Sorrento is located on the western tip of the Amalfi Coast, exactly opposite Capri. Its location is strategic for visiting the natural places of the coast and islands with a boat tour.

Get on a boat and enjoy a day at sea visiting the Amalfi Coast, its caves and its villages such as Amalfi and Positano. Or, set sail for Capri to explore the inlets of its rugged coastline and the marvelous Blue Grotto. Each boat trip is also a perfect opportunity to swim in the clear water and snorkel.

What are the best places to visit on a boat trip from Sorrento?

Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coast between Sorrento and Salerno. The coast is very indented, with many overhanging cliffs, inlets, bays, small villages and beaches. The Amalfi Coast has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its beauty and historical value.

The Amalfi Coast can be visited by land from Sorrento, but the best way to visit it from a unique perspective is certainly by sea. Cruise along the coast and take in breathtaking views of the cliffs and villages perched in the inlet.

Capri

Capri is certainly the most famous island of the Campanian Archipelago. The small island of Capri has been made famous by the Italian film industry and is always portrayed as an idyllic summer destination. Surely, the best way to explore the island is through a boat tour, with the possibility of getting close to the caves present along the coast of the island. The water around the island is very clear and blue, which makes swimming and snorkeling very pleasant. The famous Blue Grotto is located in Capri and can be visited with all boat excursions from Sorrento.

Ischia

Ischia is the largest island of the Campanian Archipelago. Ischia is more famous in Italy than abroad, where Capri is more famous. Anyway, Ischia island is a fascinating destination as it combines an impressive marine ecosystem (cliffs, inlets, caves and bays) with a developed cultural history. You can visit several sites of historical interest such as the Aragonese Castle of Ischia.

Procida

Procida is a small island adjacent to Ischia. The two islands are often visited on the same boat tour. One of the most salient points of interest in Procida is undoubtedly the view of Corricella and Terra Murata, a set of colorful houses perched on the cliff with a small beach below. You can admire the view from the ground, from two points of view at the ends of the bay, or from the sea from a boat.

What are the best boat tours from Sorrento?

Boat excursion to the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento

The tour begins with hotel pickup and transfer to the port. Get on your boat and set sail for the Amalfi Coast. During the boat trip, you will see Nerano, Li Galli Island and the Grotta Smeralda, famous for the emerald green color of the water seen from inside the cave. The boat will stop several times for swimming and snorkeling.

The boat tour will stop twice on the mainland, in Amalfi and Positano. You will have time to discover the two towns. Enjoy the return to Sorrento on the boat, sunbathing on the deck and taking advantage of the last stops for snorkeling.

Boat trip to Capri and the Blue Grotto from Sorrento

Tours to Capri include hotel pickup that will take you to the port to start the boat trip. Set sail to the island of Capri, enjoying the surrounding landscape.

Some boat tours focus on visiting the Blue Grotto, the most famous place on Capri. The name of the cave derives from the intense blue color of the water inside. To enter the cave, you will need to transfer to a small rowing boat. Unfortunately, the Blue Grotto is not always open, as its opening depends on the sea conditions. Anyway, it is quite common to queue over 2 hours to get in if you don't reach early in the morning. Therefore, some boat tours head directly to the Blue Grotto as soon as you arrive in Capri to avoid the queue. Afterward, the tour will continue by sea to other highlights of the island, such as the Faraglioni, the Green Grotto and the White Grotto.

However, some tours do not include the Blue Grotto and allow more time to go down to the island and visit it on foot. Please read the tour description carefully for precise details. All boat tours make several stops for swimming and snorkeling.

Boat tour to Ischia and Procida

The boat trip begins with hotel pickup and transfer to the port of Piano di Sorrento to embark. The boat will set sail in the direction of Procida, the smallest of the Campania islands and the least visited by tourists. You will make the tour of the island by boat, being able to swim and snorkel during the stops that the boat will make in the many bays and beaches of the island. You will have time to go down to the island and visit it from the ground.

Later, you will set sail for Ischia. The boat will go around the island of Ischia, passing by the Aragonese Castle, the Cavascura thermal baths and the Maronti beach. You will have a couple of hours to visit the island by land before returning to Sorrento.

What types of boat tours are available in Sorrento?

Group boat tour

Group boat trips are the most common in Sorrento, as they are relatively cheap. The boats can carry small groups of people, usually between 8 and 12 people. Therefore, even if the activity is in a group, the number of participants is quite small and you can enjoy the boat excursion in peace.

Private boat tours

Private boat tours from Sorrento offer a more private and customizable experience than group tours. With private boat trips, you will have a captain and a boat just for you, with the opportunity to customize the itinerary.

Boat rental

If you want to have an entire boat to yourself and drive it, you can choose to rent a boat. You will need to have a minimum of experience running a boat to have no problem, even if a specific license is not required for smaller boats, such as inflatable boats. If you are not sure how best to drive a boat, you can book a private tour that includes a skipper and the boat that will be reserved for you.

How much do the boat tours cost from Sorrento?

Boat trips from Sorrento have a price that varies depending on the type:

Group boat trips to the Amalfi Coast usually cost between € 100 and € 120 per person. Some tours offer lower prices, around € 70 per person, because they include more participants in the group.
Group boat tours to Capri are slightly cheaper, as the sea trip is shorter. Prices range from € 65 to € 140 depending on the type of boat and the number of participants in the group.
Private boat tours cost between € 600 and € 1,000 per group of people depending on the size of the boat and the destination.

Where do boat trips leave from Sorrento?

Some boat tours depart from the port of Sorrento, while others depart from Piano di Sorrento, a town adjacent to Sorrento. Virtually all tours offer hotel pickup included in the price, with transport from the hotel to the port and vice versa.

If you are staying in other neighboring cities during your vacation, it may be useful to check the offers for boat tours that depart from other cities. Here you will find links to the pages of boat trips from other port cities in the area.

If you are staying for a day or two in Capri and want to take a boat ride from there to visit the cliffs and the famous Blue Grotto, take a look at our page of boat tours from Capri.

What is the duration of a boat trip from Sorrento?

Boat tours from Sorrento last almost a full day, around 8 - 9 hours. The duration of the day trips is sufficient to enjoy the sea and have some time to visit the towns of Capri or the Amalfi Coast.

Some boat tours stay in Sorrento's waters to see the sunset: they are shorter and last about 3 hours. Private boat tours last 6 or 7 hours.

When is the best time for a boat tour from Sorrento?

Sorrento has a typical Mediterranean climate with a warm summer, mild autumn and spring and cool winter. Indeed the best time for a boat trip is in summer, between June and September. April, May and October are cooler, but it is possible to enjoy a nice boat ride on a sunny day.

Boat Tours & Trips from Sorrento