1-Week Charter Sail In Amalfi Coast Italy - Our Itinerary and Favorite Islands
I have been traveling with my two kids in Europe since July 1, and have joined a friend with her two kids since July 11. After 8 days in Bulgaria and 9 days in Albania, each of us got a niece at college age joining us in the last minute, expanding our team to 8 in total. Challenged with logistics and accommodation options, we finally decided to charter a catamaran at Naples Italy, sailing around Amalfi Coast for a week.
Positano in sunrise
Similar to our Bahamas trip, we chartered our catamaran from the same company Dreamyacht. I only documented that trip with an iPhone and a drone since I accidentally left my camera bag at the Seattle airport.
This time I vowed to do better! I have brought two camera bodies, three lenses, and a tripod. It turned out most of the time I used only one camera and one lens. I haven’t yet had a chance to use tripod since the beginning of our Europe trip, and now impossible on the boat. So lessons learned, I could have packed even less.
Photo Statistics:
I took a total of 3757 photos in our Naples/Amalfi Coast trip, among which:
3714 was taken by Canon R5
the rest of only 43 by Sony A7IV
Among the 3714 photos taken by Canon R5:
2641 was taken by Canon RF24-70mm f2.8
1073 were taken by Canon RF70-200mm f2.8
Apparently my Canon RF24-70mm f2.8 was the power horse during travel. It was never my favorite lens, but it’s simply the more versatile lens. If I had to use only one lens for any day, this was always my top choice.
If you’d like to know which mirrorless camera is right for you, please watch my free video guide Mirrorless Camera Ultimate Buying Guide.
If you’d like to know which lens is worth your investment, check out my lens portfolio.
Procida in sunset
Every island we’ve sailed is beautiful and unique. Even you don’t take a boat trip, I believe you may still be able to get to some of the following places by train or ferry. Of course, some islands are more accessible than the others.
So here’s our itinerary.
Day 1 - Naples Airport To Pozzuoli, Naples Tour
We flew from Tirana, Albania to Naples, Italy with a short layover in Athens, Greece. My niece flew in from Portugal on the same day. We took a pre-booked taxi (as we had 7 people with luggage) to Pozzuoli. The ride took about 30 minutes. We spent the first night in a small hotel within walking distance to the Dreamyacht marina in Pozzuoli.
In the afternoon, we took a train to Naples, and explored the Old Town.
A vibrant city in southern Italy, Naples is renowned for its rich history, captivating architecture, and delectable cuisine, with UNESCO-listed sites such as the Historic Centre of Naples and the Royal Palace of Naples reflecting its cultural significance. The city's UNESCO recognition highlights its exceptional preservation of landmarks that bear witness to centuries of artistic, architectural, and historical contributions.
Day 2 - Boat checkin and Preparation
Day 2 morning was tedious. We checked in with Dreamyacht, and went through a lengthy paperwork process. Our skipper Kuba flew in that afternoon. We hired him through Dreamyacht from a different company. We went through the same process in our Bahamas trip so everything seemed to be pretty standard.
Sunrise at Dreamyacht marina, Pozzuoli, Italy
A very important task was food and essential shopping. Different from our Exuma sail in Bahamas (during Covid), when we ate exclusively on the boat, we were able to access to restaurants and small shops on different islands this time. So if we missed anything, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Ironically, we still ended up buying too much. My friend and I did 3 rounds of shopping separately at a nearby supermarket, and had everything delivered to our boat in the evening.
My friend’s niece flew in from London and joined us on our first night in the marina.
So all 9 people were aboard, and finally, we were ready for the trip.
Day 3 - Procida, Ischia
We checked out Procida and Ischia islands during the day, anchoring our boat in the crystal clear water, swimming, kayaking, feeding fish, watching birds. In fact, neither of my kids could swim. My niece was severely sea sick.
We went onshore for the first time at Procida Island in the evening, and enjoyed a perfect sunset!
This colorful and peaceful island in the Bay of Naples is known for its charming pastel-hued buildings, scenic fishing harbors, and a relaxed atmosphere, making it a hidden gem and a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of nearby tourist destinations.
My niece got some sea sick pills from a local pharmacy. Ironically she never took them and miraculously recovered from the second day.
Procida in sunset
Day 4 - Capri
Capri, a captivating island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is celebrated for its dramatic cliffs, the stunning Blue Grotto sea cave, luxurious resorts, and vibrant botanical gardens, making it a glamorous and naturally beautiful destination favored by travelers worldwide.
Before the tour, someone told us Capri was a must see for island hoppers along Amalfi Coast. It has the highest overnight anchor fee among all marinas in Europe (something like €2500), according to our skipper.
Fortunately, he found a nice cove to anchor for the night, a perfect location to enjoy the a beautiful sunset, and sunrise.
Capri in sunrise
Unfortunately, I couldn’t use the tripod to help create the landscape photos I wanted. I don’t remember all the details of the breathtaking view, but I absolutely remembered how I felt in front of the incredible scenery.
