Positano is a vertical village. Houses cascade down a cliff for 300 meters, connected by staircases instead of streets, draped in bougainvillea, with the Tyrrhenian Sea glittering below. It is genuinely, outrageously beautiful — one of those places where you turn a corner and involuntarily say something. It is also genuinely, outrageously expensive. A beach lounger at Spiaggia Grande: €25-40. A seafood lunch overlooking the water: €60-80. A hotel room with a sea view: €300-600. A taxi from the road down to the beach: €25 (or 400 steps). The beauty is real. The prices are a test of how much beauty is worth to you. The honest advice: visit Positano for the day from Sorrento (ferry €18, 35 min). Walk the village. Take the photo. Eat one meal. Get the ferry back. Sleep in Sorrento or Ravello at 1/3 the price.
Plan my Positano trip →The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) — a cliff-edge hike from Bomerano to Nocelle (7.8km, 2.5h) that drops you above Positano with the most dramatic coastal view in Italy. Free. This is the real Positano experience — the village from above, earned by your own legs. Bus from Amalfi to Bomerano (€1.40), then hike to Nocelle, then 1,700 steps down to Positano (or bus). Hiking guide →
Fornillo Beach — smaller, less crowded than Spiaggia Grande, 10 min walk west. Still pebbles (all Amalfi beaches are pebbles — bring water shoes). Cheaper loungers (€15-20).
Le Sirenuse terrace — even if you can't afford to stay at this legendary hotel (from €800/night), their terrace bar serves aperitivo (€20/cocktail) with the single best view of Positano. Arrive at 6pm.