Are you heading to the Amalfi Coast and looking for the best things to do in Positano? We are here to help!
If youʻre booking your trip to Positano last minute, we have you covered. Below are some of the top tours, hotels, and more!
🇮🇹 Top Activities and Tours in Positano:
- Sorrento Coast & Capri Full-Day Trip by Boat (most popular tour!)
- Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi Full-Day Tour (top-rated from Naples!)
- Boat and Snorkeling Tour in Small Group on the Amalfi Coast
- From Sorrento/Nerano: Amalfi and Positano Boat Tour
🛌 Top Positano Lodging Options:
- Petrea Lifestyle Suites (our top pick in Positano!)
- Imperati Suites by Alcione Residence
- Villa Yiara
- Villa La Leonessa
🚗 Looking for the best way to get around the Amalfi Coast? Click here to check rental car rates for Italy!
This guide contains some of the top Positano attractions, landmarks, and more!
We also highlight some of the best beaches, day trips, and Positano tours.
Did we miss any of the best places to visit in Positano? Let us know in the comments! Thanks!
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Best Positano and Amalfi Coast Tours (to Maximize Your Time!)
If you’re looking for something more organized when in Positano and the surrounding area, here are some awesome Amalfi tours you should check out.
These tours will help you maximize your time, which is especially important if you only have a short amount of time in the region! We listed a variety so that you can pick which one is most suitable for you (and many include multiple places!):
- Sorrento Coast & Capri Full-Day Trip by Boat (most popular tour!)
- Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi Full-Day Tour (top-rated from Naples!)
- Boat and Snorkeling Tour in Small Group on the Amalfi Coast
- From Sorrento/Nerano: Amalfi and Positano Boat Tour
Best Things to Do in Positano
1. Visit the Santa Maria Assunta Church
According to local oral tradition, a Byzantine icon was brought by monks fleeing the raids of Cliento to the place where they would build the new Benedictine monastery.
Their icon of the Virgin Mary has been venerated since, and Santa Maria Assunta Church is built as a testimony to that.
Renovated numerous times throughout its existence, the Santa Maria Assunta Church stands today with five chapels and side arches divided into two sides, and a nave leading to the high altar.
To its right side is the statue of infant Jesus with the Virgin in the Chapel of Saint Stefano. The famous Byzantine icon is situated above the altar and was recently restored.
There are other marvelous paintings throughout the church, and a beautiful Medieval bas-relief walled above the door of the bell tower.
Above the central portal, there is an organ and gravestones with engravings of bas-reliefs and important symbolism of notable figures to the city.
Address: P.za Flavio Gioia, 84017 Positano
2. Ride a Scooter Along the Amalfi Coast
The best way to enjoy the most out of your day trip to Positano’s coast is with a scooter. No need to worry about walking up the steep hills or the many staircases or consider taking a bus or taxi.
The insured and assisted scooters are also more affordable than cars, and equally as safe. Drive through the nooks and crannies of Positano and feel the stunning cliff seaside wind all at once.
There is no need to get stuck in traffic – which happens, even when the tourist season has died down.
This may also be one of the best ways to give yourself a self-guided tour throughout the city before walking from destination to destination and observing the highlights, main attractions, and monuments with a stroll.
The scenic views are also something to consider; the lack of windows enables you to take in the iconic sea, cliff, and mountainous views of Positano.
3. Take a Sorrento Coast and Capri Day Trip (by Boat!)
Explore the beautiful sea caves of the coast’s crystal clear waters on a cruise and boat tour along Capri and the Sorrentine Peninsula.
The full-day excursion sets sail from Piano di Sorrento, and on the way to your destination, you’ll catch sights of natural waterfalls flowing from the rocky cliffs of the coastline, ruins of an ancient Roman Villa, the quaint fishing village of Marina Grande.
The White Grotto, Green Grotto, and Marvelous Grotto are all popular sea caves on the stunning across the Tyrrhenian Sea, where you can perhaps dive into and swim before continuing the boat tour.
Cruise by the Paleolithic-age Arco Natural, Punta Carena lighthouse, the Faraglioni rocks, and snorkel in the sea before enjoying snacks and drinks on the boat amidst the wonderful scenery.
Then, take 3 to 5 hours to sight-see Capri. To close the day, enjoy a tasting session of limoncello prior to sailing back to the meeting point.
>> Click here to check tour rates and availability
4. Relax on an Amalfi Beach
The beaches are the main attraction no matter where you go along the Amalfi Coast!
There are trendy beaches, which can be crowded, as well as hidden gems that will feel like your own private beach.
A rule of thumb for Positano, if you see loungers, sunbeds, or umbrellas, they are usually not free to use.
The most renowned is Spiaggia Grande, also called Positano Beach or Marina Grande Beach. It is the largest and most iconic beach in the village.
There are food and beverage services to utilize as well!
Fornillo Beach is the second largest and offers a more quiet and touristy beach with just as stunning views of the mountains and restaurants.
Arienzo Beach has its own beach club with sections of private beaches and free beaches.
Laurito Beach and La Porta Beach are two hidden and secluded gems, the former a pebble paradise and the latter only accessible by boat!
5. Hike the Path of the Gods
There are ancient routes along the mountainous coasts near Positano, overlooking all the nearby seaside towns on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Path of the Gods is one of them!
You can start your hike from Positano up through Nocelle and eventually reach the charming town of Bomerano.
The views from and through the hillside villages overlooking the sea and stunning cliff views of the Amalfi Coast are just the beginning.
The 8-kilometer journey, which lasts about four hours if you’re dedicated to hiking it in its entirety, has attractions throughout its trail.
The ancient Convento di Santa Maria a Castro and the adjoining convent of Saint Domenico are a start, followed by the Pistillo limestone tower– all of which are most notable for their dominating views of the cliffside.
