Amalfi in 5 Days: everything you need to know

Getting to know Amalfi in five days gives you the chance to see places you'll fall in love with and want to return to. Because the Amalfi Coast is so vast, in this five-day itinerary I'm going to tell you about 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 centre 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 will be able to enjoy a lot of sun.

During this first day in the town of Amalfi you will 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 trying 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 can enjoy croissants and other specialities.

Piazza Duomo

After a hearty breakfast, start your day with a visit to 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 stay there for no more than an hour, or maybe an hour and a half.

It is an important place to visit in Amalfi because it is home to the Amalfi Cathedral, which you will go to right after walking around the square. Also, if after walking around the town all day, you still want to experience Amalfi's nightlife, the Piazza Duomo is the perfect place to do so.

St. Andrew's Cathedral

Just inside Piazza Duomo is the next place you will visit on this itinerary, which is none other than the Cathedral of St. Andrew of Amalfi. It is an architectural complex that holds hundreds of years of history, as the building was built in the 9th century to hold the remains of St. Andrew the Apostle inside.

You'll love the numerous works of art inside, including 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 will enter at around 10:00 and stay for at least two hours, leaving 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 a few restaurants you can visit for some good Italian cuisine. Among the places you can visit for good Italian food is the L'Antica Trattoria Restaurant, which is very close to the cathedral.

There are also other options to try such as Ristorante da Emilia, Ristorante Pizzeria da Gemma and Ristorante Maruzzella. In each of these you'll find high quality, home-cooked Italian food that 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 hearty lunch, it's time to set off on an excursion to the Torre dello Ziro, which is sure to be a unique experience. You will leave for the excursion around 13:00, just after lunch. Some recommendations:

• I recommend wearing comfortable clothes suitable for walking, as well as a light jacket for cooler weather and sunscreen.
• This is one of the best tours from Amalfi and will be completed 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 taking part. In general it can cost between 30 and 50 euros.
• As well as seeing incredible scenery on 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'll 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 a visit to the Belvedere Cemetery, where you can visit 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 daily between 8am and 6pm, so 4pm when you arrive from Torre dello Ziro is a good time to visit the cemetery, where you should spend no 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 the Museo della Carta di Amalfi, which is considered one of the main attractions of the town.

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

• Opening hours: It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, so 17:00 is the perfect time to visit it for at least an hour. In winter the opening hours 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'll find plenty of excellent restaurants in the town totry Italian and local Italian food. Restaurants in the city include 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 can vary, although most of them are open from 12 noon and close between 22:00 and 23:00.

Discover the nightlife of Amalfi

Amalfi's nightlife is lively and fun, so you will find a variety of bars, pubs, discos and nightclubs to choose from. You can find great options for dancing the night away, as most 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 find many bars, restaurants and shops, where you can meet locals as well as tourists looking to make new friends.

For this second day in Amalfi, you'll take the time to visit other parts of the Amalfi Coast beyond the village you'll be staying in on the first day. You will visit the Valle Ferreira Nature Reserve, which is a great place to connect with nature, and then you will visit the ruins of Pompeii.

Before you start 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 having lunch in the park of the Ferreira Valley Nature Reserve, before leaving for Pompeii.

Half-day walk in the Ferreira Valley Nature Reserve

After driving approximately 45 minutes from Amalfi, depending on the time of day and traffic, you will have arrived at the Ferreira Valley Nature Reserve. In case you are travelling 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's a good time to arrive around 8:30.

• The space inside is quite large, so you can enjoy the view of the valley with its terraces of almond trees, olive trees and vineyards. You'll 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 Valle Ferreira Nature Reserve, you will have to pay an entrance fee of around 5 euros. I recommend including this visit among the things to see and do in Amalfi in January, because the best time to visit is in summer. You can stay here for about four hours before moving on to your next destination.

Evening excursion to Pompeii

At around 12:00 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 sites of this town that was left in ruins after the eruption of Vesuvius. You can travel by private car or public transport. 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 book a private guided tour of Pompeii so that you don't miss anything.

