Italy · When to go
The best time to visit Amalfi Coast towns, month by month
Lemon blossom in May, Wagner at Ravello in July, a 26°C sea in August and shuttered hotels by November: on this coast, the calendar decides almost everything.
Photo: Unsplash
The short answer
When to go, in one paragraph
The best time to visit Amalfi Coast towns is May, June or September, when days run from about 20 to 24°C, the sea is warm enough to swim and every hotel, ferry and beach club is open. July and August are hotter, around 27°C, with the biggest crowds and highest prices. From November to March many hotels, restaurants and ferries close, so winter suits a quiet stay in Sorrento rather than a Positano escape.
- For swimming and long lunchesJune and SepA sea of 23 to 25°C, every terrace open, and fewer people than high summer.
- For walkingApr to MayCool enough for the Path of the Gods, with the citrus groves in blossom.
- For musicJul to early SepThe Ravello Festival fills the belvedere at Villa Rufolo with concerts.
Checked on 16 October 2026 against Audley Travel: Best time to visit the Amalfi Coast, Positano.com: Weather in Positano, rain, temperatures and sea forecast and Positano.com: Ferry schedule.
Pick your month
Turn the year
- October
- Warm days around 19°C and a sea near 22°C, but rain increases. Ferries run to the end of the month, then many hotels close for winter.
- What's on
- Hiking weather returns; last ferry sailings
- Prices
- Shoulder, good value
Shoulder seasonHigh summerWinter
the Amalfi Coast month by month
- JanuaryWinter · Low, with limited choiceCool, wet and quiet, with highs near 10°C. Many hotels and restaurants are shut and the coastal ferries do not run, so base yourself in Sorrento or Naples. Empty lanes; SITA buses still run along the coast.
- FebruaryWinter · Low, with limited choiceStill closed season. Days around 10°C and frequent rain, but clear spells show off the cliffs with no traffic on the coast road at all. Quiet walks; Naples for museums and pizza.
- MarchWinter · Low, rising over EasterHotels begin to reopen ahead of Easter and highs reach about 12°C. The sea is still near 14°C, so this is a walking month, not a swimming one. Hotels reopening; Easter week can fall late in the month.
- AprilShoulder season · Shoulder, busy over EasterThe season begins. Ferries return at the start of the month, highs reach about 16°C and the hillsides are green. A strong month for the Path of the Gods. Ferries restart; citrus blossom; Easter week.
- MayShoulder season · Shoulder, book well ahead for late MayOne of the best months of the year. Days around 20°C, a sea of about 19°C and lemon groves in flower, with far fewer visitors than summer. Citrus blossom; hiking weather; first swims.
- JuneShoulder season · High, book months aheadSummer arrives without the August crush. Highs near 24°C, the sea reaches about 23°C and long evenings make the terraces in Positano and Ravello their best. Beach clubs open; boat days to Capri.
- JulyHigh summer · Peak, book many months aheadHot, around 27°C, with a sea of about 26°C and very little rain. Expect full beaches, heavy traffic on the coast road and the Ravello Festival from 4 July. Ravello Festival opens 4 July 2026.
- AugustHigh summer · Peak, the most expensive monthThe busiest, hottest month. Italians are on holiday, yachts anchor off Positano and prices peak. Walking is only sensible at first light. Ravello's dawn concert, 11 August 2026.
- SeptemberShoulder season · High, easing late in the monthArguably the finest month. Highs ease to about 24°C, the sea is still 25°C and crowds thin noticeably after the first week or two. Ravello Festival closes 5 September 2026.
- OctoberShoulder season · Shoulder, good valueWarm days around 19°C and a sea near 22°C, but rain increases. Ferries run to the end of the month, then many hotels close for winter. Hiking weather returns; last ferry sailings.
- NovemberWinter · Low, but most hotels shutThe wettest month and the start of closed season. In 2026 Naples airport is also shut for the whole month, so this is a year to skip it. Naples airport closed 1 to 30 November 2026.
- DecemberWinter · Low, with limited choiceCool and damp, with highs near 11°C. The towns are quiet over Christmas and a handful of hotels open, while Sorrento and Naples keep more choice. Christmas in Sorrento and Naples.
April to May · The lemon terraces
When the groves flower
Spring is the coast at its most generous and least crowded. The citrus trees blossom in April and May, the terraces above Amalfi and Minori are green after winter rain, and days climb from about 16°C to 20°C. Ferries return in early April, so Positano, Amalfi and Capri are linked by sea again. The water is cool, around 16 to 19°C, which makes this a season for walking, long lunches and swimming only if you are hardy. Easter is the exception: Italian families arrive in numbers and hotels fill fast.
In 2026 the coast road ran alternate number plate restrictions over Easter week and from 24 April to 2 May, 10am to 6pm. Guests with a hotel booking are exempt.
July to September · Ravello
Music above the clouds
Ravello sits high above the sea, and in summer it becomes the coast's concert hall. The 2026 Ravello Festival, its 74th edition, runs from 4 July to 5 September, with around 22 concerts on the belvedere of Villa Rufolo and elsewhere in town. Symphonic, opera, baroque and jazz all feature. The best known date is the dawn concert, the Concerto all'alba, on 11 August, when the music starts before sunrise over the Gulf of Salerno. Outside festival season, the Ravello Concert Society runs concerts from April to October.
Dates can change, so confirm the programme with the Fondazione Ravello before booking, and reserve a room in Ravello itself if you want to walk home after a late concert.
