The Reality of the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is an extremely popular travel destination near Naples, Italy. However, after two trips to the region I have some advice and opinions for anyone planning to visit the area. Here are some of the less talked about negative realities of the famous coastline and why I wouldn’t put it on my travel recommendations list. Please keep in mind I know that every city, country, place – in the world is a personal and subjective experience for everyone. This is my personal experience after two trips to the region in 2019 and 2023. My goal is to simply provide you with another opinion to best make your decision when planning a trip.

Lines, lines, and more lines

There are a few ways to get around in Amalfi, the main options are by bus, ferry or car/vespa rental. However, I do not recommend renting a car or vespa – but I’ll get back to that. As with many trips to popular places you can expect to wait in lines. However, the lines in Amalfi are something else. Extremely crowded, hot, and limited time tables for ferries and buses add to the chaos. I’ve been there once in July – peak season, not a good idea. The next time in September, when crowds should have died down, but it was even worse!

Ferries:

Taking the ferry on the Amalfi Coast can be a frustrating experience, especially if you’re visiting during peak season. The queues can be long, the terminals can be confusing, and the tickets are not refundable nor transferable. If you’re planning on visiting the Amalfi Coast, be sure to factor in the time and hassle of taking the ferry into your travel plans.

Here are some tips for taking the ferry on the Amalfi Coast:

• Arrive 45-60 minutes before the departure time to avoid the queues.
• Check the ferry schedule in advance and plan your trip accordingly. I recommend using Ferry Hopper for this. You can also check directly with ferry companies such as Travel Mar or Positano Jet.
• You can only buy your tickets at the terminal on the day of travel.
• Be prepared for crowded conditions and long wait times at the terminal.
• Always ask the ferry ticket staff which terminal you need to wait at.
• Ferries often run late. We experienced both 40 minute and 1 hour late ferries while there. The staff do not usually notify you of this. You’re simply expected to wait until it arrives.

If you’re looking for a more relaxing way to travel along the Amalfi Coast, consider taking a private boat tour. Boat tours are more expensive than the ferry, but they offer a more comfortable and scenic experience, especially if you can split the cost with a group.

Buses:

The buses are a cheaper alternative to the ferries, however, they can be confusing to navigate. The bus timetables and schedules are not always clear and it can be hard finding the Tabacchi stores selling them. Add to this lines and crowds on the bus and you might be stuck standing while the bus traverses the narrow climbing roads and curves.

Vespa/Car Rental:

As I said, I do not recommend renting a vespa or car on the Amalfi Coast, which is disappointing because I truly think it would offer amazing flexibility and more excitement to your itinerary. However, the roads on the Amalfi Coast are narrow and winding, and traffic can be heavy, especially during the day. Parking is also difficult to come by and expensive in the Amalfi Coast villages.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to rent a car on the Amalfi Coast is up to you. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages and decide what is best for your travel style and budget.

HONEST OPINION:

I absolutely hate the way the buses and ferries are organized in Amalfi. Many other tourists I spoke with shared the same opinion. The ferry terminals are not listed and some of the staff can be very rude (definitely not all!). One man even walked away from a woman in the middle of a conversation when she asked him for directions. Another woman missed her ferry because she was told the wrong terminal by staff and had to buy another ticket.

On top of that, waiting for the ferry can be suffocating and exhausting. You’re stuck in a crowd in the hot sun breathing in cigarette smoke and ship exhaust, and trying to make room for those arriving on other ferries. Our ferry arrived an hour late without any explanation or apology, and there were no updates provided while we were waiting.

The bus system is no better, you are packed into very small buses like sardines and the lines can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour during peak travel times. In Ischia, the buses were so poorly organized you couldn’t tell which bus was the correct one for your trip – and the drivers were incredibly rude. Our first driver was on his phone the entire time, we were standing on the bus stairs by the door’s entrance and each time he opened the door he would do so without warning and would pinch our arm or foot. No one in the bus moved back to try to accommodate for us, our tickets were also not checked. Later in the same day, another bus driver closed the door on my aunt and almost took off without her. The roads are also extremely curved and narrow so if you’re one of the unlucky standing it can be very hard to keep your footing.

The ferry system in Amalfi is one of the main reasons I don’t recommend the destination. It’s shocking how inefficient and unorganized it is, especially for such a popular tourist destination. Fortunately, some advanced planning can help limit the amount of ferries you take, but it can really wear you out if you’re there for a while.

Expensive

Hotels, food, private tours, grotto, gardens, and more – it all adds up and adds up fast. If you are looking at a budget destination, this is not it, and to be honest, I don’t think it’s worth the splurge. Ultimately, there are many other places in Italy that are more beautiful, less crowded, and less expensive.

Repetitive Shopping & Souvenirs

Throughout the Amalfi Coast you’ll find nearly carbon copies of merchandise across shops in each town: from leather bags and sandals to limoncello and lemon candies. If you’re looking for a unique shopping experience this isn’t the place to go. In fact, if you’re looking to save money you can compare prices across shops. I’d recommend shopping in Sorrento for the same products with the cheapest prices. NOTE: There are some unique shops, I noticed the most in Positano, a popular one being CB.

Don’t Let the Photoshop Fool You

While Amalfi is absolutely beautiful – it’s not the Instagram haven it appears to be. Most of the year the sky is a little hazy because of pollution from farming and Mt. Vesuvius (according to our driver). So it’s not nearly as clear and vibrant as most people expect – as is the case with most travel photos: over saturated edited imagery can give you a false expectation. Here are a couple examples of the haziness I took. Some of the building themselves are run down and abandoned. If I had to compare it to other places I’ve visited in the past, I would say in some places it reminds me of San Juan, Puerto Rico, particularly Ischia. But! The region is still very unique and beautiful, this is just a comment to keep in mind when visiting any places that looks absolutely stunning online.

Extremely Inaccessible

If you have a physical disability I highly discourage a visit to the Amalfi Coast. This isn’t necessarily their fault – it has old infrastructure without many options to improve it – but there are many locations, especially in Positano where there are no alternatives to stairs. The roads themselves are uneven so some wheels may struggle, there are also heavily inclines, so if you do not have a power chair you could have a very hard time climbing the hills. From a safety perspective, the roads are very narrow, so getting around corners and across the road could put you at increased risk for an accident – especially in peak season when more people rent vehicles that aren’t familiar with the area. Aside from wheelchair accessibility, there are also very limited public restroom options – for anyone with serious medical conditions you may struggle to find a place to use the restroom in an emergency. When you do, we found many were ill equipped or were only accessible down or up a set of stairs. We also rarely found baby changing stations.

NOTE: We did see a couple people in wheelchairs near the end of our trip – so it must be do-able, but I think it would be very difficult.

Interested in exploring Sorrento? Check out my Sorrento Tips here.