The Amalfi Coast is both one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and one of the most miserable to visit in the wrong way. The SS163 coastal road in July is a single-lane gridlock stretched between two cliffs, with tour buses unable to pass each other and hire cars whose drivers have clearly never encountered a hairpin bend. I know because I made that mistake.
Come back in April or October and it is a completely different coast. Cooler, quieter, with light that is more interesting than the flat bright glare of high summer. The sea is still swimmable in September and October. The restaurants serve you without hurrying you out for the next sitting.
Ravello: The Town Nobody Is Rushing To
Most Amalfi Coast visitors spend their time at Positano (expensive, beautiful, very crowded) and Amalfi town (less beautiful, very crowded). Ravello sits 350 metres above the sea on a ridge, connected to the coast by a winding road that tour buses rarely attempt. It is quieter up there, and the view down to the sea across the lemon groves is better than any view from sea level.
Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo are the main gardens, both extraordinary in spring when the wisteria is flowering. The Belvedere of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone was once called the most beautiful view in the world by Gore Vidal, who lived in Ravello for years. He was not wrong.
The Ferries Are Better Than Any Road
The only sensible way to move between Amalfi, Positano, and Salerno in summer is by ferry. A boat ride that takes twenty minutes costs a few euros and shows you the coast from the angle it was designed to be seen from. The road trip that takes the same distance requires forty-five minutes of concentrated stress.
Ferries run frequently from April through October. From Salerno you can also take a ferry to Capri, which is a different kind of beautiful and deserves at least a day. Book accommodation on Capri more than two months in advance if you are visiting in summer.
Cetara: One Village That Still Fishes
Cetara is a tiny fishing village at the eastern end of the coast, past Minori and Maiori, where almost nobody goes because there is no famous beach or Instagram landmark. What it has is the anchovy industry that has supplied Rome and Naples for centuries. The colatura di alici, a fermented anchovy sauce that predates fish sauce by a thousand years, is made here in small batches.
Eating spaghetti aglio olio with colatura in a restaurant in Cetara with a view over the fishing boats is a very specific kind of perfect. The kind you can only find by going somewhere slightly inconvenient.
Where to Base Yourself
Positano looks the best in photographs but charges accordingly and requires physical fitness: everything is connected by steep flights of stairs. Amalfi town is more practical but less atmospheric. Ravello and Praiano are the most interesting bases for people who want quiet evenings and some separation from the main tourist flow.
If budget is a consideration, Salerno to the east is a real working city with excellent transport connections and accommodation at a fraction of Positano prices. Ferries and trains bring you to the coast in under an hour and the city itself has good food and an underrated historic centre.
