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The Amalfi Coast runs 50 kilometres along the south side of the Sorrento peninsula in Campania, Italy, from Positano west to Vietri sul Mare east, with 13 coastal towns including Amalfi (population 5,000), Positano (3,900), Praiano (2,000), Conca dei Marini (700), and Atrani (900). The day-charter calendar runs May to October with the peak from late June to mid-September. A 45-foot motor yacht with crew for a 6-hour Capri and Li Galli day in July runs €2,800 to €4,200 with the 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026, fuel, and gratuity on top. The day-charter inventory operates from four bases: Amalfi port at the canonical Amalfi town (midmarket and budget band), Positano main beach with the tender-shuttle anchored-yacht pattern (Positano-priority booking), Marina di Salerno 35 nautical miles southeast (premium 65-foot-and-up band), and Maiori port at the east of Amalfi (budget tender-pickup pattern). Naples International Airport (NAP) handles the air access with the canonical 60 to 90 minute road transfer to Amalfi via the Strada Statale 163 coastal road, plus the SITA bus and Alilauro ferry from Naples to Sorrento and Amalfi.
The point of an Amalfi day charter on a 4 to 8 hour rotation is the Capri axis (the 17 nautical mile west cruise to Capri with the Blue Grotto entry, the Faraglioni rock anchor at depths 6 to 25 metres, the Marina Piccola swim window, and the Marina Grande tender stop), the Li Galli islands rotation (the three-island Galli archipelago 2 nautical miles south of Positano with the Gallo Lungo, Castelluccia, and La Rotonda anchorages and the Massine Galli swim at depths 8 to 25 metres), the Amalfi-Positano-Praiano coastline cruise (the 8 nautical mile west-to-east Amalfi coast cruise with the Furore fjord, the Marina di Praia, the Conca dei Marini, and the Cattedrale rock anchor), and the Salerno gulf east extension (the 12 nautical mile southeast cruise to Cetara, Vietri sul Mare, and the Salerno gulf at the Cilento national park north).
The day-charter pattern combines a 9am to 10am Amalfi port departure, a west cruise via the Conca dei Marini Emerald Grotto, the Furore fjord, and the Positano coastline to Li Galli at 11am, a 2-hour Li Galli swim anchor at Massine Galli, an afternoon Capri Marina Piccola or Faraglioni anchor at 1pm to 4pm, and a 5pm Amalfi port return.
When to day-charter Amalfi
May. Shoulder. Water 17 to 20 degrees Celsius, air 18 to 24. Working operators open inventory from 15 April with the canonical Easter-to-May opening pattern. The cleaner May booking pattern is the second-half-of-May window after Easter at 55 to 65 percent of August peak rates and full operator inventory.
June. Shoulder through 15 June, peak thereafter. Water 21 to 24 degrees, air 22 to 28. The post-Easter window at 60 to 75 percent of August peak. From 15 June the canonical Mediterranean peak begins with rates climbing to 80 to 95 percent of August peak through 30 June. The canonical Amalfi summer pattern absorbs the June 24 St John the Baptist Amalfi calendar.
July and August. Peak. Water 24 to 27 degrees, air 28 to 33. The canonical Amalfi peak window with the Ferragosto window (15 August) at 2x to 2.5x off-peak rates and the full operator inventory absorbed at peak. Rates at 95 to 100 percent of peak through 31 August. Book 10 to 14 weeks out for the premium 55-foot-and-up inventory at Amalfi port and Positano anchorage.
September. Peak through 15 September, shoulder thereafter. Water 24 to 26 degrees, air 25 to 30. The first two weeks at full peak; from 15 September the shoulder pattern begins with rates dropping to 70 to 85 percent of August peak. The cleanest September pattern runs the post-Ferragosto window at the warmer-water and clearer-light calendar with the clean shoulder rate.
October. Shoulder. Water 21 to 24 degrees, air 21 to 26. Working off-peak rates at 55 to 70 percent of August peak with the operator inventory thinning from 15 October. The cleanest October pattern is the first two weeks at the warmer-water window. Operators wind down inventory 31 October.
November to April. Working off-peak with the canonical Amalfi winter pattern (operators closed November to mid-April). The Amalfi Coast day-charter inventory does not operate in winter; the Naples Bay inventory at Sorrento and the Salerno marina inventory operate at reduced winter capacity.
