7-day Amalfi Coast self-drive itinerary

A week on the Amalfi Coast with independent cliff-town days plus Capri, Pompeii or Path of the Gods — optional hire car for Ravello loops.

A week based on the Amalfi Coast is the sweet spot for first-timers who want cliff towns, Capri, Pompeii, and one hike or beach buffer without changing hotels daily. This independent itinerary keeps nights in one base (often Sorrento or Amalfi), using ferries, buses, and an optional hire car for Ravello and inland loops. Prefer hosted packages? Switch to the companion 7-day Amalfi Coast itinerary with guided tours. Start with the Amalfi Coast destination guide for base-town picks.

How to pace a week

Alternate hard boat or ruin days with softer beach or garden days. Never schedule Capri and Pompeii back-to-back if you can help it — both demand legs, heat tolerance, and transfer patience. Use best day trips from the Amalfi Coast for ferry and train timings, and keep one flexible half-day for rough seas, strikes, or simply sitting at a lido with a spritz.

• Book Capri and Pompeii before casual ferry tickets
• Prefer boats over SS163 for Positano–Amalfi hops in summer
• Hire a car only with confirmed parking — never leave valuables visible
• Shoulder months help — shoulder-season travel wins

The coast rewards living between postcard stops: market mornings, refill bottles, and long lunches away from ferry piers. A hire car aimed at every cliff town in August costs more in stress than it saves — ferries and SITA buses handle most hops.

• Stay put all seven nights to avoid packing fatigue
• Build one rain- or rough-sea-flexible museum or garden afternoon
• Travel light for stairs and boat steps — packing tips

Where to stay for this itinerary

Sorrento for Capri/Pompeii logistics; Amalfi for coast ferries; Positano for romance and stairs. Quiet rooms off the main riva beat busy waterfront noise after long boat days.

The route at a glance

• Day 1 — Arrive; base stroll
• Day 2 — Positano
• Day 3 — Soft beach or Praiano / Atrani
• Day 4 — Amalfi and Ravello
• Day 5 — Capri
• Day 6 — Pompeii or Path of the Gods
• Day 7 — Soft finale; depart

Days 1–4 — Coast foundations

Day 1 soft landing. Day 2 Positano by ferry. Day 3 buffer: beach club, Praiano, or Atrani. Day 4 Amalfi Duomo plus Ravello gardens by bus or hire car — the classic cliff core before outer days.

• Never stack Capri and Pompeii on consecutive mornings if recovery matters
• Use day 3 as a heat or rough-sea buffer
• Screenshot all ferry QR codes the night before each boat day

Day 5 — Capri

Early ferry for Marina Grande, Piazzetta, and optional Anacapri. Book returns ahead. Blue Grotto depends on seas — have a backup walk or chairlift plan.

Day 6 — Pompeii or Path of the Gods

Pompeii by Circumvesuviana or Campania Express from Sorrento, or Sentiero degli Dei if you want cliffs and hiking instead of ruins. Paestum is possible but long — better as guided or overnight. Ischia same-day from the Amalfi side is exhausting.

• Pompeii: arrive at opening; hydrate
• Path of the Gods: proper shoes; early start
• Skip stacking Vesuvius unless energy is absurd

Day 7 — Soft finale

Limoncello tasting, unfinished beach time, transfer margin to Naples. Return any hire car before the airport.

Self-drive vs packages

DIY wins for flexible ferry timing and lazy Atrani lunches. Packages win for Capri logistics and multi-stop cliff days without SS163 stress — see 7-day Amalfi Coast itinerary with guided tours. Shorter independent stays: 5-day Amalfi Coast self-drive itinerary.