A traditional Amalfitan hull carrying twelve at most, which is what lets it get into the coves.
Two swim stops, chosen for the water
The boat stops where the water is clearest rather than where the road happens to reach.
Snorkelling kit aboard
Masks, snorkels and floats are provided, and there are floats for anybody who is not a confident swimmer.
Prosecco, limoncello and fruit
Drinks and fresh fruit are in the fare rather than sold from a cool box.
A restroom and a shower
Both on board, which is not something every boat on this coast offers.
Half day or full day
Choose the shape at checkout: four hours if your afternoon is spoken for, eight if it is not.
Your day on the water, from the Darsena pier
This is the Amalfi Coast the road cannot show you. The boat is a gozzo, the wide
wooden hull the fishermen here have always used, fitted with a canopy for shade and
carrying no more than twelve people. It leaves from Amalfi's Darsena pier, and also
from Positano, Sorrento and Salerno depending on the option you book.
The route works along the cliffs through Conca dei Marini, the Fiordo di Furore,
Praiano and Positano, with stops to swim where the water is best that day.
Beaches with no road to them are the whole point: half the coast's swimming is reachable
only from the water, and this is how you get to it.
Everything you need is aboard. Masks and snorkels, floating devices for anybody less
confident, a canopy when the sun gets high, a shower and a restroom. Bottled water, soft
drinks, beer, Italian prosecco, limoncello, snacks and fresh fruit are all inside the
fare, and the listing carries no exclusions at all — which on this coast is
unusual enough to be worth saying.
Your crew are captains rather than tour guides, and the day is run accordingly. They
point out what you are passing, they pick the stops, and they will change the plan if the
sea says so. Ask to be put ashore in Amalfi rather than taken back to Positano and they
will usually do it.
The route, cove by cove
Board the gozzo at Amalfi's Darsena pier
Conca dei Marini: swim and snorkel stop
Fiordo di Furore, under the bridge
Praiano: a second swim stop
Positano seen from the water
Return to the Darsena pier
Board at the Darsena pier — Amalfi town centre, in front of the yellow lighthouse. The crew hold an orange umbrella.
Conca dei Marini — West along the cliffs to the first swim stop, about forty minutes on the water.
Fiordo di Furore — Under the stone bridge and into the inlet, which is the narrowest thing on this coast.
Praiano — A second stop, and the beach at La Gavitella facing west across the gulf.
Positano — The town from the water, which is the angle every photograph of it is taken from.
Back to the pier — Return along the same coast, with the light behind you by late afternoon.
Who this suits, and who should stay on the road
This suits you if you would rather swim than shop. It suits families with children old
enough to be comfortable on a boat — the youngest fare band starts at four —
and it suits couples who want a day that costs about the same as a coach seat and feels
nothing like one. The half-day option makes it the easiest thing on this coast to fit
around something else.
It is not the trip for you if the towns are what you came for. You get ashore, but the
day is built around water rather than around streets, and if you want two hours in Amalfi
and two more in Ravello then
the guided three-town
day is the honest recommendation. Anybody who is seasick on a calm day should choose
the road as well.
Towels are not on the inclusions list, so bring one. Everything else is aboard.
What is aboard, and what is not
In the fare
Restroom on board
Use of Snorkeling equipment
Floating devices, snorkeling equipment (mask and snorkel), canopy for shade, shower on board
Bottled water
Soda/Pop
Alcoholic Beverages
Snacks
Not in the fare
Nothing is listed as excluded on this one.
Where the gozzo picks you up
Four meeting points, and the one you use depends on the option you book. In
Amalfi it is the Darsena pier in the town centre, the one by the yellow
lighthouse in front of Hotel Residence on Piazza Flavio Gioia — the pier where the
small private boats tie up, not the ferry berth. In Positano it is in
front of the Le Tre Sorelle restaurant on the main beach at Marina Grande. In
Sorrento it is in front of Ristorante Ruccio at the main port on Via
Marina Piccola. In Salerno it is by the Travelmar ticket booth at the
Masuccio Salernitano pier.
At every one of them the crew stand out under an orange umbrella twenty minutes before
departure. Arrive fifteen minutes early.
Know before you go
Confirmation arrives at the time of booking. Check which of the four piers your option uses before you set out — they are up to ninety minutes apart.
The boat is not wheelchair accessible. Boarding is from a pier or a beach; if that is difficult, a private charter can usually come alongside somewhere easier.
The group is capped at twelve travellers. Book ahead in July and August, when the small boats fill first.
Towels are not on the inclusions list. Bring your own, along with sunscreen and something to put on for the ride home.
The captain decides on the sea state, on the morning. If the day is called off for weather you are offered another date or a full refund, so keep a spare day in the plan.
Fares run from four hours to eight. Pick the length at checkout; the half day covers the western coves and the full day adds time ashore.
What travellers said about the snorkel day
★★★★★
Captain Nick and Genevra looked after everyone all day and kept the boat feeling safe and unhurried. The snorkelling, the swimming, the fruit and the drinks all arrived without anyone having to ask for them. It is the day we would do again first.
Ann D. · Couple · August 2026
★★★★★
Paying a little more for a small boat rather than one of the hundred-seat cruisers was worth every euro. Two swim stops, then Amalfi and Positano, with about ten of us aboard. Hard to better that combination anywhere on this coast.
David C. · Friends · August 2026
★★★★☆
A freak storm came over the top of Amalfi while we were out and both ports closed behind us. The captain brought everyone back through driving rain, wearing a dive mask so he could see. It was frightening and he was completely calm, which is why this is still four stars.
No. The swim stops are optional, life jackets are aboard and floating devices are provided for anybody who is not a confident swimmer. Plenty of people stay on deck and treat the stops as the quietest part of the day.
Which pier do I leave from?
Amalfi's Darsena pier, Positano's Marina Grande, Sorrento's main port or Salerno's Masuccio Salernitano pier, depending on the option you book. Check yours before you travel, because they are as much as ninety minutes apart by road.
Is there anything else to pay on the day?
Nothing on this one. The listing carries no exclusions, and the drinks, snacks, fruit and snorkelling gear are all in the fare. If you choose to visit the Grotta dello Smeraldo on another boat day, that ticket is always bought at the cave.
What if the weather turns?
The captain calls it, and no boat leaves in unsafe conditions. Where a day is cancelled for weather you are offered a different date or a full refund. Storms here build fast in August and pass quickly.
Is the half day enough?
For the coves and the swimming, yes. If you want time ashore in Amalfi or Positano as well, take the full day, or take the guided three-town day, which puts the towns first and the water second.
Can children come?
Yes. The fare bands run from four years old upward, floats are aboard and the swimming is usually the part younger travellers remember. Under-fours are not carried on this one.
Other ways onto the coast
If this is not quite your day, these two cover the same coastline differently, and
the full list of Amalfi Coast boat tours sits on the homepage.
