“Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”

— John Steinbeck

Positano was a dream. It’s one of the more unique and fascinating towns we’ve visited with colorful buildings that are seemingly built straight from the sea and into a ravine that shoots right up the steep cliffside.

We took the local bus from Praiano to Positano and hopped off at the La Sponda bus stop. Immediately off the bus you’re greeted with beautiful views, both of the sea and the town. As you walk towards town take notice of the wrought iron fence with built-in benches. They’re absolutely adorable. There are a few spots on the walk into town to get your “money shot” photo with the sprawling hillside full of colorful houses, shops and restaurants in the background. I don’t think you can take a bad photo in Positano, it’s just not possible.

Where to Stay:

While we opted to stay in Praiano on this trip, I would love to come back one day and stay somewhere luxurious. My dream would be to rent a place with sweeping views, like Le Sirenuse. Sadly we don’t have the disposable income for a hotel bill that Le Sirenuse would run us. A girl can dream though.

Restaurants:

• La Zagara: We had a lovely breakfast here one morning in their outdoor garden with beautiful views of the cliffside town. On another morning we had takeaway cappuccinos and pastries before sailing to Capri for the day.
• Casa e Bottega: We had lunch here one day and it was one of my favorite meals of our entire trip. The space is gorgeous and the owners were delightful. We were lucky enough to grab a table with a view. Not only is Casa e Bottega a great place for breakfast or lunch, it’s also a design store with beautiful housewares that you can purchase.
• Chez Black: A famous restaurant on the promenade and a place to be seen. We found the food to be just “meh” though.
• Blu Bar: One afternoon we sat under an umbrella on the Marina Grande and ordered drinks for a few hours while we enjoyed the view. Another afternoon we sipped drinks from their bar, which was great for people watching.

What to Do:

• Follow along with Rick Steves on his Positano Stroll to learn about the towns history and landmarks not to be missed
• Wander around the winding streets and bop in and out of the shops
• Purchase ceramics from a local shop to take home as a souvenier
• Make your way down to the beach promenade and take in the views of Spiaggia Grande
• Take a fiat or vespa tour around town
• Take a boat tour
• Take a ferry to Capri
• If the weather is warm, rent a sun bed and bask in the sun or spend some time at a beach club

Because of its obscure location, the Amalfi Coast can be a difficult destination to reach. You have options though! Depending on where you are starting your journey, you can take a bus, ferry, taxi or private transfer. We started our journey from Napoli and opted for the more affordable route of the local express train (€38/two people RT) to Sorrento and then the local SITA bus (€8/two people RT) as opposed to roughly €150 for a private transfer one way. The route we chose only ended up taking about an hour longer than a private transfer so it was worth it for us to save the extra money. The logistics were seamless and quite easy. While researching for this trip so many people said to avoid the hassle of public transportation and just hire a private transfer. That’s not really our jam though. We always prefer public transportation when traveling in Europe. We always find it efficient, easy to navigate and more affordable.

Where to Stay:

When we started looking for accommodations on the Amalfi Coast we started our search in Positano but because we wanted something with a view, but we quickly started looking elsewhere as everything we came across was well over €400/night. We ended up staying in the town next door, Praiano, because we wanted something in a quieter area that wasn’t going to break the bank. We found this AirBnb with an incredible patio that overlooked the sea and was shocked to see that it came in around €100/night. Luke and I are travelers on a budget, always.

If you’ve never been to the Amalfi Coast, something to keep in mind is that a lot of the properties and hotels aren’t very modern, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re likely to pay a lot more.

Another benefit to choosing Praiano as your home base is that it doesn’t take as much time to travel between towns for day-tips. We chose to visit Positano on a few different days and Amalfi on another day.

Restaurants:

We loved every meal we had in Praiano! There are a few things I do want to mention about the food situation in this town though. While there are not a ton of restaurants in town, the places below were so good, I’d recommend them all. All dinners were accompanied by a bottle of wine and had a view of the sea, because every meal should be enjoyed this way when you’re on the Amalfi Coast. For the few times that we did not dine out, we picked up fresh ingredients from the local markets tucked into the winding hillsides and made meals at our AirBnb. I’m really missing those €1.50 packages of fresh mozzarella and €4.00 packages of prosciutto right about now.

