Updated Info and Tips - Summer 2025

Most tourists visiting this area stay in Sorrento and take day trips to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Capri. These locations are therefore overcrowded between 10-11 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. At these times there are long lines for public transport on Capri and it becomes almost impossible to walk through the narrow streets of Positano.

The best solution is to go against the flow by choosing to stay overnight in one of these locations. If you want to discover the true charm of Capri and Positano, you have to stay overnight there. Sorrento is certainly the most convenient choice in terms of logistics, but the crowds you'll have to deal with during day trips cancel out any advantage that comes from Sorrento being centrally located.

We suggest dividing your stay between Capri and Positano, budget permitting. During the day you can take boat trips; relax on the beach; explore Sorrento, Cetara, and Vietri sul Mare; and in the evening, enjoy the magic of these two locations without the crowds of day tourists.

Throughout the spring there may still be days of rough and very rough seas that can cause crossings to be cancelled.

Here are our tips:

• Check the weather forecast: In the weather app that you use, find the predicted wave activity and height so you know whether or not you should be concerned. If waves higher than 200 centimeters are predicted, you can expect cancellations. Here's a site you can use: Meteo Mare Capri

• Plan to leave Capri a day before your flight: It's wise to book your final night on the mainland so you don't get stuck on the island and miss your flight.

• Keep an eye on social media: The ferry companies tend to update their weather predictions at the last minute, so a more trustworthy source is this Facebook page.

• Ferries between Capri and the Amalfi Coast are the first to be canceled because there is no true port in Positano (just a pier) and boats can't approach the coast there if the sea is choppy.

• If the weather looks uncertain, book the Caremar ferry rather than the high-speed hydrofoils offered by other companies.

Hydrofoil and ferry timetables

Throughout the summer, the 13 municipalities of the Amalfi Coast will have restrictions on license plates according to this calendar:

• From June 1st to July 31st, alternate license plates are in effect on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

• From August 1st to September 31st, alternate license plates are in effect every day.

• From October 1st to 31st, alternate license plates are in effect on Saturdays and Sundays and on holidays.

On days with even dates, cars with an even-numbered last digit of the numerical part of the license plate CANNOT circulate.
On days with odd dates, cars with an odd-numbered last digit of the numerical part of the license plate CANNOT circulate.

Alternate license plate circulation is in effect from 10 am to 6 pm.

The ordinance is valid in all municipalities from Positano to Vietri sul Mare.

The following can circulate without restrictions: residents, taxis, private driver cars (NCC), cars with a disabled permit, employees in towns of the Amalfi Coast, hotel guests on the days of arrival and departure.

Traffic on the Sorrento Peninsula and along the Amalfi Coast reaches its maximum levels starting in the spring. Traffic is always a bit tricky and public transportation is often unreliable and running behind schedule.

From April 17 to May 5, you absolutely must avoid driving in the Sorrento/Amalfi Coast area because in 2025 there's a long holiday that combines Easter vacation with national holidays on April 25 and May 1. Pay particular attention to the dates of Holy Thursday (April 17) and Good Friday (April 18), when the entire Sorrento peninsula hosts Holy Week processions and roads are closed to traffic.

Our advice for dealing with traffic:

• Don’t visit with a rental car. The roads are narrow and winding, clogged with a mix of tour buses, scooters, and distracted tourists. Parking is scarce and expensive. The historic centers are almost all closed to traffic (ZTL zones). These factors put together can mean a vacation-ruining headache.

• Consider renting a scooter to get around, but only if you have experience driving one.

• To get from the airport to your hotel and vice versa, book a private transfer in advance, especially if you need to get to Positano or Amalfi. Last year it was very difficult for visitors to book transport at the last minute, so try to book your transfer service as soon as possible.

• One of the most convenient ways to get between Sorrento and Naples is the Curreri shuttle bus.

Book a private transfer

Getting around by train: the Circumvesuviana

The Circumvesuviana is a local commuter rail line that connects Naples and Sorrento; it generally runs on time and there are frequent departures. Keep in mind, however, that it is often overcrowded so you may have to stand much of the way (about an hour). In addition, there's no assigned seating, and most trains don't have air conditioning. It’s an easy way to make the shorter trip between Sorrento and Pompeii, but it's not a great option to travel between Sorrento and Naples, especially if you have luggage with you. Opt instead for the Campania Express, the tourist train that runs less frequently on the same line but is faster and less crowded.

Circumvesuviana and Campania Express train schedules

Getting around by bus: Sita Amalfi Coast buses

Sita buses run between Sorrento and Positano, Amalfi, and the smaller villages located between the two. Since traffic is often snarled along the single coastal road, buses often run behind schedule and all seats are usually filled at the departure location, so those boarding afterwards must ride standing up. This is particularly true of buses departing from Positano in the afternoon to return to Sorrento. Long lines to board often form at the two Positano bus stops, and buses pulling in from Amalfi are already full and not boarding additional passengers.

