Hotels near Amalfi and the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea

Amalfi gives the coast its name and sits at its geographic centre, which makes it the most useful base for ferries and buses. The town's centrepiece is the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea, reached by a dramatic flight of 62 steps from Piazza Duomo. Its striped Arab-Norman facade dates in parts to the 9th century, and inside, the Cloister of Paradise (Chiostro del Paradiso) and the crypt of Saint Andrew are the highlights. The Amalfi Cathedral anchors a square full of cafes.

Beyond the duomo, Amalfi keeps a working-town feel, with a paper museum recalling its medieval bambagina trade and lanes climbing back into a narrow valley behind the seafront.

Pro Tip: Buy the small combined ticket for the cathedral complex - it covers the cloister, the basilica museum, and the crypt, and the palm-shaded arches of the cloister are far quieter early, before the day-trip ferries dock.