Positano in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Positano covers 12 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Positano rewards a detour.

The Positano route at a glance

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Stops in route order, one colour per day. A diagram of shape and distance, not a street map; the app has the live map.

Day 1

Day 1 covers 6 stops over about 0.1 km as the crow flies, from Spiaggia Grande to Moda Positano: Resort Fashion Heritage. ≈ 0.1 km between stops, straight line

Morning

  1. Spiaggia Grande: Positano's main beach, a broad crescent of dark pebbles backed by the full cliff face of the village, with beach clubs, boat hire, and the village reflected in the water at the perfect spot to appreciate the whole composition of Positano. 0.1 km to the next stop
  2. Positano Seafront and Village: The most photographed village on the Amalfi Coast, a cascade of colourful pastel houses tumbling down a steep cliff to a pebble beach, with bougainvillea-draped staircases, ceramic-decorated streets, and the green-domed Santa Maria Assunta church as its centrepiece.
  3. Boat Tours and Sea Caves: Motorboats available for hire from the Spiaggia Grande offer exploration of the sea caves and rock arches of the Amalfi Coast, trips to the Li Galli archipelago (the mythical Siren islands), and the best photographic angle on the entire Positano village face.

Afternoon

  1. John Steinbeck's Positano (1953): In 1953, John Steinbeck wrote the defining description of Positano for Harper's Bazaar: "It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone", an article that put Positano on the international tourist map. 0 km to the next stop
  2. Via dei Mulini: Boutiques and Ceramics: The main stepped shopping lane descending from the main road to the beach, lined with fashion boutiques that created the famous Positano beach fashion style in the 1960s, ceramic shops, and local food stores.
  3. Moda Positano: Resort Fashion Heritage: Positano invented a globally influential style of resort fashion in the 1960s, lightweight, colourful, hand-printed Mediterranean clothes that attracted Jackie Kennedy, Sophia Loren, and the international jet set, creating an aesthetic still recognisable worldwide today.

Day 2

Day 2 covers 6 stops over about 21 km as the crow flies, from Scialatielli ai Frutti di Mare to Amalfi Coast Drive (SS163). ≈ 21 km between stops, straight line

Morning

  1. Scialatielli ai Frutti di Mare: The signature pasta of the Amalfi Coast, scialatielli is a thick, short, hand-rolled pasta made with milk and fresh basil, traditionally served with mixed seafood (frutti di mare) using the catch of the day from the local boats. 0 km to the next stop
  2. Santa Maria Assunta Church: Positano's landmark church with its distinctive majolica-tiled green dome, home to a remarkable Byzantine Black Madonna icon dating from the 13th century, the object of deep local veneration and the visual anchor of the village. 0.2 km to the next stop
  3. Spiaggia dei Fornillo: Positano's quieter alternative beach, 10 minutes west of the Spiaggia Grande by a coastal path, less crowded, more local in atmosphere, with watchtowers from the Saracen era visible on the cliffs above. 1.3 km to the next stop

Afternoon

  1. Path of the Gods: Hike to Nocelle: The classic hike from Positano up 1,600 steps to the mountain hamlet of Nocelle and Montepertuso, with views of the coast from 450 metres, part of the famous Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) that traverses the Amalfi hinterland. 5.8 km to the next stop
  2. Li Galli Islands: A small archipelago 4km offshore, identified in classical antiquity as the home of Homer's Sirens, owned in the 20th century by Rudolf Nureyev, accessible by boat from Positano, with a Saracen tower and a villa built by Le Corbusier. 14 km to the next stop
  3. Amalfi Coast Drive (SS163): The most dramatic coastal road in Italy, the SS163 is carved into the cliff face above the Amalfi Coast, with hairpin bends 200 metres above the sea, tunnels through the rock, and views that rank among the greatest in Europe.

Distances are straight-line between stops; streets add a little.

Where the route eats

Food and market stops on the Positano tour, each with its own story in the app:

  • Via dei Mulini: Boutiques and Ceramics: The main stepped shopping lane descending from the main road to the beach, lined with fashion boutiques that created the famous Positano beach fashion style in the 1960s, ceramic shops, and local food stores.
  • Scialatielli ai Frutti di Mare: The signature pasta of the Amalfi Coast, scialatielli is a thick, short, hand-rolled pasta made with milk and fresh basil, traditionally served with mixed seafood (frutti di mare) using the catch of the day from the local boats.

Make it easy on your feet

Turn the radar on in the app and keep your phone in your pocket; it taps you on the shoulder when a Positano story is close, so you never miss a stop.

Updated:

Full Positano guide and all stops →

Walk Positano with the stories on

Preview all 12 Positano stops free in the Gingerguide app.

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