Last verified: October 11, 2026. I read every hotel price below on the hotel’s own website, and every fare, timetable and tax rate on the operator’s or town council’s own page. I measured every climb on an OpenStreetMap walking route. Hotel prices are for one night on Tuesday, May 18, 2027. I re-check the fares, ferries and taxes every month and re-run the prices before each season.
Ask where to stay on the Amalfi Coast and you’ll get two answers: Positano or Amalfi. Here’s the difference nobody prints. In Amalfi, the bus stop is a flat two-minute walk from the ferry pier. In Positano, the upper bus stop sits 156 metres above the beach, up a run of stairways.
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The price gap is just as wide. For the same mid-May night in 2027, the hotels I could price in Positano had a median of €471 for a double. Amalfi’s came to €239.
This guide compares eight bases on price, the climb, buses and ferries, the tourist tax and the winter season. If you’re still choosing between the two coasts, start with my Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre comparison. For other cities and other kinds of stay, see my guide to where to stay in Italy.
Key Takeaways
- For a first trip without a car, I’d stay in Amalfi town: a €239 median double in May 2027, against €471 in Positano (hotels’ own sites).
- Amalfi, Atrani and Minori are flat from the sea. Positano climbs 156 metres to the bus. Ravello sits 433 metres up.
- Of the 8 bases, Salerno is cheapest at €136, and its hotels and ferries run all winter.
Table of Contents
Where to Stay on the Amalfi Coast: The Short Answer
Stay in Amalfi town for a first trip without a car. On October 11, 2026, I read prices for one night on Tuesday, May 18, 2027 on 39 hotels’ own websites. Amalfi’s median double came to €239, about half of Positano’s €471, and nearly every bus line and coastal ferry route passes through it.
The rest depends on what you want from the trip. Positano is for the view, if you’ll pay twice as much and climb. Praiano gives you Positano’s view from a smaller, quieter town. Ravello is for quiet evenings high above the sea. Minori and Maiori are flat beach towns for families. Sorrento and Salerno sit off the coast proper, and they’re the bases with trains.
The table lists the eight bases, dearest first. Prices are the median of the cheapest double for two I could book on each hotel’s own site for that May night. They show how the towns compare. They aren’t a quote for your dates.
| Base | Best for | Median double, May 18, 2027 | Climb, sea to bus | Ferry pier, winter boats | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positano | The view, the beach scene | €471 (8 hotels) | 75 to 156 m | Yes, Travelmar all year | Stairs everywhere, the highest prices |
| Praiano | Positano’s view, quieter | €370 (4 hotels) | 111 m | Not on Travelmar’s routes | Steep, spread out, few shops |
| Ravello | Gardens, concerts, quiet nights | €240 (3 hotels) | 433 m | No pier | A bus ride to any beach or boat |
| Amalfi (with Atrani) | A first trip, no car | €239 (5 hotels) | 0 m | Yes, all year | Busy by day |
| Minori and Maiori | Families, flat beaches | €171 (7 hotels) | 6 to 38 m | Maiori all year, Minori in season | Further from Positano |
| Sorrento | Trains, Capri, Pompeii | €271 (4 hotels) | 85 m | Capri and Naples all year | 35 to 50 min by bus to Positano |
| Salerno | Value, the fast train, winter | €136 (4 hotels) | 16 m | Yes, all year | A city, not a village |
Sorrento and Salerno, in italics, sit off the Amalfi Coast itself. Atrani shares Amalfi’s row because the two towns are a few minutes apart on foot. None of Atrani’s own sites let me book a May 2027 room; the one B&B with a published rate gives only an undated “from €130”.
How Much Does Each Town Cost?
For a mid-May night in 2027, a double ran from a median of €136 in Salerno to €471 in Positano. That’s what I read on hotels’ own websites on October 11, 2026. Italy’s average hotel double in 2025 was €164, according to AlbergatorePro’s survey of more than 1,500 hotels (Sky TG24, December 2025). That average includes breakfast, while my figures are the cheapest bookable rate, often room only, so the real gap is a little wider.
