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Ischia and Procida sit 18 nautical miles west of Naples and roughly 16 nautical miles north of Capri, and in 2026 they remain the Gulf of Naples day-charter option that does not show up in the standard Amalfi pitch deck. There are around 65 licensed day-charter yachts above 9m operating across the four embarkation points (Forio and Casamicciola on Ischia, Marina Grande di Procida and Marina di Corricella on Procida). Peak July rates run €1,400 for a 9m gozzo to €11,500 for a 22m motor yacht with chef. The pricing sits 20% to 25% below Capri at every band, and the day's character is genuinely different. This piece covers the operators, the routes worth running, the thermal-bay logistics, the Procida village reality, and the operators we pass on.
The companion pieces are the Capri day charter, the Positano and Amalfi day charter for clients embarking from the coast side, and the Capri charter week itinerary for the longer-week context.
Why Ischia and Procida instead of Capri
The Capri day is the reference Gulf of Naples day. It is also the busiest. Marina Grande Capri runs at 90% capacity through July and August, the Faraglioni anchorage holds 30 to 50 boats by midday, and the funicular queues compound the day's logistics. Ischia and Procida deliver roughly the same coastline character (volcanic coves, thermal springs on the Ischia side, a fishing village on the Procida side) at lower density and lower price. The trade-off is that the islands are less photogenic by reflex. A client who wants the Faraglioni photograph wants Capri. A client who wants a quieter coast day with a 14:00 lunch at La Corricella for €70 per head wants Procida.
The day-charter inventory on Ischia and Procida skews smaller than Capri's. The 24m-plus motor yacht inventory is thin and most yachts above 20m reposition from Naples or Sorrento on a per-charter basis. The sweet spot is the 11m to 18m band, and the gozzo and modern motor cruiser fleets are deep in that range.
The four embarkation points
Forio (Ischia, west coast). The largest day-charter base on Ischia. Approximately 35 licensed yachts. The right pick for a west-coast and south-coast day (Sant'Angelo, Sorgeto thermal cove, Punta Imperatore). The Forio harbour is small and the morning embarkation is tight in July and August. Forio is also the right base for clients staying at the Mezzatorre, Negombo, or San Montano hotels.
Casamicciola (Ischia, north coast). The mid-sized base. Approximately 18 licensed yachts. The right pick for a north and east coast day (Cartaromana, Castello Aragonese, San Pancrazio coast). Less congested at embarkation than Forio. The right base for clients staying at the Regina Isabella or Albergo della Regina Isabella.
Marina Grande di Procida. The main Procida day-charter base. Approximately 22 licensed yachts. The full-circumference day route starts and ends here. The right base for clients staying in Procida.
Marina di Corricella (Procida, south). Not a commercial embarkation. A handful of small gozzi work from Corricella on a direct-bookings-only basis. The right pick only for clients who want the village-character pickup and are happy with a 9m to 11m gozzo.
The Ischia Porto marina (east coast, the ferry port) is not a commercial day-charter base. Some operators take pickup at Ischia Porto by arrangement, but the embarkation logistics are messy in peak summer because of ferry traffic.
Rate bands for 2026
Peak July and August, per day, in euros, private charter, captain (and crew on motor yachts above 16m), basic provisions, standard fuel. Chef option +€300 to +€550 on motor yachts above 16m. Half-day rates run 60% to 70% of full-day.
Gozzo (traditional wooden 9m to 14m motor cruiser, captain only, no chef):
- 9m to 10m gozzo, 4 to 6 guests: €1,400 to €2,200 peak.
- 11m to 12m gozzo, 6 to 8 guests: €2,400 to €3,500 peak.
- 13m to 14m gozzo, 8 to 10 guests: €3,200 to €4,500 peak.
Modern motor cruiser and motor yacht:
- 14m to 16m motor cruiser. €4,500 to €6,500.
- 16m to 18m motor yacht. €5,500 to €7,500.
- 18m to 20m motor yacht. €6,500 to €9,500.
- 20m to 22m motor yacht (often reposition from Naples). €8,500 to €11,500.
- 22m to 24m motor yacht (reposition from Naples or Sorrento). €10,500 to €13,500 plus reposition fee.
Shoulder months (May, June first half, late September, October) run 30% to 40% below peak. Ferragosto holds peak. Ischia and Procida run a longer shoulder than the Amalfi-coast bases because both islands have year-round residents and the operator overhead does not collapse out of season.
Operators worth booking
Five operators we shortlist across the four embarkation points.
Capitan Morgan Forio. The reference Forio operator. Mixed fleet of 14 gozzi from 9m to 13m and four modern motor cruisers up to 16m. Owner-operator, multi-year captains, clean booking. The 12m gozzo (captain since 2015) at €2,800 to €3,500 peak is the pick for a six-client south-coast day with the Sant'Angelo and Sorgeto stops.
