Quick answer — top 5 things to do in Amalfi
- Amalfi Cathedral — free to visit, 9th-century bronze doors, crypt of Saint Andrew
- Emerald Grotto — sea cave by boat from €7, best light 10am–noon
- Boat trip to Positano — 30 min, ferry from €10 or private boat from €65/person
- Valle dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills) — free gorge walk, ancient paper mills
- Arsenale della Repubblica — medieval Norman shipyard, free entry
Amalfi sits at the centre of its famous coastline and was, for two centuries, one of the great maritime powers of the Mediterranean. The city was richer and more powerful than Venice in the 9th century — and the architecture, the cathedral, the arsenal and the paper mills still carry that history. Today it is compact enough to explore on foot in a morning, but rich enough to justify an entire day, especially if you add a boat trip and a long seafood lunch by the harbour.
1. Amalfi Cathedral — The Duomo di Sant'Andrea
The Cathedral of Saint Andrew dominates the main piazza and defines the Amalfi skyline. Its striped Arab-Norman facade, with a mosaic of Christ flanked by angels above the entrance, is one of the most photographed views on the coast. The building dates from the 9th century and has been rebuilt and extended many times since. Entry to the cathedral itself is free; the Cloister of Paradise (13th century, with a collection of Roman sarcophagi) and the crypt of Saint Andrew charge a small fee of around €3. Arrive before 10am or after 4pm to avoid the cruise ship crowds.
2. Emerald Grotto (Grotta dello Smeraldo)
The Emerald Grotto is Amalfi's answer to Capri's Blue Grotto — a sea cave where the water turns vivid green due to light filtering through a submerged arch. Unlike the Blue Grotto, you can enter by rowing boat or lift from the road above (€7 per person for the cave entry; boat transfer extra). The best light is between 10am and noon. The cave contains a submerged presepe (nativity scene), which is a local curiosity. The overall experience is quieter and more accessible than the Blue Grotto, though the colour effect is less dramatic. Worth an hour of your morning.
3. Boat Trip from Amalfi Harbour
Amalfi is the best departure point for day trips along the coast. The public ferry connects Amalfi to Positano (30 min, from €10), Salerno (50 min, from €8) and Capri (70 min, from €20) multiple times daily in summer. For more flexibility, BlueKeys offers private boat charters from Amalfi harbour: a half-day to Positano, the Blue Grotto and the sea caves costs from €65/person with a skipper. A full-day tour including Capri, swimming stops and a lunch break starts from €120/person. Book in advance in July and August.
4. Valle dei Mulini — The Valley of the Mills
Behind the main piazza, a narrow gorge cuts deep into the limestone cliff that backs the town. This is the Valle dei Mulini, the valley where Amalfi's paper mills once operated. The Amalfi paper industry was one of the first in Europe, and the town was producing decorated handmade paper by the 13th century. Today you can walk the gorge for free — the path runs for about 1.5 kilometres, past the ruins of the old mills and through dense vegetation. At the far end, the Museo della Carta (Paper Museum) occupies a restored 13th-century mill and demonstrates the traditional paper-making process (entry €4, closed Monday).
5. Arsenale della Repubblica
The Arsenale is the only surviving medieval shipyard on the Amalfi Coast — a vaulted stone structure where the Republic of Amalfi built and maintained its fleet in the 10th and 11th centuries. Entry is free. The building now serves partly as a tourist attraction and partly as an exhibition space for models of historical ships and local maritime history. It gives you the clearest sense anywhere in town of just how significant Amalfi once was as a naval power. The building is only 100 metres from the main piazza, tucked down a side lane to the left of the harbour.
6. Piazza Flavio Gioia
The seafront piazza, named after a navigator from Amalfi who may have improved the magnetic compass in the 14th century (historians debate this), is the social heart of the town. The harbour sits directly below, and the ferry dock, boat rental operators, and the main taxi stand are all within 50 metres. Sit at one of the harbour bars with a granita di limone (€3) and watch the ferries, fishing boats, and tourist vessels coming and going. The piazza is at its best in the early morning before 9am and in the late afternoon when the tourist buses have left.
