So there is this place where words don’t do it justice. Its entire being is an emotion; an emotion that you can’t explain until you see it and will stay with you forever. Travel bae extraordinaire and I crossed off this ultimate summer holiday in true sister fashion- no expense or experience spared. The route was planned for ten days to cover the best spots on the coast: Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and finally, Positano.

Naples

Because I am selfish and can fly anywhere in Europe for cheap and no jet lag, we chose Naples as our meeting point. The first two days would be filled with pizza, gorgeous sunsets and walking the streets. I have a lot to cover in this article and while Naples was lovely, it wasn’t the highest mark of our trip. Let’s take one more minute to remember the amazing pizza and continue.

Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius 

The most stunning view from Naples is Mount Vesuvius and we just knew we had to conquer it. We left Naples to continue our journey south for some hiking, more food and cultural immersion. Because we toured the coast in the middle of August, our decision to climb the active volcano was not only highly logical, but probably saved us from heat stroke.

Fun story: we took our rental car up the already long, windy pre-mountain to reach the base of where you actually hike. We thought we were pretty active hikers doing it this way but on the way up we saw a young lady doing that walk too! She ended up being in our group for the hike and never lost a step. When it was over, we offered her a ride back down the mountain, which she happily accepted. Wherever you are, I hope you know you’re a rockstar.

Price: 6,50 euro

Time: Around 3-4 hours depending on your speed

Pompeii

From the top of Mount Vesuvius, you can see the iconic archeological city, Pompeii. This city was buried under ash and pumice after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and is in immaculate condition to visit. We booked our tickets prior to entering to cut down on the waiting time for entry.  The price is 17 euros and well worth the investment if you are a human being with any sort of emotional range. It was stunning to see how these people lived during that time and even more amazing how so much was preserved after the eruption.

 

Sorrento and Capri

The second half of the trip is when we kicked it up a notch. We still wanted to keep it close to the city center (because I hate driving Italian cities) so we chose a bed and breakfast from booking.com. Set up on one floor of an apartment building, we were welcomed by a lovely family to welcome us into their air conditioned home. Francesco was very accommodating and gave us all the tips to see and do in the city– like buying shoes and leather goods!

But the highlight of us staying in Sorrento was the easy access to the island, Capri. Thanks to Francesco, we took the quick, cheap mode of transportation via ferry. For 12 euros (one way) you can be in Capri in forty minutes. And what a view when you arrive…

We walked around a bit before we picked a beach to park on for the rest of our day. Capri has some beachy sands but in order to save some money, we opted for the rocky beach (we rented out chairs anyway so it didn’t matter). Most of the time, you need to make a reservation to have place on the top beaches or it fills up first thing in the morning.

 

Positano

Here is where we blew all of our money: Positano. This gorgeous cliff side city is reason enough to become a millionaire and become of those featured on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” My sister booked this hotel because the three nights here added up to the rest of the nights combined. She asked for a room on the upper level so we could have a superior view…and boy, did we!

 

Everywhere we walked, we had another version of the same amazing view. We found ourselves getting lost in the magic as we walked down the cliff to the beach. Please enjoy these photos while you wish you were there, as I am doing now.

The highlight of our stay was our epic private boat rental for half a day. My biggest tip for this is to make sure you reserve before you arrive. We got very lucky to find a service that had a cancellation so we could go out. We loved our time on the boat and felt like the Kardashian sisters having a typical Tuesday. For a luxurious experience and a private tour of the coast, I highly recommend booking this excursion.

At one point, our driver took us to local spot to jump from the cliff, which we naturally did before taking turns jumping off the boat into the Mediterranean…well I jumped, my sister Olympic dove in perfect form. Just look how clear is the water…

Our last night, we had dinner at a restaurant we stumbled upon with even more amazing views of the city. I can’t recommend one place to eat because everything is fresh and amazing. Be ready to eat a lot of fish and pasta without feeling guilty! And don’t skimp out on dessert either.

Long story short: Go to Amalfi Coast. You’re going to spend money on this trip but just make sure you splurge on the things you really want to see and lay low on everything else. This is one of the life changing trips to make…don’t miss it!