On board a comfortable boat for a day of relaxation, discovering two beautiful islands in the Gulf of Naples: Ischia and Procida. You can relax under the sun, dive from the boat and snorkel in the clear waters, but also spend some free time both in Ischia and Procida, exploring the two characteristic villages by land.
Duration 11 hours
Available Tuesday and Friday from June 3rd to September 22nd.
Small Group Max 12-14 people
Meeting point Parking Achille Lauro
Start time
08:15am
Depart from Sorrento on board a comfortable boat for a day of relaxation, discovering two beautiful islands in the Gulf of Naples: Ischia, the so-called “Green Island” for its lush vegetation, a beautiful spa resort, rich in bays and dream beaches, and Procida, recently chosen as Italian Capital of Culture 2022, which enchants visitors with its vibrant colors and its unspoiled natural beauty. You can relax under the sun, dive from the boat and snorkel in the clear waters, but also spend some free time both in Ischia and Procida, exploring the two characteristic villages by land.
Tour program of the Ischia and Procida boat trip from Sorrento:
Meet your driver at 08:15 am at the Parking Achille Lauro, in Via Correale 25, Sorrento and transfer to the port of Piano di Sorrento.
During the boat ride from Sorrento along the Gulf of Naples, you will see in the distance the small island of Nisida, the Phlegraean Fields, up to Capo Miseno, the extreme point of the Phlegrean peninsula.
Upon arrival in Ischia, we will start the tour from the Maronti beach, the longest on the island (almost 3 km); then we will stop at the Green Cave, an incredible natural cave carved into the rock, inside which the light, reflecting into the water, creates a play of colors and shades of green. Right here we will stop to swim and snorkel, before heading to the Aragonese Castle, the symbol of the island in the world: a majestic fortress that stands on a huge rock, connected to the East side of the island by a bridge of 220 meters.
We will, then, stop at the port of Ischia for 3 or 4 hours of free time, in which you can explore the island on your own, maybe on board one of the iconic microtaxis (three-wheeled Apecar), a fun and unique way of touring Ischia and discover the main points of interest.
The tour continues towards Procida. While sailing around the island, we will stop to admire: the islet of Vivara; Terra Murata with the former prison of Palazzo d’Avalos; Marina di Corricella, a wonderful village famous worldwide for its multicolored houses; the bay of Chiaiozza and much more. Also in Procida, we will stop for a swim in one of the many bays along the coast.
In Procida, you will have 1 or 2 hours of free time to visit the island by land in total autonomy.
Finally, we will leave Procida and return to Sorrento, with the final limoncello tasting.
Upon return to the port of Piano di Sorrento, the driver will take you back to the original meeting point.
*This experience requires a minimum number of 4 travellers. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
The price includes: Round trip transfer from the meeting point to the port– Professional skipper English speaking – Dry snacks – Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
The price does not include: Hotel pick-up and drop-off – Destination fee € 5,00 per person to be paid on the spot – Snorkeling equipment (it is advisable for the customers to bring their own or to buy it new before boarding: € 15,00 mask; € 9,00 snorkel).
Do not forget: Swimsuit – Beach towel – Sunscreen – Sun hat – Camera.
The history of Procida is as old as the times. There are three major islands in the Gulf of Naples: Capri, Ischia and Procida. Procida is the smallest (only 4 square km), but it was the first to be inhabited.
Procida is the Island of culture, tranquillity and mystery. With its slow rhythms, far from the mundanity and chaos of the nearby islands, it is the destination for lovers of simplicity, tradition and peace. Procida excites, inspires, enchants.
Even from a distance, when the port of Marina Grande is barely visible, the first thing that is discovered in Procida is the colorful set of houses. Yellow, blue, red, orange, white: a rainbow that welcomes the traveler on this little island, not very touristy and so extraordinarily authentic.
The beauty of Procida is all here: fishermen, blue sea and boats, lemons, hills, small villages lost in time. On the square of the port you will find the bus and taxi stop, as well as bars and restaurants, while on the left is Via Roma, the commercial and tourist heart of Procida.
Terra Murata, with the majestic Palazzo d'Avalos, is instead the historic core of Procida and is located at the center of the island almost 90 meters above sea level. This village takes its name from the walls that surround it, built in the 16th century to protect the population from attacks by sea.
Procida is an island full of beaches, bays and inlets: most can be reached on foot or by bus while some can only be discovered by sea. Near Procida, connected by a bridge, there is another small island, Vivara, currently uninhabited and used as a nature reserve.