7. Lunch at a Harbour Restaurant
Amalfi has better food options than most coastline towns its size. For seafood, the restaurants along Via Lorenzo d'Amalfi (the main street running from the piazza to the harbour) offer fresh catches including ricci di mare (sea urchin), spaghetti alle vongole (clams), and the local specialty of pesce all'acqua pazza (fish in crazy water — a broth of tomatoes, herbs and white wine). Expect to pay €15–30 per person for a full lunch with wine. For something lighter and cheaper, the bakeries and street food stalls off the main piazza do slices of sfogliatella and arancini for under €3.
8. Atrani — The Hidden Village
Atrani is technically a separate town from Amalfi, but the two are joined — you walk from one to the other in five minutes along a narrow coastal path or through a tunnel. Atrani is the smallest municipality in southern Italy and one of the most beautiful on the coast. The main square, Piazza Umberto I, runs directly to the beach — the only beach on the Amalfi Coast accessible from a village main square. The village has real local life: no tourist buses can reach it. Visit in the late afternoon when the light hits the facades and the locals come out for their evening walk.
9. Sentiero dei Limoni (Lemon Path)
This 4-kilometre walking trail connects Amalfi to Minori via the mountain villages above the coast. It takes around 90 minutes each way and passes through terraced lemon groves, olive groves, and the small hillside village of Pogerola. The trail starts just above Amalfi town and offers views over the rooftops to the sea. It is best walked in the morning before the heat builds. Wear good shoes and bring water. The reward at the other end is Minori — a quieter resort town with a long sandy beach and excellent restaurants. Take the ferry back from Minori to Amalfi (20 minutes).
10. Museo della Carta
Tucked inside the Valle dei Mulini, the Paper Museum is the most distinctive museum on the Amalfi Coast. The building is a 13th-century mill that was operational until the 1950s. Guided tours (€4, included in the entry) demonstrate how sheets of paper were produced by hand from rags — the same process used in Amalfi since the Middle Ages. The shop sells handmade Amalfi paper, stationery and decorated notebooks at fair prices. Allow 45 minutes. The museum is closed on Mondays and in winter.
11. Day Trip to Ravello
From Amalfi, buses run to Ravello every 30 minutes (€1.30 one way, 20 minutes). Ravello sits 350 metres above the sea and feels like a different world — cool, quiet, and full of medieval palaces and gardens. Villa Rufolo (entry €7) has a terrace garden used as the venue for the Ravello Festival concerts in summer, with views over the coast that are among the finest in Italy. Villa Cimbrone (entry €8) has the Terrace of Infinity — a belvedere lined with classical busts and a drop to the sea below. Allow a full morning in Ravello and take the bus back down for lunch by the Amalfi harbour.
12. Watching the Sunset from the Waterfront
Amalfi faces roughly south-west, which means sunsets can be spectacular in the right conditions — especially in September and October when the air is clearer. The best spots are the breakwater at the far end of the harbour, the terrace of the Hotel Luna Convento (free to visit for a drink at the bar), and the elevated coastal path toward Atrani. The ferries stop running at dusk in summer, so if you are based in Positano or Sorrento, check return times before you commit to a sunset in Amalfi. A private transfer back avoids the problem entirely.
How to Reach Amalfi
Amalfi is the transport hub of the coast. Public ferries run from Salerno (50 min, from €8), Positano (30 min, from €10) and Sorrento (60 min, from €15) throughout the day in summer. From Naples, the fastest route is the ferry from Molo Beverello to Amalfi (90 min in season, from €20). By road, the SS163 coastal road from Sorrento takes 45–75 minutes depending on traffic. A private transfer from Naples Airport to Amalfi costs from €130 for up to 4 passengers and includes luggage service. This is the stress-free option if you are arriving with suitcases.
Where to Stay in Amalfi
Amalfi has a good range of accommodation for all budgets. The historic centre has several boutique hotels and B&Bs within the old town lanes, while the seafront has larger hotels with harbour views. [Holiday apartments in Amalfi](/stays) from BlueKeys start from €80/night and offer more space and kitchen facilities than a standard hotel room — useful for longer stays or families. Book at least 6 weeks ahead for July and August; the town fills quickly in peak season.
