The Amalfi Coast from the road is a traffic jam with a view. From the water it is the most theatrical coastline in Europe, and the boat is the only way to see it the way it was meant to be seen: from below, at anchor, with a spritz.
The shape of the week
Days one and two, Capri. Board near Naples or Sorrento, cross to Capri, and take the island properly: through the Faraglioni rocks, the grottoes along the south side, Marina Piccola for a swim, and an evening ashore when the day trippers have left, which is when Capri becomes Capri.
Day three, Nerano and the Li Galli islands. The bay of Nerano hosts the most famous long lunch on this coast, and the zucchini pasta is worth its reputation. Swim off Li Galli in the afternoon, the tiny archipelago where the light goes strange and gold.
Days four and five, Positano and Amalfi. Anchor off Positano and watch the town stack up the cliff like a painting. The towns are best visited from the sea in the morning or evening; midday belongs at anchor. Cathedral in Amalfi, cloister in Ravello for the ambitious, dinner ashore where the crew books the table you could not get.
Days six and seven, Ischia and Procida. Turn back across the gulf via the islands the feeds ignore: Procida's painted harbour, Ischia's thermal springs and garden bays. Quieter water, better swimming, and the week ends softer than it began.
The honest practicalities
July and August bring real boat traffic around Capri and Positano; your captain times the marquee stops for mornings and keeps afternoons in the quieter bays. Day charters run the highlights as single days from about 1,200 euros as of summer 2026, and crewed weeks position here all season; live rates on the Amalfi Coast page. June and September are the connoisseur's months: same coast, softer light, tables without a fight.