The Amalfi day-charter zones
Capri (the canonical Amalfi day-charter west axis). The 17 nautical mile west cruise to the Isle of Capri. Blue Grotto entry at the north coast (the 60-metre sea cave with the dawn low-tide entry window from 9am to noon at the 4-passenger rowboat pattern, subject to the swell calendar), the Faraglioni rock anchor at the south Capri coast (the three-rock cluster at depths 6 to 25 metres with the swim anchor and the tender pass-through at the Faraglione di Mezzo arch), the Marina Piccola swim at the south central Capri (the pebble-beach anchor at depths 3 to 8 metres), and the Marina Grande tender stop at the north Capri (the main Capri port with the Piazzetta funicular access).
Li Galli islands (the south Positano axis). The three-island archipelago 2 nautical miles south of Positano. Gallo Lungo (the largest island with the Massine Galli anchor on the east at depths 8 to 25 metres and the Rudolf Nureyev-historical-residence west anchor), Castelluccia, and La Rotonda. The swim anchor pattern at the east of Gallo Lungo runs the canonical Amalfi day-charter Li Galli swim window with the transparent-water calendar.
Conca dei Marini Emerald Grotto and Furore fjord. The 4 nautical mile west cruise from Amalfi port. The Emerald Grotto at Conca dei Marini (the sea cave with the green-water reflection at depths 5 to 15 metres, tender entry only), and the Furore fjord at Marina di Praia (the 30-metre deep coastal cleft with the swim anchor in the narrow fjord at depths 4 to 12 metres).
Positano coastline cruise. The 5 nautical mile west cruise via Furore, Praiano, and the Positano main beach front. The Spiaggia Grande Positano anchor at the town front (the pebble-beach anchor at depths 3 to 10 metres with the tender shore-landing at the Positano main beach), and the Fornillo Beach anchor at the west of Positano (the quieter pebble-beach anchor).
Salerno gulf east extension. The 12 to 25 nautical mile southeast cruise from Amalfi port to Cetara (the anchovy-fishing-village anchor), Vietri sul Mare (the ceramic-town anchor), and the Salerno gulf at the Marina di Salerno departure. The east-extension pattern runs the 8-hour day on the 50-foot-and-up inventory.
Sorrento peninsula north extension. The 15 nautical mile north cruise via the Capo di Sorrento and Massa Lubrense to the Naples Bay at Sorrento. The Bagni della Regina Giovanna anchor at Capo di Sorrento, the Ieranto Bay anchor at the peninsula south, and the Marina Piccola Sorrento tender stop.
A standard Amalfi day charter (7 hours, Capri-Li Galli axis)
| Hour | Position | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 | Amalfi port or Positano tender shuttle | Boarding at the slip or tender pickup, provisioning check, departure briefing |
| 10:00 | West coast cruise | 30-minute slow cruise west past Conca dei Marini and the Furore fjord with the Emerald Grotto tender option |
| 10:30 | Li Galli swim anchor | 1.5-hour swim at Massine Galli east anchor with the Nureyev-villa photo stop |
| 12:00 | Capri west run | 45-minute run west at 18 to 22 knots to Capri |
| 12:45 | Faraglioni rock anchor | 1-hour anchor at the south Capri Faraglioni cluster with the swim and the Arco Naturale tender stop |
| 13:45 | Marina Piccola swim and lunch | 1.5-hour swim and on-board lunch at the Marina Piccola south anchor |
| 15:15 | Marina Grande tender stop | Optional 1-hour Marina Grande tender stop with the Piazzetta funicular access (skip on peak Saturday and Sunday) |
| 16:15 | Amalfi return | 60-minute return run east at 22 knots to Amalfi port |
This is the canonical Amalfi 7-hour rotation on a 50 to 65 foot motor yacht with 10 to 12 guests. The structure adjusts for the Li Galli short-day pattern (which substitutes the Capri leg with a extended Li Galli and Praiano coastline cruise as a 5-hour day on the 35-foot-and-up inventory), for the sunset cruise (which runs the 4-hour 5pm to 9pm rotation at the Praiano sunset position with the Positano lighting-up shore), and for the Sorrento north extension (which substitutes the Capri stop with the Bagni della Regina Giovanna and Ieranto Bay anchor pattern).
Amalfi day-charter boat size guidance
24 to 32 foot gozzo and small motorboats. €600 to €1,500 per day, 6 to 10 guests, skipper-included. The gozzo (Aprea, Apreamare, Mimi della Costiera, Aprea Mare) is the canonical Amalfi day-charter platform with the wood-and-rope aesthetic and the short-range coast cruise pattern. The clean fit for a Li Galli and Praiano day at the budget band.
33 to 45 foot motor yachts. €1.5K to €3.5K per day, 8 to 12 guests, crew of 1 to 2, small galley capacity. The midmarket Amalfi day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the Capri and Li Galli rotation with the short-range Capri transit.
