We’ll be honest with you. The Amalfi Coast is not the easiest place to take children. It’s steep, it’s expensive, the roads are terrifying, and there are stairs — so many stairs — between you and basically everything. But. It is one of the most breathtaking stretches of coastline in Europe. Dramatic cliffs tumbling into turquoise water. Pastel villages clinging to rock faces. Lemon groves and bougainvillea spilling over every wall. If your kids are old enough to walk without being carried, old enough to appreciate a view that isn’t a screen, it’s a trip they won’t forget. We’d say eight and up is the sweet spot.
The coast runs along the southern edge of the Sorrentine Peninsula, south of Naples. Only about 50 kilometres of road, but those 50 kilometres contain some of the most photographed scenery in Italy. Towns perched on cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea, connected by a single winding road that clings to the mountainside like it’s holding on for dear life. Pushchairs are useless in most towns. Playgrounds are almost non-existent. Restaurants are pricey across the board. With a toddler or a four-year-old? Pick somewhere else. Sardinia. Puglia. Somewhere flatter.
Getting There
Most families fly into Naples. From there you’ve got options, none of them quick. The SITA bus to Amalfi takes about two hours along the coast road — more on that nightmare later. A private transfer costs €100-150 but saves your nerves. The ferry from Naples runs in summer and takes about an hour and a quarter.
The route we preferred: fly to Naples, train to Salerno (40 minutes, cheap, easy), then ferry from Salerno along the coast to whichever town you’re staying in. Salerno is underrated as a starting point. The ferries are frequent in season and the views from the water are gorgeous. We liked this far better than the road.
If you’re coming from Rome, the high-speed train to Naples takes just over an hour, then it’s the same onward journey. Either way, budget a full half-day for travel from the UK to your accommodation — it’s not a quick transfer situation.
Positano
The one you’ve seen on Instagram. Pastel pink, peach and terracotta buildings cascading down a near-vertical cliff to a small grey-sand beach below. It really does look like that in person — the first glimpse from the coast road genuinely takes your breath away.
Here’s the catch. Positano is vertical. Getting to the beach from most hotels means descending 300 or more steps. Then climbing them all again afterwards, in the heat, with tired sandy children. Every restaurant is expensive — €18-25 for a basic pasta, €25+ for fish. A bottle of water at a beach kiosk costs €4.
Our take: visit for the day. Walk down, have lunch, sit on the beach, take photos, soak it in. But staying here with kids for multiple nights is hard work, and the prices mean you’re spending a fortune just to eat.
Amalfi Town
More practical for families. The town sits in a small valley where the cliffs open up, so there’s actual flat ground. The cathedral of Sant’Andrea dominates the main square — huge, striped, with a wide staircase kids will want to run up and down. The beach is right there, accessible without a mountain of steps. Boat trips depart from the harbour, making it a good base for exploring by sea.
Prices are still high for Italy but noticeably less than Positano. The gelato shops and pizza places along the main strip are decent, and you can find a reasonable lunch without remortgaging.
The side streets climbing away from the square are fun to explore. Tiny shops selling limoncello and ceramics. Paper-making workshops — Amalfi was historically famous for its paper, and kids can watch it being made at the Museo della Carta. It’s a small museum but ours found it oddly fascinating.
Ravello
Up in the hills above Amalfi, Ravello is a different mood entirely. Quieter, greener, and genuinely cooler — it sits at about 350 metres above sea level, so on baking hot days it’s noticeably more bearable than the coast below.
The draw for families is Villa Rufolo. Entry €10, and the gardens are genuinely beautiful — terraced, full of exotic plants, with views down to the coast that make you understand why Wagner composed here. Our kids spent a good hour running along the paths. In summer there are outdoor concerts on a stage suspended above the cliff edge. Ravello doesn’t have a beach — you’d need to go back down to Amalfi or Minori for that. But as a half-day visit or a base for families who prefer quiet over bustle, it’s lovely.
The Coast Road and Ferries
The SS163 is one of the most hair-raising drives in Europe. Single lane in many places. Sheer drops with low barriers. Hairpin bends where buses somehow pass each other with centimetres to spare. The SITA buses are cheap and frequent but the experience is white-knuckle. Our youngest went green.
Motion sickness is very real. Bring tablets and take them before you get on. Sitting at the front helps. But honestly, the best advice: take the ferry instead. SITA and Travelmar run services between the main towns from April to October, €8-15 per trip. Positano to Amalfi is about 25 minutes. Open-air boats, spectacular views, and children vastly prefer them to the bus. No nausea, no terrifying roads. Buy tickets at the harbour booths and arrive early in high season — they fill up.
