Things to Do in Positano: Your Ultimate Guide

Without a doubt, Positano is one of the most enchanting places I’ve ever visited. If you’re visiting this beautiful corner of Italy, Positano is surely the best place to stay on the Amalfi Coast. The cliffside town is like a dream, a beautiful, exhausting dream.

There are plenty of things to do in Positano but my favorites include: eating your way through the town and photographing every corner. I’d recommend booking your stay at the most amazing bed and breakfast, Dimora del Podesta, more on that below.

Then take day trips via bus or ferry to visit the surrounding towns along the coast including Amalfi, Sorrento, Atrani (don’t miss this one) and if you can visit Ravello.

RELATED: Amalfi Coast Towns + Day Trips

Keep in mind, Positano is built vertically so you’re climbing hundreds and hundreds of steps ALL THE TIME. You can also take a local bus from the top to the center of town, but those get crowded and it can be annoying to wait around to see if you fit. But if you’re a patient bird then the bus can be of great help.

How to Get to Positano

Getting to Positano isn’t the easiest thing in the world. There are no direct trains from any of the big cities in Italy, but there are several routes to choose from.

FROM FLORENCE | We were coming from Florence, and after a lot of research, we decided to take a train directly to Salerno (a town north of Positano) and then catch a ferry to Positano.

Once you get off the train, run down toward the water. No signs are leading you this way (at least not when we went) but we ran toward the water and caught the ferry minutes before it left. You’ll see a ticket booth when you arrive on the dock.

FROM NAPLES | Another option many go with is taking a train to Naples, then a bus to Sorrento, and then a ferry or another bus to Positano. Tired yet? The bus can easily get packed and the winding roads can be rough even if you don’t struggle with car sickness.

You can also take a train to Naples then hire a private car to drive you to Positano. It’ll cost you around 130 euros for a private car or at least that was the cost when we were researching.

PRIVATE TRANSFER | Now that I’ve learned about Get Your Guide (after the fact) I’m finding so many great deals: Private transfer will pick you up from Naples Airport and take you directly to Positano for only $127 (same cost for up to 3 people)!

That’s crazy good compared to what we were seeing when reaching out directly to private car companies in Positano. If you’re interested in that transfer, click here to see updated pricing and to book.

I mainly wanted to do a ferry to get this view coming in:

Things to Do in Positano

HIKE ON YOUR OWN to find all the best angles of this dreamy town. Since Positano is on a vertical, go on a hunt for all the coolest photo spots — there are plenty. I’m positive you’ll fill up your camera with all of the town’s pretty streets and perfectly dressed nooks. Make sure you bring a spare memory card. Also, make time to balance all those lost calories with some amazing seafood (what Positano is popular for). Listing my favorite spots further below.

You can also set up a Path of the Gods guided walking tour to discover and learn more about the most famous walking trail in Southern Italy. You’d need to take a bus to the town of Pianillo, but you’d end up right back in Positano as you walk your way through the legendary path with an insider who will show you hidden landscapes and historical locations.

ENJOY A COCKTAIL (limoncello, maybe?) while people watching because what’s a trip to Europe without doing this. If you end up staying at Dimora as we did you’ll have a private balcony to enjoy your limoncello while people-watching. We did this one evening and it was perfect.

IF YOU LOVE TO SHOP then you’re in luck as Positano is filled with the cutest local shops! You may also see small markets lining the streets with artists selling their work. You’ll find all of this closer to the center of town.

IF YOU’RE A BEACH LOVER and are there during the warmer seasons, check out one (or all) of the 4 Positano beaches. We aren’t beachgoers but we did check out Fornillo beach and while Jorge took a quick dip, I took some photos of the area. I’m always up for a photo opportunity especially in a place like Positano.

Day Trips From Positano 

Take a day trip to Capri and cruise the coast on a boat! Make sure you also check out the famous blue grotto. You can book a boat transfer to Capri on your own from the entrance dock (next to the main beach) in Positano. Once you arrive in Capri, you can do a tour of the coast with the blue grotto being optional.

However, if you prefer to have the tour company pick you up from your hotel and take you directly to Capri (cut out the hassle) then check out this Capri tour here for pick up.

If you’d rather marvel at the beauty with a cocktail at hand then definitely consider this Capri boat tour with a happy hour. Uh yes, please! You can also swim/snorkel in the Tyrrhenian Sea during your tour. Click here for the current pricing of the happy hour boat tour. 

If you’re rolling in the dough and want a private boat to show you around Capri including a guide and free drinks, you can schedule a tour to do that as well.

Another cool thing you’re close to while in Positano is Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Take a guided tour from Positano to visit the ruins and explore more of the mountaintop. Check out the current pricing here and book ahead.

I also have an entire post for the best day trips on the Amalfi Coast leaving from Positano. This post includes more details on Sorrento, the town of Amalfi, Atrani (don’t miss this one), Capri, Procida, and Ravello. And a shot out to Naples because they truly do have the most amazing pizza that is worth the trip alone.

Where to Eat in Positano

Although Positano didn’t have good cafes, they did deliver on their dinner options and pastries! Here’s a list of places that we enjoyed most:

Saraceno d’Oro- This place is connected to our B&B, owned by the same family. You get a 10% discount if you’re staying at the B&B. The prices are better than most places around them, the pizza is good, and Jorge liked his seafood pasta. Definitely try the lemon sorbet, they serve it in a huge frozen lemon.

