10 Best Family Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast
What to Do for Fun on the Amalfi Coast with Your Kids?
The Amalfi Coast is full of activities and fun for your family vacation, from sandy beaches to amusement parks, boat trips, museums that get even the youngest family members involved, charming spots full of magic and trails suitable for budding hikers.
What are the best destinations and most exciting sights and itineraries suitable for kids? Here are 10 kid-friendly activities on the Amalfi Coast that will ensure little ones have a ball in the towns, bays and mountains between Positano and Vietri sul Mare.
1. Spiaggia di Atrani
Calm waters and fine sand make for seaside fun
Good for: Families
Spiaggia di Atrani is loved by families with children for its light, fine sand. The rocky reef provides swimmers with shelter from the waves and creates the perfect environment for playing and relaxing. Atrani is one of the most unique villages on the Amalfi Coast, with amenities and facilities for an easy day by the sea, sunbathing and unwinding.
If you like sweet snacks, you can treat yourself to a pasticciotto, a local specialty consisting of shortcrust pastry filled with custard and black cherries. While wandering around the town, don’t forget to visit the old Chiesa di San Salvatore (Church of San Salvatore).
Spiaggia di Atrani
2. Parco degli Ulivi
Jump and play surrounded by nature
Good for: Families
Parco degli Ulivi in Cava de’ Tirreni is a place where kids can run around and play surrounded by greenery and nature. This park features a play area with inflatables and trampolines for different age ranges. There’s also a picnic area with barbecues and tables shaded by centuries-old olive trees.
But don’t worry if you didn’t bring anything with you for a picnic, as there’s an onsite snack bar where you can grab something. The park is also near the Parco di Diecimare WWF Oasis, where routes through the woods and Mediterranean scrub are waiting to be discovered.
Location: Località Breccelle, Frazione S. Anna, 84013 Cava de’ Tirreni, Italy
Phone: +39 32 7081 0822
Parco degli Ulivi
3. Positano-Amalfi boat trip
See the coastline from another perspective
Good for: Families, Photo
A Positano-Amalfi boat trip is a practical and charming solution when you’re traveling with children and you can’t do long routes on foot. A short boat trip lets you see the natural beauty of the Amalfi Coast from a different perspective, seated comfortably in a calm, relaxing setting.
For little ones, the thrill of sailing is entertaining in itself. Boats to Positano and other destinations leave directly from the ports in Amalfi and nearby locations. You can choose the itinerary based on how much time you have and your family’s requirements.
Location: Amalfi Coast, Italy
Positano-Amalfi boat trip
4. Valle dell’Irno Adventure Park
A day out for the most daring
Good for: Families, Adventure
Valle dell’Irno Adventure Park offers fun for the whole family at this adventure park set in Monticello Park in the town of Baronissi, around 10 kilometers from Salerno. Want to spend a day filled with adventure and adrenaline, crossing rope bridges and navigating pulleys, platforms, suspended cables, lianas and zipper lines? With 2 different difficulty levels, one that’s easier and the other more difficult, everyone will have a great time.
As for safety, regulatory protective equipment is provided, and visitors are assisted by trained, certified staff. Younger children can have a ball on the inflatables. Fancy a snack? There’s a refreshment area in the park, as well as picnic tables and barbecues.
Location: Via Monticello, 84081 Baronissi, Italy
Phone: +39 33 5831 9999
Valle dell'Irno Adventure Park
5. Vietri sul Mare
A colorful village that will amaze the kids
Good for: Families, Photo, Budget
The alleys of Vietri sul Mare feature lively decorations and imaginative shapes that attract attention and stir curiosity at every corner. Brightly colored houses lean against one another in a labyrinth of alleyways, vaults, passages and stairways. It may sound like an amusement park designed for children, but it’s in Vietri sul Mare, an old village that’s home to some of the most captivating views on the Amalfi Coast.