45 to 60 foot motor yachts. €3.5K to €6.5K per day, 10 to 12 guests, crew of 2 to 4, on-board chef on the 55-foot-and-up, full watersports inventory. The premium midmarket band with the structured Capri-Li Galli-Positano rotation.
60 to 80 foot motor yachts. €6.5K to €11K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum (the Italian commercial day-charter limit), full crew of 3 to 6, tender garage. The premium day-charter band with the structured Sorrento and Salerno gulf extension capacity.
80 to 110 foot motor yachts. €11K to €18K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum, full crew of 5 to 8, overnight extension capacity. The extension-charter band for clients combining Amalfi day product with overnight at Capri, Sorrento, or Ischia.
Amalfi day-charter cost math
| Line item | Range (45-foot motor yacht, 7-hour Capri-Li Galli day, July peak) |
|---|---|
| Boat day rate | €3.2K to €4.8K |
| Italian luxury VAT (0% through 2026) | €0 |
| Fuel (typical 7-hour day, 50 nautical miles, at-cost) | €0.35K to €1.0K |
| Crew gratuity (5% to 10% standard in Italy) | €0.16K to €0.48K |
| Provisioning (lunch, drinks, operator-provided or external) | €0.4K to €1.5K |
| Capri Marina Grande day-stop fee | €0.08K to €0.3K |
| Working full check (7-hour Capri-Li Galli day) | €4K to €7.5K |
| Working full check (8-hour Capri overnight extension, 65-foot) | €9K to €13K |
| Ferragosto week premium (1.5x to 2x rate) | €6K to €10K |
The Amalfi day-charter cost runs at the midmarket of the Mediterranean day-charter market on a per-day basis, materially cleaner than the Cote d'Azur cost given the 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026 and the 5% to 10% gratuity standard versus the Cote d'Azur 10% to 15%. The cost-control move is the gozzo or 35-foot motor-yacht booking at the Amalfi port at the €1.5K to €3K band, the June or post-Ferragosto September booking at 65 to 80 percent of August peak, and the operator-direct booking at the Italian-flag inventory.
Operator ranking (the day-charter inventory)
We rank rather than list. The Amalfi day-charter operator inventory we would book runs at the following band:
Amalfi Charter Boats holds the operator-direct 35 to 75 foot motor-yacht inventory at the Amalfi port and Positano anchorage bases with the Apreamare, Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut, and Sanlorenzo inventory. Working operator-direct booking, Italian commercial licensing, on-board chef capability at the 55-foot-and-up. The cleanest single operator-direct booking pattern at the working €3K-and-up Amalfi day-charter band, with the Capri-Li Galli-Sorrento rotation as the canonical product.
Capitano Ago and Amalfi Vintage Boats holds the gozzo and traditional-wood-boat operator-direct inventory at the Amalfi port and Positano anchorage with the 26 to 38 foot Aprea, Apreamare, and Mimi della Costiera inventory. The canonical Amalfi gozzo product at the working €800 to €2K band with the captain-skipper-included pattern. The cleanest single budget Amalfi day-charter product for clients prioritising the traditional wood-and-rope aesthetic.
Lucibello Positano and Positano Charter holds the Positano operator-direct inventory at the Positano anchorage with the 28 to 65 foot inventory and the Positano tender-shuttle pickup pattern. The clean Positano-priority booking pattern with the Capri-Li Galli rotation as the canonical product.
Click and Boat Amalfi holds the aggregator inventory at the Amalfi port, Positano anchorage, and Maiori port with the 26 to 65 foot inventory across the budget and midmarket bands. The aggregator interface, insurance, and the captain-included pattern at the 30-foot-and-up. We cover the platform on the Click and Boat review page.
Samboat Amalfi and Boatsetter Amalfi holds the second-tier aggregator inventory at the comparable bases with the comparable inventory pool. The cleaner alternative for clients comparing the Click and Boat budget-band quotes.
We rank Amalfi Charter Boats and the gozzo operators at the top of the Amalfi day-charter operator inventory list because the Amalfi Coast day-charter product runs the operator-direct pattern at the specific-boat selection (the Apreamare and the 50-foot motor-yacht inventory is the specific-boat-selection product that the aggregator pattern handles less cleanly), the Capri-Li Galli rotation requires the operator-specific captain knowledge of the tide-and-swell Blue Grotto entry window, and the Positano tender-shuttle pickup pattern runs cleaner on the operator-direct booking. The aggregator pool at Click and Boat, Samboat, and Boatsetter runs cleaner at the working €800 to €2.5K budget band.
