Sorrento in winter

The Sorrento and Amalfi coasts have incredible experiences to offer in every season, you just have to know what to look for.

Is it worth visiting Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast in the winter?

It can be a wonderful time of year… but if you’re planning on visiting Sorrento, Positano, or one of the other Amalfi Coast gems, there are a few things to keep in mind!

When is the low season on the Coast? Late October through April (excluding Easter and the Christmas holidays).

What to expect in the low season: When most people think of Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast, the summer scenes that immediately come to mind are: sipping drinks by the hotel pool, taking boat tours along the coast, and sunbathing on the beach.

And for those activities, winter is not a good time to come.

But there are two major asterisks to that image of coastal perfection. First, misconceptions, on the contrary, the beaches aren’t actually the area’s main selling point: the coast tends to be rocky and sheer, so the city beaches are relatively small and, in the summer, packed. Second, the Amalfi Coast’s high season comes with big crowds and high prices. Yes, you can get away from the crowds by going beyond the “three centres” of Sorrento, Amalfi and Positano… but if you take the SITA bus along the coast, for example, be prepared to be squeezed (and sweated). In the winter, you don’t have to deal with any of that. Not to mention that the weather, while too cold for sunbathing, is milder than you’d expect: average temperatures for Sorrento and Amalfi in December, January and February, for example, range from a low of around 5° to a high of 20°. Yes, there’s more rain than usual—November is the wettest month of the year—but there are still plenty of cool, sunny days.

That said, not everything about the Amalfi Coast in winter is perfect. Most tourists arrive in late spring, summer, and fall, so some restaurants and hotels will be closed in the off-season.

Likewise, some regular ferry schedules run from Easter weekend through October. And while it’s possible to find a boat running in the winter, inclement weather can cause cancellations. (That said, the SITA bus runs year-round, so you’ll still be able to get off at towns along the coast.)

Inconveniences aside, the Amalfi Coast can be a great winter destination, especially if the weather is sunny and you’re not determined to lie on a beach or a boat.

If you’re coming to the Sorrento Coast in the off-season: pack your layers and, especially in the event of bad weather or canceled ferries, a sense of humor!

By having a list of places you’d like to see, or day trips you’d like to go on, in case the weather is particularly cold or rainy, like the museums in Salerno or Naples, know that no matter what, you’re experiencing the Amalfi Coast in a way that almost no one else can.