In August of 2018, our family returned to Italy for an extended two-week visit to Rome and the Amalfi Coast. After our previous summer vacation in Italy, when we took a break from sightseeing in Florence to relax in the Cinque Terre, we were ready to expand our horizons in Italy with kids ages ten and five. We spent four nights in Rome, eight nights in the beautiful Amalfi Coast town of Praiano, and then returned to Rome for three more nights.
I spent a lot of time researching the Amalfi Coast with the understanding that this region would be more of a challenge than our previous summer in the Cinque Terre. After reading countless blogs and travel sites about this region and mapping out numerous routes for day trips and meals using Google Maps, I thought that I had put together a pretty solid itinerary for our seven days in the Amalfi Coast. Thankfully, it was a loose itinerary because we ended up completely revising everything in order to adapt to the way of life there. It was a wonderful learning experience emphasizing that as good as it is to be prepared, it is better to be adaptable.
This family travel guide is a breakdown of our seven days spent in the Amalfi Coast. Our mission when planning all of our family vacations is to balance the needs and interests of the children and adults while also prioritizing safety, comfort and ease. For more on the basic parameters for planning and implementing a successful family vacation in general, take a look at my complete family travel guide.
Getting to the Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast refers to 13 cliffside towns facing the Tyrrhenian Sea and running along the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula just south of Naples. Many people take the train from Naples to Sorrento on the northern side of the peninsula and use that town as a home base for day trips to the Amalfi Coast while others continue on from Sorrento by car or ferry to one of the towns along the coast. Sorrento is an attractive location for its proximity to the archeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as to the trendy island of Capri and the thermal water parks on the island of Ischia. I did not want to overload this vacation with stops at the archeological sites but hope to return at a later date when the kids are older.
I reserved roundtrip train tickets from Rome down to the Amalfi Coast about three months prior to our trip through the Trenitalia website. We booked four first class seats on the high speed train from Rome to Naples (1 hour) where we transferred to another train to Salerno (40 minutes). The round trip cost for two adults and two children was $293.60. From the Salerno train station, the Barbaro car service took us from the train station to our hotel which was about an hour to a ninety minute drive and cost €150 each way. We could have taken the train from Naples to Sorrento and then a car service or ferry to the hotel which would have been a shorter ride. The train timetables and seat availability most likely contributed to our route through Salerno because it would have been far more convenient to have gone through Sorrento.
Where to Stay – Praiano
It took some time to decide where to set up camp along the Amalfi Coast but I eventually settled on the Grand Hotel Tritone, a stunning family-owned hotel built into a cliffside of Praiano, the town neighboring celebrity hot spot Positano. Through Hotels.com, we booked a junior suite with a balcony that included free breakfast and cost €4.855,92 ($5,695) for the eight nights. Choosing where to stay along the Amalfi Coast was intimidating because this is such a vast region and each town has a different feel. I created the following list of pros and cons based on our stay as a family of four. My basic search criteria for our hotel included the following: private beach access, outdoor pool and close to Positano to ensure we would have the opportunity to go there multiple times during our stay. Online, it appeared that I found a hotel that was a perfect fit but let’s see if this held up when we arrived.
