You deserve to return from vacation with more than just a one-day tan.
The Amalfi Coast is a great day trip from Rome, but who are we kidding — you can spend weeks at a time doing nothing more than sipping limoncellos on the beach without getting burned from boredom.
Short a catamaran? No worries — you bring the sunscreen, and we’ll take care of the bed sheets. Here are our top picks for the best places to stay on the Amalfi Coast.
Image Credit and Location: Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi, Italy
Best luxury hotels in the Amalfi Coast
Live in luxury at these prime properties on the Amalfi Coast.
Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi
Hand painted majolica floors, Amalfi style villas, marble bathrooms, and balconies with pristine views of the sea — there’s a lot to love about Hotel Santa Caterina. Their exclusive beach club and saltwater swimming pool are the only reasons you will ever want to leave your elegant suite.
Il San Pietro di Positano
Sitting outside of Positano proper, Il San Pietro di Positano is a welcome retreat from the village’s congested, winding streets. Tennis fans will love the private court carved into the hillside. One of the suites occupies an entire floor and includes a large terrace and Japanese style bath.
Villa Cimbrone, Ravello
Antiques, frescos, and baroque designs adorn this 12th-century villa. It boasts just under 20 rooms, and has a solarium, private helipad, and boat tour available. The hotel has made one recent adjustment: the addition of a Michelin-star for its restaurant, Il Flauto di Pan.
Image Credit and Location: Hotel Poseidon, Positano, Italy
Best hotels in Positano
Positano is popular: book these great Amalfi Coast hotels as far in advance as possible.
Hotel Poseidon, Positano
A proposal. A honeymoon. A vacation with the kids. Hotel Poseidon is a perfect place for a run-of-the-mill Wednesday, because this family-owned hotel makes you feel like you’re staying at your Italian cousin’s home. The staff, the service, the sights from your balcony: they’re spectacular yet humble. You’ll remember a stay at Hotel Poseidon for the rest of your life because it’s a very real residence that wants to share its home with the world.
Le Sirenuse, Positano
Spend your Italian getaway in bliss without neglecting your weekly workouts at Le Sirenuse. A pre-gym swim in the pool and a post-gym massage at the spa are as invigorating for the muscles as they are for your mind. Plan ahead so you can visit during this Positano hotel’s biannual fitness retreat with workouts in the mountains.
Villa Treville, Positano
Villa Treville knows how hard it is to compete with the best hotels in Positano, so it went ahead and made two private villas available to rent, both complete with pools. One has 5 bedrooms, the other has 8, so you’ll have no choice but to invite your family and friends to share in your Amalfi Coast getaway. Perhaps they’ll even pick up the first round of Peronis at the Bianca Bar...
Image Credit and Location: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento, Italy
Best hotels in Sorrento
Amalfi Coast hotels all booked up? When life gives you lemons, make limoncello. Stay at one of these stunning hotels in Sorrento and take an easy boat or bus ride for day trips to the Amalfi Coast towns.
🚆Trainline Tip: Sorrento’s train station is the last train station west of the Amalfi Coast. If you want to plan an Amalfi Coast getaway while taking day trips to Rome, Naples, or Pompeii, Sorrento hotels make excellent launch pads to travel around Italy by train.
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento
A Michelin-starred restaurant isn’t the only draw of Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to know you’ll dine just fine in this Sorrento hotel. Feel like dining out? Take the hotel’s Ferrari for a spin then return to your exclusive suite where the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, King Edward VII, and Enrico Caruso have stayed.
Hotel Mediterraneo Sorrento
There’s an ‘s’ word you can soak up on the Sorrento coast — and it’s not sun. Silence: that’s what Hotel Mediterraneo offers in its five-star confines outside of the city. Panoramic rooms overlooking the sea are enough of a retreat, but if you need more room for solitude, escape to the secluded Mediterranean-style garden or charter the hotel’s private yacht and find a moment to yourself out on the horizon.
Hotel Bellevue Syrene, Sorrento
Stay in a former aristocrat’s villa and live the same lifestyle — complete with a spa and private beach — at Hotel Bellevue Syrene. The Lady Hamilton and Lord Astor suites are pure white elegance, making the blue of the sea and sky pop from beyond your balcony.
Image Credit and Location: Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi, Italy
The best places to stay in the Amalfi Coast
Each of these towns is accessible by cab and bus when arriving via train at either Sorrento train station or Vietri sul Mare-Amalfi train station.
Positano
Positano is the postcard town of the Amalfi Coast; its triangular shape means dazzling views no matter which side of the “pyramid” you stay on. We know you’ve already seen the videos and photos of endless tourists sprawled out on the beach or eating risotto at a restaurant that looks like a movie set. Expect crowds — but only because Positano does live up to its reputation.
🚂 Trainline Trivia: Loads of movies are filmed in Italy on the Amalfi Coast, like The Equalizer 3 in Atrani and Under the Tuscan Sun in Positano.
Minori
It’s easy to breeze by Minori, but a certain Stanley Tucci didn’t, which is why we believe this timeless town is rising up the ranks as one of the best places to stay on the Amalfi Coast. A filming location for Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, you’ll find the ruins of a 1st-century Roman villa in Minori. It doesn’t hurt that Ravello — home to the Ravello music festival and two one-star Michelin restaurants — is right next door.
Praiano
Praiano doesn’t have the size or stature of neighboring Amalfi Coast towns, but those in the know won’t overlook this small town. It feels like a charming fishing village your nonna grew up in. You can walk the rocky beaches or easily access the Garden of the Gods hiking trails.
Image Credit and Location: Hotel Poseidon, Positano, Italy
Best time to visit Amalfi Coast
The best time to visit the Amalfi Coast is on the shoulder seasons: mid-spring and mid-fall. Summer is the “best” time from a fun perspective — but look out for hot temperatures. It also means burning your budget faster than your stark white buns.
Winter turns many of the Amalfi Coast towns into Amalfi Ghost towns, as many hotels and restaurants close up shop. Plan for an April or September visit and you’ll be golden.
Ready to plan your Almafi Coast adventure? Download the Trainline App today and start booking. The dolce vita awaits.
Header Image Credit and Location: Hotel Poseidon, Positano, Italy