Positano… an amazingly picturesque Italian town located on the Amalfi Coast also called the most beautiful place in Europe. It has gained its unimaginable popularity thanks to Instagram, and in the recent years it has literally been flooded by tourists. As you know, with the popularity and tourist siege, prices are also going up. Positano is often called the most expensive summer destination in Europe. So, is Positano worth its price? If you want to know more about prices, hotels, and the whole guide about what’s worth, what’s not and what to do to make your trip to Positano more affordable, stay with me!
TRIP PLANNING AND POSITANO HOTEL PRICES
We started planning our trip to Positano at the beginning of March, and we had our holiday at the end of July. When we looked at Booking.com, we were confronted with the harsh reality – 98% of the facilities in Positano were already booked for these dates. Unfortunately on Airbnb the situation looked similar. Then we started to do a whole review of possible options… maybe we will stop in Sorrento? How about Praiano? The whole research lasted forever, until finally, by some miracle, we managed to hunt down the Vittoria Hotel, located in Positano itself, booking directly through the hotel’s website. It seemed like someone canceled the reservation.
Unfortunately, this is how it looks, and the price of accommodation is the biggest pain of visiting Positano – hotel prices are even scary. According to Google, “budget” hotels in Positano cost about 200 euro per night. Looking at Booking.com, if only the message “no rooms on our website” is not displayed, the average price per night in a hotel without stars, guesthouse or 3-star hotel is about 300 euro. These are actually some of the lowest prices we can see there for 2020.
If you are determined to go to Positano, you have to remember to plan everything much earlier, especially to avoid the lack of available hotels, but also to save some money. Another thing is that in the case of Positano it’s definitely not worth to take advantage of Booking.com, but to look for hotels yourself and book directly through their own websites. This way we managed to save about 15%.
TOO EXPENSIVE? STAY IN PRAIANO, VICO EQUENSE, AMALFI OR SORRENTO
If you’ve already given a verdict on Positano and said, “No, it’s not for me. Too expensive.” And yet you’d like to see it anyway – it’s worth bearing in mind that the Amalfi Coast is quite hard to reach when it comes to transport, so probably you will have to rent a car anyway. If you already have a car, then you can definitely consider stopping in the smaller towns surrounding Positano, such as Praiano (if you do well, with a picturesque view of Positano!), or a little further away, in the less-known Vico Equense, Minori or the more popular Amalfi or Sorrento. Then you can make a daily trip to another town on the Amalfi coast, visiting Positano, without necessarily paying a fortune for the night.
Unfortunately, you have to remember that Positano is not only high hotel prices, but also everything else. If we want to leave our car in the parking lot in Positano for the whole day, we have to take into account the expense of 30-40 euros. Despite everything, this price is still a better option than accommodation in Positano itself. We stayed in the Vico Equense a few years ago and it was one of the best trips in our lives. There was no shortage of beautiful views, the sea and in the evening delicious food in Italian restaurants, but unlike Positano, there were fewer tourists and we could actually enjoy our holiday. During the day, however, we visited the more picturesque towns on the Amalfi Coast. Remember – Positano is not a huge city and we don’t need to spend a week there to really get to know it. If we don’t have the opportunity to stop right there, the world doesn’t end either!
WHEN TO GO TO POSITANO?
If you have already booked an overnight stay and have managed to get to this stage, it is already halfway to success. Hotel prices are definitely the worst thing that can surprise us in Positano. What else can negatively surprise us in this Instagrammable town? Probably the second and one of the few such things will be tourists – or rather, too many tourists, not enough places in restaurants and not enough parking spaces on the entire Amalfi Coast. Luckily, we have quite a big influence on this and it can be remedied – avoid Positano especially in July and August. A good time to come there will certainly May, the end of September or October. And thanks to that also a little more friendly for your wallet.
FOOD AND RESTAURANTS IN POSITANO
The Amalfi coast and the Naples area are famous not only for their beautiful views, but also for their amazing regional cuisine. I don’t think you will eat as well in any other region of Italy as here. From the local dishes, you must try the courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta and lemon, fried in the dough. We have travelled Italy length and breadth, but it turns out that this dish is only popular on the Amalfi coast and in other regions it is virtually impossible to get. The Amalfi region is also famous for its delicious Neapolitan style pizza – basically no matter which restaurant we go to in Positano, in this region you simply can’t get a bad pizza! Besides, the Amalfi coast is also known for a unique variety of huge lemons grown only in this region – it is from these that limoncello, a sweet lemon liqueur, is made. If you go to Positano, you have to try it.
Il Ritrovo is the best restaurant we have ever visited in Positano. It is high on a hill and we won’t get to it on foot – but it’s even better. It turned out that for those who stayed in Positano, the restaurant has a special transport – the driver will come for us to the hotel or another place designated by us, and after dinner he will take us back. Among other things, we tried the previously mentioned zucchini flowers with ricotta and lemon, bruschetta, octopus and grilled lemon fish – we were not disappointed. Everything was delicious! Apart from that, super romantic atmosphere, peace and wonderful views. However, it is quite expensive – appetizers about 15 euros and main courses 30 euros.
Il Fornillo – a very pleasant place, which we often returned to. You can count on a tasty pizza, the best zucchini flowers in Positano and a delicious wine. Apart from that, it is very lively in the evening, a lot is happening and it creates a great Italian climate. In terms of prices it’s also quite decent compared to other restaurants in Positano.
Saraceno d’Oro – here you can have lunch while other restaurants are still closed and preparing for the evening. We especially recommend pizza.
Il Capitano – this restaurant is especially worth a visit because of its magnificent views of the picturesque Positano. It is best to book a table for the evening in advance. The food is tasty, but in other restaurants we enjoyed it a bit more.
WHAT IS WORTH SEEING IN POSITANO AND IS IT REALLY THAT BEAUTIFUL?
This really spectacular place has been, frankly speaking – much prettier than in the pictures and all these fascinations did not come from nowhere. After looking at the pictures we didn’t expect anything more, and yet – we got knocked off our feet. However, Positano is not the place where you will be hooking up “must-see attractions” one by one. The biggest attraction of this town is just being in it, walking, admiring beautiful views and enjoying delicious regional food. The best way to see them is along and wide, by chance to see a wedding from a movie in St. Mary’s Church, walk among narrow streets, bathe in the blue sea and laze on the beach. If I can recommend something from myself, a romantic walk along the tiny path of Positanesi d’America, which goes away from the main beach in Positano. It is a path on a cliff leading along the sea and, contrary to appearances, few tourists reach it. Besides, you must make a road trip along the Amalfi coast to see other amazing places like Sorrento, Amalfi or Ravello.
Of course, everyone will decide for themselves whether it is worth going to Positano – this is a very subjective matter and depends on many factors. I hope, however, that I have at least a little bit closer to you how the trip to Positano actually looks like, which may surprise us negatively and what to avoid, but also what solutions to think about when it comes to planning. If you visit Positano, I hope that you will be able to reach the places I have recommended and that you will be as delighted as I am! Let me know in the comments if you have been to Positano and what you think about it!
