Greenland spent decades funnelling every visitor through an old American airbase, and that has just ended.

Greenland spent decades funnelling every visitor through an old American airbase, and that has just ended. Every international arrival used to land at a former military strip far inland, then transfer to a small propeller aircraft. Now a runway built for jets serves the capital directly from Copenhagen, Reykjavik and Newark, a second airport has opened in the south, and a third is due at the icefjord town. With all three running, most of the country sits within about ninety minutes of one connection. That rebuild is the reason to look now. Check whether the northern airport is operating before planning around it, since the opening has moved more than once, and expect prices that reflect a place where almost everything is imported. Beds are few and fill fast in the short summer. Compare flights and hotels for Greenland at https://destination.chat and build in spare days, because weather cancels flights here as routine rather than misfortune. The icefjord is the headline. A glacier that ...

Personally, I would arrive on the Amalfi Coast by sea.

Personally, I would arrive on the Amalfi Coast by sea. From the deck of the ferry the road disappears and the coast shows itself the way it was built to be seen, pastel towns stacked in the folds of the cliffs, lemon terraces cut into the rock, church domes glazed like tiles. Positano, Amalfi and Ravello share one UNESCO listing and one dramatic shoreline south of Naples, and the water is still the kindest way between them.

Naples is the gateway, with the nearest big airport and rail links from Rome. The catch is space: the towns are small, vertical and hugely popular, so rooms for the warm months vanish while it is still winter. Compare flights and hotels for the Amalfi Coast at https://destination.chat and settle your base early, because on this coast the room decides the trip more than almost anywhere else.

Each town keeps its own character. Positano is the showpiece, a stack of ochre and pink houses funnelling down to the beach. Amalfi, once a maritime republic, gathers around its striped cathedral and a busy little harbour. Ravello sits high above the water, all gardens and long views from Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, and between the villages the Path of the Gods walk hangs along the clifftops.

Where you base yourself shapes the whole stay. In Positano, cliffside boutique hotels climb above the Spiaggia Grande and its church of Santa Maria Assunta. In Amalfi town, family-run guesthouses hide in the lanes around the cathedral steps. Up in Ravello, historic villa hotels sit beside the Villa Rufolo gardens, while over the headland in Sorrento, mid-range hotels around Piazza Tasso offer easier connections and gentler prices for day trips along the coast.

This is one coast where skipping the rental car is a gift. The single coastal road is narrow and slow, parking is scarce, and in summer the buses fill fast, while the ferries between the towns are half the pleasure of the place. A pre-booked transfer from Naples airport spares you the first hard hour, and boat trips and guided walks fill the days. You can check transfer and boat tour prices at https://destination.chat and build the sea into the plan from the start.

Go in the shoulder months if you can, when the sea is still warm and the paths are quiet. And stay for the evening: once the day boats leave, the lanes empty, the lights come on across the water, and the coast feels, briefly, like the fishing shore it used to be.

Q: When is the best time to visit the Amalfi Coast?
A: Late spring and early autumn bring warm seas, running ferries and thinner crowds. High summer is hot and very busy, and many hotels and boats pause for the winter months.

Q: Do I need a car on the Amalfi Coast?
A: It is easier without one. The coastal road is narrow, parking is scarce and expensive, and ferries and buses connect the main towns through the season.

Q: Which town is the best base?
A: Positano for the famous views, Amalfi for a central position, Ravello for quiet and gardens, and Sorrento for easier transport and gentler prices.

Q: Is the Amalfi Coast a UNESCO site?
A: Yes. The whole Costiera Amalfitana is listed as a cultural landscape, covering the coastal towns and the terraced slopes above them.

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