Where to Stay on the Amalfi Coast, Italy

The debate rages on—where should you stay on the Amalfi Coast? Among travelers and online forums, it’s a surprisingly contentious topic. Some argue for Sorrento (which, technically, isn’t on the Amalfi Coast), while others champion Positano or one of the smaller towns like Praiano. In this post, I’ll break down the main arguments for each option and share my personal recommendation—though fair warning, it’s biased. We just returned from a 10-day trip to the region and we absolutely loved our stay in Positano (hint, hint).

Sorrento 

While Sorrento isn’t technically on the Amalfi Coast, many travelers rave about staying there for its relative affordability, broader range of accommodations and restaurants (especially compared to smaller towns like Positano), and because transportation options exist to Amalfi Coast towns. It’s often praised as a great jumping-off point for exploring the region—or so they say (more on why I disagree in the “My recommendation” section below).

Positano

I always say: stay where you want to eat—and every single restaurant I wanted to try was in Positano. On top of that, nearly everything I wanted to do was either in Positano or started there, including the boat tours and beach clubs. So for us, it absolutely made sense to stay in Positano this time around.

Smaller towns, like Praiano, Minori, or Maiori

I understand this suggestion more than the recommendation to stay in Sorrento. One thing to know about Positano is that it’s not especially rich in cultural depth or culinary dynamism—it’s very much a vacation town. That didn’t bother us, because it’s incredibly beautiful, full of things to do, and we’ve experienced Italy’s deeper cultural side on past trips to places like Rome, Florence, and Sicily.

While I haven’t stayed in the smaller Amalfi Coast towns like Praiano, Minori, or Maiori, I’ve heard they offer a more local, down-to-earth vibe, with far fewer crowds during the day. Some hotels even provide transportation to Positano, though it’s still not as easy as simply staying in Positano—it usually requires at least a 10-minute water taxi, if not more.

My recommendation

Figure out what you want to do—and stay where those things are located. The trick to enjoying the Amalfi Coast and Capri is to do it with ease and without crowds—and that’s much easier when you’re already there.

Let’s say you want to explore Positano but are staying in Sorrento—do you really want to spend 45 minutes each way crammed on a bus in the heat, just to arrive in Positano when everyone else is there? Or would you rather spend the day on a boat, then explore Positano before dinner, once the day-trippers have cleared out?

I saw an Instagram reel from a travel blogger who stayed in Sorrento and booked a boat tour to Capri. In my opinion, that’s a big mistake. It can take 30–40 minutes just to reach Capri from Sorrento—and the same amount of time to return—eating up a significant chunk of your eight-hour tour. If the seas are rough (as they were for us in July), it’ll take even longer. The same applies to boat tours of the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento: that’s a lot of time spent in transit instead of actually enjoying the experience.

We had a similar consideration with our Vespa tour. Had we stayed in Sorrento and done the same tour, we would’ve lost at least an hour roundtrip—precious time when you’re trying to explore. These tours may be labeled “all-day,” but they go by fast. You don’t want to waste valuable time just getting to where the experience truly begins.

I emphasize this in my blog, 13 tips for a chic, effortless Amalfi Coast trip—without the crowds: don’t book a boat tour of a place you’re not already staying in. You’ll thank yourself later.

Bottom line

The closer you are to what you want to experience, the more time you’ll spend enjoying it—and the less time you’ll spend getting there.