Known for
Pastel houses tumbling down a cliff to the sea
Must-see landmarks
Spiaggia Grande, the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta and MAR Positano
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October, avoiding the hot
Getting around
On foot up and down steep lanes and stairways
Ferries and boats dock at Positano's main beach, backed by the pastel houses climbing the cliff and the cafes along Via del Brigantino. A free public stretch of pebbles sits alongside paid sunbed concessions, so swimming costs nothing even without a rented spot. Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta is a couple of minutes away on foot.
The town's majolica-tiled dome rises over the square, and inside is a Byzantine icon of the Madonna that local legend says washed ashore after a storm, its captain hearing it whisper posa, posa, put it down. Entry is free, open 09:30 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 20:00. MAR Positano is a 2 minute walk uphill.
Beneath the church, frescoed rooms of a Roman villa buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD were brought to light during restoration work in the early 2000s, among them a triclinium whose wall paintings still hold their colour. It is ticketed separately from the free church above. Via dei Mulini is right around the corner.
Boutiques selling linen, sandals and ceramics line Positano's main shopping street, past the walled garden of the 18th century Palazzo Murat, now a hotel. It is one of the few almost level stretches in a town built on stairs. Fornillo Beach lies beyond Via Positanesi d'America, a paved path around the headland ending in steps down to the sand.
Smaller and calmer than Spiaggia Grande, Fornillo has no ferry traffic to disturb the swimming, only the fishing boats pulled up on its pebbles. Sunset over the bay from the sand, or from a terrace bar above it, closes out the day.
The church at the heart of town costs nothing to step into, open 09:30 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 20:00, to see the majolica dome and the Byzantine icon inside. The Roman villa in the crypt beneath it, MAR Positano, is ticketed separately.
No charge applies to setting foot on the pebbles or swimming out from the harbour where the boats and ferries dock; only a section of the shore is fenced off for hired loungers. Arriving early in the day still finds room on the unreserved stretch even in the busiest months.
Positano's quieter beach keeps its own free section, reached on foot along Via Positanesi d'America rather than by road. The beach bars charge for their loungers, but the sand and the water stay free.
Walking the trail from Bomerano to Nocelle above Positano costs nothing beyond the bus fare to the trailhead. It is a mountain footpath rather than a promenade, so walking shoes matter and some stretches run close to the edge.
Part of Arienzo's shore stays free of charge even though a beach club with loungers occupies the rest of it, with sun lasting into the afternoon after other Positano beaches fall into shade.
A smaller, less crowded beach further along the coast from Arienzo, Laurito splits into a free section and a private one attached to a small hotel, with no charge to reach the free half or swim from it.
Positano rises in tiers from a cove on the Amalfi Coast, its pastel houses and terraced gardens stacked so steeply up the hillside that stairs, rather than streets, link most of the town. It grew wealthy as a market port between the 15th and 17th century, then declined through the 19th century as many residents emigrated to America. Its modern fame owes much to John Steinbeck, who wrote about the town for Harper's Bazaar in May 1953, and the tourism boom followed over the decades after.
Nearly everything sits along the descent from the coast road down to Spiaggia Grande, with Via dei Mulini and Via Pasitea carrying most of the shops and restaurants between them. Above the town, the hamlets of Montepertuso and Nocelle climb higher still, reached by local bus or on foot, both quieter and cooler than the crowded shore below.
April to June and September to October bring warm weather without the heaviest crowds and heat of July and August. A single day covers the beaches, the church and the shopping streets at an easy pace, and many visitors add a night or two to walk the Path of the Gods or explore the coast further by boat. The Amalfi Coast as a whole ranks among the essential things to see in Italy, and Positano is among its best known towns.
The town is entirely on foot, up and down its stepped lanes, with a local bus covering the steepest climbs to the upper streets and hamlets for a small fare. SITA buses run along the coast road to Sorrento and Salerno, and seasonal boats connect the harbour with Amalfi, Capri and Naples in the warmer months.