Amalfi Coast, Italy

Cliffside villages, lemon groves, and Positano's beach clubs. May and September have the light without the crowds.

beachluxuryfoodromancecoast

Best time to visit

Month	High	Low	Rain	Season
Jan	13°	8°	135 mm
Feb	13°	8°	110 mm
Mar	15°	9°	113 mm
Apr	18°	11°	82 mm
May	22°	15°	70 mm	prime
Jun	26°	19°	32 mm	prime
Jul	29°	22°	18 mm
Aug	29°	22°	27 mm
Sep	25°	19°	102 mm	prime
Oct	22°	16°	124 mm	prime
Nov	17°	12°	194 mm
Dec	14°	9°	157 mm

30-year averages (1995–2024) from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo. Rain is the monthly total.

Serves travellers at Mid-range→Ultra-luxury level. Typically around $400 a day on the ground.

Ranges are typical costs, not quotes. Check the real price before you book.

Ferries, whenever they are running. The coast road is a single narrow lane in each direction and everything on it is slow. Buses are crowded but they work. A car is a liability here: parking is scarce and access is restricted in high season.
getting around · editorial
Naples is the airport. From there it is either a train to Sorrento and a bus or ferry onward, or a private driver over the peninsula in around two hours. In season, ferries run direct from Naples and Salerno and are the pleasant way in.
getting there · editorial
Ferries cancel in rough sea and there is no warning; the coast road is then the only way out, which is why an early flight and a Positano hotel is a bad combination. Churches require covered shoulders and knees.
know before · editorial
Cards are accepted in hotels and restaurants. Keep cash for small ferries, buses, beach loungers and the shops in the villages. Service is usually on the bill and tipping beyond rounding up is not expected.
money · editorial
August, when the coast road gridlocks and the heat sits between the cliffs. In winter, much of the coast simply closes: hotels shut, ferries stop and Positano empties.
when not to go · editorial
Positano is vertical and beautiful and every arrival involves stairs with luggage. Amalfi is flat and the transport hub. Ravello sits high above with quiet and gardens. Praiano is between the two and cheaper. Sorrento and Salerno are the practical bases at either end.
where to stay · editorial

Positano
The town falls from the mountain down to the water. Arrive by boat if you can.
Duomo di Amalfi
Sixty-two steps up to the Byzantine bronze door.
Villa Rufolo, Ravello
The terrace suspended above the sea that made Wagner stop writing.
Atrani
The smallest comune in Italy, ten minutes on foot from Amalfi and empty.
Spiaggia di Fornillo
The beach next to Positano's main one. Half the people.
Vietri sul Mare
Where the coast begins, and where the ceramics are made rather than merely sold.

Eat spaghetti alle vongole with Amalfi lemon
Limoncello where the lemons grow
The lemons here have peel two fingers thick. That is the reason.
Delizia al limone
A dome of sponge soaked in lemon cream. A local dessert, not a tourist one.
Grilled catch of the day by the water
Order what came in today, not what is on the menu.

Take the first ferry out of Amalfi before 9am, while the coast still belongs to the people who live on it
The ferry from Amalfi to Positano in the late afternoon
The whole coast in profile, with the low sun on your right.
A whole lemon bought at the roadside
The size of two hands. Keep it just for the face of whoever sees it.

Sentiero degli Dei
Seven kilometres from Bomerano to Nocelle, suspended above the sea the whole way. Start early.