• Il Pirata: We ventured down to the water for a leisurely lunch here on our first day. It was a bit on the pricier side, but the location was just lovely and the views cannot be beat.
• La Moressa: We had dinner here one evening on the patio and it was delicious. We especially loved their version of tiramisu for dessert.
• Kasai: Probably the most memorable meal of the trip. We made a reservation a few days in advance and dined outside to take advantage of the views. The food was so unique and the lemon dessert blew our minds!
• Ristorante Il Pino: An amazing restaurant in the middle of Praiano serving Italian dishes with a modern twist. On a few different occasions during our meal the waiters would sing traditional Italian songs and get the entire restaurant to follow along – it was beyond delightful. When we were finishing up and paying for our meal our waiter informed us that the restaurant owner provides transpiration back to your hotel – it was a dream come true to hear this as we were staying at the top of the hill, lol.
• Che Bontà: We stopped here for snacks and drinks on a rainy day. Grab a spot on the stairs outside for some good people watching.
• Cafe Novantaquattro: We grabbed a few takeaway cappuccinos here in the mornings.
• Open Gate: We stopped here for lunch when we were out exploring. Our waiter sold us on their lasagna as it’s an old family recipe. It was incredible!

What to Do:

• Go on a self-guided walking tour of the sleepy little town
• Visit La Bacheca ceramics studio for the most beautiful pottery (we picked up a few pieces for our moms)
• Visit the tiny Bob Art studio – when we were walking around town we saw so many Bob Art pieces built into the walls
• Visit the tiny markets tucked into the hillside for fresh produce, cheese and wine and unbelievably affordable prices
• Hike the Path of the Gods

Getting Around:

We utilized a few different buses during our stay.

Mobility Bus: Our AirBnb host let us know about the local bus that operates specifically between Praiano, Positano and Nocelle. You can purchase tickets in advance at most markets in town and they run €1.30/person each way. You can also purchase tickets on the bus, it will just cost a little more. The local bus operates between 8am to 10pm with frequent pick ups and drop offs. We also very conveniently had a bus stop located right at the base of the stairs to our AirBnb.

SITA Bus: For the day that we spent in Amalfi, we hoped on the SITA bus. There are a few bus stops along the main road through Praiano. You need to purchase tickets ahead of your bus journey and you can do so at most newsstands, bars and tobacco shops.

Bus Tip: When purchasing tickets for either the Mobility or SITA buses, make sure to let the cashier know your starting and end city as fares vary depending on how far you’re traveling. Fares can run €1.30 to €4.00.

Back in May of this year Luke and I took our first trip to Italy. We mulled over different cities to visit and ultimately landed on splitting our time between the Amalfi Coast and Rome. Because we chose the Amalfi Coast, we flew into Napoli and spent some time there before making our way south.

We flew into the Naples International Airport in the late afternoon and had the whole evening to explore as well as the entire next day. Napoli and the surrounding area is quite large, but we felt like we saw what we wanted to see in that short amount of time.

We booked this AirBnb in the Centro Storico neighborhood. The Centro Storico neighborhood is known for its ornate churches and is jam-packed with trattorias, bars and local shops. The area felt very local and everyone we encountered was nice and helpful. Upon arrival to our Airbnb we were having difficulties with our door key and an old man appeared out of nowhere with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, house slippers and a robe that was barely covering his body, to help us out. He was quite the sight, lol. After he helped us out, he disappeared back into the winding alleyways never to be seen again. I would like to think that experience sums up the vibe of the neighborhood quite well.

One convenient aspect to the AirBnb we booked was that it was walking distance to the central train station, Napoli Garibaldi. We strategically planned this so we could easily get to the train station the morning of our departure to the Amalfi Coast. We purchased tickets ahead of time here for the Campania Express local train from Napoli Garibaldi to Sorrento and our total cost was €38 for two passengers, round trip. When we arrived at the train station there was some confusion on what platform we were departing from as nothing was listed for our train number. A quick check-in at the ticket counter confirmed that we’d be escorted by an employee to the correct platform with other travelers going in our same direction directly before departure. I don’t know if this is because we were taking the local express, or some other reason, but this should serve as a good reminder to always ask when in question.

Where to Stay:

I really shouldn’t be giving advice on where to stay in Napoli because of our short visit, lol. Had we been planning on spending more time in Napoli we probably would have booked a place in either the Quartieri Spagnoli or Chiaia neighborhoods as those areas were very charming, full of character and right near the water.

What to Do:

Due to the fact that we only had a day and a half of exploring, this section is going to be on the lighter side.

• Visit Castel Sant’Elmo for sweeping views of the city
• Wander around Via San Gregorio Armeno and get lost in the alleyways
• Wander around the Napoli Harbor
• Eat lunch in the Vomero neighborhood, we found a great street with a lot of restaurants and shops
• There’s a famous pizza joint that was featured in Eat. Pray. Love. but there were so.many.people waiting it would have been hours before it was our turn.