| Grand Hotel Tritone, Praiano – Pros Beautiful Property & Rooms This hotel’s family history, breathtaking location, jaw-dropping views and spectacular service made our first time to the Amalfi Coast truly special. Our suite was clean, safe and comfortable with nice bedding, towels and toiletries. Feels Like A Resort This hotel has two outdoors pools: a large pool on the same level as the main building of the hotel at the top of the cliff and a smaller salt water pool at sea level. There is a two-part elevator system running through the rock connecting the hotel’s main lobby to the sea level. There is also a winding staircase descending down to the sea level that picks up about mid-way down and at the transfer point between the two elevators. Both pool areas offer a lovely resort feel with idyllic views, lounge chairs, umbrellas and towels as well as delicious food and drink service. The grounds of this hotel were impressive and we felt as if we had been transported to another world. Water Taxi Stop At sea level is a private dock where guests of the hotel can access water taxis, a very convenient mode of transport for this region. The average cost to go one way can range from €35 to €50. Moving around via the waterways is interwoven into the lifestyle of the Amalfi Coast and this on-site loading dock was an added convenience that facilitated our regular use of water taxis. Honestly, I felt like James Bond coming and going via water taxi, however, we did not realize beforehand just how often we would use them during our stay. |
| Grand Hotel Tritone, Praiano – Cons Private Beach Is Not Really A Beach The sea level area of the hotel is described as a private beach but to be absolutely clear, it is a large rock platform where guests can lay on lounge chairs, swim in the small salt-water pool and enjoy a meal at the restaurant. From this rock edge, people can also swim in the sea. This was not an option for us because the choppy water looked too dangerous to experiment with children. Thankfully, the hotel was very helpful by providing us with recommendations and reservations for lounge chairs at private beaches in Praiano and Positano. The hotel also called the water taxis that took us directly to these beaches from the hotel. There was little time for us to be disappointed by the hotel’s private beach because it led to fun-filled days zipping around the waterways to lounge on the surrounding beaches. Isolated Location This hotel is not walking distance to the town of Praiano or anything. We relied on taxis and water taxis to get around and had to plan accordingly while we were out. Some restaurants in Praiano offered a free dinner shuttle that would collect us from the hotel and return us afterwards which was a helpful partnership between the hotel and local businesses. By water taxi, Positano was a short trip but by road, it took about 45 minutes which was surprising but understandable considering the way that the roads wind around, up and down these cliffside towns. We made sure to pick up any extras that we would need for the hotel room while we were out because once back at the hotel, there were no nearby shops. For our next visit to the Amalfi Coast, we would probably stay at a hotel that had more options within walking distance. |
Getting Around the Amalfi Coast
The towns of the Amalfi Coast are fairly spread out and the fastest, yet most expensive, method of getting around is via water taxi. We relied on this method of transport mainly during the day and to access the beaches of Positano and Praiano. As mentioned above, our hotel had the added convenience of a private loading dock for guests of the hotel to easily come and go via water taxi. We took advantage of this feature almost every day during our stay, weather permitting.
There are bus routes that connect the region but we did not try the buses because we preferred to move at our own pace and did not want to be tied to bus schedules or packed into crowded buses. More importantly, the bus stops were along winding roads where cars, buses and trucks raced up and down. Even though our kids were not that little in 2018, we still felt vulnerable standing at a bus stop so close to traffic. As a family, we err on the side of taking extreme caution while traveling and would rather spend a little extra to ensure our safety.
There were days when weather conditions or our destination did not permit for the use of water taxis and we had to travel on land in a taxi. It was surprising how much longer it took to get around this way. This region is connected by winding, narrow roads that run along the steep cliffside which took some time to get used to while in the car. There are some tourists who rent cars but our overall lack of driving experience in Europe paired with the narrow two-way streets with hairpin curves along the edge of a cliff and packed with very confident drivers of all vehicles all moving at incredibly high speeds did not seem like the right time for us to experiment with a car rental in Europe.
