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GENERAL INFORMATION
Some important information here, to help you enjoy your stay with us on the Amalfi Coast. Scroll down for maps of the towns.
How to get to the Amalfi Coast towns from the Airport.
-The easiest, quickest (1/1.30 hr) and most comfortable way is by cab, contact us for the cheapest rate. The only possible way if you are travelling evening/night time. In case you decide for this you will need to provide details such as exact destination, flight number, times, etc
-A PINTOUR / PINTUR bus, it links Naples airport to Amalfi and its hamlet Pogerola, stopping in Vietri sul mare, Cetara, Maiori, (you change here for Tramonti), Minori, Castiglione (seaside hamlets of Ravello), Atrani, Amalfi. In Amalfi you can change for a cab or a Sita bus to Ravello, Scala, Conca dei Marini, Furore (seaside only), Praiano, Positano. From Amalfi to Positano you can also take a ferry instead of a SITA bus or a cab, check timetables below. It is 20€ per person (Ch. 10€). Tickets need to be bought beforehand.
CLICK HERE FOR PINTUR AIRPORT-AMALFI-AIRPORT TIMETABLES
-A SITASUD bus (VERY few & weekdays only) from the airport to SALERNO if you are going to Vietri sul mare, Cetara, Maiori, (you change here for Tramonti), Minori, Marmorata & Castiglione (seaside hamlets of Ravello), Atrani, Amalfi, Scala, Ravello, Pogerola. Or a CURRERI viaggi bus to SORRENTO if your final destination is Positano, Praiano, Furore (seaside hamlet ‘the Fjord’ only), Conca dei Marini.
From SALERNO or SORRENTO (outside stations) you can take a SITA bus heading to Amalfi and you stop on the way accordingly (tickets to be purchased before boarding). Change in Amalfi for the mountain centers of Scala, Ravello, (a few times per day the SITA bus also goes to the further hamlets of this towns), Pogerola, Furore (upper side hamlets, center). From Salerno there are also ferries to reach Vietri, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Amalfi, less frequent than direct ferries to Amalfi.
CLICK HERE FOR CURRIERI AIRPORT – SORRENTO – AIRPORT TIMETABLES
If you are staying in NAPLES (center) and wish to reach the Amalfi Coast by public transportation, you can take a SITA bus (from either “varco IMMACOLATELLA” near the MOLO BEVERELLO Naples port (near Via Marina) or from about 200 mt. from Naples train Station exit in VIA GALILEO FERRARIS where the “INPS” building is). Tickets need to be purchased before boarding, SITA buses from Naples to Amalfi are VERY few so do double check times (see below) to be sure this is a convenient way for you. OR a regional train to SALERNO, more frequent, (see above for the rest of the journey) or a Circumvesiviana train to SORRENTO. BUON VIAGGIO! 🙂
GETTING ABOUT THE AMALFI COAST:
BY BUS The SITA bus company runs buses along the entire coast from Salerno to Sorrento, changing in Amalfi and also covers the mountain towns of Ravello, Scala, Pogerola, Furore from Amalfi. For Tramonti the bus can be boarded also in Maiori. The main bus terminus for the coast is in Amalfi itself, situated by the main pier. Buses to Ravello, Scala, Pogerola leave at the bus stop by the two large white canopies, by the roundabout with the statue. All the buses have the destination name written on the front.
Sita bus tickets can be purchased in bars, tobacconists and newsagents. These tickets are valid from the time they are clipped in the yellow box, situated behind the driver. The ticket prices and duration of the tickets vary, state destination when buying them to make it easy. The bus stop signs show a small bus and/or “Fermata Sita”. One sign corresponds to both sides of the road. Up-to-date bus timetables are displayed above. P.N. that buses can become very crowded and people tend to push to the front so “when in Rome do as the Romans do.”Small orange buses cover the internal roads of Praiano and Positano as well as its hamlets of Nocelle and Montepertuso. The tickets for these buses can be bought in bars and newsagents, but they can also be bought on the bus itself, paying the driver as you board.
Besides SITA buses, private operators also run buses and vans along the Amalfi coastal towns and to Ravello, click on the pictures below to have more information and book your tickets.
BY BOAT – The two main ports along the coast are Amalfi and Positano but boats also stop at Maiori, Minori and Cetara and Vietri. Boat tickets can be bought at the ticket kiosks along the piers. Here you have ferry timetables.
Boats go daily to Capri, Sorrento, Salerno & Ischia (high season) but they will not run if the sea is rough.
