The Best Free Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast — Italy Best Places Travel Blog

8 min readNov 2, 2020

The Amalfi Coast, one of the most beautiful places in Italy with a dramatic and very unique landscape, beautiful beaches, amazing colourful and pretty villages is the perfect Mediterranean summer vacation. Because the coast is so popular it can be quite busy and expensive. But in this article, we’ll show you the best free things to do on the Amalfi Coast if you are a budget traveller.

How to get to the Amalfi Coast

Before we dive in on the best free things to do on the Amalfi Coast, we need to get there. As we are travelling on a budget, I will list the best economical ways on how to get to the Coast. If you are travelling from Naples train station get the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento station and then grab the SITA bus (the regional bus that connects Sorrento to Amalfi). If you are travelling from Naples airport get the Curreri Bus to Sorrento station and again get the SITA bus to the Amalfi Coast.

If you are coming from Rome the best option if you are travelling from April to October is to get the train to Salerno and a ferry to the coast. If you are travelling from November to March get the train to Naples from Rome and then follow the step one above. Another cheap option from Rome is to get the Marozzi bus. More in deep info on how to get to the Amalfi Coast

The best free things to do on the Amalfi Coast

Hike the Path of the Gods

This is the most popular Amalfi Coast hike that connects the coast from Bomerano in Agerola above Amalfi to the upper part of Positano the village of Nocelle. The path of the gods ( Sentiero degli Dei) in the past was the only way that connected the towns one to another and was used by locals to travel from one village to another. The views from the path over the Amalfi Coast and Capri are absolutely incredible. The hike is classified as easy and is 8 km long. The best months to hike are in March, April, May up to the middle of June or September, October. Keep in mind that this is a very popular hike so it can get very busy especially during the weekends and from the month of May so it will be best to start early in the morning.

How to get to Bomerano

You can get to the start of the Path of the Gods (Bomerano) from Amalfi with the SITA bus. Make sure that you check the timetable of the bus as it changes during the year. Making sure to plan it in advance as the most challenging part if you want to get to the trail, can take up to 2 hours depending on where you are staying along the coast, but once you are there you’ll forget everything as this is one of the most wonderful hikes you’ll ever do.

Relax at Marina di Tordigliano

The beach of Tordigliano is uncrowded and still at its natural state so if you are looking to relax on a deserted beach (especially during the week, at the weekend it gets very busy) this amazing place is for you. The only challenge is to get to the beach as you need to get down a trail about 200-meter vertical from the main road (statale 163). Keep in mind that at this beach there is nothing, no bar, no restaurants so you need to bring your own food and drinks for the day.

How to get to Tordigliano beach

Depending on where you are staying along the coast to get to Tordigliano beach you need to get the SITA bus and get off at the Pini stop, you need to ask the bus driver.

Caserma Forestale Hike above Positano

This hike is not very popular like the Path of the Gods so you probably will not find many people along the start from the village of Montepertuso in the upper part of Positano. This trail is a bit more challenging then the Path of the Gods as you need to claim up lots of stairs to the Caserma Forestale. If you wish you can continue the trail to Santa Maria del Castello and then come down to Positano from a different path called le Tese. The views down to Positano, Praiano and the rest of the coast are spectacular.

How to get to Caserma Forestale

To get to the start of the trail depending on where you are travelling from you need to get to Positano first with the SITA bus and then catch the local bus sign posted Montepertuso/Nocelle and get off in Montepertuso, ask the driver for the correct stop, this is always the best option.

Get to Salicerchie beach

This is one of the smallest beaches along the Amalfi Coast located in Maiori is also known as Acqua Chiara beach because of the incredible clear blue water due to the fact that the sea is very deep. To get to the beach you need to walk down 160 steps from the main road. There is a beach club (lido) that provides food and drinks and half of the beach is public. The beach can get busy during the weekends during high season. Make sure to visit the nearby Grotto called Grotta Suffregna, a natural sulphur-rich hot spring that comes directly from the rocks.

