Italy’s famous Amalfi Coast is home to 13 towns, but let’s be honest – you’ll only stay in a handful of those. Positano and Amalfi for sure. Praiano maybe? Is Ravello more of a day trip? And it would be a shame to travel down the Gulf of Naples without stopping to explore Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri, right?
In May 2022, we spent 2 action packed weeks exploring the most popular parts of the Gulf of Naples and the Amalfi Coast – importantly, without hiring a car. We’d already been to Naples on a previous trip, so this time we booked hotels in Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Salerno at the end.
It was one of the most memorable trips we’ve ever taken – but more crucially for you and your upcoming trip, we learned (sometimes the hard way!) about the best and worst areas to stay in each place you’ll likely stop along the coastline. Read more about us.
Here we are at dusk in Amalfi (we definitely didn’t coordinate colors on purpose!)
You have to remember most of these small towns are steep and not easy to get around. Plus, you have to factor in getting to hotels from ferry ports, train stations or bus stops. So the exact location of your hotels will play an important role in how enjoyable your trip is. Our leg muscles can attest to that!
In this guide we show you exactly where to stay in each popular place along the Gulf of Naples and Amalfi Coast, based on what we learned during our trip. Plus, we’ll show you highly rated hotels that won’t break the bank, so you don’t have to waste time researching. Okay, let’s begin!
Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running.
Naples
This was us at the top of Vesuvius with the cone behind and views over Naples ahead
Let’s kick things off with the city you’ll likely use as the start and/or end point on your Amalfi Coast itinerary. Naples has a major international airport and train station providing easy access to Sorrento and Salerno – the gateways to both sides of the Amalfi Coast.
If you do any research about visiting Naples, you’ll find mixed and often strongly worded reviews. And we’ll admit, it was the only place along this entire stretch of coastline that put us on alert.
For us, the downsides were garbage in the streets and feeling intimidated (bordering on unsafe) near the train station. But the upsides were authenticity, super friendly locals, pizza that’s on another level and the archaeological museum housing Pompeii’s most important artifacts.
Would we be in a hurry to go back? No. Hence why we went straight to Herculaneum on our second visit to the region. But if we’d never been to this part of the world before, we would stay in Naples for a night or two – eat pizza, go to the museum and see some castles.
Where To Stay In Naples
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Naples
Map key:
- Red – Train station (avoid)
- Orange – Duomo
- Green – Centro Storico
- Blue – Spanish Quarter
Now, we recommend doing your own research on areas to stay if you’re concerned about crime or safety. But to summarize, you’ll read that the areas around Chiaia, Municipio or Dante metro stations (basically southwest of the historic center) are perfectly safe.
It’s only really the train station and immediate surroundings that are considered to be sketchy. And we can confirm that walking out of Napoli Centrale was a bit of an eye opener, even in broad daylight. But as soon as we got into the Centro Storico and to our hotel we felt fine. Our room did have 3 different locks on the door, which concerned us, but we never ran into any issues.
With all that said, if we were to stay in Naples again for just 1 night, we’d book a hotel in the Duomo area because it’s safe, close to the Centro Storico and just one metro stop to the train station. We’d stay at 319 al Duomo on the cheap or Amadomus Luxury Suites with a healthier budget. They both have sky high guest ratings, breakfast included and excellent locations next to the metro station.
But if we were to stay for 2 or more nights, we’d head further southwest to the Spanish Quarter. We’d book either Residenza Borbonica next to Toledo metro station or Plebiscito Boutique Rooms which is between Toledo and Municipio stations. They both have top guest ratings.
Herculaneum
This is one of our favorite photos we took walking around Herculaneum ruins
Why would you stay in the tiny town of Herculaneum (Ercolano) when you visit the Amalfi Coast? Well, if you have a flight that lands late into Naples airport and you want to skip the city, you can take a ride share straight to Herculaneum so you’re ready to start with the ruins on your first morning.
This is exactly what we did in 2022 – our ride share from Naples airport to Ercolano took around 20 minutes and cost €25. We checked into our hotel (it was the cheapest hotel we had the whole two weeks), went out for a delicious pizza at Ro.Vi and got an early night.
Then after breakfast we were ready to take this local bus to Vesuvius so we could hike to the crater, before exploring Herculaneum ruins in the afternoon and moving onto Pompeii by train.
