How to visit the Amalfi Coast on a budget and love it

Practical, expert tips to help you enjoy the Amalfi Coast on a budget: budget friendly towns, transport options and meal ideas.

The Amalfi Coast is a the top of travel dreams of most first time visitors to Italy.

It is also one of the top destinations for prices.

If you have started looking into accommodation and tour options and found yourself shocked by prices, rest assured: you are not alone!

Without a doubt, the fame of this area and the presence of large numbers of wealthy overseas visitors has meant prices here are at a premium.

However, it is still possible to visit the Amalfi Coast on a budget and not break the bank.

All you need are some tips and a bit of flexibility when it comes to transport options especially. I am happy to say I can help!

I am from Rome and have visited the Amalfi Coast many times, with a budget that is nowhere near the thousands of Euro you can so easily spend here.

All times I had lovely stays and have not felt AT ALL I was missing out on anything.

Today, I share my tips to keep costs down on the Amalfi Coast.

I hope they give you encouragement and ideas on how you can visit this stunning area without breaking the bank.

Safe travels!

Skip boat tours: use ferries instead

One of the best ways to see the Amalfi Coast is from the water.

The high coastline is stunning seen from the sea and private boat companies offer vessels of all types to allow you to see it at best, sometimes making the offer even more enticing with mentions of limoncello and prosecco on board.

Of course, if budget allows, this is a lovely, comfortable way to see the coast, but you can also catch fantastic views from the humble ferry!

Ferries connect the towns of the Amalfi Coast and also some of them with Capri and they are a cost effective, scenic and practical way to see the coast and get stunning photos.

Obviously, the experience is not comparable with that of a luxury private boat tour, especially at the height of summer when crowds are intense, but with prices as low as 10 euro per person, there is really no argument when it comes to budget friendliness.

The photo below is a ferry by travelmar which serve many of the towns and is pretty typical of the type of ferry in this area. Their website for destinations and prices is travelmar.it.

Imagine ho much limoncello you can order in places of your choice with the money you save!

Swap private drivers for public transport

Another huge expense for many people staying on the coast is private car service.

This option is often chosen to get here and then again to take tours but it comes at a high cost as car service in Italy is only for tourists and is therefore priced as a luxury type of service.

Cutting down on that coast is easy if you embrace public transport.

You can reach the coast by train and ferry or train and bus and yes, of course it is not as luxurious as a door to door chauffeur service but it is easy and costs a fraction, easily saving you hundreds of euro.

Using public transport of course means you need to rely on their schedule which is of course subject to changes and unforeseen circumstances such as weather (ferries) and traffic (bus).

This is why I mentioned needing a bit of flexibility in plans if a low budget is at the core of the matter.

Pick a lesser known town

There is no getting away from this: Positano is expensive, sometimes ridiculously so. But you don’t have to stay here to see it!

The coast has many more adorable towns with much more budget friendly options and an immense local feel, all close enough to Positano to still allow a day trip there (you only need few hours there anyway).

Among the many you can choose there are some on the actual Amalfi Coast like Praiano, Furore, Minori, Maiori, Cetara or you can go on the coast near Sorrento which is not Amalfi Coast, strictly speaking, but is similar and just ‘there’ so you can still visit all the towns.

Sorrento has the train and so do smaller towns along its coast so if you pick one with a station, you can get there at low cost and still explore with train, bus and ferry.

Salerno is a bigger center yet an excellent budget friendly alternative to towns on the coast and perfect for a real local experience.

Stay in a rental

Especially if traveling as a group of 3 or more people or visiting the Amalfi Coast with kids, rentals tend to offer much better value for money as hotels tend to have small rooms and quadruple rooms or bigger are hard to come by.

I use booking.com for rentals and occasionally Airbnb.

Need to know: it is paramount that you check transport options before booking a place with a price that seems too good to be true! Always make sure you can easily get into town / have frequent buses or you will have to get taxis all the times and these add up fast!

Don’t stress about the ‘best’ restaurants

I know this can be controversial but seriously: there is so much good food on the coast, you don’t need to pick a top notch famous restaurant for a memorable meal.

I see the same handful of restaurants recommended over and over again, places that book out weeks in advance, have websites in English and are all over social media.

They may be delicious but so are many others with more humble appearance.

Ask your host if they have a favorite or just go with confidence to small places that seem to attract the right clientele: are they the only empty one in the town (bad sign), do they get people?

Do they have local dishes? Do the dishes on the table look fresh, do the customers already there seem to enjoy it?

Don’t discard those with menu in English: sometimes they have just adapted to demand, it is not necessarily a sign of poor quality.

If you want to get reviews, go to TripAdvisor but select well: check reviews by Italians and make sure the person leaving the review has written many, so you know it is a real user.

Order local wine (vino della casa) for a budget friendly wine tasting experience

If you go to restaurants, order local things (find regional foods here) and especially wine.

Most restaurants have vino della casa aka ‘house wine’ often offered in jugs or by the glass.

It costs next to nothing and it is a great way to taste local wines without spending on a structured wine tasting experience.

Go grocery shopping

Italy has amazing grocery shops with incredible options for light lunches and easy dinner.

Grocery shops and supermarkets have all the staples you need to cook yourself but also delicious deli counters with fresh bread, cheese, cured meats for fresh sandwiches on the go.

In most cases they also have freshly cooked meals you can buy and have at home such as lasagne or parmigiana and they are cheap and delicious!

Read here >>> all about grocery stores in Italy

Swap fancy terraces with the humble ‘bar’

Bar in Italian means cafe and you have many everywhere, often with casual tables outside.

They may not be the social media friendly terrace you have in mind but they are great for a coffee and a pastry, they often have inexpensive meals and they are great to just sit and watch life pass by.

As well as gentle on the budget, this is the real authentic experience so if you want the ‘real’ Italy, look no further than the local bar!

Don’t rush

Last but not least: don’t rush. You don’t need to see all the towns, taste all the wines, do all the activities to enjoy your stay here.

Pick few towns you think you want to see, then just stroll, sit at a bar, take in the views, jump in the sea. I promise you’ll love it!

Amalfi Coast on a Budget: pin this!