By Rowan Ellis · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
Angel boat rental
Amalfi Coast Boat Rental (License not Required)
4.8 (150) · from $191
Amalfi Coast boat rental in my list means a small boat that you drive yourself from Salerno, and I found two on GetYourGuide. Both cost $191 for the whole boat, and both say that no boat licence is required. Both also appear in my full list of boat tours on the Amalfi Coast. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page.
My pick for Amalfi Coast boat rental, for a group of five or six who want a long day, is the Biagio Giudice boat, rated 5.0 from 32 reviews, because it takes up to 6 people and the listing offers a guide as an option. For a smaller party I’d choose the Angel boat rental, which has far more reviews, 4.8 from 150. Neither listing makes the licence rule easy to check, so read my section on it below before you book.
RENT A BOAT DI BIAGIO GIUDICE
My pick: My pick for a group of up to 6: $191 for the boat, one day, 5.0 from 32 reviews, no licence according to the listing.
Angel boat rental
My pick: The better-tested boat: $191 for up to 5 people, 9 hours, 4.8 from 150 reviews, with a licence-free claim and a fuel charge to ask about.
Amalfi Coast boat rental from Salerno starts well to the east of the famous towns. The Biagio Giudice listing shows a map point in Salerno that sits about 13.6 km in a straight line from Amalfi marina, and the Angel boat rental meets at Piazza della Libertà 94 in the same city. That means a long run along the coast before the first swim stop, and then the same run back, so your fuel use and your time ashore are both set by that distance.
The Angel listing gives a clear shape of the day, and it is the best guide to what an Amalfi Coast boat rental involves: a 10-minute safety briefing, then 8 hours of cruising on the Amalfi Coast, 9 hours in total, with a return to the same place. A September reviewer described the day in detail: a boat with a 40 horsepower outboard and a cool box, a run down to Positano, a boat taxi into town for lunch, and a few hours back along the coast exploring bays and coves. With this boat rental in Amalfi Coast waters, the Biagio Giudice listing says you can do it in total autonomy or with an expert guide, and it mentions snorkeling at the Galli Islands as a possible stop. Its duration is shown as a day, with start times to be checked on the booking page.
Both Amalfi Coast boat rental listings say to bring a passport or ID card. Neither lists a minimum age beyond the Biagio Giudice rule that drivers must be 18 or older. That listing is also not suitable for wheelchair users.
Boat rental in Italy, and so Amalfi Coast boat rental, comes with a licence question, and the two listings answer it in one line each. The Biagio Giudice page says “No boat license required”. The Angel page says “You don’t need a boat license to rent and pilot the boat”, and its list of what is not included names the boat licence as the one thing it does not supply. Those are the operators’ claims, and I cannot check them from here.
What I can add is the legal frame. Italy’s nautical code, the Codice della nautica da diporto, sets out in art. 39 when a licence is not needed for pleasure craft; you can read the text on Normattiva. The exemption depends on the boat, mainly its engine, and on how far from the coast you sail, so a licence-free rental is a small, low-powered boat kept in a limited zone. My advice is to ask the operator, by message before you pay, for the engine power, the permitted area and whether they require any document other than ID. If the answer does not match your plan, choose a skippered trip instead.
An Amalfi Coast boat charter with a skipper is a different product from the two boat rentals in Amalfi Coast waters above, and my list has three of them. Positano Dama Charter is $842 for a 4 to 7 hour private day, rated 5.0 from 29 reviews. Sea Boat and You Charter is $763 for 4 hours, rated 4.8 from 39. Amalfi Cruises is $802 for 6 hours, rated 5.0 from 38. All three sit on traditional gozzo boats, they cost three to four times a self-drive hire, and they take up to 6 guests. At six people, the charter works out to roughly $127 to $140 each.