So Positano costs nearly three times the national average. Sorrento costs 1.7 times, and Amalfi and Ravello about 1.5. Salerno comes in below it.
The method matters, so here it is. I priced the cheapest double for two on each hotel’s own booking engine or price list. I searched two nights from May 18 and halved the total, because several hotels have a two-night minimum. Many of the cheapest rates are non-refundable. Two famous Positano hotels I priced as a reference, Hotel Marincanto and Palazzo Murat, came to €1,338 to €1,598 a night. I left them out of the medians, along with the top-end Palazzo Avino in Ravello and Il Piccolo Sant’Andrea in Praiano.
The part I didn’t expect: only 39 of about 90 official hotel sites gave me a 2027 price I could read, and only two still publish a printed price list. The rest send you to booking widgets that won’t take a date, or to an online travel agency.
What about August? I priced Tuesday, August 10, 2027 too, and 10 of 27 hotels came out cheaper than in May. Five charged the same to the euro. That pattern looks like rates the hotels haven’t set yet, so I’m not quoting August. I’ll re-check it in spring. Until then, treat May as the floor for summer.
The season moves the bill as much as the town does, and most of the hotels I priced sell nothing in winter, as the last section shows. For the whole-trip numbers, see my Italy trip cost breakdown. For month-by-month crowds and weather, see the best time to visit Italy.
Which Towns Are Flat, and How Bad Are the Stairs?
Amalfi, Atrani and Minori are flat from the sea. On my routed walks, measured on October 11, 2026, it’s 0 to 6 metres of climb from their pier or beach to the bus. Positano’s upper Chiesa Nuova stop is 156 metres above the main beach. Praiano’s Via Roma stop is 111 metres up. Ravello sits 433 metres above its shore.
I measured these the same way for every base. I took the main beach or ferry pier, then the main SITA bus stop, and routed a walk between them on OpenStreetMap. The figure is the total climb along the route, which is what your legs feel. The start and end heights alone can mislead in narrow gorges. I checked the method against Ravello’s cathedral square, which comes out at 369 metres against about 350 published.
Why does it matter so much? Every day trip on this coast starts at a bus stop or a pier. In Amalfi, both are at the bottom of town with the shops. In Positano, the beach and the ferry are at the bottom, the buses are at the top, and the hotels are on the stairways in between.
The routed walk from Spiaggia Grande to the Chiesa Nuova stop takes 17 minutes downhill. Coming back up, allow nearer 26 minutes. That route crosses about 375 metres of mapped stairway. Positano’s lower Sponda stop is easier at 75 metres, with about 72 metres of stairway.
Ravello is a different case. It’s a hill town with no pier, and the walk up from Castiglione beach climbs 433 metres to the bus stop. Nobody does that daily. You take the bus down to Amalfi, about 25 minutes on SITA’s October timetable, and catch a boat from there.
| Base | From | To | Climb on the route | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amalfi | Ferry pier | Bus terminus | 0 m | 2 min |
| Atrani | Beach | Main road stop | 0 m | 1 to 2 min |
| Minori | Beach | Bus stop | 6 m | 2 min |
| Salerno | Concordia ferry pier | Railway station | 16 m | 6 min |
| Maiori | Ferry pier | Centro stop | 38 m, spread over 1 km | 14 min |
| Sorrento | Marina Piccola | Station and Piazza Tasso | 73 to 85 m | 14 to 18 min |
| Praiano | Marina di Praia | Via Roma stop | 111 m | 19 min |
| Positano | Spiaggia Grande | Sponda / Chiesa Nuova stops | 75 / 156 m | 13 / 17 min |
| Ravello | Castiglione beach | Bus stop | 433 m | 58 min |
Walking times are the router’s estimates, with no allowance for the uphill. Ask your hotel two things before you book. How many steps is it from the nearest bus stop? Is there a lift? SITA’s buses take one bag up to 50 x 30 x 25 cm free and charge €1.50 for each extra bag (SITA SUD FAQ).