BY TAXI – Taxis can be found in all the towns along the coast and are usually white … but please be aware that taxis can be expensive, ie. a single journey from Amalfi to Ravello will cost between €40 and €60. If you need to use a taxi, make sure you know what the fare is going to be before you begin your journey! Contact us beforehand if you need help with booking a cab.
If you are interested in CAR HIRE, please ask to get information about prices, delivery and collection included.
Parking:
BLUE Lines – marking parking spaces mean you have to pay per hour, so find the ticket machine and then display the necessary ticket. If there is no machine in the neighborhoods, buy a parking ticket at the nearest Tobacconist. The cost per hour can vary.
YELLOW Lines – For “residenti”, special needs categories and reserved to police or other public units.
WHITE Lines – check for the signs as white lines often mark residents only and will state “residenti” or will display a code number. If none of these are on show, you can normally park here for free.
HOTELS: Although crime and thefts on the Amalfi Coast are rare, we would strongly suggest that you use the safety deposit boxes provided by the hotel and recommend that you leave your passports, personal documents (driving license etc.) and valuables in your hotel deposit box. If you are staying in a hotel that uses keys, please leave them with reception when you go out. CITY TAX: Please note that municipalities on the Amalfi Coast apply a tourist tax which is to be paid to the accommodation at the end of the stay. The amount can vary from town to town and it also depends on the type of accommodation, please refer to reception for more details.
Shopping: Shops (markets, tabacconists, etc) are generally open between 09.00–13.00 and 16.30–20.00 although some souvenir shops and boutiques stay open all days during the high season. Variations may exist between summer and winter. Supermarkets are usually closed all day Sunday. Best buys in this area include ceramics, Limoncello liquor products, Amalfi Paper, handmade sandals and “Positano fabric” clothes.
Banks: Banks are generally open Monday to Friday from 08.20–13.15 and 14.30–15.30. Bureaux de Change have more flexible opening hours. Please remember that passports are required when changing money and that banks will charge a commission on every transaction. Cash may be obtained using credit/ debit cards at the ATMs using your PIN number.
Chemists: “Farmacia” Identified by a flashing green cross, the “farmacie” are generally open normal shopping hours Monday to Saturday. A chemist is always open on Sunday (ask reception/resort manager for details) 24 hour chemist only accessible during the night with a doctor’s prescription.
Tobacconists: Apart from cigarettes, cigars and tobacco you may also buy postcards and stamps, phone cards and Sita bus tickets. It is forbidden to smoke in public areas in Italy.
Local markets: They are held in the morning from approx 9am-12pm. NOT in August.
Tuesday: RAVELLO,
Wednesday: AMALFI,
Thursday: MINORI,
Friday: MAIORI
FOOD & DRINKS: There is an infinite variety of bars and restaurants to suit most tastes. Two different prices are charged for drinks in bars in Italy. If drinking at the bar normal prices are charged, if you sit down at a table with waiter service a higher price is charged, always have a look at the pricelists.
ANTIPASTI – starters: un antipasto (it means ‘before the meal’ plural antipasti, hors d’oeuvres) is a starter or appetizer and it is often based on local salumi, cheese or seafood delicacies.
PRIMO PIATTO – First course: primo is a first course consisting of pasta, rice or soup, ask for dishes of local recipes.
SECONDI DI PESCE – fish second course, one of the specialities on the Amalfi Coast.
SECONDI DI CARNE – meat second course.
DOLCE – dessert: plenty to choose from the local tradition: Delizie al limone (lemon delight:), Torta caprese, Pasticciotto atranese, Melezane al cioccolato, Babà napoletano, sfogliatella napoletana, gelato (ice cream)
Local WINES are excellent. DOC and IGT brands are a guarantee of quality and geographical production.
Most famous Campania regional wines:
White wines: Falanghina, Fiano, Greco di Tufo, Coda di volpe
Red wines: Aglianico, Per’e palummo, Taurasi
A very popular aperitif drink is Aperol Spritz and also Lemon Spritz.
Local liqueurs are: Limoncello (it is made using rinds of lemons), Cream of Limoncello (adding milk cream to the limoncello), Finocchietto (it is made using fennel seeds), Concerto (it is made using several spices as anice, liquorice, cinnamon, coffee, fennel, barley, etc), Nocino (it is made with unripe walnuts).
TOURIST OFFICES
MINORI “Pro Loco” office sitaued opposite the seafront, next to the Monte Dei Paschi Di Siena Bank.
MAIORI In the gardens of Palazzo Mezzocapo, on the main Corso Reginna.
RAVELLO Behind the cathedral, just off the main square.
AMALFI Opposite the seafront, by the Post Office.
POSITANO Via del Saracino, just off jetty area.
