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Amalfi Coast Boat Tour from Sorrento: Everything to Know!

Are you staying in Sorrento and trying to figure out the best way to see the picture-perfect towns along the Amalfi Coast?

Before our trip to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, our friends told us their favorite day was exploring the coastline by boat! And as ocean lovers ourselves, my husband and I knew we wanted to do the same.

While you can absolutely visit the towns of Amalfi and Positano by land (either in a car or a bus), I personally don’t think it’s the best option, especially if you tend to get carsick!

Instead, we decided to go on a full-day boat tour from Sorrento, where we got to swim in the sea, sip prosecco, and get dropped off right in the heart of seaside villages to explore.

Below, I’ll break down every aspect of the tour we did so you can decide if it’s right for you (plus give you some other options to choose from!).

Why You Should Experience The Amalfi Coast by Boat

If you’re visiting the Campania region of Italy and basing yourself in Sorrento as we did, you have two main options for seeing the actual Amalfi Coast: by land or by sea.

The bus ride from Sorrento to Positano is about 45 minutes, and another 45 minutes from Positano to Amalfi. You can book a private van tour from Sorrento to reduce the travel time and have a more seamless and organized experience than the public bus.

However, you’ll still be spending 3+ hours cooped up in a van! And here’s the thing about driving on the Amalfi Coast… the roads are extremely narrow and full of hairpin turns along the cliffside.

Positano rises from the blue sea in tiers of colorful buildings beneath steep green mountains and rocky cliffs. Boats cruise along the waterfront during a boat tour of the Amalfi Coast.

If you get carsick easily, a full day in a bus or car winding along that coastline can be miserable!

Instead, you could spend all that time on the water, sipping prosecco or a Peroni as you admire the dreamy views along the way. Plus, you get to break up the travel time with swimming in the sea!

P.S. If you tend to get seasick like me, you can take a non-drowsy Dramamine before you get on board and still have a fabulous time!

Boat Tour Options from Sorrento

There are many different Amalfi Coast boat tour options to choose from, and which you choose will depend on your budget, travel style, and what exactly you want to see!

We personally booked a small group 10-hour tour with You Know! that left from Sorrento and included 1 hour in Ravello, 1 hour in Amalfi, and 1 hour in Positano, as well as some swimming spots along the way.

However, I actually recommend this small group 8-hour version that just includes Amalfi and Positano, skipping Ravello. While Ravello was a nice stop, it does require a van to get to and was our least favorite of the 3 towns we visited that day.

Instead, I think it’s worth spending more time in Amalfi and Positano (which this tour does), especially if this is the only time you’ll get in these towns during your trip!

We loved that our boat tour was a small group on a small boat; only 6 people were on board, including us (though it could hold up to 12).

Some boat tours along the Amalfi Coast (like this one) have wayyy more people on much bigger boats, which can be a much less fun experience (though it is cheaper!!).

Below, I’m going to break down all the details of the boat tour we did with YouKnow so you can decide if it’s the right one for you.

Full Breakdown & Timeline of Our Boat Tour from Sorrento

Pickup in Sorrento and Boarding the Boat

Our tour picked us up right in the main part of Sorrento and drove us by van to a smaller marina, where we checked in at the tour office.

When checking in, we were given a little passport booklet with information on each stop we’d be visiting, complete with QR codes to scan for more details!

  • A hand with blue painted nails holds a navy booklet outside a stone building surrounded by palms and orange flowers. The cover reads "PASSPORT" and "You Know" and "you know the sea" and "www.youknowboat.com".
  • A smiling skipper serving prosecco stands on a boat under a bright blue sky, holding a chilled bottle in one hand and plastic cups in the other as the sea stretches out behind her. Her white polo shirt reads "You Know" and "If you love the sea"

As soon as we stepped on board our boat, our captain and skipper introduced themselves, and we were handed a glass of Italian prosecco (in a compostable cup)!

My husband and I snagged the back part of the boat, which was basically a giant lounge bed – so luxurious!

Note: The reason we chose YouKnow! was due to their commitment to sustainability and protecting the oceans they explore! 🌊

Cruising Along the Bay of Naples

From there, we headed out of Sorrento and along the coast into the Bay of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius looming in the background the entire time! (For even closer views, make sure to do a day trip to Pompeii too!).

Our guide pointed out landmarks as we passed, including Bagni Regina Giovanna, a natural pool formed by a collapsed cliff that’s popular with locals for swimming and cliff jumping (I really wanted to visit this on our trip, but we couldn’t fit it in!).

We also passed Punta Campanella, the point and nature preserve that marks the switch from the Sorrento coast to the actual Amalfi Coast.

Swim Stop at Li Galli Archipelago

Our first real stop of the day was a swim break near Li Galli, a small privately-owned archipelago just off the coast.

