You know you want to go to the Amalfi Coast, but don’t know where the best place is to stay? Let me tell you why I think that the little village of Pogerola is the best place to stay on the Amalfi Coast!
We first discovered Pogerola back in 2011 while looking for accommodation near Amalfi. Since then, we have been back another five times and always stayed in the same wee village. We even got married here in 2016.
Nestled on the hillside above Amalfi, Pogerola offers not only stunning views, but also a ‘local’ feel that you don’t get in the big towns such as Amalfi, Positano and Ravello. You see the Italian men sitting in the evening playing cards in the square, and meet generations of the same family running the bars. Pogerola also offers an escape from the crowds of tourists. And an escape from tourist prices, with food and drink at a reasonable cost.
How to get to Pogerola
The easiest way to get around the Amalfi Coast is to hire a car. However, the roads aren’t for the faint-hearted! On our first drive on the Amalfi Coast, we thought that our sat nav was broken because the roads looked like a plate of spaghetti. But the roads are indeed spaghetti! If you are hiring a car, I’d recommend getting an automatic to save constantly changing gears. I find that driving at a cautious pace and pulling over on hairpin bends to let locals fly by works well. The drive from Naples to Pogerola takes about 1.5-2 hours.
Parking is a bit tricky in Pogerola, as it is everywhere along the Amalfi Coast, but we’ve always managed to find a spot. There’s a small car park just as you come into Pogerola where you can leave your car with no time limits. There’s also on-street parking that you can use, though they aren’t the easiest spots to get into. But if you don’t want to reverse park up a hill, driving around the Amalfi Coast might not be for you! Some accommodation, such as Villa Knight, comes with their own parking space.
If you don’t want to take on the roads yourself, there is an option to get a boat from Naples. The NLG ferry company travels from Naples Beverello to Amalfi which takes between 110 and 180 minutes depending on the service. There is an option to add on a bus transfer from Naples Airport to Beverello (40 minutes). Positano Jet also offer ferries from Naples to Amalfi. They seem to have two per day, at 110 and 130 minutes. Getting a boat to Amalfi would be a great way to arrive while enjoying the scenery along the coast.
Once in Amalfi, you can get the SITA bus (number 5121 with ‘Pogerola’ on the front) from the bus terminus in Amalfi, straight up to Pogerola. This takes 20 minutes. You need to buy bus tickets before getting on the bus. There’s a tabaccherie across the road from the bus station which sell these. The bus can be very busy in high season so be ready to jump on. There is a bus timetable at the bus stop and online.
Getting around
Though we drive to Pogerola, once there we tend to leave the car behind when adventuring locally. Parking in Amalfi isn’t easy to find and it’s nice to let someone else do the driving. I joke that there should be a TV series called ‘Amalfi Coast Bus Drivers’, similar to ‘Ice Road Truckers’. It is quite amazing (and a bit terrifying) to see the drivers maneuvering when two buses pass each other on the roads.
The 5121 bus goes from Pogerola down to Amalfi. Once at Amalfi, you can jump on the SITA buses to Ravello, Positano, Sorrento, Maiori and Salerno. When in Pogerola, you can buy bus tickets from the tabaccherie opposite the Cocktail Bar.
There used to be a City Sight-Seeing Italy (red open-top tourist) bus that went from Amalfi up to Ravello but I can’t see it on their website so it may have stopped running.
Walking
My favourite way of travelling from Pogerola to Amalfi (and back again if we’re feeling energetic, and it’s not too hot!) is to walk. There are steps that go all the way from Pogerola down to the top of Amalfi, avoiding any roads. This walk takes about 35/40 minutes, but factor in extra time to stop and take photos of the view every few steps.
