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A 40m motor yacht working the Amalfi Coast in August charters at €130,000 to €210,000 a week. The full check, after a 28 to 32 percent APA, Italian VAT at an effective rate of 6.6 percent on most 24m-plus contracts, and a 10 percent crew gratuity, lands at €195,000 to €310,000. The Amalfi Coast is the highest-density charter cruising ground in the Mediterranean by yacht count per cruising mile, and the highest-dockage-fee market in Europe. Both facts move the math. This guide is the worked version, by week, by line item, and by the contract structure most clients fail to ask about.
The cruising ground covered here is Sorrento to Salerno, the Galli islands, Capri, Ischia, and the loop into Procida and Naples. Most weekly charters in the area work the Sorrento-Capri-Galli-Positano-Amalfi loop and finish either at Salerno or back at the embarkation port. Single-port-of-call days are common because the marquee anchorages are all within an hour at cruising speed. This makes APA fuel cheap but drives dockage and concession fees high.
Weekly rate card, peak season (mid-July to late August)
Rates below are typical broker pitch numbers for current MYBA-contracted yachts working the Italian Tyrrhenian. Shoulder weeks (late June, early September) are 20 to 28 percent below peak. Low season (mid-May, last week September) is 30 to 40 percent below.
| Size class | Yacht type | Weekly rate (€) | Typical APA % | Full check (peak) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24m to 30m | Motor yacht | 50,000 to 95,000 | 25 to 30 | 80,000 to 150,000 |
| 30m to 38m | Motor yacht | 95,000 to 165,000 | 28 to 32 | 145,000 to 250,000 |
| 38m to 45m | Motor yacht | 165,000 to 260,000 | 28 to 32 | 250,000 to 395,000 |
| 45m to 55m | Motor yacht | 260,000 to 410,000 | 30 to 34 | 395,000 to 625,000 |
| 55m to 70m | Motor yacht | 410,000 to 680,000 | 30 to 35 | 625,000 to 1,050,000 |
| 70m to 90m | Motor yacht | 680,000 to 1,400,000 | 32 to 38 | 1,050,000 to 2,200,000 |
The 24m to 30m band is unusually well-served on the Amalfi Coast because the Italian small-yacht charter fleet is the largest in Europe. A 28m motor yacht with a crew of five at €80,000 a week is the most-booked single product on the coast and the right entry point for first-time Italian Tyrrhenian clients.
Italian charter VAT: the math, not the headline
Italy applies a base 22 percent VAT on the charter fee. Then it applies a use-and-enjoyment reduction that scales with yacht type and LOA, on the assumption that a portion of the charter is consumed outside EU territorial waters. The reductions, simplified:
| Yacht profile | Deemed EU portion | Effective VAT on charter fee |
|---|---|---|
| Motor yacht under 24m LOA | 60 percent | 13.2 percent |
| Motor yacht over 24m LOA | 30 percent | 6.6 percent |
| Sailing yacht under 24m LOA | 50 percent | 11.0 percent |
| Sailing yacht over 24m LOA | 40 percent | 8.8 percent |
This is the second-most-attractive VAT regime in the European charter market, behind only the Greek 4.8 percent effective rate. On a 40m motor yacht weekly charter fee of €170,000, the Italian effective VAT is €11,220. The flat 22 percent figure would be €37,400. The €26,180 difference is real money and is the reason the contract structure matters.
The condition is that the use-and-enjoyment regime must be elected at contract and documented through the trip log. A broker who prepares the contract under the flat 22 percent regime, either because they do not handle Italian VAT regularly or because they want to avoid the documentation, costs the client real money. The standing rule on first-pitch emails: ask which use-and-enjoyment band the contract will be drawn under, and request the calculation worked.
What the APA covers on the Amalfi Coast
| Line item | Share of APA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dockage and mooring | 25 to 35 percent | The largest absolute line on most Amalfi APAs. Marina Grande Capri, Marina di Stabia, Maiori. |
| Fuel | 20 to 28 percent | Diesel at the major Italian fuel docks runs €1.65 to €1.95 a liter at the pump. Short cruising distances keep absolute fuel cost lower than other regions. |
| Provisioning (food, drink) | 22 to 30 percent | Italian provisioning runs higher than Croatia or Greece. Wine pricing is the most cellar-driven in the Med. |
| Local fees and harbor dues | 6 to 10 percent | Marine reserve fees, anchoring permits, water taxi fees. |
| Sundries | 3 to 5 percent | Onboard SIM, water-toy fuel, laundry. |
| Contingency | 5 to 10 percent | Refunded if unused. |
The Amalfi Coast is the only Mediterranean cruising ground where dockage is the top line on the APA instead of fuel. Marina Grande Capri at €2,200 a night in August, multiplied across three to four nights of dock-side berthing, is the line that turns a €170,000 charter into a €230,000 wire. Captains routinely build itineraries that anchor in the Galli or off the Praiano coast and tender in for dinner rather than dock for the night. A broker or captain who plans every night in port without justification on the Amalfi Coast is not optimizing for the client.
