Are you thinking of getting to know the Amalfi Coast? It is a great option for those looking for charming towns, landscapes that will leave you speechless, and places of cultural interest.
A great option to get to know the Amalfi Coast is to arrive in Naples. The city of Naples offers a wide variety of places of cultural and historical interest, as well as many leisure options. It is the perfect starting point to start the route. Also, less than half an hour from the city you will find Pompeii, the city that was engulfed by lava in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79.
In this post we draw a 7-day route to get to know Naples, Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius and the towns of the Amalfi Coast.
ROUTE THROUGH THE AMALFI COAST, POMPEII AND NAPLES
Day 1: Arrival in Naples
As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, the best option is to arrive in Naples by plane to start the route along the Amalfi Coast. Although Naples is not part of this part of the coast, it is the most important stop in terms of cultural interest.
Depending on the arrival time of your flight you will be able to know more or less the city. Suppose we arrived the day before and we have day 1 to get to know the city.
I recommend that you start getting to know the city from the Castel dell'Ovo. There are guided tours that include this castle and the New Castle. They are two places of interest that you cannot miss in Naples.
To get to know the historic center of the city, the cathedral, Plebiscito square... you have the option of taking a free tour. It is the perfect option to learn about the history of each place, curiosities and recommendations from the guide.
If you organize these two visits well, you will still have time to visit Spaccanapoli street, the Capella Sansevero, the San Carlo theater, the metro (don't miss the Toledo stop) and some of the most essential museums such as the Museo Arqueologico de Naples or the Museo Nazionale di Copodimonte.
The nights of day 1 and 2 will be in the city of Naples. Here you have an article where I explain the best areas to stay in Naples, the best hotel options and recommendations on the areas that are not recommended to stay in the city.
Day 2: We continue to discover Naples
Start the day visiting the Royal Palace. This Palace is located in the huge Plaza de Plebiscito.
The Cloister of the Basilica of Santa Clara is also one of the essential places to see in the city. It is a place where peace reigns. Notice its columns filled with colored tiles and the plants that seem to grow everywhere.
Beneath Naples is a second city. Underground Naples. These are tunnels built at the end of the prehistoric era. A construction that began about 5,000 years ago. In the 3rd century BC, the Greeks continued excavating to build the famous hypogeum in Naples and to extract blocks of volcanic tuff for the construction of walls and temples. However, it wasn't until Roman times that underpasses really developed and began to take the form they have today.
If you like cemeteries and somewhat peculiar customs, the Fontanella cemetery is your next stop. In him there is the strange habit of adopting a skull.
If you have more days to visit the surroundings of Naples, I advise you to add a day to visit the Excursion to the Royal Palace of Caserta or the city of Heraculus.
Day 3: Visit Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius
Start early to visit Pompeii.
Pompeii is located about 25km from the city of Naples and it is advisable to dedicate a whole day to it. Although there are excursions that combine Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius on the same day.
The ancient Roman city of Pompeii is famous because it was buried under lava after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was covered by ash until it was discovered in 1748. Since then, numerous archaeological works have been carried out and it is now They can see a large part of the ruins of the city and even the petrified bodies from so many centuries ago, something that is very impressive.
If you do not intend to rent a car, the best option is to book an excursion that includes transportation, a guide in Spanish, and entrance to Pompeii. I leave you the links of the various options:
To visit the Amalfi Coast calmly and at your leisure, I recommend renting a car. The first two days in Naples is not essential. So if you want to save a few days, you can rent the car on your third day.
Although if you decide to do this route by train, I will tell you in the following post how to get to Pompeii, the different options you have:
Pompeii can be visited in one morning. So you can make the climb to Mount Vesuvius to see the crater in the afternoon. I explain everything you need to know about the volcano and the climb to the top in the following post:
If you don't feel like spending the third night in Naples again, you can look for accommodation in the surroundings of Pompeii. There are not many options, but you do have several alternatives. You can also make your way to Sorrento. We, having a rental car, is what we did. Once we finished the climb to Mount Vesuvius we set off to Sorrento, it takes only 1 hour and four. Here we spend nights 3 and 4 of our route.
