• 17 to 21 June, 2024
• 8 to 12 Sep, 2024
• 15 to 19 Sep, 2024 Photographer onboard

Laura Thayer

Day 1 : Arrive in Naples

Activity level: Around 7,000 steps on a steep path and many stairs to the dinner location. The drive from Naples to Praiano takes about 2 hours.

Arrive in Naples and meet the group for a transfer to Praiano. Naples is world famous as the birthplace of the original pizza pie, and is known for having the best pizza, pasta, and coffee in Italy, so if you choose to arrive early, there are plenty of ways to satisfy your appetite!

We have organized a group transfer that will pick up from Naples Train station for a scenic journey to Praiano, which will be our home for 5 days on the Amalfi Coast (only unpack once!)

Praiano is a hidden gem on the Amalfi coast; an ancient fishing village perfectly positioned in the middle of the region, making it easy to reach the more popular tourist-destinations of Positano and Amalfi, but without the bustling crowds.

It’s a relaxed, low-key summer retreat, surrounded by some of the coast’s most amazing coves. Amalfi dukes used to vacation here, and it has since become a very fashionable resort town.

While there’s no town center, you’ll be able to stroll through the whitewashed houses, cafes and shops, all the while taking in views of the sea and the cliffside panorama.

We’ll check into Hotel Margherita and enjoy a welcome reception where you can get to know each other; the hotel boasts a wonderful terrace with a panoramic view and swimming pool surrounded by the intense colours of the hills and the sea.

Once we’re settled in, we’ll head out on a beautiful seaside walk to an amazing grotto restaurant on the cliff for dinner. We will dine right by the water as the sun sets, what a great start to our trip!

Inclusions: Group transfer from Naples Train Station to Praiano. Welcome reception aperitivo at Hotel Margherita. Cliffside dinner with wine.

Day 2 : Ravello, Amalfi & Lemon Farm visit, pizza making class

Activity level: Between 10,000 – 15,000 steps, flat in Ravello and steep in Amalfi. The lemon farm is a vertical farm with steep paths. About 2.5 hours driving in total.

We’ll start the day with breakfast at the hotel, overlooking the water, before catching our morning transport to the town of Ravello for a visit to Villa Cimbrone.

Ravello is a town with thousands of years of history. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with medieval streets, villas, and stone pathways dating back to the 5th century.

Unlike other towns in the region, Ravello isn’t set on the sea. Known as the “Balcony of the Amalfi Coast”, this is a beautiful cliff-top town which sits 1,200 feet above the Mediterranean.

This means it has sweeping vistas across the coastline from the mountaintop, and the views have been a source of inspiration for famous actors, authors, composers, and artists over the years – known for curing writers block (get your postcards ready)!

The Terrace of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone is considered to offer the best views in Amalfi and the villa’s gardens are some of the most beautiful you will ever see.

We will continue with a wine tasting and light lunch pairing. The local wines are extremely unique as they are grown on pergolas and are unlike anything else you may have ever seen.

The vines cling onto the rugged terrain and are stacked up on the cliffside thriving among the sun and sea of the coast. The wine ages in barrels kept cool inside the rock of the Amalfi Coast.

After lunch we will head towards Amalfi, another beautiful coastal town that gives its name to the region and is also UNESCO-listed.

You will have free time to go on a walking tour of the town and visit the beautiful 11th century Cathedral of Sant’Andrea, wander the narrow streets and colorful houses and soak the entire atmosphere.

Our time in the village of Amalfi will continue with a visit to a farm that grows one of the most traditional fruits in the region: lemons.

Lemons in the Amalfi Coast are different than the variety you may find back home. They are large, have a thick and wrinkled skin and a juicy and rather sweet flesh that is perfect to make limoncello or jam.

Beyond their gastronomic value, they have been an inspiration for many Italian designers such as Dolce & Gabbana who have dresses, espadrilles, bags and even a fragrance after the bright yellow fruit.

The lemon farm visit will include a tour where we will learn more about how these fruits grow on vertical farms and what makes them different from lemons elsewhere.

The tour will end with an aperitivo with lemon flavored foods and a limoncello demonstration and tasting, a fabulous first day in the Amalfi Coast!

After the lemon farm tour, we will return to the hotel for some free time and balcony or poolside relaxation before our pizza making dinner at the rooftop of the hotel.

Learn how the dough is made and prepare your own pizza which will be cooked in the oven that has been burning since the morning.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, entry ticket to visit to Villa Cimbrone, wine pairing lunch, visit to Amalfi, lemon farm visit and limoncello tasting, pizza making workshop and dinner with wine.

Day 3 : Foraging, Cooking class Lunch & Winery dinner

Activity level: During the gastro trek, expect to walk between 10,000 – 15,000 steps on steep paths around Praiano and about 50 floors of stairs, leisurely and with stops for explanations. 1.5 hours driving to / from the winery.

This morning we will meet our expert forager for an interesting foraging expedition of the area above the hotel.

Our guide will show us all the seasonal aromatic herbs, edible flowers and plants that we encounter on our way and we will help him collect enough to prepare our lunch.

The leisurely walk will end at the hotel’s rooftop where we will use the ingredients to prepare a well deserved lunch including freshly made pasta prepared al fresco.

Get ready to marvel at Earth’s bounty as we assemble flower petals, plants and seed into delicious salads and yummy pasta under the warm summer sun. The views will pair perfectly with our food.

