Driving along the Amalfitan State Road (SS 163) from Vietri sul Mare towards Amalfi, about 1.5 km after the Municipality of Cetara, you will arrive at the seaside village of Erchie.
In this article you will discover all the useful information to best visit the village of Erchie, how to reach it, which beaches to swim and much more.
The village of Erchie is nestled in a valley that opens onto the beach and a dream bay. The heart of the village overlooks the main beach, surrounded by rocky walls covered with lush Mediterranean vegetation, with small houses built on the slopes.
In the course of the article you can download a free PDF map of all the beaches that can be reached by sea from Erchie by pedal boat or canoe. Enjoy the reading!
Erchie: a pedestrian village of only 100 inhabitants
Erchie is a small fishing village of about one hundred inhabitants . During the summer the all the holiday homes are populated by vacationers and the number of inhabitants increases considerably.
Morphologically, the town is configured as an amphitheater overlooking the sea, surrounded by the Lattari mountains . The inhabited area is connected with the Amalfi road (SS 163) through the provincial road SP156, the only access road to the town.
The village of Erchie is located between the towns of Cetara (1.7 km to the east) and Maiori (8.5 km to the west). It is 12 km far from Salerno and 14 km far from Amalfi. Administratively Erchie is a fraction of the Municipality of Maiori, despite being very close to the Municipality of Cetara.
The deviation leading to the village of Erchie is located on the left side of the state road SS 163, proceeding towards Amalfi. Attention must be paid to this deviation as it is not well marked and, for distraction, it could be overcome without realizing it. In this case it will be necessary to make an inversion using one of the stop areas along the state road, paying particular attention to cars traveling in the opposite direction.
Access to the village is only possible on foot, cars and motorbikes must be parked in one of the four car parks (three for cars only and one for motorbikes only) along the provincial access road to the town.
The entrance to the village of Erchie consists exclusively of two stairways that lead from the height of the road to sea level. Therefore it is impossible to access the center of the village by cars or motorbikes.
The beach of Erchie, about 195 meters long, is limited to the east by an ancient Norman Tower and to the west by the former Italsider stone quarry active from 1912 to 1965, inside which there are the ruins of another Norman Tower.
The east tower is called Torre La Cerniola, it was built in 1278 by Charles I of Anjou and is still active for parties and banquets; the tower overlooks the east side of another cove which, until the early 1970s, was reachable from the ground through a passage called by the locals “the hole”, a short cave that connected the two beaches to the east and west and currently closed. The tower on the west side is called “Tummolo” and is a ruin.
Erchie: beaches and equipped lidos
The beach of Erchie has 3 equipped lidos, equipped with sun beds, umbrellas, bars and toilets. From West to East we have Lido Sirena, Lido Edelvina and Lido Adriana. There are as many free beaches, two on the extreme sides of the beach and one between Lido Edelvina and Lido Adriana.
When choosing the lido or the free beach in which to enjoy the village of Erchie, you must take into account the arrival time and how many hours you want to spend on the beach. Due to the mountainous conformation of the Erchie valley, the sun sets behind the mountains quite in advance of sunset, between 16.30 and 17.30 depending on the summer month. The closer to the La Cerniola tower you will position yourself, the longer you will be able to enjoy direct sunlight.
Erchie: the beaches that can be reached by sea by boat, pedal boat or canoe
Along the east coast adjacent to the village of Erchie there are many beaches and coves accessible only by sea where you can swim and relax while sunbathing.
The best way to reach them is to rent a pedal boat or a canoe at one of the beaches equipped for rental.
In the rest of the article we will see all the beaches that can be reached from Erchie by pedal boat or canoe.
Erchie: the beaches along the east coast
Navigating to the east, or leaving the beach of Erchie behind and proceeding to the left looking at the sea, it is possible to reach 5 beaches and take a beautiful panoramic walk during which it is possible to admire the beauty of the coastal landscape. Let’s see below the 5 beaches that can be reached from the village of Erchie.
1) Cauco beach
The first beach you come across as you proceed east is the beach of Cauco, a beach about 100 meters long, with crystal clear water and an outcropping rock that rises a few meters from the shore.
If desired, this beach could also be reached by swimming starting from the free beach adjacent to the La Cerniola tower. Swimming for about 200 meters, along the cliff, you will quickly reach this beach.