Yachting Ischia. Casamicciola-based motor yacht specialist. Fleet of 16m to 22m yachts, all with crew and chef option on the larger yachts. The 18m motor yacht (captain since 2017) at €7,500 to €9,500 peak is the call for an eight-client day mixing the Castello Aragonese anchorage with the west-coast coves. Booking direct, transparent fuel and provisions, captain gratuity expectation stated in the quote.
Procida Boats. The Marina Grande di Procida reference. Fleet of 10 gozzi from 9m to 12m and three modern motor cruisers up to 15m. The 11m gozzo (captain since 2016) at €2,400 to €3,000 peak is the right call for a four-to-six client Procida circumnavigation with lunch at La Corricella. The operator handles La Corricella bookings as part of the day arrangement.
La Conchiglia Procida. Smaller Procida operator, six gozzi only, owner-operator. The right pick for a discreet party wanting the old-Procida character. Booking direct only.
Don Ferdinando Naples. Naples-based mid-size operator that repositions 18m to 22m motor yachts to Ischia and Procida on a per-day basis with a reposition fee of €450 to €750. Useful when the local 20m-plus inventory is allocated. The 20m motor yacht (captain since 2013) at €8,500 to €10,500 peak plus reposition is the pick for a ten-client day from either island.
Operators we pass on
We do not list:
- A Forio-based operator that runs nominally licensed motor cruisers but with no commercial day-charter license on file at the Capitaneria di Porto registry. Two of their yachts were detained in August 2024 and the operation continues under a revised marketing name with the same yachts.
- A Naples concierge platform that re-brokers Ischia operator inventory at 35% to 60% markup with opaque provisioning and fuel pass-through. The same yachts can be booked direct.
- One Procida-fronted operator running gozzi marketed as "10-passenger private charter" on hulls certified for 6 to 8. The Guardia Costiera fined them in 2025.
- The "luxury Ischia yacht charter" platforms that aggregate small operators without commercial license verification. The price band is broadly correct but the operator quality is uncalibrated. Book the named operator direct.
Routes worth running
The four day routes across the two islands.
- Ischia thermal-bay loop from Forio. Forio harbour, south to the Sorgeto thermal cove (where natural thermal springs surface on the rocky shoreline at 60 to 90C), anchor in Sorgeto bay, swim and tender ashore to the thermal pools, continue south to the Sant'Angelo headland, anchor at the Maronti beach or the Sant'Angelo cove, lunch ashore at Conchiglia at Sant'Angelo or Lo Scoglio. Return north along the west coast via Punta Imperatore. Seven to eight hours. The reference Ischia day.
- Ischia north and east coast from Casamicciola. Casamicciola harbour, east along the north coast past Lacco Ameno (Fungo rock photo stop) and Bagno della Regina, around the north tip to Ischia Porto, south past the Castello Aragonese to the Cartaromana anchorage, tender ashore to the Castello bridge, walk up to the Castello (90 to 120 minutes), return north along the east coast. Six to seven hours.
- Procida circumnavigation from Marina Grande di Procida. Marina Grande, anti-clockwise around Procida (north past Marina di Chiaiolella, south to the Vivara bridge anchorage, east around the Punta Pioppeto, north to the Marina Corricella swimming anchorage), tender ashore at La Corricella for lunch at Da Graziella or La Conchiglia, return via the Marina Grande side. Six hours. The right Procida day.
- Procida to Ischia and back day. Marina Grande di Procida, southwest across the channel to the Ischia south coast (Sant'Angelo, Maronti), anchor and swim, lunch aboard or ashore at Sant'Angelo, return via the east-coast Cartaromana anchorage for a Castello view stop. Eight to nine hours. The longer combined day, worth it only if the party wants both islands.
The thermal-bay logistics on Ischia
Sorgeto is the thermal cove. Natural thermal springs surface in the cove and warm the shoreline pools to 35C to 45C, with the surface rocks running 60C to 90C (do not stand on them barefoot). The cove is 80m wide with anchoring on sand at 5m to 8m depth. The cove holds in light to moderate north and northeast wind. It clears immediately in any south or southwest wind. The cove sees 15 to 25 day-boats by midday in peak July and August. An early morning anchor (08:30 to 10:30) buys 90 minutes of relative quiet.
The Sant'Angelo anchorage is the secondary thermal-adjacent stop. Sant'Angelo is a small village on a tied islet with thermal pools at the Negombo spa and along the Maronti beach. Day-charter yachts anchor off the Maronti or in the Sant'Angelo cove, tender ashore for lunch, return. The Sant'Angelo cove holds reasonably well in summer northwesterlies but is exposed to southerlies and the afternoon thermals can push the swell.
