Why I would never go to the Amalfi Coast again; Things I wish I knew before the trip

We were perhaps most excited about our four-night stay on the Amalfi Coast, which was named one of the best honeymoon destinations for 2024 by Condé Nast Traveler.

Although the Amalfi Coast is absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed our time there, we left feeling like something was missing from the experience.

When we returned home and told our family and friends about this part of our honeymoon, many were shocked to hear that my husband and I did not want to go back.

Here’s why our trip to the Amalfi Coast didn’t live up to our expectations.

I rarely found sidewalks along the busiest roads

As soon as we were dropped off along the busy road outside our Airbnb, we noticed one thing – there were no sidewalks or sidewalks.

As my husband and I explored the town we were staying in, we clung to roadside walls as buses and motorbikes sped by.

We found that most of the towns we visited along the coast didn’t even have sidewalks, which meant that getting around on foot was a little more difficult and dangerous than we expected.

Although the locals didn’t seem phased, I was a little nervous walking the busier streets.

The steps and steep inclines were more intense than I expected

My twice-weekly Pilates classes did not prepare me for the hundreds of steps and steep inclines of the Amalfi Coast.

One night we decided to visit a gorgeous seaside restaurant in Praiano. When we figured out the best way to get there, we discovered it was only a 40 minute walk from our Airbnb.

Since it was a beautiful night, we decided to give it a try. However, I didn’t realize that the walk would be more of a walk.

Before leaving home, I had been warned about the many steps on the Amalfi Coast, but I severely underestimated how difficult it would actually be to get around on foot.

Honestly, I went in July when the temperatures got up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While the heat certainly made the steps more difficult to conquer, I’m not sure I would have done much better in colder temperatures.

Much of the Amalfi Coast felt like a tourist trap

As someone who grew up just outside of New York City, I can usually smell a tourist trap from a mile away. To me, many of the most popular destinations on the Amalfi Coast seemed designed specifically for tourists.

I guess this makes sense as the coast attracts about 5 million visitors a year. However, the coast seemed far from the more authentic Italian experience I expected to find.

For example, while wandering the gorgeous streets near the harbor in Positano, we discovered that many of the gelateria shops were owned by the same company. The gelato was delicious, but I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to sample flavors from a variety of different local vendors.

When I travel, I like to check out products from local vendors. In Positano and Amalfi, I looked for unique souvenirs and handmade pieces, but mostly found dresses and ceramics that looked almost identical from place to place.

In my experience, it’s been hard to find authenticity in many of the tourist-filled locations on the coast. Although we really enjoyed our experience there, I preferred immersing myself in the culture of the small towns we visited in Tuscany.

In our experience, public transport was not very reliable

When I was researching and planning our trip, one of the no. 1 I read was not to rent a car on the Amalfi Coast. After all, the steep and twisty rock roads are not for the faint of heart.

With this advice in mind, we decided to use public transport to get around. Although we liked how cheap the buses were (usually less than 3 euros per person), we soon discovered that they rarely showed up at scheduled times.

This caused us to cancel our bookings and plans, which was disappointing as we were only in town for a few days. In addition, we found taxis to be quite expensive – a 15 minute journey cost us 50 euros.

Because navigating public transportation quickly became tiresome, we ended up spending more time at the Airbnb than at the beach.

That said, we still enjoyed our time on the Amalfi Coast

When it comes to honeymoon destinations, it doesn’t get more romantic than the stunning seaside towns of the Amalfi Coast.

My husband and I really enjoyed our time there – it’s just not the kind of place I want to go back to.

The views were incredible, the people were friendly, and the food was delicious. But next time we go back to Italy, we’ll probably stay in less touristy areas to really immerse ourselves in the local culture.