If you arrive in Pompeii at lunchtime, I recommend that you take advantage of it just before starting your walking tour, which can take a little over three hours. Around the city you will 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 visit some of its most interesting places, including the Teatro Grande, the Casa dei Mosaici, the Forum, the Villa dei Misteri and the Amphitheatre, each of them of great importance for the city in its golden age. At the archaeological site you can take a guided tour.

Around 17:00 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 enjoy some more of the town's nightlife before going to rest.

For this third day of your Amalfi trip, you'll continue touring the Amalfi Coast, this time to visit interesting places such as Praiano, Positano and Ravello. You will start the day early in the morning, getting ready to leave for the meeting point of your excursion to Praiano, Positano and Ravello.

You can have breakfast in Praiano. The best thing about visiting these places on an excursion is that you will also have the opportunity to see some of the best beaches in Amalfi.

Enjoying the Mediterranean views from Praiano

The trip starts with a visit to Praiano, where you'll arrive around 9am and you'll soon fall in love with its cobbled streets and views of the Mediterranean. If you go with a tour guide, he or she will show you some of the most beautiful sights in the area, including the Cerullo Tower viewpoint, the Villa Cimbrone Garden, the convent of San Domenico and the seafront promenade; if you're on your own, these are the places you should see.

In Praiano you will stay for at least three hours to explore every corner of the town and take pictures of every place. In this town you can have breakfast and walk around for enough time. I recommend that you visit some of Praiano' s best beaches before you leave. Among the ones I recommend the most are: Praia Grande, Marina di Praia, and Praiano di Mezzo.

By 12:00 you should be on your way to your next destination on the 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 stop on your five-day Amalfi itinerary. This means that once you arrive in the village it 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're on your own, you can also take this tour to see some of the town's most incredible sights, including its narrow streets, colourful houses and ancient churches.

But before you go on this tour, I recommend you to find a place to eat, as the time you will arrive here 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 for lunch.

Experience 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 Amalfi Coast's incredible towns. If there's one thing you' ll love about Ravello, it's that it's a town with plenty of cultural activities to discover.

You will stay here 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 visit the famous garden of Villa Rufolo, the amphitheatre theatre of Villa Romana and the Museo Archeologico.

After an entertaining three hours, it's time to return to Amalfi to rest from a long day and start a new day with all your 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, at around 8:00, when you'll have breakfast either at the hotel or somewhere outside your accommodation, just before setting off 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 taxi or ferry that will take you to the island of Capri in about an hour, so you'll be on the island around 9:00. For exact ferry schedules, I recommend you visit their official website.

Go 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, whether to sign up for one of the best tours of Capri, or to venture out and 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, in order 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 visit on your tour.

See the other side of the island: Anacapri

On the other side of Capri and within the island itself is Anacapri, so you'll love a stroll 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'll love to visit on your tour of this side of the island.

To enjoy the island to the fullest, I recommend staying for about three hours in addition to the three hours you will spend on the Capri side. And since you will probably get a little hungry on this side of the island 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.

Travelling to the town 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 around 20 minutes and usually costs around 13 euros per person.

• Once you arrive in Sorrento you can start touring the 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 of joining 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 for a nice 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 its ceramic village, and Salerno. In each of these places you will not only see amazing sights, but you will also have the opportunity to photograph everything.

You will have breakfast in Cetara and to get from Amalfi town to this town, you will have to travel by car or by public transport. If you are on your own and in a private car, it will probably take you just under 25 minutes to get there. You can also take a ferry, which takes around 40 minutes from Amalfi to Cetara.

Admire the views of the Bay of Naples at 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's time to enjoy amazing 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't miss some of Cetara's beaches.

Visit the ceramic village: Vietri-Sul-Mare

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

But before embarking on this adventure, I recommend you go and have some lunch to continue your tour of Vietri-Sul-Mare, as you can find several places to eat Italian food here.

Once you've had lunch, it's 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 explore the city, either by joining one of the best tours of Salerno, or by exploring 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 Gardens. As you will stay 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.