It’s steeped in mythology (this is supposedly where the sirens tried to lure sailors), and there’s even a private hotel on the island that people helicopter into!!

  • View of the rocky coastline and clear blue waters at Li Galli archipelago along the Amalfi Coast, with a red and white Italian maritime flag in the foreground and swimmers and boats nearby. A stone tower peeks out above the pine-covered cliffs under a bright blue sky.
  • Woman in a floral swimsuit smiling and relaxing on a boat during a sunny ride along the Amalfi Coast, with the wake trailing behind and yachts in the distance. Captures a joyful moment on a boat day included in an Amalfi Coast itinerary.
  • A traveler raises a red Peroni beer can while cruising across bright blue water with an Italian flag and rugged coastline behind it. The can reads "Birra Peroni" and "Indiscutibilmente Italiana" and "PERONI" and "Prodotta in Italia".

Jumping into the water here was the perfect way to break up the ride before continuing on towards the town of Amalfi.

In early September, the water was cool but refreshing, and we had another round of drinks and snacks after swimming!

Ravello

After 30 more minutes, we docked in Amalfi and jumped right into a private van for a 15-minute drive up into the hills to Ravello, a beautiful hilltop town you can’t reach by boat!

We spent most of our 1 hour here at Villa Rufolo, a 13th-century villa that has gorgeous cliffside gardens overlooking the sea. Entry is €8 per person!

After that, we explored a local ceramic shop and grabbed drinks and a Greek salad at their cafe before our one hour was up!

  • view of the Amalfi Coast with pink flowers in the foreground from Villa Rufolo in Ravello, Italy
  • Lush palms and leafy trees shade a garden path lined with curved beds of pink red and white flowers at Villa Rufolo in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. Bright blue sky and a glimpse of the sea appear beyond the tropical greenery.

While the views in Ravello were beautiful, I honestly think it’s worth skipping if this is the only day you’ll be exploring the Amalfi Coast.

For one, the views from Villa Rufolo are very similar to the sprawling views of the Augustus Gardens in Capri (Capri is even better tbh)!

Plus, the detour up and back to Ravello eats into your time in Amalfi and Positano, so if you’re trying to maximize your time in those two towns instead, I’d book this tour that skips Ravello!

Amalfi Town

After a 15-minute van ride down from Ravello to Amalfi, we had about one hour to explore Amalfi itself.

We started at the Amalfi Cathedral, which sits at the top of a huge staircase right in the main square (it reminded me a lot of the stairs in Dubrovnik that were used in Game of Thrones!).

  • Tourists climbing the grand staircase of Amalfi Cathedral, with its ornate striped facade and golden mosaic glowing in the sun. A major cultural landmark on any Amalfi Coast itinerary.
  • Interior courtyard of Amalfi Cathedral featuring Moorish-style arches, marble columns, and a lush garden with palm trees.

Entry is only a few euros, and inside you can wander through the cloister garden and down into the crypt. It’s small but extremely beautiful!!

From there, we walked the main street of Amalfi, which was packed with people, shops, and restaurants.

Of course I forced my husband to buy one of the famous lemon sorbets served in an actual lemon!! Even though it was definitely overpriced, it hit the spot in the heat and was sooo yummy!

Hand holding lemon sorbet served in a lemon at the beach in Amalfi, with swimmers in the water and cliffside buildings behind it.

With our lemon sorbet in hand, we walked down to the free public beach, which might have one of the most insane views I’ve ever seen!

The turquoise blue water coupled with the colorful umbrellas and the winding viaduct road in the background is so Euro-summer beach!

We spent the rest of our time in Amalfi swimming at this beach and soaking in the views!

Book your own Amalfi Coast boat tour here before your trip! 🛥⚓

  • Man walking into the turquoise water at Amalfi Beach, surrounded by swimmers with the hillside town of Amalfi in the background.
  • Busy beach scene in Amalfi town with rows of green and yellow umbrellas, sunbathers, and swimmers, backed by the pastel hillside buildings.

Positano

After leaving Amalfi, we cruised past the Fjord of Furore, a tiny arched bridge between two dramatic rock faces where people were swimming! If you have extra time in the area, I definitely recommend checking out this beach.

Within 45 minutes, we arrived at the beautiful (and chaotic) Positano!! There were tons of other boats and ferries trying to dock here, which was a bit overwhelming.

Boats floating off the coast of Positano with a backdrop of colorful cliffside buildings and dramatic mountains. A classic view featured in many Amalfi Coast itineraries.

However, that didn’t take away from our jaws dropping at the colorful coastline we had seen so many times in photos!

With only an hour here (and arriving at the hottest part of the day), we made the call to stick to the beach instead of climbing the stairs into town, since we already had plans to come back to Positano later in the trip (check out our full 5-day itinerary here!).