Not far from Salicerchie there is another great beach called il Cavallo Morto (Dead Horse Beach) but the access is only via the sea, so you need to get there by boat or kayak, but really worth a visit.

How to get to Salicerchie beach

Depending on where you are travelling from you can easily get to Salicerchie beach from Maiori by local bus or from Amalfi with the SITA bus.

Visit the Fiordo di Furore

The Fiordo di Furore beach is another very popular attraction along the Amalfi Coast so it can get quite busy especially during high season from June to the end of August and during the weekends, so if you wish to visit make sure to get there early. The Fiordo is located between Praiano and Conca dei Marini along the Amalfi Coast.

How to get to the Fiordo di Furore

You can get to the Fiordo quite easily with the SITA bus from anywhere along the Coast, once you arrive you need to get down to the beach by walking about 120 steps.

Hike the Valle Delle Ferriere

This hike of the Valle delle Ferriere (the ironworks) is very popular like the Path of the Gods. This valley due to the strategic geographical position in the middle of the mountains of Scala, the hike runs between Amalfi and Scala, has a particular microclimate that keeps intact form of very rare plants from the past.

In fact, this natural reserve is known by the botanists to be the home of very rare plants in all Europe like the Woodwardia radicans and also living fossils from the Tertiary. The reserve also keeps several species of orchids and the small carnivorous plant called Pinguicola Hirtiflora that eats small insects.

The hike is classified as easy and the duration is about 3 hours depending on your fitness level. Along the hike you will be walking alongside the river Rio Canneto and you’ll see numerous amazing waterfalls.

You can start the hikes from a few different places, the most popular is from San Lazzaro in Agerola, the path is all sign posted and very easy to follow. Another route will be starting from Atrani, this is a more challenging hike as you will be going up the hill.

How to get to Valle delle Ferriere

If you are starting from San Lazzaro (Agerola) the easiest way to get to the starting point is to get the SITA bus from Amalfi to Agerola. If you are starting from Atrani again you can get the SITA bus from Amalfi or if you are actually staying in Amalfi you can walk to Atrani.

Visit the Wonderful Amalfi Coast Churches

There are amazing churches around the Amalfi Coast you can explore for free. The most important is the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Amalfi, also known as the Duomo located in Piazza Duomo, the main square and the centre of town. The entry is free to the man church but if you want to visit the crypt and the grounds a €3 fee is required.

Another great place will be the Ravello’s Romanesque Cathedral that was built in 1076 located in the main square and also the Santa Maria Assunta church in Positano (the so-called Vertical City) located on the way to the main beach. The entry is free to the church but if you wish to visit the Villa Romana ruins (located under the church) an entry fee of €15 is required. Although the entry to the majority of the churches is free a small donation is always welcomed.

Stroll Around the Little Streets

Enjoy the day by walking around the fantastic little streets (the vicoletti) in any of the villages along the Amalfi Coast like Positano, Amalfi, Ravello full of amazing little shops, bars and restaurants and enjoy la Dolce Vita of a simple slow-paced life of the Mediterranean summers.

People Watching in the Piazza

This is one of the most popular activities among us Italians we love to meet in the piazza and enjoy a chat or an aperitivo and admiring the world passing by. You can do so in any of the many amazing square (piazzas) along the coast but the most popular are the following:

La Piazzetta in Capri called Piazza Umberto I this is the place to see and been seen as Capri get flooded with many celebrities during the summer and for sure you can spot one or two famous people that are staying in one of the many yachts anchored outside the Island shore.

Piazza Duomo in the centre of Amalfi is filled with many bars and restaurants. This is the heart of the town so a great place to enjoy a drink or two and watching the world passing by.

Piazza Vescovado in Ravello which is one of the quietest places in the Amalfi Coast, the piazza had 3–4 bars that serve food and drinks so you can enjoy a great aperitivo along with a fantastic bruschetta or a pizza and enjoying the views and people passing by.

As you can see there are plenty of free things to do on the Amalfi Coast and I hope that this article will help you to plan your visit to the area.

More in deep information on things to do in Amalfi Coast here