What To Do in the Amalfi Coast
| Beaches When we arrived in Praiano, we switched gears from city sight-seeing to relaxing along the coast. The beaches that we tried out in Praiano and Positano are rocky beaches that are best experienced with water shoes which I made sure to bring along for all four of us. It was easy to adapt to the rocks given the beautiful surroundings and water that is calm, clean and beautiful. The kids found many little treasures scattered throughout these pebble beaches in the form of smooth sea glass fragments and ceramic pieces which we collected and brought back home as souvenirs and beautiful reminders of our days on the beaches of the Amalfi Coast. Praiano Our first beach experience was at Marina di Praia, a charming little private beach in Praiano that was welcoming and mainly filled with other Italians on vacation. The young men running the beach club were very accommodating, eventually moving us to the first row when seats became available. Right next to the beach were a few restaurants to choose from but we chose to eat lunch at Ristorante Da Armandino both times that we were at this beach because the food, drinks and service were exceptional. The small town quiet vibe of Marina di Praia is characteristic of Praiano which was appealing to us. We were grateful for the time spent at this beach in Praiano. Positano When I think Amalfi Coast, I think Positano and we put aside a couple of days to spend on the beaches over there. There is a large expanse of private beaches along the coast in Positano and our hotel recommended we reserve lounge chairs with L’Incanto where we paid for chairs in the first row and had access to clean bathrooms and changing rooms. In comparison to Praiano, Positano is the trendier of the two towns. Even though Positano has a trendy vibe with crowds of tourists filling its streets, the weight of the crowds was luckily not felt while we were at the beach. We had some truly relaxing and magical days on the beach in Positano. Of all the restaurants beachside, Le tre Sorelle was our go to lunch spot each of the days spent in Positano. The staff was friendly and accommodating while the food and wine was delicious. |
Our beach days and evening dinners in both Praiano and Positano gave us the opportunity to wander around these two very different towns. Both towns are beautiful but Praiano is quieter and less crowded. Despite being trendy and crowded, Positano was thoroughly enjoyed and well worth visiting.
| Ravello On our list of places to see was the town of Ravello, known for its ceramics and nestled high above the sea. On a late afternoon, a car service dropped us at the entrance of the town as far as cars are permitted because the main area of this town is for pedestrians only. We walked through Villa Rufolo and then stopped at a small ceramic shop owned by a friendly older couple. They helped us select a large circular piece that they shipped directly to our home in New York City. This piece is in a prominent place in our living room and reminds me on a daily basis of our memorable day in Ravello. We ascended up the stairs of this town to have dinner at Villa Santa Maria where we sat outside at a table overlooking the sea. Ravello is beautiful and I hope to visit this town again soon. |
| Capri We took a day trip to Capri on our last day in the Amalfi Coast. After much research, I knew that there would be limited options for fun things to do when we arrived at Capri but I was still curious to check it out. Our hotel arranged for a small group of guests to go on a boat straight from the hotel’s dock. The boat ride was the highlight of the day breezing through the deep blues of the Mediterranean where the jagged lines of rocky landscapes made for a worthwhile experience. When we arrived at the island of Capri and before we got off the boat, the captain gave us the option to enter the Blue Grotto. There was already a long line of boats similar to ours waiting to board the little row boats taking small groups into the cave. Everyone on our boat agreed to skip this attraction. I was turned off by the wait but also a little worried about stepping from our boat to the row boat with the kids and unsure if we (mostly me) would feel claustrophobic in the cave. Once on land, we made our way up to explore the island but had ruled out the chairlift to the top of Mounte Solaro to take in the views. We were nervous about our ten year old son having to ride the chairlift by himself, was unsure if my five year old daughter would be allowed to ride with me and just felt that it was something to leave for when the kids are older if we do return in the future. We did eventually make our way back down to the water to try out the beach in Capri which was underwhelming in comparison to our beach days in Positano and Praiano. Regardless, of being unimpressed by Capri, the ride over was memorable and we checked Capri off a list of places to see. I think Capri has plenty to offer for adults and families with older kids but not so much for families with little kids. |
Where to Eat in the Amalfi Coast
We had leisurely and delicious meals throughout and it was very easy to accommodate our vegetarian ten year old son and picky five year daughter. Pizza, pasta, and gelato were in abundance as was fresh fruit in an effort to maintain a balanced diet. Our dinners were later in the evenings around 8:30 pm allowing for us to move at a relaxed pace through our days without feeling rushed.
| Lunch Ristorante Da Armandino, Marina di Praia, Praiano Le tre Sorelle, Positano Dinner (8:30 pm or later) La Strada Ristorante, Praiano Kasai, Praiano La Moressa, Praiano Il Pirata, Praiano Ristorante Max, Positano Villa Santa Maria, Ravello |
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