Last updated: March 22, 2023
The tourist season has started up again full speed, with tourists already crowding the streets of the coast. Given the high numbers expected this year, we recommend booking everything well in advance. This will give you a broader selection of tours and activities and probably better prices too. Boat tours and boat transfers (arrival and departure) are particularly important to book in advance.
Port closure in Positano - April 2023
An important note for those traveling in April: The Positano dock is currently closed for urgent construction work; therefore, until May 1 no ferries or hydrofoils will be permitted to arrive or depart. However, private or group tours with small boats are still possible, as they utilize a small private pier.
Let's start with the difficult news first: traffic on the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast is currently at its highest levels and public transport is not always reliable.
Here are our survival tips:
Don't rent a car. The streets are curvy and crowded with trucks, speeding scooters, and stray pedestrians. Parking is scarce and expensive. You risk ruining your holiday.
Carefully consider whether to rent a scooter, and even then, it's best if you have previous experience.
Book a private transfer in advance to get you from the airport to your hotel and back, especially for Positano or Amalfi. Last year it was very difficult to find last-minute transfers, so make sure you book this service as soon as possible.
To reach Sorrento from the Naples airport, an excellent and cost-effective option is the Curreri coach service.
The Circumvesuviana that connects Naples to Sorrento is efficient and runs fairly frequently. However, bear in mind that it can be very crowded, there's no assigned seating, and there's no air conditioning on most trains. Still, it's a viable option for travel from Sorrento to Pompeii; less so for reaching Sorrento from Naples with suitcases in tow.
The tourist train service Campania Express is a better option, although it runs less frequently.
Sita buses connect Sorrento with Positano and Amalfi and the various Amalfi Coast towns between them. Given the traffic, the timetables are not always reliable and you may have problems finding a seat at the intermediate stops. The return bus from Positano to Sorrento in the afternoon is especially problematic. Long queues form at the two stops in Positano because the buses arriving in Amalfi are often already full and cannot accommodate all the passengers on board.
We recommend the afternoon ferry from Positano to Sorrento.
Catching the bus at the Sorrento terminal in the morning, however, is not a problem.
Hydrofoils and ferries have reliable timetables and offer a reasonable level of service, although crowding is often unavoidable. It's best to book tickets in advance and try to get on an early run. There can be heavy crowds at the port of Capri, so it's best to have a look at the map in advance so you know where to go.
The port of Positano is currently closed for construction and is expected to reopen in early May.
Capri is small, the buses are small, the funicular is small; and from April onwards there are many daily visitors. Inevitably, you'll run into long lines for public transport, especially at the port to go up to the Piazzetta (Capri center).
Here are our tips to help you get around as efficiently as possible:
As soon as you arrive, if you see a long queue at the funicular, walk to the left until you reach the "Banchinella" pier (pier 22). Buses depart from here for the city centre and they usually aren't very crowded. Alternatively, you can take a taxi to the Piazzetta; the cost is around 20 euros.
According to Google Maps, the walk from the port to the Piazzetta is just 15 minutes. While that's true, you should be aware that it's 15 minutes up an extreme incline. Consider this as an option only if you're in the right physical condition to complete the walk and you don't have lots of baggage.
Walking back down to the port from the Piazzetta, as you may expect, is much easier and more pleasant than the uphill climb to reach the center.
If you need to go up to Anacapri, there are direct buses from the port of Marina Grande. During peak hours there is a bus every 10-15 minutes.
For the return trip from Anacapri, if there's a long queue at the bus stop in Piazza Vittoria, walk back along viale Tommaso de Tommaso to catch the bus at the earlier stops closer to the depot (near Piazza Caprile).
It's best to book well in advance for pretty much everything you wish to do in Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
In a regular restaurant, you can easily book by calling or sending a message just a few days ahead. However, in the most famous places, particularly in Capri, booking procedures are becoming increasingly complex and sometimes it's hard to even get an answer. If you encounter this situation, we suggest choosing a lesser-known alternative. We guarantee you will be treated better and have a more delicious meal. In most cases if you're booking more than one table, the restaurant will require a deposit to hold the reservation.
The availability of boats is limited, and from June onwards it can be difficult to find spots on boat tours, especially from Positano to Capri. If you can't find anything on your date, consider reaching Capri by hydrofoil and taking a boat ride directly from the port of Marina Grande. There's more availability, you'll pay less, and you'll also have the chance to explore on land. Even in Capri you'll need to book the boat in advance; but it's easier to find availability directly on-site for shared boats that tour the island in one or two hours.
It's generally easier to find boats available in the afternoon rather than in the morning, and sunset tours are almost always available.
Keep in mind there's a docking fee of 100 euros for private boats arriving on Capri from the mainland, and that fee is never included in tour prices.
On the Amalfi Coast and Capri, there are few free beaches and those that do exist are small. In addition, the beach clubs have a limited capacity each day. Many bathing establishments now require reservations, which can often be made directly from their official websites.
On our websites we always try to keep timetables up to date, but in many cases this is quite difficult.
On Capri, Villa Jovis and Villa Lysis do not have regular opening hours and a long uphill walk is required to get there. To avoid the risk of being disappointed in front of a closed gate, it's best to check on updated opening hours with the tourist office in the Piazzetta or at the port.
Via Krupp in Capri is expected to reopen in June 2023, but this hasn't yet been officially confirmed.
Everyone who comes to Capri wants to see the Blue Grotto, but sometimes there's a long queue or it's closed due to bad weather.
The best plan for visiting it without waiting hours in line is to be in front of the entrance when it opens, around 9 am. If you're staying overnight in Capri you can get there by land, while if you're staying Sorrento you can take a morning boat tour from Sorrento that will put you at the entrance to the Grotto when it opens.
Click below for more information about opening hours and current information for the Blue Grotto.
In recent years the Path of the Gods has gone from being a path for dedicated hikers to a mass tourist destination. Despite this, it's still a mountain path, and as such, you should be prepared: wear closed-toe shoes with grip soles, bring plenty of water and a hat, don't wander off the marked route, and if possible, hike with an expert guide. Keep in mind that the summer sun is intense and stretches of the path are exposed to full sun. The trail also has many areas with unprotected precipices.