Positano - Memories from the Amalfi Coast

Hello dear travel lovers. As we continued our Italy trip, we spent about an hour in Amalfi in the morning and decided to swing by again on our way back. After that the greatest jewel of the Amalfi Coast and the village we were most curious about was waiting for us. Positano a real symbol of the region and even of all Italy. As you approach Positano from the sea, you have not a single doubt that this is a completely special place. The number of yachts and, most importantly, the houses and views here made us feel as if we had arrived in a completely different world.

From the very first seconds, we realized that there was an enormous crowd here. Some people were already leaving. Most visitors come just for a day or even for one or two hours. And of course, the views are incredible. There is no other word for it. The cliffs here seem to rise about 600 to 700 meters above the village and the sea. Of course, it is very crowded and prices are very high, but this is a place you absolutely have to see. That said, swimming at Positano beach is not the best idea because the water is quite dirty due to the large number of boats. There is always a crush of tourists on the beach, so honestly, it is not the most comfortable place for swimming. Also if you want to sunbathe here, be ready to pay around 45 euros for a sunbed. This price applies from the second row onward. For the first row, it is 50 euros per person for a day. In my opinion a sunbed like that probably costs around 30 euros in a store, prices are like this, but in return you do get beautiful views. One more important point: besides the main view of Positano, from above there is an incredible panorama opening to the other side, towards the beach and this Riviera stretching one after another with the hills and then towards that parking area full of boats and superyachts. It is something extraordinary.

If you want to swim in Positano, which I am sure is worth it in summer, head in the direction of Spiaggia di Fornillo. It takes very little time to walk there. The views along the way are so vivid that even if you are not planning to swim, I would recommend everyone to walk this route. Along the way you will find a small, secluded beach squeezed between rocks and a fairly large pebble area where you can stay completely for free. That is exactly what we did. We swam, refreshed ourselves and then we were ready for a walk in Positano.

Positano is entirely pedestrian. There are no cars here and that is good news. The bad news is that the city is a vertical pedestrian space. There are only stairs here. There is not a single flat street, so walking in the heat is not easy. Because of this terrain, they use an interesting method to carry luggage up to the rooms, as far as I understand handled by bellboys. I am seeing something like this for the first time. Early in the morning, this place is probably quite charming. But from around 10:00 am the tourist crowds fill every empty space. People climb up to the spots where the most famous photos of the Amalfi coast are taken.

The main view of Positano is that image which is the reason many people come to the Amalfi coast. Yes, the climb is definitely worth it. It is unbelievably beautiful. As you can guess, Positano is the most expensive place on the coast. Cafe and restaurant prices are on average twice as high as in Maiori and Minori and almost three times higher than in Salerno. Of course, the general rule applies here as well: the farther you move away from the sea and the higher you go into the mountains, the lower the prices get. For example, we paid about 50 euros for lunch, which is very cheap by Positano standards. After that, as planned, we returned to Amalfi by boat. I also want to praise the local boat company. Whenever we took a boat, it always arrived exactly on time. I cannot say the same for local buses, but I have zero complaints about them either. It is actually surprising how such huge buses manage to fit and pass along such a winding and challenging road. And this affects the travel time. By bus, getting to Amalfi takes about an hour, while by boat it is only 20 minutes.

Amalfi’s main street is a bit narrow. During the day, Amalfi is not very different from Positano in terms of atmosphere. There are so many tourists. This is not the most pleasant impression, so we turned into the small streets and learned an amusing local feature. Because of the steep rocky terrain and the heat, locals have gotten used to building small tunnels and passages between houses and inside the rocks. And we also went through one of these tunnels. Right next to me, about 20 meters away, was the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. So this is the very center of the city. You can literally pass from one town to another under the rock. And you shorten the route significantly. Otherwise, you would have had to walk about 600 meters along the coast, right by the sea. And yes Atrani is very close to here.

Atrani is a tiny village. The view from the shore or from the boat is its main attraction. The rest is perhaps a decent place for swimming and a few viewpoints for taking nice photos.

It was a wonderful, challenging and very intense three days. And I should say that my concerns about the heat and the number of tourists in summer were not really confirmed. Yes, of course, the best time to come here is September or October. In spring you can come without swimming, but also without the need to hide from the sun and constantly look for shade, because in July it is very hot. Standing under the sun at 35 degrees is not easy. But on the other hand, it is so beautiful and also so suitable for swimming. Yes, you feel overwhelmed by the heat, but at any moment, basically in every bay, you can jump into this turquoise water and at least for those minutes when you are in the water, everything feels fine. By the way I understood the locals. Why they do not swim much and why they usually spend their time in the water. Because it is so hot here that the weather only allows you to stay in the water, nothing else.

Of course, Amalfi is very often compared with Cinque Terre and the Ligurian coast. I cannot avoid this comparison either. And honestly, for me, Liguria is still number one in Italy. In terms of beauty, especially architecture, it is incomparable. There, the old buildings are colorful and beautiful. Here, there is only nature. Yes, the nature is magnificent, maybe even more impressive, but the beauty created by people is not as strong here. So the choice is yours and the ideal option is of course to visit both. And my final conclusion is this: do not be afraid to come here in summer. If you are in Rome in August or July, coming to Amalfi is a really good idea. See you on the next trip.