I would pick a charter over Amalfi Coast boat rental if nobody in your group wants to navigate a coast of rocks, ferries and fishing boats, or if you want a stop planned for you. The compared table below sets the two rentals against the cheapest charter. My private boat tour page gives the full comparison of the three charters.
| Option | Price | Group | Duration | Rating | Boat type | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biagio Giudice rental | $191 | Up to 6 | 1 day | 5.0 (32) | Self-drive motor boat | Free up to 24 hours before |
| Angel boat rental | $191 | Up to 5 | 9 hours | 4.8 (150) | Self-drive motor boat | Free up to 24 hours before |
| Sea Boat and You Charter | $763 | Up to 6 | 4 hours | 4.8 (39) | Skippered gozzo | Free up to 24 hours before |
Boat rental in Amalfi Coast listings does not stretch to yachts. I found no yacht rental in Amalfi Coast listings among the 13 trips I compared, and I would not describe either rental in this list as one. These are small boats with an awning, a shower and a stereo. The nearest thing to a yacht is the sailboat on my sailing page, a Dufour 360 Grand Large sailed by a skipper from Marina di Arechi in Salerno, $72 per person, with only 2 reviews so far.
If a yacht is what you want, treat my list as a place to start: ask the private operators whether they offer a larger boat for a bigger group. Two of the three charters, the Positano Dama Charter and the Sea Boat and You Charter, list a skipper and a shower on board, but neither lists a boat larger than the gozzo for 6.
On Amalfi Coast boat hire, the reviews are the best source I have. Fuel is the one detail that reviews bring up on this Amalfi Coast boat rental. The platform summary for the Angel boat says travellers praise the friendly staff, the simple instructions and the easy-to-drive boats, and it adds that some wish the fuel cost and the payment method were clearer upfront. One reviewer wrote that the boat showed more than half a tank at the end and was charged 90 euros for fuel at 2.50 euros a litre, and another said they would suggest charging gas upfront. Both listings have a fuel line in their inclusions, so the wording is inconsistent with that experience.
My rule for any boat rental on the Amalfi Coast is simple: before you pay, ask in writing whether fuel is included, what the price per litre is and when it is settled. For the Biagio Giudice boat there is only one summary line, value for money rated 4.8, and reviewers who liked the staff’s help and lessons on how to drive.
Boat rental on the Amalfi Coast suits a confident group on a long day, and not everyone wants that.
If you would rather skip Amalfi Coast boat hire and want a shared boat, a sunset or swimming trip on the Amalfi Coast without driving, see my page on Amalfi Coast snorkeling and the sunset cruise page. The full comparison of every trip is back on my Amalfi Coast boat tours page. If you are planning boat rental on other coasts, my home page lists the cities I cover.
In my list both self-drive boats cost $191 per group, with the Angel boat for up to 5 people and the Biagio Giudice boat for up to 6. The second was listed at $213 before a discount. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026. A reviewer of the first said fuel was charged on top at the end, so ask what you will pay.
Both listings say no boat licence is required. Italy's nautical code covers this in art. 39, and the exemption depends on the boat's engine and the area you sail in. I would ask the operator for the engine power and the permitted zone before paying, and take the licence line as the listing's own claim.
Both start in Salerno, not in Amalfi or Positano. The Angel boat rental meets at Piazza della Libertà 94 in Salerno, and the other listing shows a Salerno map point about 13.6 km in a straight line from Amalfi marina. Expect a long day on the water to reach the coast and come back.
Both listings include an awning, a shower, a stereo, a climbing ladder and instructions for using the boat. The second adds ice and safety equipment, and the first lists navigation lights and a sundeck with cushions. Both name fuel and a skipper in the inclusions, so ask exactly what that means for a self-drive hire.
Both listings say you can cancel up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, according to the booking-platform text. A day on the water depends on the sea, so I'd pick a date with a spare day around it and read the policy on the page before you pay.
No. My list has two small self-drive boats and three private gozzo charters with a skipper, from $763 per boat. There is no yacht rental as such. If you want a skipper and a plan made for your group, my private boat tour page compares the three charters.
My full review of each one, in the order I rank them: