Don’t overlook Ravello when planning your Amalfi Coast trip. Located high in the mountains, the town is quiet, charming, and feels like an authentic slice of Italian life compared to its well-known seaside counterparts.
Most people visit the Amalfi Coast to experience the beautiful beaches and turquoise waters of Positano, Amalfi and Capri Island. While these are all incredible, I felt more at home in Ravello with its artistic vibes and sweeping views of mountains and coastline.
Ravello is only a 15-minute taxi or SITA bus ride from the town of Amalfi, but because it’s located in the mountains, it often doesn’t make it onto the itinerary.
You could easily do a day trip here, but I recommend staying at least two nights to fully embrace this charming town with incredible views.
Here’s how you could spend two nights in Ravello.
Day one.
Check in to Hotel Bonadies — We stayed at this four-star hotel and loved the massive terrace with incredible views, big buffet breakfast, and outdoor swimming pool. We opted for a ‘seaside view’ room, but it wasn’t necessary as the breakfast room a few floors below has the same view overlooking the town of Minori. Or, if you’re feeling extra fancy, Hotel Belmond is one of the more luxury hotels in Ravello.
Explore the town on foot — The hotel is only a ten-minute walk from the main square Piazza Duomo so it’s the perfect location. Head out to wander around and get your bearings; there’s many narrow alleyways, cute shops, and delicious restaurants to visit. Plus the edges of town have amazing views overlooking mountains and old buildings with a long road winding down to the towns below.
Spend the afternoon at the Terrace of Infinity — A large balcony adorned with marble bust statues, the terrace is a popular spot in Ravello because of its view of the coastline. It’s located inside Villa Cimborne, a historic five-star hotel with vast, lush gardens. It costs €7 to enter Villa Cimborne which gives you access to the terrace and the grounds, and it’s well worth taking time to explore.
Dinner at Mimì Pizzeria & Cucina — Mimi’s had the best pizza I ate in Italy. If you’re after authentic Italian pizza, this should be at the top of your list. The gorgeous restaurant has great ambiance and outdoor dining area for the warmer months.
Grab a late-night gelato at Fruit Passion — The walk from Mimi’s back to Hotel Bonadies cuts through the main town square where you’ll find Fruit Passion. They’re open until around 10/10:30pm so pick up a late-night scoop or two on your walk home from dinner.
Day two.
Visit the town square — In the morning, head over to Piazza Duomo for a coffee and to people-watch. You could also visit the cathedral Duomo di Ravello which is the main landmark in the centre of town.
Brave the stairs and hike down to Minori — My favourite activity we did in Ravello was actually walking from high in the mountains down to the seaside town of Minori below. We got a gorgeous sunny day and there weren’t many people on the route, so it was a peaceful walk under the netted lemon trees and past local houses. The path is easy to navigate as it has one set of stairs all the way down, and there’s signs you can follow as well.
Keep in mind, this is a hard hike, because all those stairs you take going down, you’ll need to face climbing back up. If your fitness allows, give it a go because the views along the way are amazing. It also gives you a chance to visit Minori if you haven’t already.
Hiking not your thing? No worries, you could stay in Ravello for the day and visit the gardens at Villa Rufolo instead.
Reward yourself with gelato — Yes, another gelato recommendation but I believe it’s a rule of travelling in Italy that you must eat at least one gelato a day. You’ll feel like one after climbing all those stairs back to town as well! It’s pretty cool that the town with my favourite pizza in Italy also had my favourite gelato — Baffone Gelateria Artigianale. The tiny shopfront sells smooth, creamy, and rich gelato with delicious flavours. I went with caramel and Kinder chocolate, but you can’t go wrong with any of the options.
Indulge with a final dinner — To be honest we were pretty exhausted after the walk to Minori, so we opted for the restaurant next door to our hotel, The Restaurant Raffaele. The food was great, and like many restaurants in Ravello, it had spectacular views.
Regardless of how you plan to spend your time in Ravello, it’s a town that’s severely underrated and worth visiting when you’re on the Amalfi Coast.
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