To protect the landscape and the marine environment of these magnificent places, the Marine Protected Area "Kingdom of Neptune" was established in 2007 and it surrounds Ischia, Procida and Vivara. This area is home to the most important colony of dolphins in the Mediterranean and is rich in archaeological finds scattered on the seabed just off the coast of Procida.
Ischia is an island located in the Gulf of Naples and is spread over an area of 46 square kilometers. The coast is divided into two areas: the north is the most populated and is built on hills; the south is much more savage and we encounter the presence of cliffs, mountains and inlets. The main centers of the island are: Ischia, Casamicciola Terme, Lacco Ameno, Forio, Serrara Fontana- Sant’Angelo e Barano-Spiaggia dei Maronti.
Ischia, which has over 17,300 inhabitants, is the most important city on the island. It is divided into an older part, called Ischia Ponte, and a modern part called Ischia Porto. The castle of Ischia, better known as Castello Aragonese, is believed to date back to the 5th century and is the undisputed symbol of the island.
Its presence on the island in front of Ischia Porto is rooted in time and is, as well as a symbol, a written testimony in the stone of the island’s history. The castle rises suggestively on a rocky islet connected to the main island by a masonry bridge.
The modern Ischia, or Ischia Porto, began to develop in the eighteenth century, but its economic boom came only in the twentieth century. The Port originates in a lake that Ferdinando II had to open to have a canal that connected it to the sea.
A destination for exclusive bathing and spa tourism, the evening is a popular meeting point thanks to the presence of numerous bars, restaurants and shops.
The patron Saint of the island is Santa Restituta: it is said that her boat landed on the island by a miracle in the stormy sea.
Sant'Angelo is a small village of Ischia, among the most picturesque of the island and as famous as Forio for its thermal springs. The fame of the town is also linked to the Sanctuary and the ancient Tower, from where the cult in honor of the Archangel Saint Michael originated.
The sea that surrounds Sant’Angelo is extraordinary: to make it even more suggestive there is the fact that is linked to the island through a very narrow isthmus of land. The heart of this town, renowned destination for italian and international tourism, is the famous Piazzetta, open on the beach and on the dock of the marina, where small shops, luxury boutiques, restaurants and bars are concentrated and that in the evening is crowded with tourists.
Surely to visit in Sant’Angelo of Ischia is the Bay of Sorgeto which represents a true and typical example of natural thermalism. In fact it encloses amongst its rocks the characteristic of having hot water even in the winter months.
In the western part of the island of Ischia, in Forio, there is the famous Lady Walton garden-museum, commonly known as “La Mortella”.
The term “Mortella” in neapolitan indicates the “divine myrtle”, a plant that appears with great abundance among the rocks of the hills on which the garden develops.
“La Mortella” is a love story or rather the story of love. An extraordinary story. In 1949 the musician William Walton decided to settle on the island of Ischia with his argentinian wife Susana. The spouses built a Villa surrounded by an awesome botanical garden. The construction of the garden was entrusted, in the 60s, to the landscape architect Russell Page, who designed the whole arrangement of the garden in the Valley, integrating it between the picturesque rocky formations. Today “la Mortella” is composed of two deeply different parts: the Valley, precisely, designed by Page and characterized by a subtropical climate, humid and protected from the wind; and the Hill or upper garden, entirely designed and developed by Lady Walton, with sunny and windswept areas characterized by vegetation from the Mediterranean areas.
At his death William has arranged for the Villa and its garden to be open to the public and that the foundation (to which he left everything) would be available to young composers from all over the world in order for them to be able to work on their compositions and become a center world excellence for performances of music, theater and dance. The work of Lady Walton in creating this enchanted garden is well-known among fans of the world of gardens and plants, to such an extent that a new orchid hybrid has received her name: the “Miltassia Lady Susana Walton” and can be admired in the Orchid Greenhouse.
Of the six municipalities of the island, that of Lacco Ameno is the smallest. It rests on a slight slope on the northern coast at the foot of the hills of Mount Epomeo and is a popular seaside and hydrothermal resort, bordering to the east with Casamicciola Terme and to the west with Forio. The symbol of Lacco Ameno is not a building but rather a natural architecture called “il Fungo” (the Mushroom): an ancient rock of green tuff about 10 meters high and located offshore. The legend says that it was created after the eruption of Mount Epomeo, then it was cooled and eroded by the water of the Tyrrhenian Sea, assuming the shape similar to a mushroom, which made it famous and gave it the name.
The most famous structure of the town remains the Basilica of Santa Restituta, built in 1036 in honour of Santa Restituta d’Africa.