Positano, Amalfi or Sorrento: Which Suits You?
Amalfi suits a first trip, Positano suits a trip built around the view, and Sorrento suits a trip built around trains and Capri. In ISTAT’s 2024 figures, Sorrento had 122 registered tourist beds for every 100 residents. Positano had 98 and Amalfi 62 (ISTAT accommodation capacity data, 2024).
Those numbers say what kind of place each one is. Sorrento is a resort town. Its 10,611 hotel beds outnumber the hotel beds in all 13 Amalfi Coast towns combined (9,165). ISTAT counted 2.85 million nights there in 2024, about 188 for every resident. Positano has about one tourist bed for every resident. ISTAT counted 416,565 nights there in 2024, up 24.6% on 2019, and 85.8% of them were foreign guests.
Pick Amalfi if you want the easy version. It’s flat, it has the coast’s main bus terminus and its busiest pier, and the five hotels I priced came to a median €239. Day trippers fill the cathedral square by day. The evenings, once the last boats leave, are a different town.
Pick Positano if the view is the point and the budget can take about €471 a night. Stay near the beach and you’re far from the buses. Stay near the road and you’re far from the beach. You can’t have both here, so decide which you’ll use more.
Pick Sorrento if you want rail and boats. The Circumvesuviana runs to Naples and to the Pompeii Scavi stop for the ruins, and ferries for Capri and Naples run all year. The cost is distance. SITA’s October timetable gives Sorrento to Positano as 35 to 50 minutes, before you’ve reached Amalfi.
What about Praiano? It sits just past Positano with the same view west, and the four hotels I could price came to a median of €370, from €290 to €410. It’s steep and spread along the road. Use the bus, not your feet.
Is Ravello Worth Staying In, and What About Minori and Maiori?
Ravello is worth it for quiet evenings, at Amalfi’s price: a €240 median for a May 2027 double across three hotels’ own sites. The catch is height. Ravello sits 433 metres of climb above its shore, with no pier, so every beach day and boat trip starts with the bus down to Amalfi.
What you get for that is the coast’s calmest evenings, after the day visitors take the last buses down. The gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone are a short walk from the square. If your trip is about walking, gardens and long dinners rather than beaches, I’d pick Ravello over Positano.
Minori and Maiori are the family choice, and the most underrated pair on the coast. Both are flat, with long town beaches. Minori’s bus stop is 6 metres above its beach. Maiori’s long seafront runs a kilometre from the pier to the centre. The seven hotels I could price across the two towns came to a median of €171, from €70 on Hotel Europa’s printed list in Minori to €300 at a five-star in Maiori. That’s the lowest median on the coast proper.
Three practical points. Ravello has the coast’s highest tax for mid-range hotels: €4 a night at a 3-star, with under-16s exempt. Maiori and Minori charge all year, but less. Minori loses its ferry from November to March, while Maiori keeps its boats. For sunbed prices on each beach, see my Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre comparison.
Should You Stay in Salerno Instead?
Yes, if you want the lowest price, a fast train or a winter trip. Four Salerno hotels I priced came to a €136 median for a May 2027 double. The Concordia ferry pier is 480 metres from the station, and Travelmar runs boats to Amalfi and Positano all year (Travelmar timetable).
The boat is the reason Salerno works. Travelmar charges €12 from Salerno to Amalfi and €17 to Positano. SITA’s bus to Amalfi costs €3 and takes about 75 minutes on its October timetable. Frecciarossa trains from Rome and Naples stop at Salerno station. The new Salerno Costa d’Amalfi airport has a bus to the station of about 40 minutes (Trenitalia, Salerno Airlink).
The cost is the first and last hour of each day on the coast. You won’t see Positano before the day boats arrive or after they leave. If that’s the hour you came for, pay for a coast town. If you want three or four day trips and a decent dinner at a city price, Salerno is the base.
