Positano, Amalfi and Ravello Day Trip from Salerno with Boat Ride

The Li Galli viewpoint on the way to Positano

From Salerno the vehicle takes the quickest route to the western end of the coast, so you reach Positano in the morning before the road fills with traffic. Shortly before the town, when traffic allows, your driver stops at a viewpoint above the Li Galli islands, three small islets just off the coast, shaped like a dolphin's back from above. Local legend links them to the sirens of ancient myth, who sang to passing sailors.

The view from here stretches along the cliffs to Positano and, on clear days, towards Capri. It is the first great photo stop of the day and a good moment to understand the geography of the coast, with the Lattari Mountains rising straight from the sea and the coast road clinging to their slopes.

Positano

You arrive in Positano at about 10:00 and have around an hour to explore. The town drops in steep steps and lanes from the road to the Spiaggia Grande beach, lined with boutiques selling colourful linen, ceramics and handmade sandals, and crowned by a church dome tiled in green and yellow majolica that shines in the sun.

Once a trading port of the Amalfi republic, Positano emptied in the 19th century and became fashionable again after the 1950s, when travellers fell in love with its light. Many people ask how to get to Positano and on to Amalfi without the traffic; on this day trip the answer is the boat, which leaves from the beach pier, so you finish your visit right by the sea.

The boat ride from Positano to Amalfi

At about 11:30 the group boards a boat for the scenic transfer to Amalfi, roughly 30 minutes along the most beautiful part of the coast. From the water you see Positano rising behind you like a theatre, then Praiano spread along the cliffs, the deep gorge of the Furore fjord with its arched bridge, and Conca dei Marini with its round watchtower above the Emerald Grotto.

Seeing the coast from the sea is a highlight in itself, as the villages appear as they did before the road was built, with lemon terraces and watchtowers built in the 16th century against pirate raids. The boat ride depends on the sea: in rough conditions the transfer is made by road instead, and our team lets you know on the day.

Amalfi

The boat lands in Amalfi at around noon, and you have about two hours here, the longest stop of the day. Amalfi was a powerful maritime republic between the 9th and 11th centuries, trading across the Mediterranean, and its cathedral above Piazza Duomo shows that past, with a striped Arab-Norman facade, bronze doors cast in Constantinople and a tiled bell tower. The 13th-century Cloister of Paradise is next door.

Use the time to visit the cathedral, walk up to the Valley of the Mills where paper is still made by hand, have lunch at your own expense or relax by the harbour. The cathedral complex is usually open daily from morning to early evening; entry is paid on site. Halal food is limited here, but seafood and vegetarian dishes are easy to find.

Ravello

At about 14:00 the vehicle climbs the winding road to Ravello, perched more than 300 metres above the sea, arriving around 14:30 for about an hour of free time. Built by rich merchant families of the Amalfi republic, Ravello is calm and elegant, with a cathedral founded in 1086 and two famous villas: Villa Rufolo, with its Moorish-style courtyard and terraced gardens, and Villa Cimbrone, whose Terrace of Infinity overlooks the Gulf of Salerno.

Is Ravello worth visiting? For many guests it is the most peaceful hour of the day, with the best views of the coast. Villa entries are not included. The return journey starts at about 15:30, and you arrive back in Salerno, at Molo Manfredi or Piazza della Concordia, between 16:30 and 17:00, depending on traffic.