2) Lo Sgarrupo beach
Further east, after the Cauco beach about 260 meters away, is the beach called Lo Sgarrupo. The official name of this beach is spiaggia di Sovarano, but it is known by all as the “Sgarrupo” which in dialect means “Cliff” because it can be reached by climbing the rocky cliff from the coastal road SS163 towards the sea.
This route is not very easy even if many local visitors access the beach after having parked the scooter in the lay-by on the state road, at the access path to the beach.
3) Limoni beach
The Limoni beach is accessible by continuing to navigate towards the east. It is a small cove set in the rock about 300 meters away from the beach of Lo Sgarrupo. Due to its exposure the sun goes away quite early in the afternoon.
4) La Collata beach
It is the penultimate beach of the navigation tour to the east. It is a relatively large cove, about 50 meters long, just 300 meters from the port of Cetara.
5) Beach behind the Cetara harbor
It is the last beach before reaching Cetara. Through this beach you can also access the village of Cetara, as it is connected via an access gate behind the harbor that leads to the docks.
The west coast of Erchie
The side of the west coast of Erchie is rocky for 3.5 km. In this stretch there are no beaches or coves. The first beach that can be reached is the beach of the Cavallo morto (Dead Horse), about 3.6 km far from Erchie and reachable in about an hour by canoe or pedal boat.
The beach is located in a beautiful bay bordered by a high rocky ridge. The sea is crystal clear and of an intense blue. Bathing in this bay amply repays the time it takes to reach it from the village of Erchie.
While navigating this stretch of coast you can admire the landscape of the Lattari Mountains that fall on the sea while staying a few hundred meters away from the coast.
An obligatory stop, before reaching the bay of the dead horse, is at the natural swimming pools, about 1.10 km far from Erchie. These are natural pools created after the fall of rock ridges from the rocky wall. They are hidden and not easily identifiable. But once inside the bathroom is really worth the discovery.
My advice for visiting the west coast is to leave at 11:00 in the morning, in order to arrive at the Bay of the Dead Horse by 12:00 and take advantage of the thermal wind that blows from the west on the return journey. In this way you can return to the beach of Erchie with the wind in your favor and the minimum effort in terms of paddling or pedaling.
Download the complete 3D map of the beaches of Erchie
Download for free the map with three-dimensional views to reach all the most beautiful beaches around Erchie. Fill in the fields below, you will instantly receive an email containing the download link.
Erchie: a wonderful spot for windsurfing
Erchie, together with the village of Cetara, is one of the two only spots on the Amalfi Coast for windsurfing. Lovers of this sport will be able to enjoy the splendid view of the village of Erchie and the Torre La Cerniola while sailing thanks to the thermal wind in the hottest hours in spring and summer.
In Erchie there are two clubs where you can deposit your equipment by paying an annual membership fee, rent or join classes to learn the practice of windsurfing.
To request information about windsurfing in Erchie, fill out the form fields below. You will be contacted by email.
Erchie: what to do after sunset, the nightlife
Although Erchie is a small village, the nightlife is not lacking. It is probably the village of the Amalfi Coast where more events and evenings take place. It is possible to have a drink, listen to music or dance at the Barcarizzo Food and Drink or at the Acquapazza on Thursday evenings or at weekends.
Erchie: services
In Erchie there are two grocery stores and several bars and restaurants. There are no pharmacies, no banks or bank branches. These services are available in the nearby Municipality of Cetara.
Erchie: how to reach it by car, bus, train, taxi
The village of Erchie can be reached by car along the state road SS 163 , from Vietri sul Mare towards Amalfi.
Along the provincial access road to the town there are three paid car parks with a rate of 3€/hour and a parking for motorbikes with a rate of 1.5€/hour.
During the summer and in particular on weekends, the car parkings reach the limit capacity and it will no longer be possible to reach the village of Erchie as the Local Police closes the access road to avoid traffic jams. It is therefore advisable to leave early during the busiest summer days.
Erchie can be reached by bus via the SITA bus line that connects Salerno to Amalfi, by taxi from the Salerno train station, by train getting off at Vietri sul Mare station and then taking the SITA bus towards Amalfi.
Conclusions
I hope this article will help you to better visit the village of Erchie. If you liked it you can suggest it to your friends by clicking on the social sharing buttons.
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