The Amalfi coast: a week from Salerno
Salerno is the quiet way onto the Amalfi coast: the base sits at its southern end, an hour from Naples airport, and Amalfi, Positano and Capri are two or three hours away under sail. A loop of about 85 nm with legs of 6 to 22 nm, every night below a town, rounding Punta Campanella twice. It suits crews for whom the shore matters more than the sailing: few hours under way, and ashore the Greek temples of Paestum, the villas of Ravello and the coast's most famous pasta.
Day by day
Salerno (Marina d'Arechi)
- Salerno (Marina d'Arechi)40.648, 14.820
The transfer from Naples airport takes about an hour. Take over the yacht at Marina d'Arechi on the southern edge of Salerno and provision in town. In the evening, the Salerno waterfront, with the cathedral and its Norman courtyard on the way to dinner.
Salerno → Amalfi
- Amalfi40.634, 14.603
Give the morning to Paestum: forty minutes south by taxi or hire car, three Doric temples from the 6th and 5th centuries BC standing in a meadow, and the painted Tomb of the Diver in the museum. After lunch, the leg west to Amalfi, where the cathedral steps rise straight from the harbour. The harbour is small; book a berth ahead in season.
Amalfi → Positano
- Positano40.628, 14.485
In the morning, up the valley to Ravello: Villa Rufolo and the view of the coast that inspired Wagner. After lunch, the shortest leg of the week. Positano has no harbour: take a buoy or anchor below the town of pastel houses stacked up the hillside, and go ashore by dinghy to the Spiaggia Grande.
Positano → Capri
- Li Galli40.581, 14.432
- Capri40.556, 14.242
Past the Li Galli islets and round Punta Campanella to Capri. Berth in Marina Grande or take a buoy under the Faraglioni; in summer, book ahead. The afternoon is the path to Villa Jovis, Tiberius's palace on the cliff, and the evening the Piazzetta.
Capri → Procida
- Procida40.763, 14.026
Across the Bay of Naples past Ischia to Procida, the smallest island in the bay and the calmest: fishermen's houses in every colour above the Corricella harbour, Elsa Morante's island and Italy's Capital of Culture in 2022. Night in the port of Marina Grande.
Procida → Nerano
- Nerano (Marina del Cantone)40.582, 14.357
Back across the bay past Vesuvius and the Sorrento cliffs, round Punta Campanella a second time, to the bay of Marina del Cantone at Nerano. The pebble beach under the Lattari mountains is known for one dish, spaghetti alla Nerano with courgettes, and it is eaten right on the beach. Night on a buoy or at anchor.
Nerano → Salerno
- Salerno (Marina d'Arechi)40.648, 14.820
A last leg east along the whole Amalfi coast — Positano, Amalfi, Cetara and Vietri sul Mare seen from the water. Refuelling and handover at Marina d'Arechi.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Weather: in a strong westerly the Capri and Procida days are the first to move — the boat stays on the Amalfi side (Amalfi, Positano, Nerano, Cetara) and you take the ferry to Capri from Sorrento. Nowhere on this coast is more than two hours from a harbour. The best months are May, June, September and October.
- Berths: Capri, Amalfi and Positano are the most expensive places on the coast and are booked weeks ahead in summer. Positano and Nerano have no harbour — buoys and anchor only. Budget for berths separately from the boat; August is the peak.
- Zones and traffic: a marine reserve around Punta Campanella prohibits anchoring in part of its zones, where mooring is on buoys only — the base has the current boundaries. Ferries and fast boats between Capri, Sorrento and Amalfi run almost without a break, so night passages are best not planned.
- Logistics: the nearest airport is Naples, about an hour from Salerno. Paestum and Ravello are easiest by taxi or hire car: about forty minutes from Salerno to the temples, under half an hour from Amalfi up to Ravello.
When to go and what it costs in Italy
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in Italy
All boats in Italy
How long is the Salerno — Amalfi route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 85 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Salerno. Overnight stops in order: Salerno (Marina d'Arechi), Amalfi, Positano, Capri, Procida, Nerano (Marina del Cantone). The longest leg is day 7, 22 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Salerno — Amalfi route?
Italy's season runs May to October. June and September give the best balance of weather and price; July and August are the peak, with expensive, busy marinas, which is why in Sardinia you anchor out. May and October are the shoulder months: cooler water, cheaper boats. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is November: a median of ≈€254 per berth per week. The most expensive is January, at ≈€280. The most boats with 20% off or more are in November: 52%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in Italy for a week starts from €934 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in Italy”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