After a nourishing lunch, we will enjoy free time for some rest and relaxation on our balconies, by the pool or you can take the free hotel shuttle to head down to the nearby beach clubs.

We will meet again in the evening to drive up to the top of the mountains for a winery visit to a very special place.

Vineyards in the Amalfi Coast, like all other agriculture, grows vertically on dangerously perched lines on the side of steep cliffs. The terrain is rocky and volcanic and the vines struggle which is why they make very unique wines that are rarely found outside of the region because of the very small production.

We will visit one of the few wineries, owned by a woman, to learn more about the wine making traditions of the region and what it takes to make wine here. The visit will be follows by a wine-pairing dinner nearby with the best views over the Amalfi Coast below.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, guided foraging walk and cooking class, lunch with wine, winery visit followed wine pairing dinner, private transfers.

Day 4 & 5 : Positano, Boat Tour, Farewell dinner

Activity level: 5,000 – 10,000 steps on the steep streets of Positano. 3.5 hours on a speedboat. Approximately 1.5 hours driving.

Today is a causal sea exploration day paired with one of the most famous villages on the Amalfi Coast.

After breakfast, we will take our transfer to Positano where you will have free time to take many photos, wander the extra cozy and picturesque streets, shop for famous hand made sandals and have lunch.

Translated to “Place to stop”, Positano has become the destination for the rich and famous and its signature pastel colored facades are a treat to the senses.

The black sand beaches and bright umbrellas invite you to lay down and take it all in, and you can do just that if you so wish.

For those looking for a dose of culture, look out for the postcard perfect Santa Maria Assunta church and its yellow and green dome made of majolica tiles. Inside is a 13th century Byzantine icon of a black Madonna. You can’t miss it.

Positano is a place to be loved, and through the decades it has inspired writers, novelists, film makers and musicians such as Mick Jagger, and been featured in movies like Under the Tuscan Sun.

We will then take our private boats for a tour of the coast and the caves that make the Amalfi Coast famous.

We will stop for a swim for those who want to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea and see the area from a different perspective, from the water looking up instead of from the top looking down.

We will admire the many villages, the fabulous houses perched on the cliffside edge and take lots of photos on our way back to the hotel.

In the evening, we will get dressed up for our fabulous gourmet Farewell Sunset Dinner.

To end the trip on a high note, we have reserved a very special restaurant with views over the sunset and over Positano’s beautiful pastel houses.

On Day 5, we will wake up and have breakfast with a view before being picked up for a group transfer back to Naples Train Station for onward travel. The transfer will be scheduled at 10am.

Activity level: The drive from Praiano to Naples takes about 2 hours.

If you are joining our Venice, Greece, Tuscany or Barcelona tours you may take the train or a taxi to Naples International Airport.

Inclusions: On day 4, breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Positano, private boat tour of the coast, farewell rooftop dinner with wine. On day 5, breakfast and transfers back to Naples.

About Your Host, Laura

As a dual citizen of Italy and the U.S., Laura has lived on the Amalfi Coast for over 15 years.

She’s a writer, art historian, and photographer and is passionate about sharing an insider’s view of this beautiful area to help travelers discover and enjoy the most beautiful experiences on the Amalfi Coast.

Laura has authored several guidebooks of the Amalfi Coast as well as Naples and Pompeii, and is a regular contributor to various travel publications.

Her love of sharing the beauty and richness of Italy extends to her group guiding where she gives guests a local experience with insider knowledge of the area  

Kim – I have to say a huge thank you to all the members of this group, and a special double thank-you to Meg Jerrard and Mar Pages! I just returned from two of Solo Female Travelers Club’s tours, and they were absolutely wonderful! I went on the Tuscany tour, and I followed it with the Amalfi Coast tour. Each one was remarkable, and the itineraries for each of them were unique and reflect the attention to detail that goes into planning the tours. If not for this group, I’d never have realized my dream of going to Italy!

We weren’t overly scheduled; however, as there were wonderful visits to many medieval villages with time for exploring and shopping, as well as one day all to ourselves at the beautiful farmhouse that was our home for nine days! I left Tuscany with a greater understanding and even more affection for this region. I also left with friendships and memories to last a lifetime!

Juls – My first solo female travelers tour. What a great time! Meg and Mar have created quite a remarkable format for fun. I went to the Amalfi Coast and met so many great people. Laura is the host for this trip and I really enjoyed her stories and information about the area. She was also very supportive of me. (I should have been training for stairs before I went but she had my back and it all worked out in the end.)
The tours and activities were all amazing of course, but my favorite times were the times when we could all connect with each other. What amazing women these tours attract!
I enjoyed it so much I have booked another tour and am so excited! Highly highly recommended

Marcela – I absolutely loved the Amalfi tour, Laura our guide as awesome and I never would have experienced such a wide range of activities on my own. So will definitely be doing another tour in the future and letting friends know about SFT.

Thank you so much for organising such an amazing tour!!!! Much gratitude

Christy – I cannot recommend this enough!

I work a stressful job, where I am required to be on top of everything. It was amazing to be able to show up and not have to worry about planning anything, buying tickets for anything, meals, etc. That being said we had plenty of time to walk around, shop, and do our own thing.

The group of women on this Amalfi trip were amazing! We all got along, had a great time and laughed so much! I can’t wait for my next trip!