The Amalfi Coast in Autumn and Winter: What to Expect

The Amalfi Coast almost everyone pictures is the July version: sun loungers, boats off Positano and a line of cars at a standstill on the SS163. From October to March it is a different place. Many boats stay ashore, plenty of hotels close and some beaches lose their beach club, but the road empties, prices drop and the villages go back to the people who live there. It is not a cut-down version of the same holiday: it is a different trip, and it works if you know what to expect.

What changes out of season

• Ferries along the coast are seasonal, roughly April to October, and sailings already thin out in autumn. From November to March the sea, as a means of transport, simply is not there.
• SITA Sud buses run all year on a reduced winter timetable: they are the public transport of the low season.
• Hotels: in Positano many close between November and March; in Amalfi, Maiori, Minori and Ravello more stay open, because these are towns lived in all year round.
• Beach clubs pack up between late September and October. The free beaches remain; the service does not.
• The road: the alternate plate rule applies only on October weekends, then nothing, and the SS163 can be driven in the times the maps promise. Winter is also roadworks season, and after heavy rain some stretches may be closed for checks.

Month by month

• October: the best month of the low season. The sea is still mild in the first half of the month, the days are long and almost everything is still open, with half the people.
• November: usually the wettest month, and when many seasonal closures begin. On 30 November Amalfi celebrates Sant’Andrea, with the statue of the patron saint carried at a run up the cathedral steps.
• December: the towns get ready for Christmas, the days are short — the sun sets shortly after half past four — and an hour’s drive away, Salerno has its Luci d’Artista light installations.
• January and February: the heart of winter. Mild by day, cold in the evening, spells of rain alternating with crystal-clear days. This is also when many restaurants close for their own holidays.
• March: the season restarts. Hotels and restaurants reopen, often with Easter in mind, and the weather is changeable.

The towns that stay alive

Amalfi is the safest choice: a real town, with the cathedral, shops and cafés open all year and people in the streets in the evening. Maiori and Minori are the most residential towns on the coast, with a seafront you can walk even in January. Ravello, 350 metres above the sea, is silent in winter and sometimes wrapped in cloud, but its villas stay open and it is still the finest place to see the coast from above.

Out of season, Positano is better visited for the day than chosen as a base: the empty village has a charm of its own, but most hotels and shops are closed and the steps are deserted at night. Further along, towards Salerno, Vietri sul Mare has ceramic workshops that work all year round.

What to do when the sea is not an option

• The villas of Ravello: Villa Rufolo and the gardens of Villa Cimbrone are open in winter too, with shorter hours; the Terrace of Infinity without the summer crowds is another experience entirely.
• The Path of the Gods: clear autumn and winter days are among the best for walking it, with the right temperatures and a sharp view of the coast. Everything you need is in our article on the Path of the Gods.
• Amalfi Cathedral and its Cloister of Paradise, and the story of Amalfi paper, made here for centuries.
• Ceramics in Vietri: workshops and shops open, and the time to choose without the crush.
• The Luci d’Artista in Salerno, from mid-November to January: an easy evening to add, as we explain in our article on Christmas in Campania.

Getting around out of season

Without ferries there are two ways to move along the coast: the SITA bus and a car. The bus costs a few euros and in winter you get a seat, but on the reduced timetable waits are longer and the last evening bus leaves early. Driving yourself in the low season is much easier than in summer, and you can find parking; it is still a narrow, unlit road that needs care in the dark and the rain.

The tricky part is arriving. In summer, from Naples airport you can choose between bus, train plus ferry, or car; in winter the ferry disappears, and with a flight landing in the evening the only direct link to a town on the coast is the road. From Naples airport it takes about an hour and a half to Positano, a little more to Amalfi.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Amalfi Coast worth visiting in November?

Yes, if you are after quiet, walks and villages without crowds; no, if your trip revolves around beaches and boat trips. November is usually the wettest month, so keep a couple of flexible days in your plans.

Do the ferries run in winter?

Ferry lines along the coast are seasonal, roughly April to October. From November to March you get around on the SITA Sud public buses, which run all year on a reduced timetable, or by car.

Where is best to stay on the Amalfi Coast in winter?

In Amalfi, Maiori, Minori or Ravello, which are lived in all year and keep more places open. An empty Positano is beautiful, but many of its hotels close between November and March.

Does the alternate plate rule apply in autumn?

In October only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from 10 am to 6 pm; from November there are no restrictions. Taxis and licensed private hire cars are exempt in any case.

Can you walk the Path of the Gods in winter?

Yes, and clear winter days are among the best for it. Avoid the days right after rain, when the path is slippery, and start early: in December the sun sets shortly after half past four.

The coast in winter does not photograph like the coast in summer, but it stays with you longer: a coffee in the sun in Amalfi’s piazza in January, the whole coastline seen from Ravello with no one beside you. You just need to arrive knowing that, for a few months, the sea is for looking at.