Day 4. Visit Sorrento
Sorrento is a charming seaside city located on the Gulf of Naples. It is built on a cliff overlooking the sea. We could say that Sorrento is the gateway to the route along the Amalfi Coast. You will be able to see beautiful natural landscapes, dizzying cliffs, movie-like views of the sea, small coves and beaches along the coast and great architectural and monumental importance.
The historic center of Sorrento is a maze of alleys and narrow streets. Here you will find large palaces, churches, interior patios... There is no fixed itinerary, it is about getting lost without time and taking advantage of every moment to soak up the history of the city.
Some of the essential places to see in Sorrento are La Marina Grande, La Marina Piccola, the Valle de los Molinos, the Museo Correale di Terranova, the Basilica of San Antonio and the Cloister of San Francisco.
Day 5. From Sorrento to Positano
From Sorrento to Positano it is only 40 minutes by car on the fast road.
However, I suggest a slightly longer route (an hour and a half) that skirts the entire coast visiting some of the least visited places on the Amalfi Coast. Along the way there are several interesting stops to see the landscapes and take a lot of pictures.
When you leave Sorrento do not put in the GPS Positano as it will mark the shortest and easiest route. Put Marina di Puolo as it will be the first stop on this coastal route.
Marina Puolo is a small tourist town with beautiful landscapes. If you want, you can take a detour to the Bagni Regina Giovanna viewpoint, which is a few minutes before the detour to the town.
The next stop is at Punta Massa Lubrense. Where you will hallucinate with the movie passage. If you feel like enjoying a swim during the journey, you can do so at the following point: Baia delle Sirene or at Cala di Mitigliano.
Once refreshed by the bath, it's time to get going and the next journey to Positano is through the interior. Passing and visiting the villages of Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi and Colli di Fantanelle.
Before reaching Positano you can make a stop at the Spiaggia di Tordigliano. A beautiful beach below the cliffs.
The route that separates this beach with the town of Positano is full of viewpoints on the road. Perfect for photographing Positano and the Coast from another perspective.
This journey with stops at all places of interest is about 4 or 5 hours. If you leave Sorrento early, you will arrive in Positano for lunch and enjoy the afternoon walking its streets.
Day 6. From Positano via Praiano, Amalfi, Minori, Maiori, Vietri Sul Mare to Salerno
Although it is a short drive from Positano to Salerno, only 43 kilometers, there are many stops along the way. So I recommend you get up early to visit the most beautiful towns on the Amalfi Coast. The vast majority of the most beautiful places in the area are located here.
The essential stops are in the town of Praiano, Conca dei Marini, Amalfi, Maiori and Vietri sur Mare.
Many travelers take advantage of this area with so many charming corners to look for accommodation. The section that compresses these towns (from Positano to Salerno) is the most expensive area to stay. But there are many accommodation options; hostels, apartments, low and medium category hotels and luxury hotels.
Day 7. Salerno and the Greek ruins of Paestum
The last day of the route we start the day visiting the Greek ruins of Paestum.
The ruins of Paestum are very close to the city of Salerno. Despite what I imagined, it is a fairly large area, with several temples and buildings that are very well preserved. Upon entering you find the Temple of Athena located on top of a small hill.
Following the marked path, the next temple is the Temple of Hera or Apollo. The temple dedicated to Poseidon. It is the best preserved temple in the entire enclosure. The upper part is almost entirely preserved. In addition, it surprises with its very high columns.
Another temple that you will find in the enclosure is the Temple of Hera or Basilica. In ancient times this was the largest temple in Paestum. At present it is the oldest temple with 2,500 years old.
You can't miss the Amphitheatre, either. I couldn't miss it. It was founded in the year 50 B.C. and today you can see the stands.
The next stop is the Bouleuterior, it is the meeting place of the council.
Along the way you will be able to appreciate different ruins. Columns, cobbled streets, remains of walls, houses... At the end of the tour, stop by the museum. Where you will find handicrafts such as mosaics, ceramics...
To continue the day, go to Salerno.
The city of Salerno offers a great variety of interesting places to visit. It is a relatively small city and it is a good option to stay if you are looking for a cheap option on the Amalfi Coast.
To start the tour, look for the Cathedral of San Mateo, stroll through the historic center, visit the Arechi Castle and the Archaeological Museum and end the visit by walking along the promenade, where you will find many bars and restaurants where you can eat great.
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you really enjoy your trip to the Amalfi Coast and Naples, and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!