What we would change
The Capri Blue Grotto entry runs material weather and tide risk at the morning low-tide entry window. We have seen the Blue Grotto entry cancelled at the morning briefing on the east-swell or high-tide day at peak Saturday and Sunday in July and August. The cleanest single fix is the flexible-itinerary booking with the operator commitment to the alternative Capri Marina Piccola swim and Faraglioni anchor pattern at the Blue Grotto closure day. Working operators who substitute the Bagni della Regina Giovanna at Sorrento on the Blue-Grotto-closure day run the cleaner operator pattern.
The Capri Marina Grande day-stop fee at peak Saturday and Sunday in July and August runs €100 to €300 per day on the 45-foot-and-up inventory with the tender-only access pattern for the Marina Grande funicular stop. The cleanest single fix is the tender-shuttle pattern from the Marina Piccola south anchor (which substitutes the Marina Grande tender stop with the alternative Capri town access at the 15-minute walk from Marina Piccola), or the skip-the-Capri-town-stop pattern with the Faraglioni and Marina Piccola anchor as the Capri product.
The Ferragosto window (the 7 to 18 August Italian holiday pattern) runs material on the Amalfi day-charter calendar with rates at 1.5x to 2x off-peak and the full operator inventory absorbed at peak. The cleanest single fix is the post-Ferragosto September booking window at 70 to 80 percent of Ferragosto rates with the clean operator inventory and the post-peak Capri Marina Grande tender-stop pattern at cleaner congestion.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Amalfi Coast private villa inventory at Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, Praiano, and Conca dei Marini with the pool, private-tennis, and direct-sea-view inventory. HotelsForKings covers Le Sirenuse at Positano, Il San Pietro at Positano, Hotel Santa Caterina at Amalfi, Borgo Santandrea at Amalfi, Caruso A Belmond Hotel at Ravello, Palazzo Avino at Ravello, Casa Angelina at Praiano, and the Hotel Capo La Gala at Vico Equense. RestaurantsForKings covers La Sponda at Le Sirenuse, Zass at Il San Pietro, Don Alfonso 1890 at Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, Quattro Passi at Nerano, Lo Scoglio at Nerano, La Caravella at Amalfi, and Rossellinis at Palazzo Avino. BarsForKings covers the Champagne Bar at Le Sirenuse, the Belvedere Bar at Caruso, the Franco's Bar at Positano, the Music on the Rocks at Positano, and the Amalfi Piazza Duomo bar calendar.
FAQ
Do I need to book an Amalfi day charter in advance? For July and August peak, yes. Book 10 to 14 weeks out for the premium 50-foot-and-up inventory at Amalfi Charter Boats, with 12 to 16 weeks for the Ferragosto window (7 to 18 August). The traditional gozzo inventory at Capitano Ago and Amalfi Vintage Boats opens on 4 to 6 week notice at peak with the operator-direct booking. May, June, and post-Ferragosto September open inventory on 1 to 2 week notice at the shoulder rates.
Should I book a gozzo or a motor yacht? The gozzo (24 to 38 foot traditional Apreamare and Mimi della Costiera wood-hull boat with the canopy and open deck) is the canonical Amalfi day-charter platform with the short-range coast cruise pattern and the working €800 to €2K daily rate. The clean fit for a Li Galli, Praiano, and Furore day at 4 to 6 hours. The motor yacht (40 to 60 foot modern hull) is the Capri-and-Li-Galli day pattern with the 22 to 28 knot transit capacity for the Capri 17 nautical mile west run and the 8 to 10 guest capacity at the sunshade and air-conditioned cabin pattern.
What size group fits an Amalfi day charter? 6 to 8 guests on the 24 to 32 foot gozzo band, 8 to 12 on the 40 to 50 foot motor-yacht band, 10 to 12 on the 50 to 75 foot motor-yacht band (capped at 12 on the Italian commercial day-charter limit), 12+ on the two-yacht booking pattern. Groups above 12 should book the two-yacht pattern via Amalfi Charter Boats or the operator-direct two-yacht booking.
How does Amalfi day-charter cost compare with Capri and Saint-Tropez? Amalfi runs at 75 to 90 percent of the Capri rate (Capri runs the Marina Grande slip premium and the Capri local-operator pricing) and 55 to 70 percent of the Saint-Tropez rate at the 45-foot motor-yacht band. The Italian-flag 0% luxury VAT through 2026 absorbs the cleanest single cost-saving versus the French-flag Cote d'Azur inventory. We cover Capri day-charter on the Capri day charter page and Saint-Tropez day-charter on the Saint-Tropez day charter page.