Praiano Italy Travel Guide: Everything you need to know

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Praiano, located on the beautiful Amalfi Coast in Italy, is Positano’s sleepy sister. Just 15 minutes down the road from this bustling town, you’ll find the much quieter village of Praiano. With just 2,000 locals, and far less tourists, you’ll find some peace and quiet even during the busier summer months.

Located on a cliffside, you can expect stunning sea views from just about any point in town, even if you’re not directly on the town’s small beach. You can also expect lots and lots of steps, so pack some comfy shoes! But before you go to the article, let me give you a list of the most popular tours in the Praiano:

How to get to Praiano, Italy

There are a number of options. depending on time and budget.

We decided to splurge on the private transfer from Naples. Our driver quoted us 120 EUR for up to 3 people, and 160 EUR for 4-5 people. We were picked up in a large, air conditioned van. The door-to-door service was super convenient, especially before our long train ride from Naples to Milan.

That said, a private transfer is of course not the cheapest way to get to Praiano. Instead, from Naples Central Station, the Circumvesuviana train departs to Sorrento every half hour in the high season, and a bit less frequently in the low season. The trip takes just over an hour and costs around 3 EUR. Note, you may need to wait for a train that has available tickets as you cannot purchase tickets in advance.

Don’t forget travel medical insurance

Sign up for SafetyWing travel medical insurance to ensure a smooth journey. SafetyWing covers medical expenses, delays, cancellation, and theft. Check SafetyWing here.

Another option is to take the Campania Express for a few more euro, but guaranteed seats that can be purchased ahead of time.

Once you reach Sorrento, there is a Sita bus that will take you to Praiano. Tickets cost between 10 and 12 EUR and can be purchased at local newspaper stands or the Circumvesuviana station. The journey takes between 45 mins to an hour, depending on traffic.

Where to eat in Praiano 

Che Bonta 

Che Bonta serves up some of the best pizza that we enjoyed throughout our time in Italy. Whether you’re grabbing a pie to go, or dining in, you’re in for a delicious meal. The pizzas are large and reasonably priced, especially for the area. I personally loved the margarita and the veggie pizza. It is conveniently located right down the road from Bar de Sole, and not far from the popular One Fire beach club.

I wouldn’t recommend the calzone-style sandwiches. We grabbed some of these one day when their pizza oven was off, and were a bit disappointed.

Trattoria da Armandino 

Located right along the water, Trattoria da Armandino is one of my favorite restaurants in Praiano. Known for their seafood, dishes are delicious and reasonably priced for the area. I recommend the linguini with clams, local seafood platter, and zucchini spaghetti.

Il Pirata 

Il Pirata is the perfect spot to stop for some food or a cocktail after a day on the water. While it doesn’t offer sunset views, it is positioned right on the water. A perfect stop after a long day in the sun! As with any restaurant in Praiano, it is always best to call ahead for a reservation.

Kasai 

Kasai is one of the fancier restaurants in Praiano. This is actually the one meal that I sadly missed while in Praiano, as I was under the weather. But the reviews from my friends was so good that I had to include it! Make sure to get the tuna tartar and the truffle burrata.

Bar de Sole 

Bar de Sole is a local hangout for cheap drinks and a great view of the sunset. It is one of the best places in Praiano to experience the sunset, other than a personal rooftop. Their negronis, priced at 7 euro, are affordable and strong.

Things to do in Praiano 

Book a boat tour of the Amalfi Coast (or to the nearby island of Capri)

Easily one of the best things that you can do in Praiano is book a boat tour. This was one of the top things that we wanted to do, but were getting a lot of different price points. Here is what I learned:

• Booking in person tends to be a lot cheaper than booking via email or through an online platform. Most companies via email were quoting 1000 EUR+ for the day, while rates in person started at 500 EUR.
• A boat tour that visits Capri is more expensive than a trip that just goes along the Amalfi Coast.
• If you’re on a budget, consider a shorter boat trip or one of the smaller inflatable boats.

We ended up booking our trip with La Boa. We paid 500 EUR for a 4 hour trip along the Amalfi Coast on one of their nicer boats. This includes a skipper, 4 passengers, soft drinks, beer, and wine. It was the perfect amount of time for us, and one of the best parts of our trip!

Take a day trip to nearby towns of Positano, Amalfi, or beyond 

It would be a shame to visit Praiano and not visit at least one other town along the Amalfi Coast. Since we only had a few days, we decided to just do one day trip from Praiano – to Positano. If we had more time I would have loved to explore some of the other less popular towns along the coast.

It is relatively easy to get around the Amalfi Coast, but it takes some time. There is a bus that leaves a few times a day between Praiano and Positano for just 1,20 EUR, but you can expect a very crowded bus in the high season.

I recommend taking a water taxi if you have it in your budget. A round trip water taxi between the two towns takes under 15 minutes and typically costs between 50-80 EUR round trip total for the group. We booked ours through Sharks. Most boats fit up to 6 people, but some fit as many as 8. You can pre-arrange your pick up time for a smooth ride back to Praiano.

Enjoy a sunset from your rooftop 

One of our favorite parts of our time in Praiano was taking things a bit slower after a very busy two week road trip. One way we did this was by enjoying sunset on our private balcony every evening – accompanied by wine that we picked up earlier in the week in Chianti.

I cannot recommend our airbnb enough. The price was affordable for the area and season, location was perfect, and the views were incredible.

Get lost wandering the tiny roads

Praiano is such a charming town, and much quieter than its neighbors of Positano and Amalfi. You won’t find nearly as many gift shops, etc. I recommend spending some time just wandering and getting lost. Just remember that all steps that go down mean you’ll need to climb back up!

Go for a swim at Marina di Praia beach

Praiano has its own public beach – Marina di Praia. There are two areas to swim here. One option is you can pay to have a chair and umbrella. Otherwise, there is an area for swimming where you can simply lay your towel out. You can expect both to get quite busy during the day.

If you’re an early bird, I recommend coming down for a swim in the early morning. We came down around 7am on our last morning in Praiano and we were the only ones there. It was such a magical experience!

Where to stay in Praiano 

I recently visited the Amalfi Coast for the first time and absolutely fell in love. When starting our initial research, we stumbled upon Praiano as a good alternative to the popular town of Positano. Not only is this town 30 minutes down the road much quieter, but you will also find much more affordable accomodation options. 

We stayed at La Valentina apartment, which we booked through Airbnb. 

Looking for a bit more of a luxurious hotel stay in Praiano? Here are a few boutique hotel options to check out:

• Casa Angelina
• Tramonto D’Oro  
• Hotel Piccolo Sant’Andrea

Exploring the rest of Italy? Here are some other articles to check out:

• 7 Spots you Can’t Miss in the Dolomites
• A Guide to Hiking Seceda, Dolomites
• How to Get to the Dolomites, Italy
• Road Trip in the Dolomites
• 24 Hours in Rome, Italy

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