July and August · Atrani and Positano
High summer, honestly
July and August deliver exactly what the postcards promise: highs around 27°C, almost no rain and a sea of about 26°C. They also bring the crowds. The small towns fill, the beaches are packed with rows of umbrellas, yachts anchor off Positano and prices reach their peak. The single coast road, the SS163, is at its busiest, and the SITA buses fill quickly. If summer is your only window, base yourself somewhere with its own pool or sea platform, and move by boat rather than by road.
Book a hotel with private sea access or a beach club arrangement for July and August. Public beaches in Positano and Atrani are often full by mid morning.
September to October · The high paths
Walking the Path of the Gods
The Sentiero degli Dei runs about 7km from Bomerano, in Agerola, to Nocelle above Positano, at around 630m above the sea. Most people take three to five hours, and walking in that direction is mostly downhill. From Nocelle you can take a bus or carry on down roughly 1,700 stone steps into Positano. In high summer the trail can be unbearably hot, so the best months are March to early June and September to October, when the air is clear and the sea below is still warm enough for a swim afterwards.
Start early, carry plenty of water and wear proper shoes. Reach Bomerano by bus from Amalfi, and save your legs by taking the bus down from Nocelle.
November to March · Amalfi
The closed season
Winter on the coast is cool, wet and very quiet. Highs sit between about 10 and 15°C, November is the wettest month with around 119mm of rain, and many shops, restaurants and hotels close. The coastal ferries stop, and the last Positano to Capri sailings of 2026 run on 3 and 4 November. SITA buses keep running, though heavy rain can close the road. There is a beauty to the empty lanes, but for comfort and choice, stay in Sorrento or Naples and visit the coast for the day.
Naples airport is closed to all flights from 1 to 30 November 2026 for runway works. Check which airport your flight uses before booking a transfer.
- 2h 55m
- London Heathrow to Naples, non-stop
- 26°C
- Sea temperature off Positano in July and August
- 7km
- The Path of the Gods, Bomerano to Nocelle
- 1,700
- Stone steps from Nocelle down into Positano
Planning the trip
Where to stay, how long, and how to get there
The coast is close: under three hours from London to Naples, then a transfer by road, or by boat in season. Most travellers split a week between a base on the water and a base above it. Choose your month first, because from November to March the hotel choice shrinks and the ferries, the easiest way between towns, stop running.
- Long weekendPositano and the waterThree nights in Positano, with a boat day along the coast and a dinner in Amalfi by ferry. Best from May to June or in September. Book a hotel with a sea-view terrace, which is the whole point, and keep one evening free for sunset drinks.
- One weekSea below, Ravello aboveFour nights in Positano or Praiano, then three in Ravello. Walk the Path of the Gods in between, and time Ravello for a festival concert from July to early September. In spring, swap the concerts for the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone.
- Ten daysCoast, Capri and NaplesStart with two nights in Naples, move to the coast for a week, and finish with two nights on Capri. Ferries link it all from April to October. June and September give warm seas without the August crowds and prices.
- WinterSorrento as a baseFrom November to March, stay in Sorrento, where more hotels stay open, and take the SITA bus along the coast on dry days. Expect cool weather and closed shutters. In November 2026, Naples airport is closed, so route through Rome or Salerno.
Getting there
British Airways flies non-stop from Heathrow to Naples in about 2 hours 55 minutes, and other airlines fly from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton in about 2 hours 35 minutes to 3 hours. In summer, BA and easyJet also fly from Gatwick to Salerno Costa d'Amalfi airport, about 30 to 40 minutes by car from the coast.
Getting around
From April to October, ferries are the easiest way between towns: Positano to Amalfi takes about 20 minutes and Positano to Capri 40 to 50. The SITA bus runs all year. If you drive, check the alternate number plate dates on the SS163, and expect slow traffic and costly parking in summer.
Booking
Positano and Ravello have a small number of top hotels, and they fill first for June and September as well as high summer. Book months ahead for any stay between June and September. Shoulder months bring better value, and in winter many of the best hotels simply close until Easter.
Questions people ask
The best time to visit Amalfi Coast towns, answered
What is the best time to visit Amalfi Coast towns for swimming?
June and September are the sweet spots. The sea off Positano is about 23°C in June and 25°C in September, and 26°C in July and August, while the beaches are less crowded either side of high summer. Swimming is possible from May to October, but May water, about 19°C, will feel cool to most people.
Is the Amalfi Coast closed in winter?
Not closed, but much of it pauses. From November to March many hotels, restaurants and shops shut, and the coastal ferries stop running. The SITA bus still connects Sorrento with Positano and Amalfi. Sorrento and Naples keep more options open, so they make better winter bases.
When do the Amalfi Coast ferries run?
The ferry season runs from early April to the end of October. In 2026 the last Positano to Capri sailings run on 3 and 4 November. In winter there is no coastal ferry between Sorrento and the Amalfi towns, and no Positano to Capri route, though some Naples and Sorrento routes continue.
When is the Ravello Festival in 2026?
The 74th Ravello Festival runs from 4 July to 5 September 2026, with around 22 concerts, many on the belvedere of Villa Rufolo. The traditional dawn concert is on 11 August. Dates can change, so check the Fondazione Ravello programme before you travel and book rooms early.
When is the best month to walk the Path of the Gods?
Go from March to early June, or in September and October. The trail is about 7km and takes three to five hours, and in July and August it can be unbearably hot, with little shade. Start early in any season, and wear proper walking shoes for the rocky sections.
How long is the flight from London to the Amalfi Coast?
Non-stop flights from London to Naples take about 2 hours 35 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the airport. Then transfer by road, or by ferry in season, to Positano or Amalfi. In summer you can also fly from Gatwick to Salerno, closer to the coast. Naples airport is closed throughout November 2026.
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