Is May a good time to visit the Amalfi Coast?
For walking, sightseeing and day trips, May is one of the most comfortable months of the year. Afternoons reach about 23.5 °C, warm enough for lunch outdoors but rarely hot on the steep paths and stairways that connect the coast’s villages. Mornings and evenings stay mild, around 15.5 °C at night. Days are long: the sun rises around 05:44 and sets around 20:10 in mid-May, so there is time for a ferry to Amalfi or Positano and still an evening by the sea. Rain is still possible, on about 8 days in an average May, usually as showers rather than long grey spells. Ferries along the coast run all month, so the classic sea routes are available from Vietri sul Mare, weather permitting. If your priority is swimming in a warm sea, June to September is the better choice; if it is walking, views and a coast that is getting ready for summer, May works well.
Can you swim on the Amalfi Coast in May?
You can, but the sea is still fresh. Satellite data puts the water around 18.5 °C in May in recent years (2021–2025), and 18.5 °C as the 1991–2020 average. Many northern European swimmers find that refreshing and fine for a short swim on a sunny afternoon; most people who are used to warmer water will find it cold. The sea warms quickly from late May into June. Beach clubs open for the season in May, with paid sunbeds and umbrellas, and the free sea access next to the property needs no booking. Water shoes help on pebbles and rocks. On calm days the water is clear and quiet, which is the main pleasure of an early-season swim.
How do you get around the coast in May?
In May the coast is fully connected. Travelmar ferries stop at Vietri sul Mare and link it with Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Amalfi and Positano; sailings depend on the sea, so check the departures for your date. SITA buses run along the coastal road all year, and from Marina d’Albori the stop at the top of the steps is served in both directions, towards Vietri and Salerno and towards Amalfi. Regional trains from Vietri’s station run to Salerno, for Paestum, and towards Naples, stopping at Pompei. The taxi boat from Marina di Vietri to the cove starts in June: in May, guests reach the coast road up the approximately 200 steps, which is pleasant in the cooler air of spring.