Amalfi Coast Boat Day Cruise from Salerno with Swim Stop

Salerno and Vietri sul Mare

Salerno is the gateway to the eastern end of the Amalfi Coast and the easiest place to start an Amalfi Coast boat trip if you arrive by train or cruise ship: the station and the port are a short walk apart. Above the city stands a medieval castle, and the old town hides a cathedral founded in the 11th century and the memory of the Salerno Medical School, the first great school of medicine in medieval Europe. As the boat leaves, the long palm-lined seafront promenade slides past.

A few minutes west lies Vietri sul Mare, where the coast officially begins. Vietri is famous for its hand-painted ceramics, and the dome of its main church is covered in bright tiles. From the sea you see how the town spills down to its beach, with the two rocky islets known as the Due Fratelli standing just offshore.

Cetara, Maiori and Minori

Cetara is a fishing village tucked into a narrow valley, with a 16th-century watchtower above the harbour. Its fleet still goes out for tuna and anchovies, and the village is known across Italy for its anchovy sauce, made by an ancient method. Beyond it the cliffs rise towards Capo d'Orso, a headland with a lighthouse and rocks shaped by the wind.

Then the coast opens into the bay of Maiori, with the longest beach on the Amalfi Coast and a medieval tower at its end, and next door Minori, where a Roman seaside villa from the 1st century still stands in the town. Between them runs the old Path of the Lemons through terraced groves, and from the boat you can see the green and yellow terraces climbing behind the villages.

Atrani and Amalfi from the sea

Next comes Atrani, a tiny village of white houses packed around a little square and beach, with a church perched on the rock above. Just around the headland is Amalfi, the town that gave the coast its name. Between the 9th and 11th centuries it was a maritime republic whose ships traded with Byzantium and the Arab world, and its cathedral, with a striped facade and tiled bell tower, still dominates the harbour.

Seen from the water, Amalfi shows its true shape: houses rising up the Valley of the Mills, where handmade paper has been produced since the Middle Ages, and cliffs crowned by towers. Your host explains the history of the republic and points out the landmarks, a good way to understand the coast before you visit the towns on another day.

Conca dei Marini, the Furore fjord and Praiano

West of Amalfi the cliffs become higher and wilder. Conca dei Marini spreads its white houses over a green headland with a round watchtower, and at sea level lies the entrance to the Emerald Grotto, a cave found by a fisherman in 1932 and known for its glowing green water. A little further on, the Furore fjord cuts deep into the mountain, with a tiny beach beneath an arched road bridge about 30 metres high.

Praiano follows, stretched along the cliffs with a church dome of glazed tiles and small coves below. This is the wildest and most beautiful part of the cruise, with sea caves and rock formations close to the boat. Many travellers say this is why a boat day trip on the Amalfi Coast is better than the road: the views are wider and nobody has to drive.

Positano and the swim stop

The cruise reaches Positano, its pastel houses stacked down the mountain to the grey-sand beach and a dome of majolica tiles at the bottom. The boat stops off the town, and if you would like to go ashore to explore the lanes and shops, a shuttle boat runs to the beach for a small fee paid locally. Offshore, look for the Li Galli islands, linked by legend to the sirens of ancient myth.

On the way back the boat pauses in a clear bay for a swim stop, the best moment of the day on a hot afternoon. Snacks, biscuits and water are served on board; lunch is not included, so bring a picnic or eat ashore in Positano. The boat returns to Salerno about seven hours after departure.