Day 5 - Amalfi
Amalfi, a UNESCO world heritage site, a historic and coastal town nestled on Italy's Amalfi Coast, boasts breathtaking sea views, a stunning cathedral, and a maze of narrow alleys filled with traditional Italian charm, making it a delightful destination for visitors seeking a taste of southern Italy's rich culture and natural beauty.
Amalfi, Italy
We went onshore wandering around Amalfi, and thoroughly enjoyed this town with colorful houses dotted along steep sea cliffs.
The old town near the marina was charming but crowded. Navigating between viewpoints required walking on a combination of steep steps, narrow lanes, and even car tunnels.
Many restaurants were closed after lunch around 3-4pm and would not reopen until 7pm in Italy. Given we traveled with so many kids, who could be hungry, thirsty, tired or whiny anytime, we had to play it by ear and change plans constantly.
Amalfi in sunset
For the first time, we took a bus on this trip, as we wanted to have dinner and check out the view on the hill. It was quite an adventure sitting in a large bus zigzagging along a narrow road along the steep coastal cliff.
When we finished it was already in blue hour. By the time we traveled down on the same bus and reached marina, the full moon just peeped through the ocean horizon. Even better, it was a bloody moon!
Bloody moon at Amalfi marina
Unfortunately I left my telephoto lens and tripod on our boat so could only take a quick snapshot to document this special moment.
It was a bit windy that evening. Water was choppy, and the boat was rocking a lot more than before. Nevertheless, everyone seemed to still sleep well.
The next morning, we anchored our boat in a small cove between Amalfi and Positano. I wrapped my camera bag with several layers of waterproof covers, and had it “shipped” to shore on the kayak. I swam over and finally was able to use my favorite telephoto lens to take some photos for the kids from a distance. I haven’t used this lens much for the trip, and it wasn’t very practical on the boat.
For the first time, Orion, our 5 yo, overcame his fear and let me push him in the floatie back to the boat. He was giggling all the time. We did a few long “swim” like this afterwards, and he really enjoyed it.
Day 6 - Positano
Positano, a picturesque coastal town on the Amalfi Coast, is renowned for its colorful cliffside houses, stunning sea views, and winding streets filled with boutiques and charming restaurants, making it a romantic and idyllic destination for travelers.
If we only had time to see one place in Amalfi Coast, I’d pick Positano.
We explored this charming cliff town after Amalfi. Lots of steps, window shopping, ice cream and photos.
I was able to capture the sunset at Eden Roc Hotel after a lobster dinner at its restaurant Adamo ed Eva. The food was heavenly but we made a mistake of eating way too much ice cream beforehand. So most of my lobster was donated to our skipper after coming back to the boat.
The landscape photo vantage point was probably the main reason I splurged the meal with my niece and two little extreme picky eaters, who didn’t even bother to try the lobster at all.
The photo angle wasn’t exactly what I expected, but given the limited time we had, this was the best location I could find, and the best sunset photo I could take for that day.
Positano sunset viewed from Adamo ed Eva
I got up early the second morning, as I did everyday on the boat, and took some shots of the early sunray over the mountain and the town, just to get a different view and composition from the water. Everything was perfect!
Positano in sunrise
Day 7 - Procida
Procida might not be the most known place in Amalfi Coast in Italy, but we absolutely loved it! In fact, we paid a second visit to the charming town on the island, even better, during the sunset again.
We anchored our boat at our favorite island this time and had another peaceful sleep.
Day 8 - Ischia, back to marina
We spent some time swimming in the ocean near Ischia, the largest island near Naples, and did some real "sailing”. During the entire trip, our skipper motored the boat without the sail.
The real joy of turning off the boat engine and letting the boat glide in the wind in complete silence was hard to describe. It gave you a sense of peace and freedom, and allowed you to enjoy living in the present and “now”.
When we got back to the Naples marina, we had a chat with the guests on our neighboring boat, manned by 6 guests who collectively owned 18 passports. When asked which island was their favorite, surprisingly and unsurprisingly, they said Procida!
We spent the last night on the boat in the marina. Technically, we could explore more places such as Sorrento or Pompeii, but they would have cut everything short. We also wanted to balance interest for everyone in different age groups. The little ones simply wanted to swim or feed fish. Our skipper had another job and had to leave early as well.
In fact, we were caught in a severe thunderstorm the last evening at the marina. I took my boys for Orion’s haircut nearby. We were half way back to the boat when it suddenly started to shower. We were completely soaked running back in the thunderstorm. The boys were terrified - they never wanted to shower for fear of water in the eyes before this Europe trip.
In hindsight, if we delayed our trip back, we would have been caught in the thunderstorm in the ocean, something nobody wanted to experience.
So, everything turned out to be perfect. Everyone had an amazing time!
Day 9 - Boat Checkout, Fly out of Naples
All good things must come to an end. We said good bye to Naples the second morning, and flew to our next destination: Venice.
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