There are lots of famous walking routes along the Amalfi Coast that we haven’t tried, such as Path of the Gods. A few time, while sitting having a drink on the terrace of Gerry’s Pub, we have looked over to Ravello and thought ‘we can walk there’. Reader – we cannot walk there. We’ve tried twice and walked for a very, very long time but only made it as far as Pontone and Scala before admitting defeat. Though the view from Pogerola to Ravello is fantastic, there’s lots of hidden valleys in between the two towns.
Accommodation
We’ve stayed in five different apartments when visiting Pogerola. Though the village doesn’t feel overly touristy, there are plenty of options for accommodation to rent. If you’re looking for an apartment, I recommend getting in touch with Gerry (who owns Gerry’s Pub in Pogerola) as he owns three apartments and manages others. When we got married there in 2016, Gerry sorted most of our guests out with accommodation. Contact Gerry (info@gerrysamalfi.com) quoting BOLDTRAVELLER and he will give you 5% off your booking.
If you prefer a quaint B&B then Villa Maria, a lovely little guest house on the main square, would be a good option. If you have a bigger group, have a look at Villa Knight. This villa has a separate two double-bedroom apartment upstairs, three individual double bedrooms downstairs (with shared kitchen), big gardens and a big pool, which is quite rare on the Amalfi Coast. As mentioned before, there are also a couple of parking spaces.
Just outside the village, there’s a 100-bedroom hotel with pool, called Grand Hotel Excelsior. It is a 15 minute walk up the road to Pogerola, and there’s a hotel shuttle bus to Amalfi. The reviews look good but say that it is a bit dated.
Important note re accommodation on the Amalfi Coast – there are often a LOT of steps leading to the entrances. If you or your guests have any accessibility requirements, please ensure you check how accommodation is accessed.
Restaurants/Bars
For a small village, there’s plenty of options for food and drink in Pogerola. You’ll find prices much more reasonable than in the towns such as Amalfi and Ravello. All of these places are within a few minutes’ walk of the square by the church.
Gerry’s Pub – A warm welcome from Gerry and lovely cooking from his wife and sister, Maddy and Silvy. The lemon ravioli is a favourite! Gerry’s Pub has a terrace with views looking over the valley to Ravello. Perfect for an Aperol Spritz in the sunshine, or some live music (often from Gerry himself) in the evening. There’s an ice-cream counter for your gelato fix. There is also a reception in the pub where you can book private transfers, bus/ferry tickets, private boat tours and excursions to places such as Pompeii and Mount Vesuvuis. Photos on TripAdvisor.
Cocktail Bar – Another fantastic Spritz location with a big terrace looking down to the water. A family-run bar which is a nice option for brunch or a coffee. The lovely owner Benito will welcome you in Italian. Some photos on their TripAdvisor page.
Osteria Da Rispoli – Restaurant with beautiful views over the valley. We haven’t been to this one since it has been taken over by new owners but reviews look really positive on TripAdvisor.
Da Bruno Alla Carcara – Wood-fired pizza restaurant, just round the corner from the church. More info on TripAdvisor.
La Capannina – A family-run restaurant, specialising in Italian cuisine. Nice options for a slightly ‘fancier’ evening out. See their website for more info.
Shops
As there’s no big supermarket along the Amalfi Coast, we stock up on our drive down from Naples at the Conad Superstore in Pompeii. – link to location. Once in Pogerola, there are a few shops to pick up supplies during your stay.
Frutta E Vedura – Fresh fruit and vegetable shop
Tabaccherie – the shop where you can buy bus tickets. Also sells cigarettes, stamps, newspapers and confectionery.
Patricia Grocery – a small supermarket. Some fresh food such as cheese, eggs and bread. Other things such as dried pasta, potato chips and beer.
Chris Minimarket – Kind of household shop with some clothing and items like suncream.
Well, I think it’s about time to plan our 7th trip back to Pogerola…next year is 10 years since we had our wedding reception in the village. I think that’s a good an excuse as any!
If you end up planning a trip to Pogerola, please let me know and tag me on Instagram @boldtraveller. And say hello to Gerry for us!
