Amazing Day Trips to Take Along the Amalfi Coast by Boat

Discover the top spots around Italy’s coast by Culture Trip’s Sailing Trips.

On the west of the Amalfi coastline, you’ll pass the Punta Campanella nature reserve. Protected to safeguard the region’s biodiversity, you’ll spot banks of wildflowers filling the air with the gentle scent of rosemary. Kestrels and peregrine falcons swoop above the limestone cliffs while you spot dolphins and sea turtles in the water. Mooring and anchoring are not allowed due to the protected status – but jumping from the deck into the sea certainly is!

For an escape from the bustle of the mainland, visit the fishing hamlet of Marina del Cantone. Boats can anchor in the bay and taxi to the beach. Then it’s a gentle uphill walk to Nerano. Alternatively, take the footpath along the coast to Recommone to explore olive and lemon groves and a historic watchtower, followed by lunch at Conca del Sogno. Make sure to try spaghetti alla nerano, a local pasta tossed with courgette, basil, and parmesan.

From the sea, the view of Positano is a kaleidoscope of colour, from grand villas draped in bougainvillea to narrow passageways that fall into the crescent moon bay. On the beach, umbrellas pop in primary colours and the yellow and green tiles of Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta’s dome shimmer. There is a buoy mooring harbour opposite Fornillo beach, minutes from the pier. On land, visit Covo Dei Saraceni Hotel for cooling lemon sorbet, served within its fruit shell.

According to legend, these three islands, a few miles off the coast of Positano, were once home to sirens whose singing lured the local fishermen to their watery graves. Today, the islanders are the exclusive VIPs that make the luxury villas on the largest of the islands their holiday homes in the summer months. While tourists aren’t allowed to dock on the islands, you can take in their serene beauty as you sail past.

A day of sailing calls for a leisurely pit stop at the much-loved seafood shack, Da Adolfo, on Spiaggia del Laurito. Accessible mainly by sea, the beach is small, and the restaurant offers boats to ferry you to land. Sit at tables set over the water on wooden platforms while barefoot waiters serve seafood specials scribbled on a chalkboard. An institution since the 1960s, it’s a laid-back affair showcasing Italian cooking at its finest.

A landmark on the Amalfi coast, the Fiordo di Furore is a mighty chasm in the rocks eroded by the Schiato stream that flows between the rocks. The mouth of the Fiordo di Furore is crossed by a narrow stone bridge, a dizzying 30m (98ft) high, which makes the area quite the spectacle, and it’s from here where daring cliff jumpers leap into the sea as part of an annual high-diving tournament.

Moor your boat in the town of Conca dei Marini for a visit to the Emerald Grotto. Named for the jewel-like green glow cast by sunlight pouring into the cave and filtering through the water, while popular in the 19th century, the grotto was re-discovered in 1932 by a local sailor, Luigi Buonocore. Limestone stalactites drip from the cave ceiling, and every Christmas, a submerged nativity scene, four metres beneath the water, is adorned with flowers placed by divers.

No sail along this stretch of coastline is complete without a stop in Amalfi. Moor your vessel in the Porto di Amalfi Coppola Marina dock, and climb up to Duomo di Amalfi, stopping on the steps for a refreshing gelato from Pasticceria Savoia. Through a pedestrian tunnel, take the lift from Piazza Municipio and ride up to Belvedere Cimitero Monumentale, a cemetery with picture-postcard views over the terracotta roofs and coastline.

The clifftop town of Sorrento may be on the other side of the peninsula, but it makes for a feasible day trip by boat. Set high above the sea, grand hotels perch on cliffs and towering cypress trees shade the water. The Marina Piccola main harbour offers inshore areas for mooring. Here, fishermen mend their nets while tourists decide which restaurants to try for dinner. Try Porta Marina for seafood, a volcano vista, and some seriously good limoncello.
Discover the top spots around Italy’s coast by Culture Trip’s Sailing Trips.
Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.