40.178° N, 15.029° E
Complete guide
Acciaroli beach (Pollica): beach guide
What the beach is like
Acciaroli beach is in the municipality of Pollica, in the province of Salerno, in Campania. Acciaroli is the largest frazione of the municipality and its only harbour. In the Campania Region's bathing water profile, this stretch is identified as the beach south of Acciaroli harbour. It is a low coast with a sandy and pebbly shoreline, a sandy beach outside the harbour and breakwaters. The village of Acciaroli and the harbour area lie to the north of the stretch, in a rural and moderately built-up area. In QualeSpiaggia data, the centre of Acciaroli is 0.3 km from the beach as the crow flies.
On the western side of Acciaroli the beaches are very long, while in the centre they are very small; there are both beach clubs and free beaches. Acciaroli has stone houses built up against the rocks and a small harbour where little colourful boats moor, overlooked by a Norman tower.
Getting there
Acciaroli lies on the Tyrrhenian coast, along the SS 267 del Cilento, the road to take by car. The village is far from fast roads and the nearest motorway junction is at Battipaglia, on the A2 Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway. For those travelling by train there is Ascea station, served by regional and InterCity trains, about 17 km away. The stations of Vallo della Lucania-Castelnuovo, about 19 km away, and Agropoli-Castellabate, about 33 km away, are also served by high-speed trains.
According to Wikipedia, the village is linked by several daily buses to the main stations, the Cilento coast and the towns of Vallo della Lucania, Battipaglia and Salerno. The article also notes that in summer extra services are added to Pioppi, Marina di Casal Velino and Marina di Ascea, along with some direct services to Naples. It also reports weekly hydrofoil connections from the tourist harbour with Sapri, Capri, Palinuro, Naples and Salerno. In summer the narrow inner streets of Acciaroli are impassable by car, especially in the evening, and the easiest way to visit the village is on foot.
When to go
According to Wikivoyage, summer is the best season to visit Acciaroli. In summer the narrow inner streets are crowded with tourists. The renown linked to the awards for water quality has increased the flow of summer tourists.
The beach faces south-west. With the north wind (tramontana), the north-easterly (grecale) and the east wind (levante) the wind blows from the land: the beach is sheltered and the sea near the shore tends to be calmer. The south wind (ostro), the south-westerly (libeccio) and the west wind (ponente), on the other hand, come from the sea and leave it exposed to waves and rough water. The sirocco (scirocco) and the mistral (maestrale) hit it side-on. These indications are derived from the beach's orientation; they are not forecasts. Before setting off, it is worth checking the wind and sea forecasts.
Seabed and sea
According to QualeSpiaggia data, the beach is sandy. The regional profile, by contrast, describes the bathing area as sandy and rocky. The beach faces the Tyrrhenian Sea. In the 2025 season the European Environment Agency (EEA) rated the bathing water quality of this stretch as excellent. The regional profile, updated in 2026, also reports an excellent classification for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Among the possible causes of pollution, the profile points, on the western side, to the immediate vicinity of the root of the leeward pier of Acciaroli harbour. It also mentions possible breaks in the submarine pipeline connected to the Acciaroli treatment plant, an activated-sludge biological plant.
In 2026 Acciaroli appears in the list of Blue Flag beaches compiled by the FEE for the municipality of Pollica, together with Pioppi. According to Wikipedia, for many years the village has received Legambiente's 5 sails and the Blue Flag for the quality of its water.
Facilities and free beach
The Giu Gio lido, in via San Primo, is the first lido in the Acciaroli area and offers a car park, an equipped beach and a free one. The La Perla lido, in via Porto, is right in the centre. There is also the la Lampara lido, on the SS267. There are shops along the harbour promenade. In the middle of a summer day it is a good idea to bring water, a hat and sunscreen.
Rules and protected areas
Acciaroli lies within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano. The park's natural environment is made up of the maquis shrubland typical of the Mediterranean.
Nearby
According to Wikipedia, the most important buildings in the village are the church of the Santissima Annunziata and the Norman tower. The tower, built in 1233, is part of the defensive system commissioned by Frederick II of Swabia between the coasts of Agropoli and Sapri. It has been converted into a private residence. Every year, on the second Sunday of August, the feast of the Santissima Annunziata is celebrated with a procession by sea, in which the statue of the Madonna is escorted by local fishing boats. The writer Ernest Hemingway is said to have stayed in the village several times between 1950 and 1953.
Pioppi beach is 5.4 km to the east as the crow flies, and Agnone beach 5.3 km to the north-west. Pollica lies 2.7 km to the north-east as the crow flies. The archaeological site of Paestum is about an hour away by car, and that of Elea-Velia less than half an hour.
Sources
- portale.arpacampania.it — S_IT015065098002.pdf
- QualeSpiaggia — open data spiagge (CC BY 4.0)
- Wikipedia (it) — Acciaroli
- OpenStreetMap
- Wikivoyage (it) — Acciaroli
- Acciaroli, borgo in Campania: cosa vedere - Italia.it
- EEA — Bathing water quality 2025 (IT015065098002)
- FEE Italia — Bandiera Blu 2026, elenco spiagge
- Wikipedia (en) — Acciaroli