That’s also why my where to stay in Italy guide names “Sorrento or Salerno” as the bases for this coast. They’re the two with trains, year-round links and lower prices. If you’d rather sleep in a big city with the whole bay in reach, read why Naples works as a base. It’s a different trip, closer to Pompeii and further from Positano.
How Do Buses, Ferries and Arrival Work From Each Base?
One bus company, one ferry company running along the coast all year, and no boats from Sorrento to Positano after October. That’s the coast in one line. From October 1, 2026, a SITA SUD single costs €1.60 between neighbouring towns, €2.50 from Positano to Amalfi and €3.60 from Sorrento to Amalfi, on the fare sheet attached to SITA SUD’s September 30 notice.
The COSTIERASITA day pass is €10, and there’s no 3-day pass (SITA SUD tickets). Fares follow the Unico Campania zones, which you can check on its fare finder. On the boats, Travelmar charges €10 from Amalfi to Positano and €5 from Amalfi to Maiori. Alilauro charges €19 from Sorrento to Positano (Alilauro).
| Base | Bus to Amalfi | Ferry pier | Boats in winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positano | 40 to 50 min, €2.50 | Yes | Travelmar to Amalfi and Salerno |
| Praiano | On the Positano line, €2.50 or less | Not on Travelmar’s routes | No |
| Amalfi | You’re already there | Yes | Travelmar to Positano and Salerno |
| Ravello | About 25 min, €1.60 | No | Via Amalfi |
| Minori and Maiori | About 20 min, €1.60 | Yes | Maiori only |
| Sorrento | 75 to 100 min via Positano, €3.60 | Yes | Capri and Naples, not the coast |
| Salerno | About 75 min, €3 | Yes | Travelmar to Amalfi and Positano |
Times come from SITA’s timetable for October 5 to November 1, 2026. A winter timetable follows.
Getting here changed this autumn. Campania Express, the faster tourist train from Naples to Sorrento, is suspended from October 1, 2026 “until further notice” (EAV). That leaves the Circumvesuviana at €4.60 (Unico Campania fare sheet), or Alilauro’s ferry from Naples at €19 (Alilauro). Curreri’s airport bus to Sorrento costs €13 and takes about 75 minutes (Curreri). Naples airport closes for runway works in November 2026, and the airport hasn’t published the exact dates (Aeroporto di Napoli). For a November trip, look at Rome and the train to Salerno.
Driving? Don’t, in season. On banned days, cars can’t use the coast road from 10 am to 6 pm unless their plate’s last digit matches the date: odd plates on odd days, even on even. Hotel guests are exempt only on their check-in and check-out days (Comune di Praiano, June 2026). The full 2026 calendar is in my Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre guide. For trains and car rental in general, see getting around Italy and driving in Italy.
What Does the Tourist Tax Add, and What Closes in Winter?
The tourist tax adds €2 to €5 per person per night, depending on the town and the hotel class. Positano charges €3 a night at a 3-star from April 1 to October 31 (Comune di Positano). Maiori and Minori charge all year. Hotels collect it at the desk, on top of the room price.
| Town | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ | B&Bs and rentals | When and who’s exempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positano | €5 | €4 | €3 | €2.50 | April 1 to October 31; under-10s exempt |
| Amalfi | €5 | €4 | €3 | €3 | April to early November |
| Ravello | €5 | €5 | €4 | €3 | April to October; up to 7 nights; under-16s exempt |
| Maiori | €4 | €4 | €3 | €2 | All year; under-14s exempt |
| Minori | €4 | €4 | €3 | €2 | All year |
| Salerno | €5 | €5 | €4 | €3 | All year since June 1, 2026; up to 7 nights |
Sources: Comune di Positano; Comune di Amalfi resolution of February 2022; Comune di Ravello tariff notice; Comune di Maiori, council resolution 187 of 2024; Comune di Minori, 2026 rates; Comune di Salerno, rates from June 1, 2026.
