Amalfi Coast Guide
View from my Airbnb in Praiano, Italy at night
How to get to Amalfi Coast from Naples, Italy
When my girlfriends and I decided to go to the Amalfi Coast for my birthday- this was a bucket list place for me for so long. When COVID hit, we had to put our plans on hold, but that didn’t stop us from having the experience of a lifetime! Because our plans got put to a stop- we had two years to plan, and did much needed research (so you don’t have to) !
First, the Naples International airport (NAP) is by far the easiest airport to fly into if you want to stay on the Amalfi coast, and the most accessible for anyone in the United States. Since I flew there, they have opened another airport right on the coast; however, this one is more expensive and tends to have less airlines fly in and out of it. This one is called Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport (QSR). If you were already in Italy and needed to get to the coast, this might be the better option for you.
(Image credit to Aeroporto Internazionale di Napoli)
Leaving the airport in Naples, you have a few options for transportation. You can take the bus, taxi, train, or private car service. One of the things I love most about Italy is the abundance of transportation choices. We opted to find a taxi once we left the airport, and typically you can haggle and bargain your way into the price you want to pay (just make sure to stay firm!). We stayed one night in Naples so we could get some much needed rest after our long flight, and be fresh and ready to leave the next day to head to the coast.
Where to stay in Naples, Italy
For us we opted to use airbnb’s over hotel stays. We felt it gave us more flexibility and more comfort (plus we were splitting it three ways so that helped). We stayed in an area called Porto. We chose this area because of how easily accessible it was by foot, and train. The apartment itself was charming in an old buidling dating back to the 1400s and had everything we needed to accomodate three restless girls. We felt very self with the self check in process (they had one lock box for the building key, as well as one for the main door to our apartment). It had a king bed, a single bed, a small kitchenette, bathroom of course (yay bidets!) and it was on the ground floor (mind you everything in Italy is old, so be prepared for stairs, and lots of walking). Our host’s name was Carlo and he was SOOOO welcoming, friendly and helpful! The next day when we were about to head out on our coastal adventure, he made sure to show us the best cafe nearby and made sure to buy each of us an espresso or cappucino (can’t beat the italian hospitality)!
Click here to see the airbnb we stayed at in Naples, ITALY!
Transportation Dos and Donts
And just like that- we were off to the AMALFI COAST! We walked to the nearby train station Duomo and made sure to book our tickets ahead of time so we didn’t have to hassle with waiting in line to buy tickets and possibly miss our train. We used the app called Trenitalia and this easily suited all our needs for train ticket purchases for the duration of our trip. You could also rely on trusty ol’ Google, but you will have to navigate to download apps for the different trains anyway. The stations can be hard to navigate (most if not all signage are written in Italian) so if you struggle with languages, or are pressed for time, I highly suggest arriving early to give yourself enough time to find which platform you need to be at to catch your train.
(image credit to Candice Criscione- “Mom in Italy”)
Key Tips:
Follow the Binario (Platform): The departure boards (departures/partenze) show the time, train number, and destination. Platforms post about 10–15 minutes prior, so don’t panic if you can’t see it right away!
Focus on Train Numbers, Not Cities: Trains are listed by their final destination, which may not be your stop. Use the specific train number on your ticket to locate the correct binario (track/platform).
Locate Your Carriage (Carrozza): Fast trains (Frecciarossa, Italo) have screens on the platform that show exactly where your carriage will stop, preventing you from walking the entire length of the platform.
Validate Tickets: For regional trains, you must validate physical tickets in the green or yellow machines before boarding to avoid fines.
Language tips/tricks: Partenze = Departures, Arrivi = Arrivals, Binario = Platform.
Once we knew how to navigate the trains- it became much easier! Pompeii was one of our bucket list places, so we took the train from Naples, to Pompeii (I’ll cover Pompeii in a separate post). From Pompeii, we scheduled a private car service that was recommended to us by our Airbnb host in Praiano, and had him pick us up nearby and take us to our Airbnb in Praiano. If train is your only option, depending on which side of the coast you’re staying on, you can take a train from Naples to Sorrento (west side) or Naples to Salerno (east side). Sorrento will get you closer to places like Positano and Praiano, where as the latter will get you closer to Minori, Maiori, and Amalfi. Just remember, after the train station, you will still have to find a way to your airbnb or hotel and transportation at this point is very scarce and limited (unless you book a private car service in advance). We unfortunately had nothing but bad experiencs with the bus system on the coast. They are 99% of the time late, and you’re left standing, wondering where the bus is (over an hour later). Take it from me- you’re better off walking than taking the bus.
Download whatsapp and contact Marco for your private car service!
Where to stay in Amalfi Coast Italy
Praiano Italy is a STUNNING, central location. From here you can easily get to Amalfi, Maiori, Positano, Sorrento, Salerno, Capri, etc and there’s nothing short of options on food, drinks, and activities like boat tours or taking a ferry to one of the surrounding areas. We stayed at one of the best airbnb’s I’ve ever seen in my life, with a fairy tale like view of the Coasta Amalfitana (Tyrrhenian Sea). Our airbnb had a private balcony, outdoor shower, separate bedrooms, a big enough kitchen to cook all the meals we wanted (to save some money), and was within walking distance to everything!
Praiano, Italy Airbnb
Experiences to do on the Coasta Amalfitana
Boat Tour
One of my favorite parts of our entire adventure was experiencing a boat tour of the Amalfi Coast. We booked it last minute (which was a breeze), and since we knew we couldn’t rely on the bus system, we walked from our airbnb and met up at the port. On our way, we stumbled upon this really fun, art walkway. It was made of stone (took the fastest path via Google Maps), and this artist was REALLY renowned for creating this sea, coastal art out of ceramics and it lined our entire path all the way to where the port was located. Once there, there were a couple restaurants you could sit and wait at to grab a bite to eat or have a drink, but we barely had phone reception, so I’d highly suggest making sure you know exactly where you need to be to meet the boat tour company you schedule with. Turns out- who knew two years later, I’d be getting engaged to our boat captain (if you’d like to know the story write me and I’ll tell you)!!!!
Click here to schedule your Amalfi Coast Boat Tour!
Ferry to Capri and chair lift to the top of Anacapri
Given that Capri is so close, we knew we HAD to take a ferry and pop over for a visit. We unfortunately didn’t have a ton of time to do the blue grotto, but we did take the nearest ferry out of Positano and made a day out of it! Positano is beautiful, but VERY expensive, overcrowded and was more of a tourist trap than anything. We took a bus from Praiano (yes- the bus I know, but it was our only option at the time), and had it drop us off at the nearest place we could in Positano. The streets are lined with soooo many tourists, that we honestly wanted to get out of there as fast as we could. We probably walked around and explored for about two hours, and then made way to the ferry. The ferry ride there was about one hour. It was very relaxing and could be easily navigated, via Google Maps, and you can buy tickets at ticket stand right there, or on your phone. We had about three hours on the island and our main objective was to reach to the top of Anacapri. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, and hailed a cab and ventured off to the chair lift that would soon take us to the top of Anacapri.
