Luxury Yachts in the Amalfi Coast

Private yacht charters along the Amalfi Coast from Salerno Marina d’Arechi. Positano, Capri, Li Galli and the sea caves, with transfers included. Book direct.

The Amalfi Coast was built facing the sea, and the road came much later. That is the whole argument for seeing it by boat. The SS163 is one of the great drives in Europe and also one of the slowest, a single lane of switchbacks that in August turns a twenty-kilometre hop into two hours. A yacht makes the same distance in twenty minutes and puts you at the one thing the road cannot reach: the water directly under the cliffs, the grottoes, the swimming off Li Galli, and Positano seen the way the photographs are taken, from out at sea looking in. Our charters depart Salerno Marina d’Arechi, a modern full-service marina at the eastern end of the coast, roughly an hour from Naples Capodichino by road, with a private Mercedes transfer to and from the berth included. The fleet runs from a six-guest Riva up to a sixteen-guest Princess 81.

Positano

The vertical village and the one everyone comes for. Anchor off Spiaggia Grande, tender in for lunch, and leave before the afternoon crowd peaks. From the water you see the whole pastel cascade at once, which is the view the town cannot give you from inside it.

Capri and the Faraglioni

About forty minutes across from the coast. The Blue Grotto needs a calm morning and a small tender, and it is worth the queue only if the sea cooperates. The circuit of the island, the Faraglioni stacks and the Green Grotto, is reliable in almost any weather.

Li Galli and Nerano

The small archipelago off Positano, once Rudolf Nureyev’s, with the best swimming on the coast and no road access at all. Nerano across the water is where you eat spaghetti alla Nerano at anchor. This is the half-day most guests remember.

Amalfi, Atrani and Cetara

The eastern stretch, nearest the marina. Amalfi town for the cathedral, tiny Atrani next door for the version without the crowd, and Cetara for anchovies and a working fishing harbour. Short runs, so they suit a half-day or a late start.

What the Amalfi Coast Is Known For

Positano approached from the sea, which is the view the town cannot give you from inside it. Swimming off Li Galli, no road access, the clearest water on the coast. The Capri circuit with the Faraglioni and the Green Grotto, about forty minutes across. Lunch at anchor off Nerano, the home of spaghetti alla Nerano. Amalfi and Atrani in one short run from the Salerno berth. Sunset back along the cliffs with the coast road lighting up above you.

Best Time to Visit the Amalfi Coast

May through October is the charter season. June and September are the sweet spot: warm sea, settled weather, and noticeably fewer boats than July and August. August is the Italian holiday month, when Ferragosto in mid-August packs every anchorage and the coast road stops working altogether. May and early October are quieter and cheaper, with sea temperatures that are swimmable rather than warm. Outside that window most crews stand down and the weather on this coast turns genuinely unreliable.

Getting There

Naples Capodichino (NAP) is roughly 70 minutes by road to Salerno Marina d’Arechi, and a private Mercedes transfer to and from the berth is included on our charters. Salerno itself has fast rail from Rome, about two hours, which is often the calmer arrival. Do not plan to drive the SS163 to meet a boat in summer; the marina is reached from the autostrada side and avoids the coast road entirely, which is part of why the fleet is based there.

Why depart from Salerno rather than Positano or Amalfi?

Marina d’Arechi is a modern full-service marina that can berth larger yachts, it is reached from the autostrada rather than the coast road, and the transfer is included. Positano has no real harbour and Amalfi’s is small and congested in season. You lose nothing: the run west along the coast is part of the day.

Can we reach Capri and back in one day?

Yes. Capri is about forty minutes across from the coast, and a full day comfortably takes in the island circuit, a swim and lunch, and still gets you back along the cliffs at sunset. The Blue Grotto is the one element nobody can promise: it needs a calm morning and it closes on swell.

What is included in a charter day?

Crew, fuel for the planned route, and the Mercedes transfer to and from the marina. Food and drink are either provisioned to your brief or taken ashore at Nerano, Positano or Amalfi. Tell us which you prefer when booking, because provisioning is arranged the day before, not on the morning.

How rough does it get?

Mornings are usually calmer than afternoons on this coast, and the crews plan the route around it. A genuinely bad forecast means the charter is moved rather than endured, and that call is made by the captain. If you are prone to seasickness, book the morning slot and the larger hull.

Is this worth it with children?

Very, and often more than the road. Swimming stops break the day up, the tender is the entertainment, and nobody is strapped into a car on a switchback for two hours. The larger boats in the fleet have shade and an interior saloon, which matters in July and August.

How far ahead should we book?

For July and August, six to eight weeks, and the larger hulls go first. June and September usually have two to three weeks of flexibility. A specific boat on a specific date in high season is the thing that runs out, not charters in general.