Overview:
– Branch out from Positano
– Tips for cheap activities and food
– Public transport
– The best times to book
Have you been enticed by all the amazing videos and photos of the Amalfi coast on your feed recently? Me too! But…this part of southern Italy is notoriously expensive and I mainly think of it as for honeymooners looking to splash out! However, all hope is not lost. Last year I made it my mission to visit my dream destination on a student’s budget – and I made it happen whilst having the best time!
Here are all the best tips and tricks I used……
- Don’t stay in Positano!
I know that Positano and Amalfi are the most famous destinations in the Amalfi Coast, but you can stay in an equally beautiful town/village for a fraction of the price. To be honest, even the towns right next to these can still be pricy, but we stayed in ‘Vietri Sul Mare’, which is the last town on the Amalfi coast – it was absolutely amazing and definitely contends with with the bigger names. To stretch your budget even further, you could also stay in Salerno, which is a main town of the region. Although not officially on the Amalfi coast, Salerno is just next-door and has lots of great budget friendly options. From there, you can easily get a ferry to any town along the Amalfi coast any day of the week.
Alternatively, you can also opt to stay in Sorrento which is the ‘other side’ of the Amalfi coast to Salerno. Again, its just outside of the Amalfi coast itself but is a great option from which you can easily access everywhere you want to explore.
2. Use Public Transport
You don’t need to hire a private driver or even hire a car, the bus along the Amalfi coast is efficient, cheap and goes into most of the small villages and towns (if you’re looking to stay somewhere quieter but concerned about getting around). The system can be slightly difficult to navigate because you need to buy a ticket at the small shops before getting on rather than from the driver when boarding, but if you simply google “(your desired destination) bus timetable” then you will find it. Both buses and ferries stop operating at around 9/10pm so arrange your day trips around this, make sure that you don’t get stuck 10 miles away and have to fork out for a pricey taxi!
The main bus company is called ‘Sita Bus’ , schedules change according to the seasons but usually run very regularly.
3. Make the most of the free/cheap activities.
The Amalfi Coast has some fantastic activities, including cooking classes, wine trips and boat tours, and whilst these are incredible experiences, if we filled every day with these activities, we would probably run out of money quite quickly (they have quite a substantial premium in comparison to other European cities).
There are some fantastic cheap/free options to entertain yourself throughout your trip that are equally as fulfilling. Remember that what took you to this beautiful place was likely its stunning scenery and its amazing history – these are completely free to indulge in, anything else is just an extra.
Here are some of the best attractions to visit for free/very cheap on the Amalfi coast:
– Explore the gardens of ‘Villa Rufolo’. – known as ‘Garden of the Soul’, this attraction is located in Ravello, tickets are priced at €8.
– Visit the church in Positano. The church is open daily and admission is completely free, take a look when window-shopping in this town during a day trip.
– Stroll through lemon groves. You can see these between the towns of Minori and Maiori and many restaurants will have their own mini groves on site.
– See the old paper mills in Amalfi. – You can combine this with a hiking trail through the ‘Valley of the Mills’.
– Go cliff jumping!
– Browse the ceramics in Vietri Sul Mare. This is what the town is famous for, you cannot visit without noticing the long strip of stores filled with ceramics of every shape and size – if you have room in your luggage, take a small one home with you!
– Fiordo di Furore- a hidden beach (go here or any other public beach with a picnic!)
– Hike the path of gods. The full trail is about 6km and will take roughly 3.5 hours – perhaps embark on this journey on a day with slightly cooler weather!
– Visit Amalfi cathedral. Access is free during religious services or just €3 any other time of day.
4. Get self-catered accommodation!
If you stay in a hotel then you have little option other than to eat out every night. We rented a ‘tiny house’ on airbnb for about £120 per night in the small village of Raito next to Vietri Sul Mare. The village had a small shop which sells cigarettes, ice cream etc, a butchers, fruit and veg shop etc, pharmacy and cafes. Our favourite thing to do was to buy food locally and cook it ourselves! We had an outdoor BBQ and made the most of sitting outdoors and watching the sun set over the coast. For breakfast we got fruit and drinks, and had things olives, cheese and bread for lunch. The food from these shops was incredibly affordable and very fresh – they don’t tend to open late so make sure you’re back in time to pick something up for breakfast/dinner that night.
However, one of Italy’s biggest appeals is their incredible food. So, for those times when you do want to eat out (and you should!), then I can highly recommend ‘Bruschetteria Albori’ is a hidden gem that only locals visit. It’s located in what is deemed one of Italy’s most beautiful villages ‘Albori’- the village of quiet meditation. It has a massive range of amazing sandwiches and other casual dishes on the menu, you can sit in or takeaway. This is the biggest personal recommendation I could ever make!!
Also Visit:
– ‘Lo Smeraldino’ in Amalfi, amazing pizza to takeaway for approximately €10 each
– ‘Babel Wine Bar Deli’ in Ravello. You don’t need to book ahead here, grab some authentic and affordable Italian food.
5. Book far in advance!
The Amalfi coast is increasingly one of the most popular tourist areas in Europe – the best deals will be snapped up months and months in advance so make sure you don’t miss out! I would recommend looking at least 6 months before you intend to visit, this really isn’t one of those places that you can snag last minute deals in my experience.
Another note: Highly consider staying in the off-season. The weather in June and September is often equally as fantastic (if anything more bearable than the humidity of July and august), but has significantly less tourists and you will find flights/hotels/activities are often so much cheaper.