The Amalfi Coast is a beautiful stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy. It is a popular tourist destination, attracting thousands of tourists annually. In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape.
Like the rest of the region, the Amalfi Coast lies in a Mediterranean climate, featuring warm summers and mild winters. It is located on the relatively steep southern shore of the Sorrentine Peninsula, leaving little room for rural and agricultural territories. The only land route to the Amalfi Coast is the 40 kilometres (25 mi) long Strada Statale 163 which runs along the coastline from the town of Vietri sul Mare in the east to Positano in the west. Thirteen municipalities are located on the Amalfi Coast, the majority of them centered on tourism.
Municipality | Main Events | Attractions |
Amalfi | Every 4 years, 1st Sun/Jun Historical Regatta 27th Jun/30th Nov St. Andrew feast 13th Jun St. Anthony feast 1st Sept. Byzantine New Year | Amalfi Cathedral & its Paradise cloister, Arsenal & Paper museums. |
Atrani | 22nd Jul St. Maria Maddalena Aug Sardine & anchovies Festival | Churches of San Salvatore del Birecto & Santa Maria Maddalena |
Positano | 13th Jun St. Vito feast 15th Aug Our Lady of Assumption Sept Leonide Massine Prize for dance Sept Fish festival | Church of Santa Maria Assunta & ruins of Roman villa |
Ravello | Jun to Sept Ravello Music Festival, 27th Jul Patron Saint Feast 2nd Sun/Sept Torello fiaccolata fireworks | Villa Cimbrone, Villa Rufolo, San Giovanni del Toro, The Cathedral |
Scala | 10th Aug St. Lawrence October Chestnuts Festival | St. Lawrence Cathedral, St. Alfonso chapel Ziro Tower, Protected Reserve Ferriere Valley Parco del dragone https://www.parcodeldragone.com/home-page-en/ |
Maiori | 13th Jun Madonna Avvocata, pilgrimage to the mountain 29th Jun St. Peter Festivity 15th Aug Our Lady of Assumption 16th Aug St Rocco festivity | Collegiata di Santa Maria, Castle of San Nicola de Thoro Plano, Santa Maria de Olearia |
Minori | 13th Jul St. Trofimena Festivity Sept. Gusta Minori (Taste Minori) | Church of Santa Trofimena, Ist century AD Roman villa |
Conca dei Marini | 23rd Jul Regatta for sea festivity 5th Aug Our Lady of the Snow festivity August Sfogliatella festival | Main church of Saint John Baptist and the Emerald Cave |
Praiano | 1st/Sun Jul Patron Saint festivity 1-5 Aug Luminaria di S. Domenico candle lamps illumination 10th Aug White night 19th Sept St. Gennaro festivity | Churches of San Luca and San Gennaro and Saint John Baptist |
Furore | 1st Sun/Sept St Catherine festivity | Fjord of Furore |
Tramonti | Aug Pizza Festival Oct Chestnuts Festival | Conservatory of Pucara, Rupestrian Church dedicated to St. Michael in Gete |
Cetara | 29th Jun St. Peter Feast Aug Tuna fish festival | Tower of Cetara St Peter church |
Vietri sul Mare | 24th June St. John Festivity | Church of Saint John Baptist, Ceramic museum, St. Anthony Church & convent |
The Amalfi coast is composed by 13 small villages; Ravello, Amalfi, Positano are the ones you should really see while staying here.
RAVELLO is the neighboring village across the valley. Best ways to walk there, approx. 15-20 minutes. Perched on 376m above sea level, it has sunny views, suspended gardens and a nice square for the aperitifs and people watching.
The Cathedral preserves a beautiful twelve century bronze door. Inside, to the left and the right sides of the main nave, there are two splendid pulpits, respectively 12th & 13th century. At the end of the left aisle, is the chapel with the ampulla containing the blood of St. Pantaleone the patron saint of Ravello, whose blood, coated and dark all year, becomes liquid around his name day, 27th July (entrance is free in the morning until 12pm and late afternoon).
Villa Cimbrone gardens, located a ten minute walk from the main square, are a mast-see with its infinity terrace, offering spectacular, precipitous views 9am till sunset 10€.
Villa Rufolo gardens, with entrances in the main square, was used by the German composer Richard Wagner for backstage of his last opera ‘Parsifal’. The association is celebrated with a Ravello festival (July-August), with a special platform built in the garden, that looks to be suspended over the sea. (9am- sunset €8)
Ravello has got its own beach, Castiglione, located 5 Km from the main square. From the coastal road Amalfitana there are 157 steps down. A local market is held in the parking area (below main square) every Tuesday morning, NOT IN AUGUST.
