Boat tours from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi

Piers, transfers and the walk nobody warns you about

Almost every tour leaves from Marina Piccola, the commercial harbour below Piazza Tasso. It is a 12–15 minute walk downhill through the switchback of Via Luigi de Maio, and a hard climb back up in the afternoon heat. The lift from Villa Comunale saves the climb for a small fee.

Smaller wooden boats and some private charters use Marina Grande, the old fishing village on the western side, which is a separate 10-minute walk from the centre. Check which marina your voucher names before you set off — they are not interchangeable.

Which Sorrento tours stop, and which only pass by

This is the single biggest source of disappointment. Sorrento sits 15 nautical miles from Positano, so operators buy time by cutting the shore stops.

• Full-day 'Positano and Amalfi' tours: usually 60–90 minutes ashore in each town. This is what most travellers want.
• Half-day coastal tours: Positano stop only, or no stop at all — the coast is seen from the water with two swim breaks.
• Capri day trips from Sorrento: no Amalfi Coast towns at all, despite the pictures. Different day, different route.
• Transfer-inclusive tours: hotel pick-up in Sorrento, Sant'Agnello or Meta, which adds 30–45 minutes of minibus at each end.

What you see on the way

Leaving Marina Piccola you round Punta del Capo, pass the Roman ruins of the Bagni della Regina Giovanna, and cross the marine protected area of Punta Campanella — the clearest water on the route, and where many boats put the ladder down. Then Li Galli, the archipelago Rudolf Nureyev owned, and Positano opens up from the west. Amalfi is a further 40 minutes east past Praiano and the Fiordo di Furore.

Timing your departure

• 08:30–09:30: flat water across Punta Campanella, empty coves, Positano before the tender queues.
• 10:00–11:00 departures lose the best swim window and arrive in Positano at peak beach hour.
• Afternoon-only tours are fine for a sunset run but too short for two town stops.
• Westerly afternoon wind makes the return leg from Amalfi to Sorrento the bumpiest hour of the day — sit midships if you are sensitive.

Ferry instead of a tour?

Sorrento–Positano–Amalfi ferries run several times a day in season and cost far less than a tour. They give you transport and nothing else: no swimming, no coves, no commentary, and long queues at Positano's jetty in August. Use the ferry if you want a village day; book a tour if you want the water.

Frequently asked questions