Where To Stay In Ercolano
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Ercolano
Map key:
- Purple – Train station
- Green – Herculaneum ruins (best area)
- Orange – Foothills of Vesuvius
The town of Ercolano is tiny, so you really don’t need to worry too much about location here. But there are three different ways you can do it:
First, book a hotel like Le Colonne that’s a few steps away from the train station if you don’t want to carry big suitcases around. Second, book a hotel next to Herculaneum ruins like 7cento Vesuviano because it’s a nicer spot (this is what we did). Or third, book a peaceful hotel with a pool like Maison di Fiori high up in the foothills of Vesuvius behind Ercolano.
Staying near the train station or ruins works better if you’ll be staying one night, but if you’ll be staying two or more nights it might be worth looking at hotels with pools and views of Vesuvius in the hills. The obvious downside is you’d need a car or taxis to get around.
Pompei
Here we are at Pompeii ruins with Vesuvius in the background
The modern day city of Pompei is a lovely place. We imagined it would be just a few tourist trap hotels and restaurants propped up around the ruins of ancient Pompeii (they do also exist so be careful), and we didn’t expect the new town to be as large or attractive as it turned out to be.
If you’re short on time for your trip to the Amalfi Coast but want to prioritize Pompeii ruins, skip Naples and Ercolano altogether, and instead head straight for a hotel in Pompei.
Despite its small size, Pompei has tons of great restaurants and hotel options, so even in the high season you shouldn’t have any issues finding excellent places to eat and stay in town.
Where To Stay In Pompei
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Pompei
Map key:
- Blue – Best area to stay
- Green – Quieter area
It’s important (and confusing) to know that you can arrive into any of three different train stations in Pompei, depending on your itinerary beforehand. But no matter which you arrive into, you can only leave through Pompei Scavi for Sorrento and ferries to the Amalfi Coast.
Here are the train stations and nearby hotels to consider:
Pompei Santuario – On the local green line which runs from Naples to Poggiomarino. We took this line from Ercolano to Pompei because the hotel we booked was near Santuario train station. We stayed at Civico 29 and it was excellent, but Maison de Julia is quieter option and it has a pool.
Pompei Centrale – The main train station on the major line between Naples and Salerno. Use this faster train if you want to go from Naples airport straight into Pompei. The highly rated Grand Hotel Royal or Maison de Luxe are great nearby options, or closer to the center of town along Via Roma is the popular Hotel Forum.
Pompei Scavi – The closest station to Pompeii ruins is on the local red line running from Naples to Sorrento. We took this train to Sorrento after leaving Pompei. Relais Country House is 12 minutes walk from the station, otherwise there’s a disappointing lack of quality accommodations within short walking distance, so we’d just book a hotel in town instead.
Sorrento
This was Kristen walking out to watch the sunset with other tourists in Sorrento
Okay, Sorrento is the gateway to the Amalfi Coast and it’s a lovely place in its own right, so we highly recommend spending at least one night here. Better yet, stay for two nights. This is where most food, wine or cooking classes originate, so take advantage (see the top rated options).
We love the family run B&B style accommodations in this region of Italy, and Sorrento has an abundance of quaint and affordable options. But it also has lots of high quality 4 and 5 star hotels if you’d prefer something a bit more traditional.
Sorrento’s train station is on the east side of town, and there’s tons of great hotels within easy walking distance along Corso Italia – which are super convenient if you have big suitcases. Just remember, you’ll still have to get down to the ferry port if you want to go to Capri next.
Now, Sorrento’s narrow pedestrian shopping and dining streets like Via S Cesareo are awesome to explore and people watch, but unfortunately there’s not a huge amount of accommodation options along them.
There are more hotels south of town but we’d avoid the furthest away options because they’d require a longer walk into and out from town, likely several times each day. And finally, there are some great hotels near the sea but the beach areas aren’t great, so don’t prioritize booking your hotel around beaches.
Where To Stay In Sorrento
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Sorrento
Map key:
- Blue – Best area to stay
- Purple – Near the beach
- Red – Longer walk into town
We spent 2 nights in a lovely little hidden away place called La Villetta. It was 4 minutes walk from the train station and 1 minute walk from the always-crowded Piazza Tasso in the center of town. They served breakfast to our room each morning and it was fabulous.
But there’s honestly a ton of highly rated places you can stay. Personally, we’d want to book a place that was no more than 5 minutes walk from Piazza Tasso, just so we had that central location again.
We’d happily go for any of Magi House, Elys Suites, Corso 38, Palazzo Marziale or Casa Marino. They all have excellent previous guest ratings and great locations.
