The Bay of Naples: Ischia, Capri, Amalfi
Everything in the Bay of Naples is close: twenty-five miles from Naples to Capri, eight between the islands. Yet these hundred and ten miles hold more than some three-week routes: a volcano on the horizon, an Aragonese castle on a rock, the Blue Grotto, the Amalfi coast and towns that were begun before our era. This is a route about the shore rather than about sailing, and it should be planned that way.
Day by day
Naples
- Naples40.835, 14.254
Take over the yacht at one of the marinas in the bay — usually Marina di Stabia or Mergellina in Naples itself. Provisioning in town. Give the evening to Naples: it is loud, dense and completely unlike the rest of Italy.
Naples → Procida
- Procida40.765, 14.025
The first leg across the bay. Procida is the smallest and most colourful island here: Marina Corricella, with its painted fishermen's houses, is reckoned one of the prettiest harbours in Italy. There are almost no hotels, and the island empties in the evening.
Procida → Ischia
- Ischia40.745, 13.960
A short hop — a day ashore. Castello Aragonese stands on its own rock joined to the island by a stone causeway: a fortress, a monastery and terraces above the sea, built up from the 5th century BC onwards. In the evening, the thermal springs people come to Ischia for from all over Europe.
Ischia → Capri
- Capri40.556, 14.244
South across the bay. Marina Grande is the island's only harbour, booked well ahead in season and expensive with it; in settled weather the alternative is to anchor off the Faraglioni.
Capri: the grottoes and Anacapri
- Capri40.556, 14.244
A day without a passage. First thing, the Blue Grotto, before the queue of tender boats builds (entry only in a local boat, and closed in any swell). Then the funicular up to town, the Gardens of Augustus, the view of the Faraglioni and the climb to Anacapri and Villa San Michele.
Capri → Amalfi
- Amalfi40.633, 14.603
Across to the mainland, and the Amalfi coast begins: a corniche road above the drop, lemon terraces and towns built into the cliff. Amalfi was a maritime republic on a par with Venice and Genoa — the cathedral on the main square is left from those days.
Amalfi → Positano
- Positano40.627, 14.485
Eight miles along the most photographed coast in Italy. Positano is a vertical town: houses in steps from the water to the top and not one street you can drive through. There is no harbour — boats take buoys off the beach.
Positano → Naples
- Naples40.835, 14.254
A last leg across the bay with a lunch stop off Procida on the way, refuelling and handover.
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
- This is the busiest stretch of the Italian coast: ferries and hydrofoils run constantly, and between Capri and the mainland almost without a break. Keeping a careful lookout matters more than speed here, and night passages are best not planned at all.
- Berths: Capri, Amalfi and Positano are the most expensive places on the route and are booked weeks ahead in summer. At Positano and Amalfi you take a buoy — there are effectively no yacht harbours. In August the berthing budget can match the cost of the boat itself.
- Weather: the bay is closed from the north but open to the south-west — in a libeccio the anchorages off Capri and along the Amalfi coast become untenable and boats run for the shelter of Ischia or Stabia. Check the forecast every evening.
- Zones: a marine reserve around Punta Campanella and parts of Capri prohibits anchoring, and at Positano and Amalfi mooring is on buoys only. The base has the current boundaries.
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 Naples — Capri route and where do you stay overnight?
8 days and about 110 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Naples. Overnight stops in order: Naples, Procida, Ischia, Capri, Capri, Amalfi, Positano. The longest leg is day 8, 30 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Naples — Capri 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).