If budget allows, a private driver for a day costs €200-300 and saves a lot of stress. They know the road and handle it with a calmness that borders on alarming.
Beaches
Manage expectations. This is not the wide golden sand of the Algarve. Beaches here are small, often pebbly, and in high season they’re packed. Beach clubs charge €20-40 for two sunbeds and a parasol. There’s usually a small strip of free beach but finding space in August is competitive.
Positano’s Spiaggia Grande is the biggest — grey sand, busy, expensive, but the backdrop is gorgeous. Atrani, just around the headland from Amalfi town, has a small sandy beach that feels more local. It’s one of our favourite spots. Maiori has one of the few genuinely long beaches on the coast — if beach time matters to your family, stay there. Pack water shoes. The pebbles are hard on bare feet.
Pompeii Day Trip
Do this if your kids are seven or older. About 45 minutes from the Amalfi Coast by car, or train from Salerno. Entry €18 for adults, under-18s from EU countries free — bring their passport as proof.
Walking through a city frozen nearly 2,000 years ago is properly gripping for children. Houses with frescoes still on the walls. Chariot ruts worn into stone roads. Plaster casts of people caught in the eruption. It’s history made real in a way no textbook manages.
Warning: Pompeii is enormous, shadeless, and brutally hot in summer. Go early — gates open at 9am and the first couple of hours before the heat builds are by far the most comfortable. Bring water. Bring hats. Bring suncream. Wear proper shoes — the ground is uneven volcanic stone. We made the mistake of going at midday once and lasted ninety minutes before retreating.
A guided tour helps enormously. Without one, Pompeii can feel like a lot of old walls. With a good guide, every room has a story and kids stay engaged for much longer.
Where to Stay
Maiori and Minori sit between Amalfi and Salerno. Less glamorous than Positano but significantly cheaper, with proper beaches. Hotels cost roughly half what you’d pay in Positano. For families who want beach time without going broke, these are our top pick.
Praiano sits between Positano and Amalfi. Quieter, more residential, reasonable prices. The catch: you’ll need transport to reach other towns.
Sorrento is technically not on the Amalfi Coast but it’s a brilliant family base. Better transport connections, more restaurants at sensible prices, a proper town centre. The Circumvesuviana train links it to Naples and Pompeii. You can day-trip to the coast by ferry. If this is your first time in the area with children, Sorrento is arguably the smartest choice.
Self-catering apartments save a fortune. Making breakfast and packing lunches rather than eating out three times a day makes a real difference here.
Food
Southern Italian at its best. Fresh seafood, pizza as good as anywhere — thin, blistered, simple. Lemons the size of your head, and everything made from them: limoncello, lemon cake, lemon pasta, lemon granita. The granita is a must — crushed lemon ice, €3-5, tastes like concentrated sunshine. Our kids had one every day.
Restaurant prices on the coast are steep. Expect €15-25 for main courses, and that’s for pasta — fish dishes run higher. A family dinner for four with drinks will often hit €80-120. Pizza is the most affordable option and it’s everywhere.
For cheaper eating, look for places a street or two back from the waterfront. The views disappear but the prices drop noticeably. Bakeries sell pizza slices and focaccia for a few euros — perfect for lunch on the go. One tip: many restaurants will push bottled water at €3-5. Ask for acqua del rubinetto — tap water. No shame in it.
Practical Bits
Shoes matter. Flip-flops are useless for getting around — the stone steps get slippery and you’ll climb more stairs than seems possible. Proper sandals with a back strap, or trainers. Bring cash for smaller shops and beach vendors. Start early — by mid-morning the coach parties arrive, the roads clog, the beaches fill. Best hours are before 10am and after 5pm.
Budget honestly. A family of four will spend €200-300 a day even being careful. Sun protection is non-negotiable — the coast faces south, the sun bounces off water and white buildings, and it is fierce from June to September.
Is It Worth It?
Yes. With caveats. The Amalfi Coast with small children is hard work for not much reward — there are far easier, cheaper, more child-friendly parts of Italy for that. But with older kids and teenagers? It’s genuinely special. Standing on a cliff watching the sun set while your twelve-year-old says “this is actually cool” without a trace of sarcasm. Eating the best pizza of your life on a tiny terrace above the water. Taking a ferry along a coastline that looks like it was designed by someone showing off.
It takes more planning than most family trips. More budget too. But the Amalfi Coast delivers the kind of beauty that stops you mid-step and makes the whole family go quiet for a moment. Those moments are worth the stairs.