Or if you’re visiting Sorrento with a healthy budget and want 5 star luxury, look no further than the iconic Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. It looks awesome and it’s where we’d love to stay next time if it was within our price range.
Capri
Here’s Kristen at the top of Monte Solaro on the island of Capri
When planning our trip to the Amalfi Coast, it was the island of Capri that stumped us the most when it came to booking a hotel. Why? Because we had tons of awesome Capri attractions on our wishlist and we knew we wanted to stay for three full days. Plus, the island was bigger than we expected.
Our research led us to basically dividing the island into two parts – Capri (the east side) and Anacapri (the west side). Capri is the upscale and popular side with lots of shops, restaurants and swanky hotels. Whereas Anacapri is much quieter, with more retreat-style lodgings and serene sunset views.
The Capri side can be further broken down into the ferry port (Marina Grande), Capri Town and the beach (Marina Piccola). Now, the port area is non-stop crowded with tourists arriving and departing, and the beach is pebbly rather than sandy. But the town is where everything is happening, so we think it’s the best place to book a hotel.
Where To Stay In Capri
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Capri
Looking at our map above, the red outline is Anacapri and the purple outline is Capri. They’re split by Monte Solaro, and connected by a steep road or a steep walkable staircase.
Map key:
- Pink – Secluded area
- Orange – Anacapri town
- Blue – Marina Piccola
- Green – Capri town
- Yellow – Marina Grande
There are dozens of amazing hotels spread right across Capri island that will suit every type of traveler on any budget. So instead of giving you a long list of options here, we highly recommend reading our full guide on where to stay in Capri and Anacapri, which goes into much greater detail.
We stayed at B&B La Terrazza sul Mare, which was perched on the cliffs around a 10 minute walk uphill from Marina Grande. It was a lovely spot and the hotel was fantastic, but it didn’t work as well as we’d have hoped in terms of location for what we wanted to do – tick off attractions.
If you’re going to Capri for the first time and want to explore, we recommend booking a top rated hotel like Hotel La Minerva, Hotel Mamela or Hotel la Floridiana on the south side of Capri Town. This exact area has the perfect location between restaurants, attractions and transport connections for the rest of the island.
Or if they’re too pricey, go for a highly rated hotel that’s a 10 minute walk from town which significantly reduces the price you’ll pay. Take a look at Capri Wine Hotel and Hotel La Prora to see if you can find better value.
Positano
Here we are on the beach in Positano during a cloudy but warm sunset
Positano is arguably the most popular place to stay on the Amalfi Coast proper. On the downside, hotels are very expensive. But on the plus side you’ll be happy to know it’s really easy to figure out how hotels work.
You basically have two choices – either book a more expensive hotel close to the beach and ferry port that’s easy to access, or book a cheaper hotel way further up from the beach that’s not so easy to access.
And when we say not easy to access, we mean lots and lots of steps or steep roads. Yes, we are speaking from experience!
Our Amalfi Coast trip was in May, but even then hotel prices in Positano were eye-watering. So we booked a cheaper place up in the gods which saved us from bankrupting ourselves, but it also meant we left Positano after what felt like doing 10 leg days straight in the gym.
Where To Stay In Positano
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Positano
Map key:
- Blue – Best area to stay
- Purple – Hotels at lower elevation
- Red – Hotels at the top of steep hills
If you want to stay near the beach, ferry port and shops, we recommend taking a look at the ultra popular Hotel Buca di Bacco, Villa La Tartana or Hotel Palazzo Murat. None of them are going to be cheap, but they all have prime time locations.
The next closest hotels you can book are located on the lower portions of Via Pasitea and Via Cristoforo Colombo. These two roads with lots of restaurants and bars surround the town in a kind of twisty horseshoe shape. There are lots of great options here including Hotel Reginella, Hotel Poseidon, Hotel Savoia, Le Sirenuse, Hotel Marincanto and Hotel Eden Roc.
Then your final option is to stay well up the cliffside which would require lots of hill walking or steps. It’s way less convenient but the prices can be considerably cheaper. Take a look at Casa Nilde, Hotel Punta Regina, Positano Art Hotel and Villa Yiara.
We stayed at Casa Pietro for 2 nights and it was great, but we were a heck of a way up there and we did a ton of hill walking. The silver lining was that it forced us to exercise, which we probably needed after indulging on so much pizza, pasta, gelato and wine!
