tominrm

Hi, I was in Rome in late March a few years ago, and it was very warm. I am thinking about going to Amalfi Coast in the same time frame, but weather seems to be too cold (low 60s?) for travel. I thought I would take advantage of low fare in March, but I would not want to do that if the weather is too cold to enjoy my trip. I want go sooner rather than later before the fare goes up in June.
1. When would be a good time to go?
2. The cities I would like to visit include Sorento, Positano, and Capri. Is two weeks too long?

Thank you for your suggestion in advance.

ekscrunchy

Easter is April 8; I would go anytime after that. But not sure why 60s is too cold for travel, although it is too cold to sit on the beach, for me.

With two weeks you could expand the area to include Naples, Ischia, Salerno, and even beyond You could get up into the hills and see some of the places that most tourists do not visit. Perhaps range down to the Cilento area.

If I had two weeks in the off-season I would rent a car since the buses are very crowded and the ferries have limited service.

qwovadis

Was there last April was nice cool not cold.

Positano Best Western Paistea

hoteldelfino.com overlooking Capri

Majestic Palace for Pompeii visit.

Train from Napleswas cheap 4 euros

eurocheapo.com/naples

We had a great time hope you do too...

zeppole

It really depends on how you want to enjoy the coast.

Some people are relieved to go at a time when the tourist crowds are small, there are not traffic jams on the coast drive, and a good percentage of the souvenir shops are shuttered. The cooler weather is more comfortable for many people when it comes to stair-climbing and hiking.

Others feel it is real loss to go when it is too cool to enjoy sitting outside in the evening, and there is a high chance that fog or rain will diminish the views and turn the brilliant Amalfi colors shades of grey. Swimming is really not possible before late April. Ceramics and fashion shopping is a prime draw on the Amalfi and some tourists want everything open.

I agree with ekscrunchy that for two weeks in March, renting a car would give you a lot of flexibility to deal with weather contingencies. Another way to hedge your bets is to plan to spend a good chunk of your time based in Sorrento, where you have easy access by train to Naples, Pompei and Ischia for overcast or rainy days, and only head to the solely scenic destinations on brilliantly sunny days (Capri, Positano, Amalfi).

But you might find that the cost of renting a car eats up the savings you have gotten in air fare. And finally, there are no "savings" in taking a vacation at a time when you can't enjoy doing what you like to do because the weather isn't cooperating. If you want to swim and sit in a lounge chair with a cocktail, before mid-April is too early. If you really can't stand the hot sun beating down on you and crowds of foreign tourists, don't go any later than early May.

As for how much time to spend, it is really a hard question. There is an incredible wealth of historic sights in the region that includes Pompei, Salerno and Naples, and more to ferret out on the islands. If you are going mainly for scenery and relaxation, two weeks is great for people to unwind in an apartment and enjoy reading, sketching, cooking, hiking, and taking in the local curiosities. For other people, history tours would be boring and the resort feel of the towns, focused on shopping and tourism, would be fun to glimpse but that's about it, and in about 5 days they'd be ready to move on.

nytraveler

Have been to the Amalfi Coast in mid to late May and by then the hotels have opened their pool and you can swin in the sea if you like (although the beaches are mostly verypoor quality). If you are sightseeing earlier is fine. If you want to swim and beach wait until mid May.

TDudette

Hubs and I usually traveled for 2 weeks with March 17 (our anniversary) in the mix. We based in Sorrento on one trip and had both very warm (80s), very blustery (50s) days and the 60s. No water in the hotel pool and no one on the beaches we saw. Dress in layers for that time of the year. BTW, Sorrento stay was after almost a week in Sicily so we didn't stay there for 2 weeks.

Please do a search on Sorrento and see others' trips reports for time spent there.

caroline_edinburgh

zeppole sums it up very well by saying it depends what you want out of your holiday. On one of our holidays in Campania we spent the 2nd week of June having what was meant to be a lazy beach week, but the weather wasn't very good. I would not go for that sort of holiday again before the middle of June after which it has always been nice IME.

tominrm

Thank you all for your good suggestions. I want to go to Amalfi Coast for sightseeing, not swimming, but being near the water, I was wondering if 60s is too cold. Maybe I should plan my trip to late March or early April as planned for low-season rates. So many places to visit and not enough money, I have to stretch my financial resources by travelling off-season.

TDudette

It's not too cold if you wish to spend the day in Pompeii but could be chilly for taking boat to Capri. Again, lots of layers should help. And, ps, I believe the boats have sheltered areas-the one we took from Sorrento to Capri even had tables and benches.

