Free walking tours in Positano and what to see

Must-sees

Positano is one of the villages of the Amalfi Coast, a World Heritage Site, with colourful houses stepped up a hillside that drops into the sea. Its centre is the church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its green and yellow majolica dome and a Byzantine icon of the Virgin. Beneath the church you can visit the MAR, a museum showing the remains of a Roman villa with frescoes. In front stretches the Spiaggia Grande, the main beach.

You explore the village up and down steps, among shops selling beachwear and handmade sandals. A clifftop path leads to the quieter Fornillo beach. From the sea you can see the Li Galli islands off the coast. Above the village are the hamlets of Montepertuso and Nocelle, where the Path of the Gods ends, a panoramic route coming from Agerola.

Free tours and guided visits

Civitatis does not offer a free walking tour of Positano, and the village is so small that it is easy to discover on your own. What you will find are boat trips along the Amalfi Coast, in groups with a snorkelling stop, private or at sunset, as well as the boat trip to Amalfi. Trips to Capri, or to Capri and Sorrento, also leave from the Spiaggia Grande pier.

How long to spend

Positano can be seen in half a day: the walk to the church, the beach and a few flights of steps are enough to get a feel for it. But it deserves at least two or three days to swim, walk the Path of the Gods and take a boat to Amalfi or Capri. In summer the traffic is heavy, so many visitors arrive by ferry from Amalfi, Sorrento or Salerno.

Where to stay

The most practical choice is to stay near the Spiaggia Grande or the main road that winds down through the village, with hotels in whitewashed houses and terraces with views. Fornillo has somewhat quieter places to stay by its beach. If you want peace, Montepertuso and Nocelle, up above, offer guesthouses with views. Praiano, a few kilometres away, has more availability outside the peak months. Remember there are lots of steps.