Heading to the Sorrento Peninsula and Amalfi coast in winter? It can be a wonderful time of year to come… but if you’re planning to visit Sorrento and Amalfi Coast there are some things you have to keep in mind!
When is the off season in Sorrento and the Amalfi coast? From the end of October to April (excluding Easter).
What to expect in the off season? When most people think of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast, it’s summer scenes that come to mind: sipping drinks next to the hotel pool, taking boat rides along the coast, and sunbathing on the beach. And for those activities, winter isn’t such a great time to come.
But there are a couple of caveats about summer in Sorrento and the Amalfi coast.
First, be aware that, misconceptions to the contrary, beaches aren’t really the area’s major asset: the coastline tends to be rocky and sheer, so town beaches are relatively small and, in summer, packed. Sunbathing aside, high season in Sorrento and on the Amalfi coast comes with huge crowds and high prices. Yes, you can get away from the crowds by going beyond the “big three” of Sorrento, Amalfi Town, and Positano… but if you take the buses along the coast, for example, prepare to squeeze (and sweat).
During winter? You don’t have to deal with any of that. Not to mention that weather, while too chilly for sunbathing, might be balmier than you’d expect: average temperatures for Sorrento in December, January and February, for example, range from a low of about 40°F/5c to a high of 55°F/12c (which sounds pretty nice to us!). Yes, there’s more rain than usual—November is the rainiest month of the year—but there are still plenty of crisp, sunny days, too.
The weather might not always be perfect in the winter… but the coastline is still beautiful!
Some inconveniences aside, the Amalfi coast can make a great destination in the winter, especially when the weather is sunny, and if you’re not determined to lie on a beach or a boat.
If you come to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast in the low season: please have a list of sights you’d like to see, or day trips you’d like to go on, in case the weather is particularly chilly or rainy, like the museums of Salerno or Naples (very close to Sorrento) and know that, no matter what, you’re experiencing the Sorrento peninsula and Amalfi coast in a way that almost nobody else gets to.
by Sorrento lingue,Italian language & Culture courses
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