Take two people staying four nights in a 3-star. The tax comes to €24 in Amalfi or Positano in season, €32 in Ravello, and €0 in Positano in November, if a hotel is even open. To see how the coast compares with Rome, Florence and Venice, see my Italy tourist tax guide.
“If a hotel is even open” is the bigger point. Of the 36 hotels I priced whose winter status I could read, 29 had no rooms on sale for January 2027. Six of them state a winter closure outright. The rest may simply not have loaded winter rates yet, so read this as a strong hint, not a census.
Every Positano, Amalfi and Sorrento hotel in that group was shut or unbookable. The seven selling January rooms: all four in Salerno, Hotel Parsifal in Ravello, and Hotel Europa and Hotel Caporal in Minori (Caporal at weekends). Hotel Poseidon in Positano closes from November 15 to April 14, and Villa San Michele in Ravello opens only from March 14 to November 3.
The boats follow the same calendar. Travelmar is the only company running boats along the coast all year: five a day from Salerno to Amalfi in early November 2026, and four a day last winter. Alilauro’s Sorrento to Positano route runs April 1 to October 31. So for a trip between November and March, I’d base myself in Salerno and treat Amalfi as a day trip.
Before you pay, check five things. Check the climb from the bus stop to the door, and whether there’s a lift. On any flat, check for the national CIN code; my seven checks for any Italian rental cover the rest. Check whether the tax is extra, and check the hotel’s opening dates.
Where to Stay on the Amalfi Coast: FAQ
What is the best town to stay on the Amalfi Coast for a first visit?
Amalfi. A mid-May 2027 double ran a median €239 a night on hotels’ own websites, about half Positano’s €471. Its bus terminus is a flat two-minute walk from the ferry pier, and nearly every bus line and coastal ferry route passes through it. Ravello and Minori are 20 to 25 minutes away by bus.
Is it better to stay in Positano or Sorrento?
Positano for the view and the beach, if you can pay about €471 a night and climb up to 156 metres to the bus. Sorrento for trains, Capri and Pompeii, at about €271 in May 2027. The catch is distance: the coast starts 35 to 50 minutes away on SITA’s bus.
Which Amalfi Coast towns have the fewest stairs?
Amalfi, Atrani and Minori. All three have under 10 metres of climb from the beach or pier to the bus stop on a routed walk. Maiori is flat but long. Positano climbs 75 to 156 metres to its bus stops, Praiano 111 and Ravello 433, measured in October 2026.
How much is the tourist tax on the Amalfi Coast?
It’s €2 to €5 per person per night, depending on the town and hotel class. A 3-star charges €3 a night in Positano, Amalfi, Maiori and Minori, and €4 in Ravello. Positano and Ravello charge only from April to October. Maiori and Minori charge all year (current town council rates).
Is the Amalfi Coast open in winter?
Partly. Of the 36 hotels I priced whose winter status I could read, 29 had no rooms on sale for January 2027, and six state a winter closure. Travelmar’s ferries from Salerno to Amalfi and Positano run all year. That makes Salerno, with four open hotels I priced, the best winter base.
The Bottom Line
Where to stay on the Amalfi Coast comes down to how you’ll move each day. The coast has one road, one bus company and a ferry network that shrinks in winter. Pick the town that matches the trip you’re actually taking, then check the stairs and the dates.
- Amalfi for a first trip: €239, flat, the bus and ferry hub.
- Positano for the view: about twice the price, and up to 156 metres of climb.
- Ravello for quiet evenings, Minori or Maiori for families and flat beaches.
- Sorrento for trains and Capri. Salerno for €136 a night and winter trips.
- Budget €2 to €5 per person per night in tax, and check opening dates for November to March.
Three or four nights is enough for most people, and my 10-day Italy itinerary shows where they fit. For other cities, my where to stay in Venice guide runs the same comparison by district. If the coast is full, look south. Puglia’s trulli and masseria stays are a different southern trip, priced the same way.
