Brian_in_Charlotte

Thinking about a Amalfi Coast trip in early March next year. Anyone been that time of year? We usually like travelling off or shoulder season (less crowds) but don't want to find everything closed and ferries not running. Is this an OK time to go? Thanks in advance.

nytraveler

I don;t know when Easter is next year - before Esater it will be fairly empty and quite a few placesmay be closed. Ferries will be on a reduced schedule - and there is more liklihood of bad weather - and ferry cancellation. And it is definitely not swiming weather.

We have done both late May and June and loved those - not too crowded - but warm enough to do whatever you want (but some people still complained the water was too cold - I guess it depends on if you're used to the North Atlantic or Florida.)

LoveItaly

Hi Brian, I personally would not bother to visit Amalfi in early March unless I had family or close friends there I wanted to see.

The weather in Italy (and all of Europe evidently) has been very unpredictable these last years so who knows, but this last winter the north of Italy got a lot less snow and rain and the south of Italy got real cold weather with a lots of snow.

So who knows about next March, but I would chose other areas to visit in Italy at that time of the year.

Best wishes to you, whatever you decide.

bobthenavigator

I did late March there in 2000 and that was a bit iffy. I would think twice about early March.

donco

We were in Sicily, Sorrento and Rome in March. Temps in 60s and very pleasant except for one day when cold front came through and it felt like the 30s! We ate outside in Amalfi and it was fine. Took ferry to Capri with no problems. Lots of stuff open. We have made five 2-week visits to other areas in Italy-above, one day on a Florence trip, and one day in Venice were only cold days. Unless you are a big swimmer/sun bather, I'd say go for it. Fewer crowds and natives less frazzled.

Dayle

Hi Brian,

I visited the Amalfi Coast for the first time in mid-March. We had 2 nights (out of 3) of torrential rain and lightening. The days were partly cloudy, but just warm enough to be pleasant. It was a great time to visit Pompeii, uncrowded, green and not too hot. However, nothing was running to Capri due to rough seas. We stayed in Praiano and were the ONLY visitors in town. It was very quiet and most restaurants were closed.

Hope this gives you some ideas!

Buon viaggio!

cobbie

I spent a week in Sorrento in mid-Feb. 1999. I'm from N. California & the weather was like here - cool/cloudy/windy. It was great that there we no crowds - except it was "Winter Break" time & there were a lot of teachers from the NE that we ran into. Took the ferry to Capri with no problem. However we agreed it would be better in a month or two when the flowers were blooming & more outdoor cafes open.

If you go plan on rain & wear layers.

bellastar

I think you would do well to find out exactly when Easter (March/April) comes next year and go to the Amalfi Coast for Holy week.

The processions taking place all around Sorrento are an amazing and unforgettable experience. I have have done this twice, also taking ferries back and forth to Naples, Procida and Ischia without problems, and I found most days were sunny.

KayF

We had 6 nights in Sorrento in early March a few years ago. The weather was mild to cool with one day of a little rain. A couple of days we wore t-shirts, other days we piled on polar fleece and scarf. It was quite cold at night. It seemed to us that everything was open (shops, restaurants etc), the ferries to Capri were all busy, as were trains and buses.
It would no doubt be more pleasant to have warm weather but we would go again at that time of year.
Kay

Holly_uncasdewar

Easter is April 16, 2006.

Elizabeth_S

Brian in Charlotte - aka - Brian in Atlanta?

We visited the Amalfi Coast late Feb/early March a few years ago - the weather ranged from slush (one night!) to 65F. While alot was closed we never found it a barrier - lots of great restaurants to choose from and ferries to Capri were plentiful.

We also like traveling off season and were very happy with the timing of our trip to Amalfi.

Hope this helps.

Brian_in_Charlotte

Wow, thanks for all the thoughtful replies. We're playing the frequent flyer game and all that's available now is early or mid March. We did Provence/SML/Cinque Terre in early March a few years ago and loved it - great weather - no crowds - but perhaps we got really lucky with the weather.

We'll see what we can do to maybe push it into April or May. Thanks.

MichaelinA2

Visited Sorrento-Paestum-Pompeii-Naples-Amalfi, the week after Easter, in late March of 05. I understand that it can be quite rainy, but as luck would have it, our weather was perfect. The orchards and wild flowers were at their peak. We had no problems.

mari5

It's usually a trade-off between great weather and/or many less tourists!
We spent 2 weeks in Sorrento in EARLY March a couple of years ago. Took all the side/day trips possible and the weather was very good...Well, it was rainy and cold a couple of days, but VERY pleasant and cool and sunny most days. I think it is the perfect time to travel....a lot less people out and about, but everything is open. As another person put it...IF you value the sun and beach, then it would be too cold...otherwise Amalfi Coast is wonderful in early March. Ferries to and from Capri (from Sorrento) were all running fine. Yes the frequent flyer game is fun...and the times usually work out fine if one prefers lot less tourists. I like to leave the summer and holiday times to the people who can ONLY go then.

JJ5

I also was there in March, mid-March, and it was rainy three out of 9 days and the weather was very light jacket weather. It was always at least 30 to 40 degrees warmer than my home, Chicago, so it felt warm to me.

It was WONDERFUL because it was so uncrowded and everything was running. I had two days in Pompeii in light drizzle that are some of the best in my travel memories. I had a guide and three others and we had Pompeii almost to ourselves and became involved in a project that was on-going.

It was not Holy Week, but we did see a Saint's Day festivities.