necessarily the best option for visiting those locations.