HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIP TO THE AMALFI COAST

If your vacation is not tied to a particular time of year and you can choose when to travel, I suggest you keep a few factors in mind. The Amalfi Coast is located in southern Italy, where summers are very hot and winters wet and cold. For this reason, the best times to visit the Coast, avoiding peak temperatures, are autumn and spring, as I have detailed in this article.

Not only that. The spring and fall months have other advantages as well. There is generally a wider choice of accommodations since there are fewer tourists, and as a result, hotel and B&B prices are also lower than in the peak season. In addition, coastal cities are less crowded and more livable, and restaurants, streets, waterfronts, and beaches are also more accessible and less stressful.

By its very configuration, the Amalfi Coast is not connected to the rest of Italy by high-speed rail lines or highways. Nevertheless, it is easily accessible! 

If you leave from the station in Rome (click here for more information on this), the best solution is to buy a High Speed or Intercity ticket to Naples or Salerno. The latter is the most recommended option, since the Amalfi Coast will be just around the corner! From Salerno, in fact, you will have the option of taking a bus to the coastal towns or, even better, hopping aboard a ferry and reaching your destination by sea! The Travelmar company connects Salerno to all ports on the Amalfi Coast and operates year-round! In the “Some tips” box below you will find the links you need to purchase your tickets.

As I have already mentioned, the ideal solution for getting around the Amalfi Coast is by sea! With Travelmar ferries you reach the ports of Salerno, Vietri sul Mare, Maiori, Minori, Positano, Amalfi and Cetara. Not only that! Travelmar also offers you the possibility of reaching the Path of the Gods via a ferry and shuttle combination (click here for more information). An alternative is the SITA buses (find the link to buy tickets in the box below), which connect all the villages via the wonderful State Road 163. 

These are the main solutions for those who would like to use public transportation (click here for all the details), otherwise you can always try your hand at driving a private car or scooter, but this is an option to consider only if you are really good at driving! In fact, the state highway is quite narrow, full of hairpin bends and turns, and really busy during peak season. 

The choice of the facility to stay in should not be underestimated! Based on that, in fact, you can also decide what kind of itinerary to take and the kind of experience you plan to have. 

For example, if you are looking for tranquility and calm, hillside villages are the best option. Scala, Ravello, Agerola and Tramonti are all towns within easy reach of the more popular Positano and Amalfi, but they have the advantage of being quieter, surrounded by greenery, and above all, they offer some of the best views on the entire Coast! Also, they are the best choice if you have a car of your own, since there are more and cheaper parking lots.

If, on the other hand, you want to be by the sea but have children with you, the towns of Minori and Maiori are ideal. Both have beautiful child-friendly promenades, as well as pebble and sandy beaches within walking distance of the center, and they are not developed in height, making mobility much easier if you have strollers with you. 

If you are looking for a luxury experience then you must opt for Positano: here you can find fashionable boutiques and hotels and restaurants with views of the famous colorful houses: you will feel like you are living the golden life of a VIP! Positano and Amalfi are especially recommended if you are on foot, given the scarcity of parking and their high costs. From these two towns you can take Travelmar ferries or buses to move along the Coast: they are well connected to all destinations and you won't have to stress at all! Be careful, though! Luxurious Positano is spread out in height and is therefore full of climbs, descents and stairways. Keep this in mind if you plan to stay here! 

I'd say you have everything you need to start planning your trip! If you're looking for more useful information, explore our webzine: you'll find tips on what to visit, what to eat and where, events, the best hiking trails and all the natural beauties of the Amalfi Coast... in short, you only have to ask! You’ll see, it will be a beautiful trip!