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Amalfi Coast Day Cruise from Positano: Emerald Grotto & Swimming

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1/10

Duration7h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN · IT

Mobile ticketAccepted

Twelve people on a boat, the Emerald Grotto waiting below

You board a small boat in Positano and spend the day drifting past fishing villages and sea cliffs, stopping to snorkel and explore the Emerald Grotto (weather permitting). The boat holds 12 people maximum, includes one drink and snorkeling gear, and leaves you free time in Amalfi to explore on your own or take a bus to Ravello. Book all passengers together to guarantee you're on the same boat.

Step-by-step itinerary

Check in at starting point
Cruise along Amalfi coast
Pass Praiano fishing village
View Furore fjord cove
Stop at Emerald Grotto cave
Swim and snorkel stops
Free time in Amalfi or Ravello

The Experience

The water changes color as you round the first headland — from deep blue to something almost unreal, a green so bright it looks lit from underneath. That's the Emerald Grotto, and you're heading straight for it. The boat leaves Positano in the morning with a maximum of 12 passengers, which means you're not jammed shoulder-to-shoulder with fifty other tourists. Your skipper knows the coast the way someone knows their own street, and he'll cut the engine near Praiano, where the village climbs the cliff so steeply you wonder how anyone built it there at all. Then comes the narrow opening of the Furore fjord — a crack in the rock that opens into a hidden cove — and after that, Conca dei Marini, where the water turns that impossible green.

The Emerald Grotto itself depends on the wind and the light. Some days the entrance opens wide; other days it's too rough to go in. When it does open, you drift into a sea cave where the water reflects off limestone in shades you don't have names for. There's an entrance fee of around 6 euros per person once you're there. Between the grotto and Amalfi, the boat stops for swimming and snorkeling — you get a mask (no tube) and time to actually be in the water instead of just looking at it. One drink comes with the ticket, either soda or mineral water, and the skipper handles the boat while you handle the rest.

Once you reach Amalfi, you have free time to walk the town or catch a bus up to Ravello if you want the view from above — that's about 30 minutes each way by road, so you need to plan it. The whole day is built around not rushing. Small groups on the Amalfi Coast day cruise mean you're not competing for space at the rail or waiting for the group to reassemble. Bring sunscreen, swimwear, and something to change into. The boat takes infants in strollers and service animals, and it's suitable for most fitness levels, though if rough water makes you queasy, this probably isn't the one.

What’s included

Your day includes boat transport along the Amalfi Coast, one drink (soda or mineral water), a snorkeling mask, and a professional skipper. You'll have stops for swimming and snorkeling, access to the Emerald Grotto (subject to weather and sea conditions, with a separate entrance fee of around 6 euros per person), and free time in Amalfi to explore or take an optional bus to Ravello.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcome

Operated by Blue Star Positano

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Amalfi Coast from the water without the chaos of a large group tour — the 12-person limit is what keeps the boat feeling intimate instead of crowded, and the flexible stops mean you're not locked into a rigid schedule.