Skip the bus and take the ferry from Positano to Sorrento in the afternoon; in the morning, you can easily find room on the buses departing from Sorrento and heading to the coast.

Amalfi Coast bus schedules

Capri is small, so the buses are small and the funicular is small. The crowds visiting the island, on the other hand, are huge and overwhelm the limited public transport available on the island, especially when trying to reach the Piazzetta (the heart of Capri) from the port. Lots of day trippers start visiting the island from April onwards.

Here are our tips for getting around Capri hassle-free:

• Try to get your funicular ticket in advance. You can buy funicular tickets at the tobacconists in the ports of Sorrento and Naples. If you buy in advance you can avoid the ticket line on Capri.

• Once you disembark on Capri, head directly to the entrance of the funicular. Even if there's a line, it's still the fastest option to go up to the center because it leaves every 5 minutes carrying 80 people.

• The funicular has a reserved lane for hotel guests.

• If you spot a long line at the funicular once you disembark at the port, keep walking towards the left to get to the “Banchinella” pier (molo 22). Public buses headed to the town center depart from here, and they are generally much less crowded. You can also take a taxi to the town center for about €20, port to Piazzetta.

• If you look at Google Maps, it will tell you that it takes about 15 minutes to walk to the Piazzetta from the port. While that's technically true, it doesn’t tell you that it’s an extremely steep 15-minute climb that is only suitable for those who are in great shape and aren’t arriving with luggage (or small children).

• The walk back down from the Piazzetta to the port, on the other hand, is easy and scenic.

• If you're headed to Anacapri, there is a direct route between the port of Marina Grande and Anacapri, with departures in both directions every 10-15 minutes.

• If you encounter a line to board the bus at the Piazza Vittoria stop in Anacapri, walk back along Viale Tommaso de Tommaso to board the bus at the preceding stop near Piazza Caprile.

Capri funicular and bus schedules

It's best to book as far in advance as possible for any activities you have planned for your vacation on Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

Restaurants

To book a table in most restaurants, you can send a text message or call just a few days in advance. However, in the more famous restaurants, especially on Capri, booking procedures are becoming more complex and securing a reservation requires a lot of advance notice. Oftentimes a deposit is required if you wish to reserve several tables.

If you're staying in a luxury hotel, ask your hotel concierge to book for you; it will be much easier. In any case, there are many excellent alternatives to the places that are most popular on social media, where you can have an authentic experience!

Boat tours

Boat availability is limited, and from June onwards it can be difficult to find spaces on boat tours, especially from Positano to Capri. If you can't find anything on your date, consider going to Capri by hydrofoil and leaving for a boat tour directly from the port of Marina Grande on the island. There's greater availability, you'll pay less, and you'll also have the chance to explore on foot. However, even in Capri, you'll need to book your boat in advance. For shared boats that tour the island in one or two hours it's easier to find availability directly on site.

It's also generally easier to find boats available in the afternoon rather than in the morning. Sunset tours are always readily available.

Keep in mind there's a €100 landing tax for private boats at Marina Grande and Capri, and this tax is an additional charge that isn't included in tour prices.

Book a boat tour

Beaches

There aren't many free beaches on the Amalfi Coast and Capri, and the ones that do exist are small. Beach clubs have limited availability and many require a reservation in advance. Many beach clubs allow guests to make a reservation online directly from their website. There's usually a minimum spend required, including lunch.

We always try to keep the opening hours updated on our websites, but in many cases it's really difficult!

On Capri, Villa Jovis and Villa Lysis don't have regular opening hours. It's also a long walk uphill to get there. So, to avoid being disappointed if the sites are closed, we recommend checking first at the information office in the Piazzetta or at the port to see if they are open.

Everyone who comes to Capri wants to see the Blue Grotto, but if the weather is bad it might be closed, and there is often a long line to enter.

The best strategy to visit without waiting in line for hours is to be in front of the entrance when it opens, around 9 am. If you're staying overnight on Capri you can also get there on foot. If you're staying in Sorrento, you can consider the tours that leave from Sorrento early in the morning to be at the entrance of the Grotto when it opens.

On this page there's real-time information showing if the Blue Grotto is open or not:

Information on visiting the Blue Grotto

In recent years, the Path of the Gods has gone from being a route for hiking enthusiasts to a mass tourist destination. In any case, it's still a mountain trail that requires precautions. You need to wear closed-toe shoes with non-slip soles, carry plenty of water, wear a hat and sunscreen, and stay on the marked path. You may also wish to hire an expert guide. In the summer, the sun beats down hard and there are parts of the trail with no shade. The trail also has many areas with unprotected cliffs and last summer there were two fatal accidents. We therefore recommend lots of caution. 

Consider lesser-known and less frequented but equally panoramic paths such as Punta Campanella, the Bay of Ierano, the Valle delle Ferriere or the variant of the Path of the Gods that passes through Praiano.