Campania · Salerno
Amalfi
The first Italian maritime republic and the coast it named, six meters above the sea between cliffs that close around the duomo's steps.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
This one is famous. If you want what it offers with fewer people, see our alternatives to the Amalfi Coast.
Why Amalfi is on our list
It holds UNESCO and Cittaslow.
Subscribe and you get Amalfi's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 35 min from Salerno
- Population
- 4,610
- J13°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S27°
- O22°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Amalfi sits at the mouth of a deep gorge in the Lattari mountains, six meters above the sea, four thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine people on a stretch of coast that carries its name. The town was capital of a duchy trading with Byzantium, North Africa and the Levant before Pisa and Venice eclipsed it, and the Tavola Amalfitana, drawn up here, codified Mediterranean maritime law in the Middle Ages for ships far beyond this shore. The gorge structures the town as much as the sea does: the centro is stacked on the narrow flat ground at the gorge's mouth, the cathedral staircase climbing straight up from the piazza, while the valley behind runs inland and upward, its stream once turning the wheels of the paper mills before the water reaches the harbor below.
Upper gorge and lower marina were parts of one working town, the water dropping from the mills to the boatyards to the sea. The coast was UNESCO-listed in 1997 and the commune is Cittaslow. What made Amalfi a capital was the same terrain that now makes it a resort: a sheltered cut in the mountains with deep water at its foot, close enough to the sea to build ships and drawn up on to the rock to keep the town off the water's threat.
How to get there
From Naples (NAP), about 1 h 9 min by car.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is about 3 h 23 min away.
By car from the center of Salerno 35 min or Naples 1 h 3 min.
Coming by train into Salerno? Amalfi is about 37 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Naples airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea
Romanesque facade at the top of the staircase, with the Chiostro del Paradiso attached to one side, striped stone and interlaced arches around a cloister garden.
Museo della Carta
Paper museum in the Valle dei Mulini, set inside a thirteenth-century working mill where the machinery for hand-forming sheets is still operated.
Arsenale della Repubblica
Twelfth-century stone-vaulted shipyard near the marina, the only surviving naval arsenal of the four Italian maritime republics.
Valle dei Mulini
Gorge above the town with the ruins of medieval paper mills along the Canneto stream, a marked walk to the Riserva Naturale della Valle delle Ferriere.
Marina Grande
Town beach below the centro, the working harbor of the medieval duchy and now the ferry pier for connections to Capri, Positano and Salerno.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
SensiRistorante
Sensi carries one Michelin star, two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
AliciRistorante
One Michelin star for Alici, and two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100).
Il GlicineRistorante
One Michelin star for Il Glicine, and two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100).
9 more places the guides name in Amalfi
La Caravella dal 1959Ristorante
La Caravella dal 1959 carries one Michelin star, plus two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100).
Da GemmaRistorante
Da Gemma has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
Dei CappucciniRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (81/100), at Dei Cappuccini.
Marina GrandeRistorante
Marina Grande carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Pasticceria Pansa AndreaPasticceria
Pasticceria Pansa Andrea has a place on Italy's historic-locali register to its name.
Hotel Santa CaterinaHotel
Hotel Santa Caterina carries two Michelin Keys, a La Liste score of 99, plus a Leading Hotels of the World listing.
Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand HotelHotel
Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel carries a La Liste score of 91, plus a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Borgo SantandreaHotel
Borgo Santandrea holds a La Liste score of 95.
Hotel MiramalfiHotel
Hotel Miramalfi has one Michelin Key to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Signature product
Limone Costa d'Amalfi IGP
The sfusato amalfitano lemon; orchards terraced on the cliffs between Amalfi and Vietri sul Mare.
See the towns we cover in the zone of Limone Costa d'Amalfi IGP.
Living here
Could you live here?
Amalfi is at the end of the road.
- A village of 4,610. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Agerola, is 20 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Salerno, a city of 126,000, is 35 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 4,610, down 10.1% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Salerno, 35 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Gragnano, 8 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €5,600 to €7,900 per m² to buy, €9.70 to €14.30 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 30% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Naples airport (NAP), 1 h 9 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Naples, 1 h 3 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
3% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Ukraine, Romania and Senegal, against 9% across Italy. 24 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany and the United States. There are 300 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 44% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Salerno province ranks 90th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Ravello, 4 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Salerno, 18 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Cava de' Tirreni, 12 km away. The nearest IB school is St. Stephen's School, 225 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is École Francaise de Naples Alexandre-Dumas, 39 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.7% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €15,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Campania spends about €1,800 a month, €650 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €328 a year for water, on the Campania average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 10% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 86% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
MARITIME REPUBLIC
The first of the four Italian maritime republics, capital of a duchy that ran Mediterranean trade routes between 839 and around 1200.
SANT'ANDREA
The cathedral above sixty-two steps holds the apostle Andrew's relics, brought from Constantinople in 1208 after the Fourth Crusade.
AMALFI PAPER
Parchment-grade carta bambagina made in the Valle dei Mulini since the twelfth century, still produced in two working mills today.
Common questions
- What is Amalfi known for?
- Amalfi is the first Italian maritime republic and the coast it named, six meters above the sea between cliffs that close around the duomo's steps.
- Where is Amalfi?
- Amalfi is a comune in the province of Salerno, in Campania, at 6 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Amalfi?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Naples (NAP), about 1 h 9 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Amalfi?
- About 35 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Amalfi?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Amalfi?
- Positano, Capri and Bibbona.
- How many people live in Amalfi?
- 4,610 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Amalfi a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Amalfi is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Agerola, is 20 min away. The nearest city, Salerno, is 35 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Gragnano, 8 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 30% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 6 m
- Population: 4,610
- Surface area: 5.7 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Amalfi appears in
- The best towns worth staying overnight that sit inside a nature park in CampaniaCampaniainside a parkworth staying overnight8 towns · smallest 644 residents
- The 10 best towns inside a nature park that have a serious restaurant in the province of SalernoSalerno provinceinside a parkserious restaurant10 towns · smallest 644 residents
- The best small towns inside a nature park in the province of SalernoSalerno provinceinside a parksmall10 towns · smallest 644 residents
- The best towns known for what they grow within 45 minutes of SalernoNear Salernowithin 45 minproduce zone10 towns · smallest 683 residents · closest 16 min away
- The best towns with a World Heritage site within 45 minutes of SalernoNear Salernowithin 45 minWorld Heritage10 towns · smallest 683 residents · closest 24 min away
Similar
Towns like Amalfi
What all six share with Amalfi: on the Tyrrhenian coast · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · near sea level
The letter
Read a sample letter
Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
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