The Islands of Amalfi Walk

The beauty of the Bay of Naples has been enchanting travellers for centuries, with visitors falling in love with its dramatic coastline, glimmering seas, and pastel-coloured towns.

The beauty of the Bay of Naples has been enchanting travellers for centuries, with visitors falling in love with its dramatic coastline, glimmering seas, and pastel-coloured towns. Off the peninsula’s immaculate shores, lie the beautiful yet diverse islands of Amalfi: Procida, Ischia and Capri. This 7 night self-guided walking holiday takes you on a discovery of these stunning isles, with the option to extend your time in the area in bustling Sorrento or cosmopolitan Naples.

Your first 2 nights are spent on unspoilt Procida, the smallest of the 3 islands and an untouched gem with its multi coloured houses, sleepy fishing hamlets and pretty inlets. From here you head to Ischia, renowned for its thermal spas; the largest of the three islands, it’s a walker’s paradise with terraced vineyards, lofty mountains, verdant forest and golden beaches aching to be explored. Your last stop is world famous Capri; admire its vistas over the iconic Faraglioni, visit its Roman villas and sip coffee in its elegant piazze, perfect for people watching.

Given the island hopping nature of this trip, you are responsible for your luggage when using the ferry and hydrofoil services. Transportation of luggage to and from the hotels and the ports on each island is provided.

Is this trip for you?

Terrain: This holiday follows stone steps, coastal paths and some forest trails. You need to be a reasonably fit and confident walker, as the frequent ascents and descents, particularly on the coastal paths, make this a more demanding holiday than the distances suggest. On day 3 guests with a fear of heights may have problems with certain sections. Walkers with knee problems may have difficulty descending the stone steps and walking poles are strongly reccommended.

Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to walk independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodations, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can walk at your own pace.

It is important that you are happy reading maps and following route notes, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The route notes contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the local representative is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

Vaccinations and Health

Italy

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Visa

Italy

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html

Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.

Food & Drink

The cuisine on the Bay of Naples uses the freshest vegetables and the famous mozzarella cheese is always on the menu. Try it in salad with sweet tomatoes, baked with aubergine slices or on its own with an accompaniment of herbs. Fresh fruit features heavily too – figs are often used in antipasti along with slices of ham and what better way to finish off a meal than with a slice of fresh water melon? Pizza is a favourite dish all over Italy, but nowhere more so than here (it was invented in Naples!). The thinnest of bases are cooked in the hottest of wood ovens and are garnished with a mouth-watering variety of toppings.

The Amalfi Coast itself is not a wine area as such: the terraces are often too high for the vines to flourish. The region of Campania, however, has a number of good wines from vineyards further inland. Vines flourish too in the rich soil near Mount Vesuvio. Look out for Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio.

Weather

Southern Italy, like much of the Mediterranean, has a hot, dry climate in summer and cooler but sometimes wet spring and autumn periods. Unseasonable cold spells and rain are possible at any time of year, so we recommend bringing some warm clothes, especially useful in Bomerano where evening temperatures can be lower than expected. Summer can be very hot with daytime temperatures in July and August reaching up to 34-37°C on the coast.

What to expect in the low season (October – March)
A common misconception about the Amalfi Coast is that it is very warm and year round. However, autumn and winter months may be cooler than you’d expect; although usually milder than Northern Italy, average temperatures in December, January and February range from lows of around 8°C to highs of 15-17°C. Travellers should be prepared for periods of colder weather (with temperatures sometimes dropping to 2°C) especially at higher elevations – there may even be snow atop the Lattari Mountains and sometimes in Bomerano itself! During the winter up to early spring there is also more rain than usual (with an average of one day in four affected) but there are still plenty of enjoyable crisp sunny days. Overall the Amalfi Coast is still a great destination in winter as the coastline is beautiful year-round and you have the chance to visit the sights without the summer crowds and traffic.