Things to do in Amalfi Coast: one day trip

Amalfi Coast, what to see in just one day? This is the question you have been asking for a while, since the time you decided to visit one of the most beautiful stretches of coast overlooking the Mediterranean sea and one of the most beautiful and famous places in the world.

What is the right answer? Surely, everyone has its favorite locations in the Amalfi Coast. What to choose depends primarily on your own personal preference and the available time you have.

However, there are some amazing places in the Amalfi Coast you cannot miss and some experiences you have to live, if you decide to visit this stretch of coastline.

And if you hire a private car with a driver, you can easily do everything you like in just one day. Here are some must-see places in the Amalfi Coast and some tips to enjoy every glimpse of this “terrace” suspended between land and sea.

Holiday to Amalfi Coast, what to do

Are you asking what is the best town to stay in the Amalfi Coast? Your trip to the Amalfi Coast has to start actually in Amalfi, the city that gives its name to the Coast.

 

Ancient and powerful Marinara Republic, Amalfi was founded, according to legend, by some Romans traveling to Constantinople, who settled here, to rest during a storm.

The city has a strip of beach, one of the liveliest on the coast, from which you can immediately reach the historic center. It has of a series of winding and picturesque lanes that climb to the mountains, animated by craft shops producing and selling local products: leather, paper processing and above all local lemons.

What to see in Amalfi town? About the things to do in Amalfi, do not miss a tour to the Amalfi cathedral, the cathedral of St. Andrew, the most important monument of the city and the entire Coast.

Read more: Rent a car with driver to move to Naples

Amalfi cathedral: what to see

The Amalfi Cathedral overlooks the picturesque central square of the city, from the top of a steep and scenic staircase. It was founded in the 9th century but it has had various reconstructions and renovations in later periods. The current facade was rebuilt, following a collapse, between 1875 and 1894, by the famous Italian architects Enrico Alvino, Luigi della Torre and William Raimondi.

To the left of the building the medieval belfry stands, characterized by a lot of openings, surmounted by an Arabic motif of towers and interlaced arches, covered with yellow and green majolica. The dominant architectural style in the cathedral is the Arab-Norman Romanesque, although the interior has been completely rebuilt in baroque forms.

Through the cathedral, you can also access the adjacent medieval Cloister of Paradise, restored in the early 1900s. It has scenic features with twin columns supporting pointed arches. For all information about Amalfi Cathedral opening times and entrance free, you can visit the tourist website of Salerno town.

What to do near Amalfi: the Emerald Grotto

Near Amalfi, the Emerald Grotto is certainly worth a stop; it is a natural cave that owes its name to emerald green water color, due to the effect of light penetrating under the rocks and filtered by salt water.

You can access the cave with an entrance fee by boat guided tour. It is rich in stalactites and limestone stalagmites; once dry, it was invaded by water as a result of natural phenomena.

What to do in Positano

An ancient marina, Positano is today the most elegant and refined destination of the Amalfi Coast. Particularly picturesque thanks to its central position in the Coast and the majolica dome of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta overlooking its skyline, the town of Positano is marked out by magnificent terraced citrus groves, descending to the sea.

Once in the village center, the terraces give way to the white lanes and houses, some of them with a characteristic cubic shape, covered by a spherical covering and a front porch. The village of Positano, since the ’70s, has been chosen as a gathering place by major exponents of the international film scene and this certainly contributed to create its charm.

For sure, once you reach this hamlet, you can’t help but lose your way through the streets and go shopping in its colorful shops: the textile productions of Positano Fashion are world-famous; they were created by the skilled hands of local tailors, since the 1960s, to meet the needs of the first tourists in the area.

Shrinking towels, linens and cotton sheets, scarves and sometimes even old crochet doilies, these tailors began to produce elegant evening dresses and other clothing. These items still draw tourists and fashion lovers from all over the world.

Villa Cimbrone Ravello, a garden tour

The third pearl of the Amalfi Coast is definitely Ravello. In a higher position than Amalfi and Positano, which are at sea level, this charming town is set on the slopes of the local mountains. Its location makes the landscape, that you enjoy here, look more beautiful. Beloved by writers, poets and musicians from all over the world, you cannot miss a tour to Villa Cimbrone Gardens.

Villa Cimbrone is a complex dating from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 19th century, containing a main building nestled in a secular park. To astonish the visitor, there are the gardens, redesigned at the beginning of the 20th century and adorned with flowers of incredible beauty.