We grabbed drinks at Ocean Bar, which was right on the main beach of Positano, and just soaked in the view with our overpriced spritzes!! 10/10 vibes.

  • Beachgoers sit and swim along the pebbly beach of Positano on the Amalfi Coast while pastel buildings rise up the steep hillside behind them. Clear blue water and a dramatic sky stretch along the shoreline giving a wide view of this busy seaside town.
  • Framed view of Positano’s hillside homes through palm trees, with soft sunlight highlighting the colorful buildings. A serene scene included in many Amalfi Coast itineraries.

  • Two cocktails on a beachside table in Positano, with blue-striped umbrellas and loungers lining the sand behind them. A refreshing beachside break along an Amalfi Coast itinerary.
  • Woman enjoying a beachside cocktail under an umbrella at a Positano beach club, smiling with sun loungers and umbrellas in the background.

However, if this is your only stop in Positano of the whole trip, I’d recommend going up into town instead of just staying on the beach.

The views from up there are where you’ll find the iconic, colorful cliffside shots you’ve probably seen all over Instagram!

Again, this is where having more time in Positano comes in handy and why I recommend booking this boat tour for your trip!

Last Swim Stop and the Ride Back to Sorrento

As we made our way back toward Sorrento, our boat stopped one final time for a swim just outside of Positano near the coast!

A smiling swimmer stands on a boat beside an Italian flag after swimming in clear turquoise water along the Amalfi Coast. Steep rocky cliffs and green wooded slopes rise behind the quiet cove.

On the hour-long ride back to Sorrento, my husband and I both fell asleep on the back of the boat and woke up to a shot of limoncello from the skipper. The perfect end to a perfect day!

We docked back at the main ferry port in Sorrento and then boarded a van that took us up to the central part of Sorrento where we started the tour!

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What to Pack for the Amalfi Coast Boat Tour

An 8-hour+ boat day along the Amalfi Coast means you’ll need a swimsuit and plenty of sun protection!

Below are my boat day must-haves, but if you want a full rundown of what to bring, check out my What to Wear on the Amalfi Coast in Summer guide!!

  • A one-piece swimsuit — I always opt for a one-piece on boat days since it doubles as a tank top under my clothes
  • White linen pants and a matching linen long-sleeve shirt — I know, pants and long sleeves in summer sounds like a lot, but both are lightweight enough to stay cool while giving you sun protection you’ll be thankful for after a long day on the water
  • Reef Water Vista sandals — 100% waterproof and comfy enough to wear walking around town too!! I’ve worn these same sandals in Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France
  • A foldable floppy sun hat — mine rolls up small enough to pack! There’s very little shade on the water so you’ll definitely want a hat
  • A dry bag or cross-body bag — to keep valuables safe and dry while on the water
  • Reef-safe sunscreen — plan to reapply since you’ll be in and out of the sea all day

Shop all of my Italy Essentials here!

Final Thoughts: Is An Amalfi Coast Boat Tour from Sorrento Worth It?

Yes, 100%!! If you’re staying in Sorrento and not spending nights directly in Amalfi or Positano, a boat tour is one of the best ways to see those towns without dealing with the stress of driving on the cliffside roads (whether that’s you driving or someone else!).

Our Amalfi Coast boat tour from Sorrento ended up being one of the best days of our entire trip!

Between the swim stops, the champagne, and getting to see Amalfi, Ravello, and Positano all in one day, it’s an experience I’d recommend to anyone basing themselves in Sorrento.

That said, if maximizing your time in Amalfi and Positano is the priority, I’d book this boat tour that skips Ravello altogether. While it’s a beautiful stop, it comes at the cost of time in the two towns most people are actually there to see!

Either way, a boat tour is one of the top things to do on the Amalfi Coast!! (You can click that link for more ideas too😉).

Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!

  • Four photo panels promote a boat tour on the Amalfi Coast with a hand holding a red Peroni can on a boat, a busy Amalfi beach, a white boat floating in front of Amalfi, and an Italian flag beside a rocky cove. Center text reads "EPIC BOAT TOUR ON THE AMALFI COAST and why you should book one!" and the bottom text reads "www.adventuresbylana.com".
  • A vertical collage about a boat tour on the Amalfi Coast shows colorful hillside buildings above the water in Amalfi at the top and a crowded beach scene at the bottom. Large center text reads "why you should book a boat tour on the AMALFI COAST" and the bottom text reads "www.adventuresbylana.com".

Travel Blogger

Lana Sitler, the face behind Adventures by Lana, is an adventure travel blogger from Florida! She has traveled to over 20 countries in the last 10 years, most while working a full-time job. Lana is on a mission to show people you can still travel the world and cross items off your bucket list while working a traditional 9-5 job. Her goal on her blog is to make travel planning as easy as possible for everyone!

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