Things to Do in the Town of Amalfi, Italy

Things to Do in the Town of Amalfi, Italy

“Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life” – Anna Akhmatova! I could not agree with this quote more! Italy is definitely a beautiful dream and I keep returning again and again almost every year! So this is Part 2 of my Amalfi Coast Travel Guide Experience. If you have not read Part 1 on Ravello, you can find it here where Ravello was our first stop before coming to the city of Amalfi and it gives a bit more background on this journey. Now click on the Youtube link for some theme music as you continue to read!

Hipknoties Dress

After spending a few hours in the beautiful hilltop city of Ravello, we made our way to the city of Amalfi which took maybe 15 mins. This is where we slept at for two nights. I recommend staying in Amalfi because it is cheaper compared to Positano and it has the main port to take a ferry to other beautiful spots in the Amalfi Coast such as Capri, Positano and Sorrento. The name of the hotel we stayed at was Hotel Centrale Amalfi! This hotel is located right in the heart of Amalfi – right across from the Duomo as you saw in my opening photo.

I booked this hotel on Bookings.com last December and it came out to be $170 with tax for two nights. For the Amalfi Coast, you need to book hotels way in advance because they book up fast! In December for a trip in June, we booked one of the last of 3 rooms. At least with Booking.com you can book now and pay later on most hotels. The price we got was a great price for two nights.

Booking.com

If you need something more cheaper, then stay in Salerno. This city is much farther away. You will need to take a ferry which is about 20 euros roundtrip to go to any of the other locations. Book tickets ahead of time with Alicost Ferry (the boat seen in photo below).  However, last year we stayed at Torre Cielo Mare Bed & Breakfast and it was great and more cheaper. The owner was super nice and helpful and it is a 10 min walk to the train station that will take to you to Naples, Rome or where ever you need to go. The port to get on the ferry is not far of a walk but the owner of the bed and breakfast drove us to the port. He is really nice! Note that Amalfi/Positano do not have a train station that is nearby that you will have easy access to.

At Hotel Central Amalfi, it sits above the restaurants that you see in the center and you do have to take stairs to get to the hotel. There are no elevators. The stairs are not that bad but if you have alot of luggage, stairs no matter how many there are will always be a little challenge. Our room was a corner room and we had a nice little view of the sea and the local cafe downstairs. It was not the best view but at least it was something. The bathroom was a decent size and modern style and the bed was comfortable.

Our room, 303 I believe, reached their free WiFi that technically you could only get on their top level terrace. But our connection was strong. The terrace where they served breakfast was my favorite feature! Gorgeous views!! It overlooked the center and the Duomo. The bell does ring but from our room it did not bother us. I love having breakfast and hearing the local chatter and bell ring occasionally. Breakfast was quite nice! I had my very first cappuccino ever there and it was so good! Man I sure have been missing out. They had a juice machine which the red juice was really good. They had a typical Italian breakfast which included fruit, ham, cheese and croissant and pastries.  They had cereals and yogurt too. We have a good experience at Hotel Central Amalfi! We would stay again! 

One thing that you must buy when in the Amalfi Coast is good Limoncello. I have been to Italy so many times, I can taste the difference between cheap tourist trap limoncello and good authentic limoncello. I now have only 3 stores in Italy that I will buy limoncello. One is in Capri (this store has other locations), one is in Rome and now this wonderful discovery in Amalfi called Antichi Sapori di Amalfi! This is authentic limoncello made in house and it is located across from our hotel! We actually got to meet the italian mamma and son of the store who makes it. They will let you sample and it is really good! You must buy the traditional limoncello (yellow in color) and the cream limoncello! SOOO good! This store had the best price for gifts. 2.50 euros for these bottles. My favorite spot for limoncello in Capri sold them at 5 euros!

In Amalfi, we did not get to explore much due to timing. We did walk up the main road where you can do a little bit of shopping. One place you should stop at is JP Boutique! You can read my review of the clothing store here! He sells very style clothing at a great price! JP is also very nice and gave us recommendations on where to eat! Definitely stop by to say hello!

JP Boutique top on Hotel Centrale Amalfi’s terrace

Also as you walk up the main road, there are various of restaurants and shops! We did not get to explore as much as we liked but there is one store, you must visit and buy a pair of sandals at. The name of the store is Impronta d’Amalfi. I regret to this day that we did not have time to come back for my sandals. Capri is known for making handmade leather sandals. However, stores in the Amalfi coast also sells them. The store sold beautiful 100% authentic Italian custom -handmade sandals with Swarovski crystal for an excellent price compared to Capri! Capri’s prices were about 70-100 euros more for the same sandal! At this store you will find sandals with crystal for 75-150 euros where in Capri, they were 100-250 euros with the crystal. Here is their information below:

Impronta d’Amalfi by Vincenzo Bellogrado at Clarice Boutique Via Pietro Capuano, 33/35 84011 Amalfi (Sa) telephone089.872626 cell 347.7028595

For dinner, we at Ristorante & Pizzeria S. Andrea! It is located right across from our hotel at the steps of the Duomo. It is actually the restaurant for a hotel too. The food was so good, we ate there both nights! The location of this restaurant was ideal! It is in the heart of the city and across from our hotel! Great spot for people watching and the price was very reasonable! They had led candles that changed colors which gave it a nice ambiance. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, but definitely get a table outdoors!

The prices of the food was very reasonable! I think we barely spent 20 euros for a large pizza and seafood pasta! The pizza was amazing! The mozzarella (di buffalo) cheese was processed in particular way that gave it an amazing taste. My husband being Italian definitely noticed the difference. This is definitely authentic pizza just like how they make it in Naples (pizza napoletana)! I had the seafood pasta! AMAZING!!! In general, when I go to Italian and order a pasta dish, I always order one that says “frutti di mare” which basically is seafood pasta. It had mussels, clams, shrimp and it was so so good! My husband was amazed too! At the time of the trip when I first ate it, it was the best and freshest pasta I have ever eaten! A restaurant we ate at in Positano the next day incredibly beat this pasta, but definitely eat here when you stay in the Amalfi! Look out for the details on the pasta in Positano in Part 3 coming soon.

During our 2 days in the city of Amalfi, we did not really do much activities a part from a little bit of shopping and eating. Our second day in Amalfi, we took a ferry to Positano where we spent the day there! This post you will not want to miss! We had some crazy awesome experiences while there! I will talk to you about how dressing nice in Italy can go a long way. To give you a hint, how what could happen, read my story how an Italian airline held a plane for me on the runway! 🙂

On the Ferry to Positano

The location of our hotel was a 2 min walk to the port where the boats take off. You can go anyway from this port. TRAVEL TIP: If you want to go to Capri, please remember the last boat from Amalfi to go to Capri leaves at 9am. If you miss it, you will have to take a boat to Sorrento and then to Capri which you would arrive around 1pm. The last boats to leave Capri are around 6pm. You need an entire day or two to really enjoy Capri. I will have a Capri post coming soon as well. Thank you for reading and reliving this journey with me! Check out my next Amalfi Coast posts where I take you to beautiful Positano & then Capri!

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