Ravello Day Trip from Amalfi (Bus vs. Walking vs. Guided Tour)

Ravello's fame rests on two extraordinary clifftop estates:

Villa Rufolo stands directly off the main square (Piazza Vescovado). Dating to the 13th century, it was constructed by the wealthy merchant Nicola Rufolo and boasts a Moorish cloister with delicate arches and terraced Mediterranean gardens. It was here in 1880 that German composer Richard Wagner was so captivated by the floral tiers suspended over the sea that he proclaimed he had found the magical garden of Klingsor for his opera Parsifal. Today, the famous Ravello Festival stages symphonic concerts on an outdoor stage cantilevered over the cliff.

Villa Cimbrone sits a 15-minute scenic pedestrian walk south through quiet cobbled lanes. Reimagined in the early 20th century by British aristocrat Lord Grimthorpe, its gardens culminate in the Terrazza dell'Infinito (Terrace of Infinity) — a marble balustrade set with classical statues 365 meters directly above the azure Tyrrhenian Sea, offering an unobstructed horizon where the sea meets the sky.

The SITA bus departs from Amalfi's seafront terminal (Piazza Flavio Gioia) every 30 to 60 minutes, winding through the Dragon Valley (Valle del Dragone) up to Ravello in approximately 25 minutes. Taxis from Amalfi cost a flat regulated rate of €40 to €50 each way.

For the return journey, an exhilarating option is to walk down the ancient stone stairways. The path begins near Villa Rufolo and winds down past lemon terraces, medieval stone arches, and olive groves into the picturesque coastal village of Atrani, ending at Amalfi's beach in about 45 to 50 minutes. The walk is entirely downhill but requires healthy knees for several hundred stone steps.