The Amalfi Coast in December: weather, sea temperature and what’s open

In December the Amalfi Coast averages 9–14.5 °C, with the sea around 18 °C, about 13 rainy days and sunset at 16:34 at Marina d’Albori in mid-month. Buses, trains and the archaeological parks run, ferries sail when the sea allows, and the towns light up for Christmas; beach clubs and the taxi boat are closed.

Climate normals 1991–2020 (NASA POWER, NOAA OISST) · services verified October 14, 2026

Climate at Marina d’Albori, month by month. Air and rain: 1991–2020 normals; sea: 1991–2020 normal and 2021–2025 mean.
Month	Air min °C	Air max °C	Sea °C 1991–2020	Sea °C 2021–2025	Rainy days	Rain mm	Sunset on the 15th
January	7.5	13.5	15	16	12	76	16:58
February	7.5	13.5	14.5	15	11	63	17:35
March	9	16	14.5	15	10	61	18:07
April	11.5	19	15.5	15.5	10	60	19:40
May	15.5	23.5	18.5	18.5	8	41	20:10
June	19.5	28.5	22.5	23.5	6	27	20:33
July	22	31.5	25	27	5	23	20:31
August	23	32	26	27	5	25	19:59
September	19.5	27.5	24.5	25.5	9	61	19:10
October	16	23.5	22	22.5	10	74	18:21
November	12.5	18.5	19.5	20.5	13	103	16:43
December	9	14.5	17	18	13	82	16:34

Climate at Marina d’Albori, month by month. Air and rain: 1991–2020 normals; sea: 1991–2020 normal and 2021–2025 mean.

Month

Air min °C

Air max °C

Sea °C 1991–2020

Sea °C 2021–2025

Rainy days

Rain mm

Sunset on the 15th

January

7.5

13.5

16:58

February

7.5

13.5

14.5

17:35

March

14.5

18:07

April

11.5

15.5

19:40

May

15.5

23.5

18.5

20:10

June

19.5

28.5

22.5

23.5

20:33

July

31.5

20:31

August

19:59

September

19.5

27.5

24.5

25.5

19:10

October

23.5

22.5

18:21

November

12.5

18.5

19.5

20.5

103

16:43

December

14.5

16:34

What’s running in December

Ferries along the coast ↗ · independent servicerunning · all yearTimetables change in April and October and sailings depend on the sea: check the operator’s departures for your date.

Taxi boat to the covenot running · from JuneOn request, paid, sea permitting. Otherwise the steps.

Beach clubs · independent servicenot running · from MayPaid sunbeds and umbrellas, run independently.

SITA buses ↗ · independent servicerunning · all yearThe coastal line stops at the top of the steps, towards Vietri and towards Amalfi.

Pompeii archaeological park ↗ · independent servicerunning · all yearCheck opening days and hours on the official site.

Paestum archaeological park ↗ · independent servicerunning · all yearCheck opening days and hours on the official site.

verified October 14, 2026

	Sunrise	Sunset	Daylight
December 1	07:05	16:34	9 h 29
December 15	07:17	16:34	9 h 17
December 31	07:24	16:43	9 h 18

Sunrise

Sunset

Daylight

December 1

07:05

16:34

9 h 29

December 15

07:17

16:34

9 h 17

December 31

07:24

16:43

9 h 18

Is December a good time to visit the Amalfi Coast?

December is a month for a different kind of trip. Afternoons reach about 14.5 °C and nights around 9 °C, with rain on about 13 days in an average December and the shortest days of the year: the sun sets around 16:34 in mid-month. The towns decorate for Christmas, nativity scenes appear in churches and squares, and Salerno’s Luci d’Artista light installations are usually lit; check the dates for your year. The coast is quiet between the festivities, busier around Christmas and New Year with Italian visitors. Many seasonal hotels and restaurants are closed, so plan around places open all year. For a calm winter break with good food and festive evenings, December can be lovely.

Can you swim on the Amalfi Coast in December?

The sea is fresh, around 18 °C on average in recent years (2021–2025) and 17 °C over 1991–2020, still warmer than the air, but cold for most people. A Christmas or New Year swim is a tradition for a few hardy locals. There are no beach services; the free sea access next to the property is there on calm, sunny days.

How do you get around the coast in December?

Travel in December as in the rest of the winter: the SITA bus is the most dependable link, and from Marina d’Albori the stop at the top of the approximately 200 steps is served in both directions, towards Vietri and Salerno and towards Amalfi. Travelmar ferries run the autumn and winter timetable between Salerno, Vietri sul Mare and Amalfi, when the sea allows; check the departures for the day. Regional trains from Vietri reach Salerno and Pompei. Public transport can run reduced services on public holidays, so check timetables around Christmas and New Year.

Questions about December

What is the weather like on the Amalfi Coast in December?

Mild and changeable: about 9–14.5 °C on average, with around 13 rainy days and the shortest days of the year.

What time is sunset in December?

Around 16:34 in mid-December at Marina d’Albori, with about 9 h 17 of daylight.

Is the Amalfi Coast worth visiting at Christmas?

Yes, for a quiet, festive break: lights, nativity scenes and local food, with fewer visitors outside the holidays. Check which hotels and restaurants are open.

How we rate the months

Sea: warm from 24 °C, pleasant from 21 °C, fresh from 18 °C, cold for most people below that. We use the recent sea temperature.

Swimming: recent sea at 21 °C or more.

Walking: average highs between 14 and 26 °C and no more than 10 rainy days.

Day trips by sea: ferries running for the whole month.

Long evenings: sunset after 19:30 on the 15th.

Sources and method

These are area averages from gridded datasets, not measurements on the beach: good for comparing months, not for predicting a day. Services are checked by hand on the operators’ sites.

Air: daily maximum and minimum temperature from NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) for the grid cell containing the cove, averaged over 1991–2020 and adjusted from the cell’s average elevation (295 m) to sea level at 6.5 °C per km (+1.9 °C).

Rain: daily precipitation from NASA POWER; a rainy day has at least 1 mm. Monthly totals are averaged over the years.

Sea: monthly mean sea surface temperature from NOAA OISST v2.1 (NOAA PSL) for the 0.25° ocean cell in the Gulf of Salerno off Amalfi.

Temperatures are rounded to 0.5 °C, rain to whole days and millimetres.

The Amalfi Coast in December: weather, sea temperature and what’s open

What’s running in December

Sun at the cove

From the cove to Vietri in December

What to pack in December

Is December a good time to visit the Amalfi Coast?

Can you swim on the Amalfi Coast in December?

How do you get around the coast in December?

Questions about December

How we rate the months

Sources and method

December at the cove