They’re great checkpoints to stop, catch your breath, and avoid the sun! Along the way, you’ll also smell scents of rosemary, thyme, and myrtle and pass vineyards and gardened terraces.
6. Have a Pizza at Lo Guarracino
Pizzeria Lo Guarracino is named after the sea in Campania and is the location romanticized in a popular 18th-century Neapolitan song.
The pizzeria overlooks Fornillo Beach and grants a panoramic view of the beautiful Amalfi Coast. It still maintains the large and picturesque garden it opened with in 1980.
The scenery alongside all three rooms offers excellent views of Praiano, another coastal village, and the Tower of Clavel of the Li Galli Islands.
Even getting to the pizzeria involves a charming process of following a carved rock path near the Tower Trasita and along the street Positanesi of America.
It features a piano bar with live music, and opportunities to dance in the lit moonlight with a backdrop of the stunning sea.
Enjoy handmade delicacies made with high-quality ingredients in a traditional wooden oven and dishes from local marinated anchovies and lobster linguini to Medeteriancca pizza.
Address: Via Positanesi d’America, 12, 84017 Positano
7. Stop by the Archeology Museum- MAR Positano
In the center of Positano stands an ancient Roman villa, which also functions as an archaeology museum called MAR. It reveals the city to be a melting pot of art and culture and its significance over the centuries.
As it was a crossroad of various civilizations, you can discover a multitude of items of interesting historical importance, especially since Positano has almost always been a privileged place of tranquility.
The archaic wall frescoes of vibrant red, orange, and blue are just the beginning of the beautiful tour. The medieval crypts underground showcase the curious masonry of using stucco to finish the ancient workmanship.
The white lime hallways’ soffits are lined with red brushstrokes to form oblique bands and rhombuses. The passageways wind you through narrow, long, and vaulted quadrangular rooms and large rectangular ones.
There are two naves separated by marble pillars buttressing arches, and the stucco craftsmanship hint at the pre-existence of an altar.
Address: P.za Flavio Gioia, 7, 84017 Positano
8. Check Out Music on the Rocks Club
Directly on the beach in Positano is a nightclub carved into a waterfront cliff. The cave-like nightclub is one of the leading clubs in Europe for both location and music programming and has an excellent cocktail list and DJ parties to enjoy.
The downstairs of the venue is where the clubbing takes place and has exciting lights providing energy for a fun night.
Upstairs is where the Italian music is played, and it is a bit more tranquil. The rooftop bar has marvelous panoramic views over the sea of Positano and is a wonderful place to enjoy your cocktails.
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The nightclub is chiseled into the mountains and thus according to its website, is a highlighted destination for personalities of Show Business, Film and Entertainment, as well as VIPs to the city.
Their website also provides a calendar revealing days of special and specific events, which may align perfectly with your vacation.
Address: Località Grotte Dell’incanto, 51, 84017, Positano
9. Explore the Emerald Grotto
The Amalfi Coast is studded with hidden gems and natural beauties all throughout, one of them being La Grotta dello Smeraldo, a sea cave notable for its shining, turquoise waters.
Hugging the cliffs of the sea cave is Concha dei Marini, a quaint fishing village with picturesque buildings overlooking the sea.
There are small rowboat tours all throughout the year that will take you into the heart of the cave, where you can see the lights of the lanterns dispersed throughout the cave reflecting in the glistening azure waters.
The month of August is considered to be the ideal time to visit, as the lines and tourism will have already begun to die down.
During the winter, the Grotto is decorated with a nativity scene made up of ceramic statues underwater. Each year during Christmas, divers swim down to the tableau to place flowers.
Tickets into the grotto usually average at about €7 per person.
10. Have Dinner at Li Galli Bistro
Enjoy a view overlooking both the city of Positano and the cliffside sea whilst feasting on local dishes and specialties at Li Galli Bistro.
It is considered to be a little paradise on the coast and has great aperitifs and cocktails, such as chips, peanuts, taralli, burrata, and charcuterie boards.
Their menu consists of traditional dishes with local seafood, like lobster linguine, pesce gratinato– which is gratinated fish with mixed vegetables, tomatoes, and olives— and amberjack filet with vegetables.
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The bistro is both a great place to dine in the evening and a great place to catch a breakfast– with cream stuffed cornetto, coffee, and a fresh fruit salad.
There are also dessert options, including the classic tiramisu, and crostatina, a strawberry tart.
Dining at Li Galli Bistro is not as overwhelming as the higher-end restaurants in the area– it’s a comfortable place with a cozy and charming ambiance.
Address: Via Cristoforo Colombo, 207, 84017 Positano
Where to Stay in Positano
You’ll find plenty of options for where to stay in Positano – below are some of our top picks!
Did we miss any amazing things to do in Positano for a first-time visitor? Let us know what to do in Positano in the comments!
More Campania Travel Guides
- Best things to do on the Amalfi Coast
- Amalfi Coast towns
- Amalfi in winter
- Day trips from Sorrento
- Sorrento things to do
- Day trips from Naples
- Naples in winter
- Procida Island
- Herculaneum travel guide
- Naples pizza making class
- Where to stay in Naples
- Naples bucket list
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Megan is a travel blogger and writer with a background in digital marketing. Originally from Richmond, VA, she now splits her time between Frankfurt, Germany and Arctic Finland after also living in Norway, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. She has a passion for winter travel, as well as the Nordic countries, but you can also find her eating her way through Italy, perusing perfume stores in Paris, or taking road trips through the USA. Megan has written for or been featured by National Geographic, Forbes, Lonely Planet, the New York Times, and more. She co-authored Fodor’s Travel ‘Essential Norway’ and has visited 45 US states and 100+ countries.