Il Fornillo- This restaurant was just up the street from our B&B, and we had a great experience. I ordered stuffed ravioli, and Jorge got another seafood dish. We were also serenaded by the band of 4 guys who walk around every night to sing at different restaurants. We loved it! Sure adds to the experience.

Collina- Remember how I said to try all things lemon? I highly recommend the delizie al limone from this bakery. It’s like a whippy, fluffy, lemon cake and it tastes amazingggg. I had 3 of them that week alone. I can’t recommend anything else here but for sure try the delizie. A friend went and tried everything but the delizie and wasn’t happy lol. Please only go for the delizie.

Franco’s Bar- This bar is connected to one of the most popular hotels in Positano (Le Sirenuse). They have several bars, and Franco’s is the cheapest of the options. The view is amazing but the cocktails are tiny. Even if you order a beer they serve you about a third of a cup of beer. I had lemon drop martinis and piña coladas here (tiny, but good). If you want to get a seat with the best view, then make sure you arrive before they open.

Where to Stay in Positano

Dimora del Podesta is now one of my favorite stays from all my travels. It’s a family-owned bed and breakfast in Positano. The owners and staff are all incredibly friendly and helpful during your stay. I believe there are only 3 rooms, and each room has a balcony with a city/sea view.

Every morning they serve you a delicious breakfast on your balcony and it’s nothing short of magical. Occasionally the owners will check in to see how they can help make your stay and visit in Positano even more memorable. They truly go above and beyond.

It’s further up from the city center, so it’s good to be able to get away from it every night. I loved people watching from the balcony, catching the sunrise, or buying wine and limoncello to just relax and enjoy our view. If you’re interested in this incredible b&b, click here to book your stay.

Dimora is the red/orange building to the left of the photo above. Thanks to Christie from ckanani.com for this amazing Positano b&b recommendation! I’d go back to Positano just to stay here again.

Things I Loved About Positano 

I wanted to list the things I loved and didn’t love about Positano to be fair in my review. While there, I was a mixed bag of emotions and I want to make sure that when I blog about a destination, I’m completely honest with it. I don’t ever want to sugarcoat a trip.

THE CHARM | Again, what a stunning place. We probably took around 700-800 photos in Positano alone, but how can you not? Any and every angle was perfect, and the flowers covering so much of the town just added to the whole picturesque scene. It’s like that good looking friend that no matter what she does she looks fantastic in pictures. Positano is one of the prettiest places on earth, no doubt, hands down.

THE LOCALS | The experience and view we had with our bed & breakfast Dimora del Podesta was incredible, I cannot rave about them enough. Dimora seriously deserves all the love. Most locals were also friendly and inviting. Click here to book your stay at Dimora.

THE FOOD | Lemons are the thing in Positano, and you’ll see some the size of your head. Due to the abundance of lemons, you’ll find plenty of lemon-flavored goodies everywhere you go. I tried just about all of them. We also did not have one bad dinner the whole week we were there.

Things I Didn’t Love About Positano 

Here’s the thing, we all have our likes and dislikes and that’s the beauty of travel — we experience places in entirely different ways, and our opinions are formed based on that experience. What fun would it be if we all thought the same thing?

THE STEPS | I can easily see why people who love the sun and water would love a place like Positano. It has a few beaches to choose from, but I’d much rather not be at the beach. We visited in late May, and the weather was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit every day.

However, due to the wonderful steps and lack of clouds, it always felt like 85 degrees. Somewhere along the hundreds of steps, Positano lost me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my time on the coast and hope you experience it at least once in your life, but it’s not one of those places that I feel the need to go back to.

I read this bloggers post about the steps before going and laughed in fear, you can read it here.

Let me share a quick tidbit about me: give me a flat town, nowhere near a beach, on a crisp, fall day and I’ll be a happy girl.

I can walk a flat city for miles upon miles, but when it comes to vertical towns like this, I quickly get frustrated, especially if I’m under the sun. That’s why I haven’t been back to San Francisco.

THE CROWDS OF TOURISTS | We didn’t visit during the height of tourists season, but there were still SO MANY tourists (including us). There was a point when Jorge and I were eating dinner, and all we heard around us was American English. We even started speaking Spanish to each other just so we wouldn’t add to the group.

this is later in the day when the crowds calmed down

Then we visited a bar and again just a bunch of English. You can’t help but worry that a lot of places will be tourist traps when you visit a town like that, but thankfully the food was still amazing and if you go high enough in the town you’ll find plenty of empty streets to capture without people.

The center of town (near the main beach) has plenty of clothing shops, souvenir shops, art shops, and an overwhelming amount of tourists. We tried to avoid it during peak hours and did not eat at any of the restaurants near there.

By the way, Positano is not a budget destination. There is no street food and most meals are sit down and eat, which you know can add up quickly.

LACK OF GOOD CAFES | Something very important to both Jorge and I that Positano did not deliver on was the quality of the coffee. I was so so so excited to visit Italy again for their amazing cappuccinos, and this year I learned that not all cappuccinos in Italy are created equal and not every region knows coffee. We could not find a good cafe for the life of us.

We even ventured out to other Amalfi towns to find some with no luck. I don’t even remember seeing a coffee shop in Positano at all. Some restaurants served coffee, of course, but the coffee wasn’t good (think diner coffee).

Milan and Rome (and even Venice) seriously spoiled us. It was disappointing because that’s one of the things we truly enjoy doing.

Whatever your style, I still feel that Positano is worth a trip at least once to see its beauty in person.

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