The most famous and representative festival of Lacco Ameno is dedicated to Santa Restituta as well and takes place between the 16th and the 18th of May and is characterized by a procession that leads, by land and by sea, a statue depicting the half-length of the Saint, who is dressed and painted as well as being adorned with precious objects offered by the faithful.
The town center of Casamicciola Terme consists of Piazza Marina located on the seafront near the Port where you can see a row of houses overlooking the sea, small beaches very close to the road and some bars with outdoor tables that make you think of a typical holiday place. Having been largely destroyed by the earthquake of 1883, Casamicciola is made up of modern buildings not rich in history, apart from the Pio Monte della Misericordia, a large building of the late nineteenth century which was once the largest thermal establishment in the south.
Casamicciola Terme has the largest presence of healing thermal springs both in the sea and in the interior. In the Sentinella area, above the port and with a beautiful view of the town, there is the ancient Geophysical Observatory, founded at the end of the 19th century. For lovers of nature walks Casamicciola Terme offers the Maddalena wood and the Rotaro hill where you can be carried away by the scents of the undergrowth. Also noteworthy is the Castiglione Thermal Park, surrounded by green with access to the sea and 10 thermal pools.
Barano is the most “surprising” town on the island of Ischia. So rich in views, corners, panoramas, that those who come for the first time are overwhelmed by such a variety of environments. This municipality has a territory of vast dimensions, in fact it’s the second municipality of the island by extension and overlooks the sea with a bay similar to a basin. Once it was a land of peasants who built their homes moving inward so as to be close to the crops. The territory is in fact formed by ancient districts and hamlets located on the hills and covered with woods and vineyards, where there is for example the beautiful Church of San Giorgio near Testaccio, the beautiful pinewood of Faiano or the suggestive bell tower of the Church of San Sebastiano in the same Barano.
Also under the small bridge that crosses the hamlet of Buonopane is the miraculous Nitrodi spring, already known in the classical era for its medicinal virtues.
Another very famous place of this part of the island is the Maronti beach, which is the largest of Ischia and which, with its bars and restaurants and beaches, has greatly contributed to the economic revitalization of the municipality after the difficulties of the two world wars.
The Maronti beach is a beautiful natural coastline 2 km long and full of beautiful corners and thermal resources such as Cava Scura and the beach of Fumarole. In the municipality area you can still admire the ancient windmills, the Pilastri water supply and the Torre dei Saraceni.
Lunch is not included in the boat tour. During your free time on the islands you can have lunch if you wish to. Should you need any recommendation, our skippers will be happy to advise you.
Yes you will have some free time to swim and snorkel during the boat tour. The skipper will decide the best and most comfortable stops for you thanks to his experience.
Yes, you will have a Limoncello tasting onboard on the way back to the Port. Should you wish to buy this wonderful local liqueur you can ask the skipper for a good recommendation.
Yes, in case of bad weather/sea conditions the tour might be cancelled. In case of cancellation we are happy to offer our customers the choice of an alternative date or, in case of inability to rebook, the full refund.
Some friends who had been in Sorrento a couple of years ago, told us to go visit Ischia and Procida whilst on vacation here. We chose the small-group tour instead of the ferry to have a more relaxed and safe excursion. We are sooo glad we did it! What an amazing day…To be able to see these islands from the sea it’s just something else, believe me. We had a couple of swim stops in amazing places, time to relax, lots to drinks and even a delicious sandwich. On our own time in Ischia we walked around and had a fantastic gelato :)
On the way back we sat on the front of the boat and just chilled out with a beer and enjoyed the views. Totally recommend it!
Quality time on board with YouKnow!
philippemontague333
12/2018
Always wanted to visit Ischia and Procida! With my family of 5 we went this summer and You Know made sure everything was perfect. Just 7 people on the boat and the ride has been amazing. The skipper provided good explanations along the way as well as snacks, drinks, limoncello and prosecco. We got to swim and snorkel 3 times and it was beautiful. My kids were so happy and my wife enjoyed sunbathing on the front of the boat. A beautiful day we will hardly forget!
This trip was awesome. Boat driver was the best. Plenty of time on both stops with plenty of information. Procida seemed like a quaint little fishing district and ischia a little more commercialized.
Your company was great and well organized
Sign up now and get a 10% discount to use when you want on one of our You Know! signature tours.
Keep up to date on the trend news of You Know Life on Travels, Made in Italy and Green Economy delivered straight to your inbox.
Our Newsletter!
Sign up with your email address to get exclusive offers and the trend news of You Know Life on Travels, Made in Italy and Green Economy delivered straight to your inbox.
Reviews from our customers
Overall rating
5.00 /5
Based on 2 review
Rating details
Wonderful
Quality time on board with YouKnow!