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.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 35 min from Salerno
- Population
- 4,729
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.
- J13°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S27°
- O22°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 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.
Bari (BRI) is about 3 h 36 min away.
By car from the center of Salerno 35 min, Naples 1 h 3 min or Rome 3 h 23 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.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Amalfi fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer six questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
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).
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
- Population 4,729, down 10.1% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Gragnano, 7 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Full fibre reaches 30% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Naples airport, 1 h 9 min drive, the closest of the 15 airports we time
- Regional capital Napoli, 1 h 3 min drive
Could you live here?
Amalfi is at the end of the road.
- A village of 4,729. 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.
- Cava de' Tirreni, a city of 50,539, is 34 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.
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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.
- Which of the airports we measure is closest to Amalfi?
- Of the 15 airports we time the drive to, the closest 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?
- 4,729 at the 2023 count.
- 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, Cava de' Tirreni, is 34 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Gragnano, 7 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 30% of homes.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 6 m
- Population: 4,729
- 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.
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 ranked lists
Lists Amalfi appears in
- The best hidden towns worth staying overnight in CampaniaCampaniaworth staying overnighthidden8 towns · smallest 664 residents
- The best small towns inside a nature park in the province of SalernoSalerno provinceinside a parksmall10 towns · smallest 664 residents
- The best towns known for what they grow within 45 minutes of SalernoNear Salernowithin 45 minproduce zone10 towns · smallest 688 residents · closest 16 min away
- The best towns with a World Heritage site within 45 minutes of SalernoNear Salernowithin 45 minWorld Heritage10 towns · smallest 688 residents · closest 24 min away
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