Stunning views. Colors. Limoncello. Instagram-worthy pictures. Those are some of the first thoughts that may come to your mind when thinking of Positano.
In recent years, Positano has become the number one location for many celebrities, influencers, and travelers.
Are you planning a trip to Positano? Do you want some inside information on if it’s worth going?
This blog post is all you need if you want to save yourself from potentially being disappointed. Read through the biggest truths and lies I’ve heard and realized on my visit to Positano.
I had been infatuated with Positano for years before I got a chance to visit it, and I hyped it up majorly in my head. Let’s find out if it was worth the hype!
WHERE EXACTLY IS POSITANO?
Positano is a small village in southern Italy, Campania region, on the Amalfi coast. It’s the most talked-about village on the coast but there are many others, like Sorrento and Amalfi, which are more affordable.
HOW TO GET TO POSITANO?
The best way to get to Positano is by flying to Rome or Naples and then going from there. If you rent a car, it will take you around 3 and a half hours to get to Positano, whereas from Naples it will take around an hour and a half. You can also get a private transfer from Naples to Positano if you don’t want to spend hours on the bus.
You can also rent a Vespa, which will require less parking space, but I wouldn’t recommend driving a Vespa from Rome.
Naples also offers a bus or a ferry, which are more affordable options if you don’t have a car.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you.
TRUTHS AND LIES ABOUT POSITANO
I’ve spent years dreaming of Positano, vigorously checking influencers’ pictures on Instagram, and envying them. This year, out of the blue I got a chance to go see it with my own eyes and experience the magic I’ve only been able to feel through pictures.
After visiting, I realized that a lot of media portrayal of Positano is a little unrealistic and a little fake, so I’ve decided to be honest with you and tell you what is true about Positano, and what is a social media lie.
EVERYTHING is expensive – TRUTH
This is probably the biggest truth about Positano. From accommodation, food, daily tours, rentals… nothing about this picturesque little village is affordable.
The locals are aware of how big of a tourist attraction Positano has become and they are making sure they get every penny out of it.
PARKING
Parking, which is basically impossible to find, ranges from 8 euros UP, per HOUR. My advice – park close to Montepertuso or Nocelle.
We came from Naples and parked in Montepertuso on a Sunday for FREE.
Montepertuso sits above Positano but coming back down will give you amazing views. We took the 1500 stairs from Montepertuso to Positano – it took us 45 minutes in the scorching heat, but the scenery was incredible.
If you don’t feel like walking, you can also take a local bus from Montepertuso which we came back with. It’s only 1.60 euro, which is way less than even 1 hour of parking in Positano.
Park close to Montepertuso or Nocelle for free or a fraction of a price! Come back down to Positano on foot or by bus for 1.6 euro.
FOOD AND DRINKS
I’ve visited many cities in Italy and Positano has by far the most expensive offers.
Obviously, many restaurants in Rome or Florence are expensive, but the cities also offer a variety of affordable options. There aren’t really that many affordable options in Positano.
My boyfriend and I spent over 20 euros on 2 Coca Colas and a bottle of water at a cafe on the beach.
The cheapest proper meal in a restaurant is going to be at least 60-70 euros, whereas in Rome you can eat good, tasty food for 25 euros for 2 people.
As 70-euro lunch wasn’t in our budget, we’ve brought our food and only spent money on drinks.
There’s a lot to do in Positano – LIE
As I’ve mentioned, Positano is a small village. It has less than 4 thousand inhabitants and a stroll through the whole village will take you less than an hour.
If you plan to only go to Positano and spend 3-5 days there, my advice is don’t do it. Positano can be perfectly well seen and explored in a day.
There’s not a lot of sightseeing you can do, especially if you are on a budget. Shopping is extremely overpriced (one magnet is 5 euros, paintings and clothes go up to 100), the beaches are quite disappointing (terribly crowded public and expensive private ones), so all you have left is walking and eating.
If you can afford it, a day trip to Capri is an option – a return ticket for a ferry is around 40 euros per person, and private boat tours start at around 500 euros per boat.
All in all, if you do not have a huge amount of money to spend, maybe make Positano a day trip instead of the base of your trip.
Read more >>> Italy
It’s crowded – TRUTH
Maybe our choice of the month is guilty of this, but we explored Positano in August and the village was jam-packed with people.
The already small and narrow streets were almost unbearable to walk through as they were overflowing with tourists. And mind you, this summer of 2021 was still very much affected by Covid, so not even Positano was packed at its fullest.
The public beaches (which are free) were so crowded they seemed totally undesirable. I’m not sure how it is in the colder months, but the number of people there killed some of my enthusiasm for sure.
It’s the most beautiful town in Italy – LIE
I’ve heard many times how people claim that Positano is the most beautiful town in the whole country of Italy, and I must disagree.
Positano is very picturesque and charming, but what you see in the photos is not really what you get in real life.
When you come there, the city looks quite washed out because the colors are not as vibrant as they are on Instagram.
The streets and beaches are full because you can’t see them as the pictures taken at 6 in the morning show on social media.
Add on that the crazy expensive food and accommodation and it’s not that hard to end up disappointed.
This is my subjective opinion and your experience of Positano can surely be different and more positive, but if you’re thinking of splurging on a vacation and you have huge expectations of Positano, please keep in mind that it’s not as perfect as it seems online!
I would like to mention that we did not have enough money to explore the whole coast as a unit, but Positano by itself hasn’t really left its mark at us.
I was interested in some details about alternative towns along the Amalfi coast – my plan is to ferry in from Capri – how can you see the coast and other towns without a car – not sure at our age a Vespa is advisable. Thanks so much for the enlightenment- I was thinking to stay for two weeks at a rental along the coast – maybe not Positano now
The alternative is using a bus from one town to another. The buses run from 6 am to 9:30 pm but according to locals, they don’t always arrive on time because the queues are very long. My advice is to consider the ferry as your best option – use the ferry to go from Positano to Amalfi, or Sorrento. I’m sure you will have a lovely time spending two weeks on the coast, just beware that all of those villages are tiny and you don’t have much to do in each of them but if you go and visit 5-6 of the villages you will fill out your week nicely! Hope you have a wonderful time 🙂
Thank you so much, whilst Positano is a place I would like to visit the surrounding towns have always held more appeal to me. You have confirmed this and I thank you for this. As we will be travelling in the area for a week or three I will definitely look at one of the other towns.