A jewel in the jewel is then the famous “Terrace of Infinity”, a natural balcony overlooking the sea, embellished with 18th-century marble busts, from which you can enjoy breathtaking views. Definitely one of the most beautiful of the entire Coast. Between the inebriating scent of flowers and the beauty of the landscape, you will experience the feeling to be completely suspended in time.

Amalfi Coast itinerary: things to do

All the villages of the Amalfi Coast are connected by one single road: the scenic and winding SS163 Amalfi Drive. It is worthwhile to travel all over it and enjoy the different views opening to the gaze at each curve.

The most famous Amalfi Coast itinerary is definitely SS163 Amalfi Drive, connecting Vietri to Positano. The road map follows the outline of the coast and it is almost completely excavated in the rock and is between 25 and 200 meters above sea level. The route is dotted with numerous sixteenth-century sightseeing towers, and from the street, you can see the villages set in the rocks, among groves, vineyards and valleys.

Along this itinerary, you can stop visiting Amalfi, Ravello and Positano. Or you can enjoy pleasant and short stops at other coastal villages, such as Vietri, Maiori, Minori or Atrani. Nature lovers and sports enthusiasts can enjoy indeed the Amalfi Coast walks:

• The path of the Gods, which connects the inner city of Agerola to Nocelle, a small hamlet of Positano, and allows you to stroll in a true natural paradise, suspended between sea and sky, with a view stretching from the Amalfi Coast to the isle of Capri.
• Valle delle Ferriere, an itinerary that can be reached on foot from Amalfi and is characterized by waterfalls and waterways, which make it enjoyable even in the summer.

Amalfi Coast food: the best things to eat on the Coast

In addition to the landscape, the Amalfi Coast will surprise you for the delicacies of local cuisine, which you cannot help but taste. The food product par excellence is the “sfusato amalfitano”, a large and elongated lemon, with smooth skin and a strong and intense aroma. Cultivated on the Coast since the Middle Ages, it is still cultivated with traditional agricultural techniques, in typical terraced citrus groves.

This unique lemon is used mainly in local limoncello liqueur production. But also in sweets, such as the famous “lemon delight”. E is also used to flavor numerous fish or meat recipes. From a culinary point of view, the Amalfi Coast is known for its high-quality pastries, with their delicious and unique flavors and fragrances.

Among the dishes you can enjoy on the coast, you cannot miss the fish courses, such as squids and potatoes in Praiano, seafood spaghetti or Cetara sauce. This is a sea distillate used to season very tasty main courses. You can taste these delicious delicacies, sitting comfortably in one of the numerous and romantic seafront restaurant on the Amalfi Coast.

The best bakeries in the Amalfi Coast

One of the most famous pastry shops to enjoy the local sweet delicacies is Pansa 1830: with a stop at this delightful place you can enjoy the typical lemon cakes, as well as the local “Sfogliatella Santa Rosa”, as well as the slices of citrus covered with handmade chocolate.

Between Minori and Tramonti villages, there is the activity of the pastry maker Salvatore De Riso, now an international star. Famous desserts of his production are the ricotta and pear cake, which he invented, as well as the lemon and the chocolate mousses Asia and Anastasia.

How to get to Amalfi Coast

Car is the most comfortable and relaxing way to get to Amalfi Coast. By renting a luxury car with a driver, you will be able to stop wherever and whenever you like and let your senses go into raptures about the colors and scents of the sea and nature, the historical and landscape beauties and the fragrance of local aromas and flavors.

You can get to Amalfi Coast by car from Naples: the motorway connects Naples to the town of Vietri sul mare, a town from which the famous SS 163 Amalfi Drive starts, heading towards Positano.

Alternatively, you can get to Amalfi Coast by sea, with daily ferries connecting the ports of Amalfi and Positano with the cities of Salerno and Sorrento. When you reach the Coast, you can then move between the villages with a car rental Amalfi Coast service.

Things to do in Amalfi Coast

In this article I tried to state in a few words my advice on what to do in Amalfi Coast, a land kissed by gods and rich in historical, but above all, landscape beauties. So, do you want to leave? I am curious to know your opinion about these places, able wake up your senses.

But remember this: if you have just one day to visit the Amalfi Coast, avoid stress and book your private car. A driver will be at your disposal, ready to let you enjoy, step by step, all the wonders of this place.