Praiano
We took this fun silhouette photo on our hotel balcony at sunset in Praiano
Praiano is unique because it doesn’t have a built up town or beach area like Positano or Amalfi. There are way less shops, restaurants and hotels here. But a lot of the hotels are perched right on the cliffside with amazing views, and they tend to be cheaper.
You might have read that Praiano is quieter than the other towns, but the truth is it’s a completely different type of place to stay. There’s really not a lot to do, which we found refreshing but also a bit boring because we’re doers when we travel. One night was enough for us, but you might prefer to spend more nights here because it’s not crowded and it’s cheaper.
Luckily, we planned our itinerary well. We used our full day in Praiano to climb up and hike the amazing Path of the Gods, before walking through town (which had a lot of steep roads!) to drink cocktails at Il Pirata and relax on Marina di Praia.
Would we stay in Praiano again? No, probably not. It was peaceful and a welcome break from the tourist masses, but we’d rather spend our money staying in Sorrento, Capri or splurging on a luxury stay in Ravello.
Where To Stay In Praiano
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Positano
Map key:
- Blue – West side of Praiano
- Purple – East side of Praiano
- Green – Up hills into town
You have two choices for hotels in Praiano – either stay directly on the main coastal road or head up into the quiet town. Just remember if you don’t hire a car you’ll need to walk with suitcases or backpacks to your hotel, and the bus only stops in a few places along the main road.
Part of the reason we booked Hotel Smeraldo was because the bus stopped nearby. The other part? We found an affordable room that had a bathtub on a balcony overlooking the sea and sunset. And for us, that’s what we wanted from a hotel on the Amalfi Coast.
But there are a few more great hotels in the exact same area you can consider – take a look at Casa Angelina, Hotel Tramonto D’Oro and Hotel Le Fioriere to see if you can find better value.
On the east side of town near the beach, you should take a look at Maresca Hotel Praiano, Hotel Villa Maria Pia and Hotel La Perla. They’re all near bus stops.
And finally, if you’d rather stay up in the super quiet town, we recommend B&B La Barbera, which looks lovely.
Amalfi
Here’s Kristen sat alone on the steps leading up to Amalfi Duomo
Honestly, we found Amalfi to be the easiest town of all to book our hotel. There’s a massive cluster of excellent options within easy walking distance of the ferry port, shops, restaurants and bus station – and almost all visitors will book a hotel in this exact area.
Sure, there are also a handful of outliers way further uphill that would make for excellent retreat-style places to stay. And then of course there’s Atrani, which is a short walk away through a pedestrian tunnel.
But in truth, we recommend sticking to the popular area near Amalfi’s Duomo instead. There’s not much going on in Atrani, and it’s no cheaper to go further up the steep hill towards Pontone, so the only reason you’d do that is if you wanted a night in a luxury resort with views.
We liked Amalfi but we preferred Positano, Capri, Ravello and Sorrento. So we’d only stay in Amalfi for one night if we visited again.
Where To Stay In Amalfi
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Amalfi
Map key:
- Blue – Best area to stay
- Purple – Cheaper hotels
- Red – Too quiet for us
Basically, the closer you stay to Duomo di Sant’Andrea Apostolo, the better. We recommend Hotel Floridiana, Residenza Luce and Amalfi Centro for great value with prime time locations.
Or a little further up Via Lorenzo D’Amalfi (the one road running inland filled with shops and restaurants) you can look at Sharon House or Andrea House for better value. There are more hotels further out of the way, but we only recommend those if you want a peaceful stay well away from the crowds.
And if you want a fancy splurge in Amalfi, take a look Palazzo Don Salvatore or Hotel Marina Riviera which are basically next door to each other on the main road east of town.
Ravello
Here we are at the awesome infinity terrace in Ravello
Ravello is quaint, quiet and quintessential Amalfi Coast – narrow alleys and sprawling gardens leading to spectacular elevated viewpoints. We seriously couldn’t get enough of the views from Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone (the infinity terrace really is something else).
But there’s not much going on up there, at all. And it requires a bus transfer or taxi from Amalfi if you don’t hire a car. So is it worth staying in Ravello?
We’d say yes if you’re seeking a quiet and relaxing night on your Amalfi Coast trip. It’s chaotic during the day, but once the day trippers leave, Ravello is all about luxurious escapism. If you’ve got a bit of cash to burn, this is where to do it.
Whereas we’d say no if you prefer a bit of nightlife or at least a livelier atmosphere. Plus, hotels up in Ravello are more expensive than Amalfi because it’s upscale and ritzy.