Worked example: a 42m motor yacht, one week Sorrento to Salerno, mid-August
| Line | Amount (€) |
|---|---|
| Weekly charter fee | 185,000 |
| Italian VAT (effective 6.6 percent under use-and-enjoyment, motor over 24m) | 12,210 |
| APA (30 percent of fee) | 55,500 |
| Crew gratuity (10 percent of fee, paid at trip end) | 18,500 |
| Full check | 271,210 |
Same booking, broker drawing the contract under the flat 22 percent regime:
| Line | Amount (€) |
|---|---|
| Weekly charter fee | 185,000 |
| Italian VAT (flat 22 percent) | 40,700 |
| APA (30 percent of fee) | 55,500 |
| Crew gratuity (10 percent of fee, paid at trip end) | 18,500 |
| Full check | 299,700 |
The €28,490 difference is the cost of not asking the contract question.
Shoulder versus peak
| Week | Pitch rate, 42m (€) | Full check (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-May | 105,000 | 154,000 |
| Mid-June | 135,000 | 198,000 |
| Mid-July | 175,000 | 256,000 |
| Mid-August (peak) | 195,000 | 286,000 |
| Last week September | 115,000 | 169,000 |
Mid-May and the last week of September are 40 percent below August peak and operationally cleaner. The day-tripper traffic from Rome and Naples is materially lower in May. The dinner reservations at Lo Scoglio, Le Sirenuse, and Da Adolfo are bookable inside two weeks rather than two months. The water is warm enough to swim from the third week of May and through the third week of October.
August on the Amalfi Coast is the most overbooked week in the Mediterranean. The cruise traffic in Capri peaks. The marina queues in Sorrento and Salerno run hours. The same yacht does less actual cruising than in any other week of the season because the captain spends more time stationary in queue. We argue against August charter on the Amalfi for any client who has the calendar flexibility to move to June or September.
Where the Amalfi is the cheap option, and where it is not
The Amalfi Coast is the cheap option for clients who want short cruising days, marquee dinners ashore, and the highest dinner-table-to-yacht ratio in Europe. The fuel APA on an Amalfi charter is the lowest of any Mediterranean cruising ground above 30m LOA, because the cruising legs are short. The Italian use-and-enjoyment VAT is the second-best regime in the EU on a like-for-like 40m motor yacht.
The Amalfi is not the cheap option for clients who want long open-water days, cruising autonomy, or quiet anchorages. The Galli islands, the Punta Campanella reserve, and the Capri Faraglioni anchorages all fill in August. A client who wants empty water in peak season should be in the Aeolians or southern Sardinia, not the Amalfi.
What we mark up and what we pass on
We mark up Italian brokers who quote the use-and-enjoyment effective VAT rate up front and document the trip-log requirements on the contract. We mark up June and September weeks for first-time Amalfi clients. We pass on August Capri-marina-every-night itineraries on yachts under 45m, because the dockage line eats the value of the charter. We pass on broker pitches that omit the Italian VAT structure entirely or quote a flat 22 percent on a 24m-plus motor yacht. We pass on Amalfi charters that start in Naples and end in Naples on the same berth without leaving the loop, because the cruising-time-to-port-time ratio is too low to justify the rate.
For trip planning, see the Amalfi Coast charter guide, the Capri charter guide, and the Positano charter guide. For the wider regional context, see Mediterranean weekly rates. For the largest single APA line, see Mediterranean dockage fees.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a yacht charter on the Amalfi Coast cost per week? A 40m motor yacht runs €130,000 to €210,000 in August. The full check after VAT, APA, and gratuity is 45 to 55 percent above the pitch rate on a properly structured contract.
How does Italian charter VAT actually work? Base 22 percent reduced through a use-and-enjoyment regime. For motor yachts over 24m the effective rate is 6.6 percent. The regime must be elected at contract.
Are Capri and Amalfi dockage fees really that high? Yes. Marina Grande Capri runs €1,400 to €2,800 a night for 40m to 50m in August. Most Amalfi itineraries anchor and tender for dinner rather than dock-in.
When is the cheapest week to charter the Amalfi Coast? Mid-May and the last week of September. Rates run 30 to 40 percent below peak.
What is the crew gratuity convention in Italy? Ten percent on motor and seven percent on sailing, paid in cash at trip end.