Amalfi Coast: The Most Photographed Coastline in Italy and How to Get There Without Misery

The Amalfi Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 50 kilometres of cliffs dropping into the Tyrrhenian Sea between Sorrento and Salerno, with villages perched on the rock faces and lemon groves covering every viable slope. The photographs are accurate. So are the problems: the SS163 coastal road is one lane wide in each direction, shared with trucks, tourist buses, scooters, and pedestrians, and in July and August the traffic backs up to genuine standstills for hours.

The sensible approach is to stay in one or two base towns and use the ferry service rather than the road for getting between them. The ferry is slower than the car would be on an empty road and significantly faster than the car in traffic, plus you get the views from the water. Ferries run between Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno from April through October.

The Towns

Positano is the most photographed town on the coast: pastel-coloured buildings stacked down to a pebble beach, bougainvillea on every wall, everything steep. The beach (Spiaggia Grande) is pleasant but not the Maldives; the sand is dark grey. The town is overwhelmed with visitors in July and August; May, June, and September are considerably better. The Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) hiking trail begins near Positano and is 8 kilometres of clifftop path with views that justify the effort.

Amalfi itself is the historical centre of what was once a maritime republic rivalling Venice in the 10th century. The Cathedral of St. Andrew (Sant’Andrea) with its Byzantine bronze doors and the adjacent cloister of Paradise (Chiostro del Paradiso) rewards time. The papermills producing the handmade Amalfi paper still operate in the valley behind the town; the paper has been made here since the 13th century and several mills are open for visits.

Ravello at 365 metres above the coast is the coolest (literally and figuratively) town in the area. Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone have gardens with views over the coast that the coastal towns cannot match. The Ravello Festival of classical music runs through summer. Fewer day-trippers make it up the hill.

The Path of the Gods

The Sentiero degli Dei runs approximately 8 kilometres between Praiano and Nocelle (above Positano), crossing terraces and mountain ridges with views over the full width of the coast. Allow 3-4 hours. The path requires good footwear and basic hiking fitness; it is not a flat walk. Starting from Praiano in the morning avoids the heat and gets you to Positano for afternoon ferry connections.

Where to Eat

Every coastal restaurant charges for the view. The view is worth some premium; it is not worth a €35 pasta. The restaurants on the back streets of Amalfi town and in the villages above the main drag charge approximately half the seafront prices for equivalent food.

Da Adolfo in Positano, reached by their own boat from the main beach, is the exception: a genuine beachside restaurant with good food and reasonable-for-the-setting prices.

Practical Notes

The nearest airport is Naples (NAP), 65km north. The Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento takes 75 minutes (€5) and Sorrento is the most practical gateway to the coast by public transport. Car hire for the Amalfi Coast is not recommended unless you enjoy narrow mountain roads with buses coming toward you.