Where To Stay In Ravello
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Ravello
Map key:
- Blue – Built up area
- Purple – Secluded area
Ravello has some seriously swanky 5 star hotels. On the north side of town, you can stay at Caruso, Palazzo Avino or Palazzo Confalone – all of which look awesome.
But the ultimate place you can stay in Ravello and maybe even the entire Amalfi Coast is Villa Cimbrone on the far south side of town. We walked around the stunning gardens and stood on the spectacular infinity terrace, but we’d love to stay in the hotel one day!
What about more affordable places to stay? Well, there’s not a massive amount to choose between, but start by looking at Nonno Francesco B&B, Hotel Rufolo and Hotel Giordano on the south side of town.
On the north side of town near the bus stop, we’d take a look at Garden Hotel (great pool with views) or Villa Piedimonte, which have excellent ratings and are cheaper than the 5 star offerings.
Salerno
This was Kristen looking up at the entrance to Salerno Duomo
You might also be planning to visit Minori or Maiori before ending your Amalfi Coast trip in Salerno. We didn’t do either Minori or Maiori because we wanted to spend our time in different places, and they’re not as iconic or unmissable as the likes of Positano.
But we did spend a night in Salerno at the end of our trip because we needed a full day to recharge after going non-stop for almost 2 weeks, before taking a train to Rome for more action packed days.
And to be honest, Salerno turned out to be a lovely place. We walked along the seafront, ate delicious Asian food at onlywok (which was much needed after endless pizza and pasta), drank cocktails at The Black Monday and enjoyed walking around the cobbled streets in town.
Where To Stay In Salerno
Our map showing the different areas to stay in Salerno
Map key:
- Blue – Best area to stay
- Purple – Near train station
- Red – Nice area but uphill
We stayed near the Duomo in a hidden away place called La Terrazza Sul Duomo. It was nice and super affordable, but it was way too far up cobbled streets to walk with our roller suitcases!
In hindsight, we should have stayed on the south side of town closer to the beach, bus stop and train station. Either La Maison du Paradis or Salerno Centro would have been perfect. They have sky high guest ratings in better locations.
The other smart option would have been Hotel Plaza which is right next to Salerno train station. That way we could have explored the city all day and night, then woken up already at the train station without having to walk or get a ride share to catch our train to Rome.
Amalfi Coast Hotels Map
Okay, let’s take a look at a map of the Gulf of Naples and Amalfi Coast with the locations of every hotel we’ve mentioned in this guide included.
Click or touch the map below to activate, zoom in and out, and scroll around. If you’d like to see a bigger version, click the “view larger map” icon in the top right, and if you’d like to see any specific hotel, click the arrow and square icon in the top left.
Map key:
- Green – Cheap hotels
- Red – Mid range hotels
- Blue – Luxury hotels
There are of course heaps more hotel options you can book along the Amalfi Coast, but the hotels mentioned in this guide are the highest rated accommodations we can find within each popular area. We hope they help you get off to a good start with your hotel hunt!
Our Top Tips
Look, we won’t sugarcoat things – hotels on the Amalfi Coast aren’t especially cheap. But here’s a few quick tips we learned about booking accommodation that could save you a small fortune:
Avoid weekends – Hotel prices are significantly lower on weekdays compared to weekends in all places around the Gulf of Naples and Amalfi Coast. We recommend booking your stay anytime between Sunday night to Friday morning.
Beat the rush – Book as far in advance as you possibly can to get more hotel room availability and lower rates. Last minute deals don’t work like they used to, and especially not in a place as popular as Capri where hotel rooms book up earlier than usual.
Hire a car – Doing the Amalfi Coast with a car is a double edged sword. You can get to those harder to reach places away from the crowds, which means cheaper hotel prices. But it also means dealing with parking and car rentals are expensive in the first place.
Seasonality – Hotels here are way cheaper in the off season and shoulder seasons versus summer, especially July and August when tourism peaks. May and October are excellent times to visit for good value, our hotel was very reasonably priced when we visited in May.
And finally, we travel for a living so take a look at our guide on how to book cheaper hotels for your trip to the Amalfi Coast.
Next Steps
We he hope our guide helps you figure out where to stay on the Amalfi Coast, but please let us know if you have any other questions in the comments box a little further below.
Still figuring out your plans for Italy?
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
Find our guide helpful? Pin it for later!
All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.
Please visit:
Our Sponsor