Is Positano Worth It? What’s Special, What Disappoints and How to Make It Work

Positano sits on the Amalfi Coast, and it’s worth the trip if you want a church, a Roman villa and the Path of the Gods walk, and you can afford a stay in an exclusive stretch of coast. It’s a weaker fit for a tight budget, and the town can get very crowded in the summer months.

At a glance

• Verdict: yes for a sightseeing and walking trip, no for a budget trip
• Best time: outside the summer months, when the town is less crowded
• Main drawback: summer crowds and traffic jams at peak periods
• Top things to see: Santa Maria Assunta church, the Roman Villa, the Path of the Gods
• Getting there: ferries and fast hydrofoils from Naples take about 2 hours, May to October
• Cost: the coast from Capri to Salerno is described as exclusive and expensive

What makes Positano worth visiting?

Positano’s own sights sit close together on Piazza Flavio Gioia. The church of Santa Maria Assunta is one of Positano’s most loved symbols. The entrance to the Roman Villa is a few steps away, and the Roman archaeological museum (MAR) is at the same address.

Montepertuso has its own local legend, and the Li Galli archipelago is also counted among Positano’s sites. The Fjord of Furore is 6.7 miles (10.8 km) away, and the Emerald Grotto is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) away.

What disappoints in Positano?

The Amalfi Coast draws millions of tourists a year, especially in summer. In Positano that shows up as a very crowded town in the summer months, and as traffic jams during peak tourist periods. Prices are the other letdown: this stretch of coast is exclusive and, necessarily, expensive.

Summer is the cause of most of it. Beaches follow the same pattern. Marina Grande, next to the town center, gets more visitors. Fornillo is farther from the center and usually has fewer tourists, and the area around Torre Trasita has no roads or crowds of tourists nearby.

Who is Positano best for?

Positano suits people who want sights and walks close at hand and who have a real lodging budget.

• Walkers and sightseers: yes · the Path of the Gods, Nocelle and the church and villa are all sites of Positano
• Beach-goers who dislike crowds: yes, with a plan · Fornillo is usually quieter than Marina Grande
• Budget travelers: no · the area is described as exclusive and expensive
• Anyone who hates traffic and queues: only outside summer · jams form at peak periods

When should you visit Positano to enjoy it?

Go outside the summer months. The town is described as very crowded in summer, and traffic jams form at peak tourist periods, so a quieter season fixes both problems. Ferries and hydrofoils run from May to October, so those months still work for a boat arrival.

In summer, Fornillo has fewer tourists than Marina Grande, and Torre Trasita has no roads or crowds nearby. Arriving by ferry or hydrofoil also skips the road jams.

Is one day in Positano enough?

One day covers the center. From Via Pasitea, it’s a 985 foot (300 meter) walk to Piazza Flavio Gioia, where the church, the villa and the museum sit side by side. Two to three days add the walks and villages around town.

• One day: Santa Maria Assunta, the Roman Villa and the MAR museum on Piazza Flavio Gioia, then a beach · for a first visit or a stop on a coast trip
• Two to three days: the Path of the Gods, Nocelle, Montepertuso and its legend, and the Li Galli archipelago · for walkers and anyone who wants to skip the day-trip rush

Getting there is easy to plan. Hydrofoils run daily from Naples and Sorrento, and the Naples ferries leave from the Beverello pier, about 1.2 miles (2 km) from the central station. From Salerno, ferries leave from near Piazza della Concordia and from Molo Manfredi. By car from Salerno on the SS 163, it’s about an hour without tolls. By bus, SITA runs the Amalfi-Positano line.