Amalfi Coast Yacht Charter

Charter the Amalfi Coast: What to Expect

An Amalfi Coast yacht charter is the only civilised way to visit this coastline. Positano has no yacht berthing at all — only a tender landing — and the other towns offer very limited stern-to space in the high season. The stretch from Punta Campanella to Salerno covers just 25 nautical miles, which means an entire week can be spent working between Capri, Positano, Amalfi, and the Cilento Coast to the south without any long passages. We typically combine the Amalfi Coast with Capri and Ischia into a seven-to-ten-day itinerary, leaving time for dinners ashore at Le Sirenuse or Da Adolfo, a day at Pompeii or Herculaneum, and a full circumnavigation of Capri under sail.

Anchorages & Highlights

The coastline's best anchorages demand local knowledge and strict respect for the marine protected areas. Capri — the westernmost anchor of any Amalfi itinerary — offers the iconic approach to the Faraglioni rock stacks, the Blue Grotto, and the sheltered waters of Marina Piccola on the south side. The Li Galli archipelago, a private group of three islets off Positano once owned by Rudolf Nureyev, sits in extraordinarily clear water and is a favourite swim stop. Further east, Cavallo Morto near Maiori and the small cove at Santa Croce just west of Amalfi town offer calmer conditions when the afternoon sea breeze builds.

The Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area — which wraps the Sorrentine peninsula's tip and includes the Baia di Ieranto — operates a strict zoned permit system. Anchoring is permitted only within designated zones between 08:00 and 20:00, with minimum distances of 100 metres from beaches and 50 metres from the coast, and no anchoring over Posidonia oceanica seagrass. Zone A is entirely closed to navigation. A captain who knows the zones — and carries the right permits — makes the difference between a flawless day and a ruinous fine.

Best Time to Charter the Amalfi Coast

The prime season runs from late May through early October. June and September are the sweet spot: water temperature is between 24°C and 26°C, light is at its most cinematic, and the coastal villages return to a human pace. July and August deliver peak sea temperatures of 27°C alongside peak pressure on every reservation and anchorage — the bays at Positano and Marina Piccola fill by late morning, and dinner at any of the serious restaurants must be booked weeks ahead.

The Sorrentine Peninsula is unusually blessed by its geography: the peninsula's mountainous spine shelters the coast from both the northerly tramontana and the southerly libeccio, producing calm, reliable sailing conditions that are rare elsewhere in the western Mediterranean. The only weather nuisance is the occasional afternoon katabatic breeze funnelling out of the steep valleys above Amalfi and Positano — gusty but short-lived.

Getting There

Naples International Airport (NAP) is the gateway: forty minutes by road to Sorrento, or roughly one hour to Salerno for embarkation, and served by direct flights from every major European city throughout the charter season. For clients who prefer to sidestep the summer traffic entirely, helicopter transfer from Naples Capodichino directly to your yacht at anchor is a genuinely practical option; the coast has several approved landing points and private operators on standing arrangement with the charter fleet.

At Aris Drivas Yachting, we have been planning charters across the western Mediterranean since 1972, and we maintain long-standing relationships with captains, shore agents, beach clubs, and private dining rooms along the entire Sorrentine coast. Whether you wish to begin and end your voyage here, combine the coast with a passage to Sardinia or Sicily, or extend north into the Pontine Islands, we will structure an itinerary that works around the region's marine regulations and the genuine rhythm of its ports. Contact our charter team to begin planning your Amalfi Coast yacht charter.

Dining & Local Cuisine

The Amalfi Coast is one of the few charter destinations where the food alone justifies the trip. Da Adolfo in Laurito — accessible only by boat from Positano — grills mozzarella wrapped in lemon leaves over an open fire; arrive by tender and eat with your feet in the pebbles. Le Sirenuse in Positano serves Campanian fine dining on a terrace that faces directly across the water. The town of Cetara, east of Amalfi, is the anchovy capital of the Mediterranean — colatura di alici (anchovy essence, the modern descendant of Roman garum) is produced here and used in pasta, bruschetta, and every serious kitchen along the coast. Amalfi lemons are not a marketing invention: they are DOP-protected, twice the size of a standard lemon, and the base of the region's limoncello, granita, and delizia al limone. The wines of the coast — Furore Bianco from the cliffside vineyards above Amalfi, and Falanghina from Campania inland — are best drunk cold, on deck, in view of the coast that grew them.