The charm that characterizes Vietri is linked to the ceramics industry, and ceramics adorn the streets and houses. The shops scattered around the town and the production workshops known as faenzere are a feat of vividness and imagination, with showrooms that look like art galleries.
Vietri sul Mare
6. Valley of the Ironworks
An excursion amidst nature and ancient ruins
Good for: Families, Photo, Budget
The Valley of the Ironworks (Valle delle Ferriere) offers enthralling hiking opportunities during your stay in Amalfi. There’s an easy route suitable for families with children. It will allow you to explore an area of immense natural importance in a landscape dotted with streams, waterfalls, rocks and wild-looking spaces.
Ruins of the old ferriere, the ironworks that give this valley its name, and watermills poke out of the greenery, recalling a past dedicated to papermaking. To follow the route, head to the village of Pontone, reachable by bus, and take the mule track that starts from the main square.
Location: 84010, Scala, Italy
Valley of the Ironworks
7. L’Eco del Mare
A prominent ice cream parlor near Marina di Vietri
Good for: Families, Food
L’Eco del Mare is one of the most well-known ice cream shops on the Amalfi Coast, found near the beaches of Marina di Vietri. The glass cases hold artisan ice cream, semifreddo ice cream desserts and typical Neapolitan candies and pastries.
After you’ve gone for a swim, built a sandcastle, hiked in the mountains or visited villages, grab an ice cream cone or ice cream on a stick to savor as you walk, or take a seat and order the house specialty: an ice cream sundae with chunks of fruit, cream and a liqueur garnish.
Location: Via Giuseppe Pellegrino, 136/138, 84019 Vietri sul Mare, Italy
Open: Friday–Saturday from 8 am to 2 am, Sunday–Thursday from 8 am to 1 am
Phone: +39 08 9210 323
L'Eco del Mare
8. Roman Archeological Museum
A visit to the Roman villa and church crypts
Good for: Families
The Roman Archeological Museum in the center of Positano is a great destination when it’s time for some culture. The exhibition route takes you through the frescoed rooms of a Roman-period villa and also lets you discover the crypts and rooms belonging to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta (Church of Santa Maria Assunta).
The Roman villa originally occupied the present-day historical center in front of the beach and was destroyed during the eruption of Vesuvius that devastated Pompei and Herculaneum. The exhibition features multimedia installations that will help you understand the meaning and function of the archeological finds. The visit lasts around 30 minutes, an ideal length of time to keep little ones entertained.
Location: Piazza Flavio Gioia, 7, 84017 Positano, Italy
Open: April–October: Daily from 9 am to 9 pm. November–March: Daily from 10 am to 4 pm
Phone: +39 33 1208 5821
Roman Archeological Museum
9. Praiano NaturArte
A stroll surrounded by ceramics and sculptures
Good for: Families, Photo, Budget
The Praiano NaturArte open-air museum was inspired by the little votive niches and frescoes with sacred images that embellish the walls of homes. The idea was to commission works to display along the streets and create an open-air museum you can admire as you stroll through the town.
Artists have created installations that integrate perfectly into the surrounding architecture and nature. Seven routes have been set up with ceramic works and 1 with stone sculptures for trips through fantasy and imagination where you can even get the kids involved on fun walks.
Location: 84010 Praiano, Italy
Praiano NaturArte
10. Furor Fjord Ecomuseum
A lesson in ecology amid mills
Good for: Families
The Furor Fjord Ecomuseum aims to teach about respecting the environment and using clean energy. In the 18th century, the water that runs through the Fiordo di Furor (Furor Fjord) was used to move the machinery and gears of mills. Today, these constructions have been recovered, restored and included in the ecomuseum exhibition route.
The facility includes a herbarium, a small astronomical observatory, a center for guided tours, marked botanical trails and a shop selling food and craft products. A small museum dedicated to Anna Magnani has been set up in a property that was owned by the actress.
Location: Via Anna Magnani, 84010 Furor, Italy
Phone: +39 08 9874 100
Furor Fjord Ecomuseum
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