AMALFI is the hub of the coast and can get very busy, so sometimes visitors don’t fully appreciate it and miss the interesting parts. You get down here by bus or you can walk approx. one hour from Scala. It is here that you change for buses or boats along the coastline. Amalfi today looks so small and it is difficult to imagine its glorious past. It was the first Maritime Republic in Italy, (Pisa, Genova and Venice came later). Amalfi acquainted Italy with the use of paper, minted its own coin, the Tarì; it was home to the important Maritime code, known as the Tabula de Amalpha, to the Compass Rose and it was an Amalfitan, brother Gerardo Sasso from Scala, that founded the first military and religious order that still exists today as the Knight of Malta.
The cathedral complex is the monument that best shows the ancient past of this once-upon-a-time powerful republic. Its 13th century cloister, its ancient basilica, its baroque crypt preserving the relics of the first apostle of Jesus, St. Andrew and some beautiful statues by Michelangelo Naccherino and Pietro Bernini and its Church in splendid baroque style show the many layers of different historical periods. (4€)
The paper museum is set in an ancient paper mill and shows the whole process of how to make what was called “rag paper” made out of linen, wool and such. For those walking to Amalfi it is better to visit the museum after the walk as it is located right at the top of Amalfi where the internal road ends/starts, (10am-6pm €5).
The Compass museum is set in the 11th century arsenals, by the seafront, it displays ancient Roman artefacts, documents and such (10am-6pm €3).
The ancient streets of Amalfi, on both sides of today’s internal road, which was built to cover the river (still flowing underneath.) The streets link the villages together and instead of using the roads you can get around using the ancient footpaths. A local market is held in the parking area by the sea, past the hotel La Bussola every Wednesday morning, NOT IN AUGUST.
ATRANI is per surface, the smallest village in Italy, a labyrinth of narrow stepped alleys lead to a cozy medieval little square. It has a short sea front, but the beach is more secluded and less busy compared to Amalfi. Here you can rent boats, pedal boats, you can swim to the nearby beach of Castiglione, just around the left side corner. In case you get hungry or thirsty, you can take advantage of the near shops, bars and restaurants without interrupting the day you wish to spend by the sea. You can walk down to Atrani , (approx. 45minutes), or you can take the bus and get off at the stop before Amalfi, which is just around the corner. Vice versa, you can go to Amalfi and walk to Atrani, after visiting Amalfi.
POSITANO is considered the most elegant town on the Amalfi coast, thanks to the many boutiques displaying the “moda Positano”. There is no specific attraction in Positano as the town itself is the main attraction. It is a very steep place with pink and white houses and only one-way through road, all the rest are hidden staircases. This is why if you go by bus to Positano, you need to get off at the bus stop ‘La Sponda’ and walk along the internal street down to the center of Positano where the church and the main beach are located. This is why you may be interested in taking a ferry (more expensive than bus) back to Amalfi instead of going all the way back. The ride will be different of course from the sea and surely shorter. Nocelle, a hamlet of Positano, 400m above, is the ending point of the walk ‘Path of the Gods’. Going through Montepertuso, (do not take the 1,700 steps from Nocelle ending outside Positano on the Amalfitana) another hamlet of Positano, you can reach the centre enjoying great views of the town and its beautiful domed church.
MINORI is the ‘minor’ neighboring of ‘major’ (Maiori) both destroyed by a river flood back in 1954, which explains their ‘modern’ looks. You can easily reach Minori walking from Ravello, or you can take a bus to Amalfi and then a bus/boat from there to Minori. At Minori, you can make use of the beach, but if you happen to be there, go and visit the 1st century AD Maritime Roman Villa. Only bits could be excavated, like the Viridarium, the Roman garden, some rooms like the Triclinium (dining) with nice mosaics, and there is also a small museum. The entrance is free. A local market is held on the sea front every Thursday morning, NOT IN AUGUST.
MAIORI has the longest beach on the Amalfi coast, also grey because of the volcanic origin. It is just around the corner from Minori, so people can walk back and forth along the road unless the bravely want to go 500 steps up and down, the ancient footpath that links Minori to Maiori. Maiori is otherwise flat, and has plenty of bars, shops and restaurants. A local market is held on the main Corso every Friday morning, NOT IN AUGUST.
Save the date and spend a day meeting ‘friends’, walking and eating with them. We meet in Scala and walking among cultivated terraces and centuries-old chestnut groves, we reach the wonderful ‘Terrace on the Amalfi Coast’. While admiring the beautiful panorama, we enjoy a good local aperitif. In the afternoon we complete our round trip and stop at a local pizzeria to enjoy a ‘pizzata’ with friends. Whatsapp +393393747368 for more info.