Dayle

tom,

My first tirp to Italy included 4 days on the Amalfi Coast in late March. I liked it! Uncrowded buses, quiet towns (yes, many shuttered shops), enough restaurants open, uncrowded and not too hot for Pompeii. On that trip I did not try to visit Capri. We did have two nights of torrential rain and thunderstorms, but the days were pleasant temps and mostly sunny.

Third trip included Amalfi Coast and Capri in mid-Sept. Hot, humid, SITA buses were an ungodly nightmare, Pompeii much warmer but still OK for me.

A_Brit_In_Ischia

We've lived in the area for eight years now, and have seen pretty much all that Spring can offer!

As you'll note from these - mostly taken on Ischia, across the water from Capri and Sorrento - it's generally a very pleasant time of year....

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/springisch

Rain's perhaps going to be more of an issue than the cold, with Naples having a March average of some 8 wet days - but April 13...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/137093820

Have a look through these two, from their respective Tourist Boards, and you'll find some indoor places for such times!

http://www.inaples.it/public/quinapoli/quinapoli.pdf

http://www.costiera.it/images/pdf/Tr...rectory_En.pdf

That said, snow will still be falling on highest of the inland mountains and, whilst not keeping a record, I've photos of some from early April (in both years, oddly enough, on the 7th) and a fair few taken in Marches. The up side of such days is that they're usually bright and clear, but any winds from the wrong direction can be pretty chilly... so bring gloves and a warm scarf!

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/120621025

You should certainly be able to get out and around without any difficulties - and, as an added bonus most places, and the public transport, should be reasonably quiet until the Easter holidays begin. For example, aside from two school groups that both came and went fairly quickly, we had this wonderful site all to ourselves....

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/capua_vet

And even though prices go up and places get busier, if you're able to include Easter, there are some remarkable religious events - particularly on Good Friday. Sorrento and Amalfi have ones that are well-known, and several times we've gone over to Procida, our neighbouring island, to attend theirs:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/procida1

Last April's edition of Ischia's visitor magazine will tell you more about that than I can....

http://www.ischianews.com/images/pho...aprile_low.pdf

Peter

Sealover24

Hi, surfing on the net I've found this Amalfi Coast travel guide that explanis a lot about weather, touristic periods, events,the most important places and the most important things you should know when you go to the Amalfi Coast.

http://amalfi-coast-accommodation.co...lish-guide.pdf

I've been to the Amalfi Coast in late March till the beginning of April and the weather was very fine.
The temperatures go from 64s to 68s, and the weather I found there was always sunny. Maybe these are not suitable temperatures to go to sea and have a bath, but I think they are lovely to have a walk, visit and admire all the beautiful views and places that the Amalfi Coast offer.

I think the best solution for your trip could be a 10 day trip. Two weeks are too long to visit the places you mentioned. My advice is to stay in Sorrento or Positano, because you can easly reach Capri by the ferry boat called "Metrò del Mare". Visit the website I posted to see the timetables.

http://www.metrodelmare.net/

I wish I gave you useful tips ! Have a nice trip !

caroline_edinburgh

Sealover, re "Two weeks are too long to visit the places you mentioned" - that's a matter of opinion. Personally I'd just stick to Positano (or preferably Amalfi) and Capri, skipping Sorrento which I don't like, and could quite happily spend 2 weeks just in those 2 places.

mamcalice

You will get so many different opinions. Here's another: Sorrento is a good base for seeing the places you have mentioned. In my view, two weeks is way too long for a visit to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and Capri unless you are going for rest and relaxation, not sightseeing. We spent one week and were able to see and do about everything we planned. With two weeks, I would consider adding a destination such as Eastern Sicily.

These destinations are best visited in mild weather with a good chance of sun so travel as late as you can to take advantage of lower airfares.

Mimar

From zeppole: " ...for two weeks in March, renting a car would give you a lot of flexibility to deal with weather contingencies. Another way to hedge your bets is to plan to spend a good chunk of your time based in Sorrento, where you have easy access by train to Naples, Pompei and Ischia for overcast or rainy days, and only head to the solely scenic destinations on brilliantly sunny days (Capri, Positano, Amalfi). "

Good points from zeppole, but you could do all this without a car. Take the Sita bus to the Amalfi Coast towns. It wouldn't be crowded in late March.

You could also do a stop in Salerno to see the well-preserved Greek temples and archeological museum at Paestum. In fact you could train directly to Salerno, then work your way back. With several days in Naples and a trip to Mt. Vesuvius you could definitely fill up 2 weeks.

I think 60s weather and fewer tourists make late March a great time to visit this area -- as long as you don't want swimming and beach time.

tominrm

Thank you all who have offered invaluable info, opinions, pics, and brochures. Sifting through all these, I realized that probably going to Amalfi Coast in late April/May time frame would be much better although it may cost more than late March. I want you all to know that all your helps are appreciated.