Are you planning on visiting the Amalfi coast for some days and can’t wait to find spots for awesome images? Then let me give you a hand! In this post, I have gathered easy-to-reach great photography spots in the Amalfi Coast that you can get to using public transport for little money. Note, there are tons more places to go to and see, here are just some of my favourites photography spots along the Amalfi Coast that I found during my times there. I actually think one can spend easily a month there and still haven’t seen the half of it!
1. Sorrento Train Station
The image doesn’t really look like a train station, right? Here is the deal – just between the train station and the main placa, there’s a bridge. Walk over the bridge and look down – there it is! Vallone dei Mulini, as it is called, has an abandoned mill just in the centre. Good point to start, right?
2. Sorrento Seaside
The seaside in Sorrento is absolutely brilliant and definitely one of the great photography spots in the Amalfi Coast. It does not even matter really where exactly you go, but as a starting point I recommend this spot. It leads to a small beach just beneath the cliffs – great for chilling, having a sip, or sneak your drone along the cliff. Follow along and you’ll get to see some pretty small streets leading away from the piers, too!
3. Sorrento City Centre
Depending on the time of the year, you can find cool stuff allover the city. Lit up figures, statues, and so on – especially at night these are a real eye catcher. You won’t need to search for a long time to find them, convenient, right? While you walk around, look out for opportunities like the below – if you are into editing, that is hehe.
This is not how it was of course, but I found the scene without the stars and it was perfect for a manipulation like this.
4. Positano Beach
Ahhhh Positano – This little town is the subject of many post cards, calendars, portfolios, you name it. And this is only right, as it is one of the most stunning places I have seen around. The whole place is very picturesque and one of the greatest photography spots in the Amalfi Coast – but here are some hot tips:
- If you have no car, don’t worry. There is a regular bus from Sorrento to Positano and it costs very little. The awesome thing – get out of the bus just as it drives into Positano! Do that and follow the street down (you can not really go wrong) and be ready for some views, friends! You will reach the main beach after about 20-30 min walk.
- Go off-season! If you visit the whole Amalfi Coast or just Positano – if you go in the middle of the summer you will be one of several thousands of tourists. And I mean thousands. So many tourists (and photographers) are coming over every year, that they even have passed some laws/taxes against certain kinds of photography in public. The kind that holds up the traffic (portraits with lights and all). As long as you just stop and shoot, I don’t think you will need to worry though. Especially not off-season, where you are one of maybe 20 tourists.
5. Amalfi Piers
Amalfi is the place that gives the whole coast its name! It is a beautiful little coastal town – but be ready to walk! Up, that is. You can get to the high-point of Positano by Bus, but Amalfi will require some serious stair-walking and hiking if you want to explore. The piers though are right at the bus stop from Sorrento, so if that’s enough, great! Stay the evening and take it all in. Oh, and if there is a storm and the waves are high, step out of the bus and look towards this point! The waves might break on the shore and it’s incredible. Definitely one of the great photography spots in the Amalfi Coast.
6. Amalfi Hidden Viewpoint
This is not an actual viewpoint I think, but it is a place I found randomly and loved it! Great to fly your drone around (though the locals might shout – just take it down then) and to wait for the sunset. There are also some hotels around if you feel like staying. Here is the spot. It might not be a famous spot, but it is one of the great photography spots in the Amalfi Coast, for sure!
7. Capri Lookout
Capri is a small island that you can reach easily by ferry from Sorrento. And it’s beautiful! Again though, be ready to walk. If you feel like, you can hike up a mountain and overlook the whole of Capri while being among the clouds – or you just enjoy the city itself, with its small streets and lovely restaurants. This spot here can be reached with some walking, but you are above Capri and have a stunning view – from which you can continue climbing up the mountains. The tree really makes that scene here – which is why I chose it as one of the great photography spots in the Amalfi Coast.
There are way more awesome places in Capri, but I was only there a day and spent that day hiking most of the time. However, I also recommend to check out this place, awesome lighthouse with great scenes to photograph.
When to Best Visit the Amalfi Coast
For photography purposes, the main thing you want is avoid the billion people that go there every year. Yes, I am exaggerating, but the less people, the better. So, off season is the way to go: End of January/February. It wont be super warm, it might be windy and a little rainy, but trust me – the place is yours.
Note though, if you go off-season, many restaurants and shops are simply closed. Positano, for instance, is dead. Everything is closed, except the local shop and maybe one or two coffee places. It’s a tourist city, so no tourists… no business.
Where to Stay and How to Get Around
This is totally up to personal preference, but here is what I did. Remember, this is totally flexible and if you have a car, you can do whatever 😀 The nice thing is, that for many of the great photography spots in the Amalfi Coast can easily be reached using public transport. Here, I included a brief summary as to where to stay and how to get around, but make sure to check out this post for an awesome in-depth article on it!
I started by flying to Naples. Why there? There is a bus right at the airport that brings you to Sorrento. The trip takes about 1-1.5h and costs around 10 Euro (don’t quote me on that, but it’ll be around that). You will be kicked out at the Sorrento bus station – which is super central and close to the first spot I mentioned above.
Sorrento has tons of AirBnBs right around the train station and towards the seaside. The best thing is – from Sorrento, you will be able to reach Amalfi, Positano, and Capri using public transport.
Sorrento
Sorrento itself can be done by foot if you have a day or two to stay there. Perfect for a walk along the seaside, through the small streets, and the surrounding nature. Keep an eye out for hidden gems! Next I would take the bus to Positano.
Positano
As I mentioned before, get out of the bus here. Stop for a moment and walk back the way you came for about 5 min to get your first sight onto a stunning cliff scene. Then follow the main road into Positano (take pictures along the way like a madman) and you’ll reach the centre and the main beach. Grab a beer and wait for the sunset, or explore the city – but don’t forget to take the last bus back (I think around 8 PM). This works off-season as you’ll get to see the sunset, hehe.
Amalfi
The next trip would be from Sorrento to Amalfi. Again, there is a bus that will go through Positano and to the next coast town – Amalfi. Right when you get off the bus (main station), you will want to stop for a moment at the piers and take it all in. Do whatever you need to (I recommend the sunset here as well) and take the bus back to Sorrento.
Capri
Next on the list is Capri. Easy enough, there is a port right in Sorrento – leave early and it’ll get you over to the island. Once you arrived, decide if you want to take the funicular into the main city or if you wanna walk. I walked – don’t do it 😀 Once you are in the city, there are tiny buses that can bring you anywhere you need to go for little money. Spend the day as you need and take the ferry back. This is gonna be a full trip and, but it’ll be worth it.
Conclusion
The Amalfi Coast is vast and has many many places of interest and a great many photography spots. There is no one guide that can list all of them, not least because it is your personal interest and the way you take images that make the places interesting to you. Here are the ones I liked a lot – but by no means have I seen them all either.
Wherever you might go when you are there, you will find yourself in magical moments on small beaches, either simply having a drink or running around with your tripod and camera and try to get the best. The area has been one of the most amazing and, at least to me, most unusual I have seen so far. I will happily return. Oh, I still have to process loads of images from my initial trip, so I might pop more images into this article as they come out, hehe.
Thats it! Remember, this guide is for people that are doing an a-couple-of-days trip and use public transport. If you have more spots and tips, throw them in the comments for others to know! Oh yeah, self-advertisement: if you are into editing like I am, check out my tutorials 🙂 Or maybe get started with HDR Photography?