The Cartaromana anchorage on the east coast (Castello Aragonese view) holds in light north and northeast wind only. It is the anchorage with the best photograph (the Castello Aragonese rises 110m above the water) and the least reliable holding. Plan it as a stop, not a long anchor.
La Corricella and the Procida lunch
La Corricella is the Procida village. A semicircle of pastel three-storey houses around a small fishing harbour, no road access (only steep steps from the village above), about 20 boats moored in the harbour itself. Day-charter yachts anchor off Corricella in 8m to 15m sand, tender to the harbour steps, walk to the chosen restaurant.
The two Corricella lunches are Da Graziella (booking 21 to 45 days peak) and La Conchiglia (booking 14 to 30 days peak, despite the name not the same operator as the operator above). Both are fish-focused and €65 to €95 per head at lunch. La Pergola and Caracalè are the second-tier options for a walk-up lunch.
The post-lunch swim anchorage shifts to the Marina di Chiaiolella side, west of the village, with better wind protection in the early afternoon thermal.
The honest yacht-size recommendation
For an Ischia or Procida day with two to four clients, a 9m to 11m gozzo at €1,400 to €2,400 peak is the right call. The cove and harbour logistics work best at this size, the gozzo is the matching boat type for the destination, and the day's character is the coast cruise.
For four to six clients, an 11m to 13m gozzo at €2,400 to €3,500 peak. Step up to a 14m to 16m motor cruiser at €4,500 to €6,500 only if the chef option is the priority or if the day is the combined Procida-to-Ischia long loop.
For six to eight clients, a 16m to 18m motor yacht with chef at €5,500 to €7,500 peak. This is the sweet spot for the Ischia and Procida day. The yacht is large enough for chef service, small enough to tuck into the Sorgeto and Corricella anchorages, and the rate is materially below the Capri equivalent.
For ten to twelve clients, a 20m motor yacht at €8,500 to €11,500 peak. Above 20m the local inventory is thin and the day usually requires a Naples-reposition operator.
Lunch ashore: the short list
The Ischia and Procida day usually puts lunch at one of these:
- Conchiglia (Sant'Angelo, Ischia). The reference south-coast Ischia lunch. Booking 14 to 30 days peak. Tender to the Sant'Angelo cove, short walk to the cliffside terrace.
- Lo Scoglio (Marina di Sant'Angelo). The alternative. Booking 14 to 21 days peak. Smaller, less manicured, equally good fish.
- Da Graziella (La Corricella, Procida). The Procida village lunch. Booking 21 to 45 days peak. Tender drop at the Corricella harbour steps, terrace overlooking the harbour.
- La Conchiglia (La Corricella, Procida). Alternative to Da Graziella. Smaller terrace, intimate setting, fish-led menu. Booking 14 to 30 days peak.
- Ristorante Bagno Teresa (Cartaromana, Ischia). Beach-lunch option for the Castello Aragonese day. Tender drop at the Cartaromana pebble beach.
- Da Peppina di Renato (Forio, Ischia). Inland Forio lunch for a Forio-centred day. Not waterfront. Booking 7 to 14 days.
The post-day program runs Ischia town (Ischia Ponte) or Procida village: aperitivo at Bar Calise in Forio or Bar Roma in Ischia Ponte, dinner at Umberto a Mare in Forio or Caracalè in La Corricella. See restaurantsforkings.com/ischia and barsforkings.com/procida.
Where to stay
For Forio-based days, the Mezzatorre Hotel and Thermal Spa, the San Montano Resort, and the Negombo spa hotel are the references. For Casamicciola, the Regina Isabella and the Mezzatorre. For Procida, La Casa sul Mare and La Suite Hotel and Spa. See hotelsforkings.com/ischia for the list.
The hotels on Ischia run a courtesy transfer to Forio or Casamicciola harbour by arrangement. Procida is small enough to walk.
How to book
Book 45 to 90 days out for July and August, 21 to 45 days for shoulder, 4 to 6 months for Ferragosto. Confirm in writing: rate, embarkation slot (Forio, Casamicciola, Marina Grande di Procida, or Corricella), named captain, fuel band, chef inclusion on motor yachts, La Corricella or Sant'Angelo lunch booking responsibility, Cartaromana wind contingency. Verify the operator's commercial day-charter license with the Italian Capitaneria di Porto registry.
For the wider Italian context, the Capri day-charter guide, the Positano and Amalfi operators, and the Capri charter week itinerary are the calibrations. The Ischia and Procida day-charter market is the underused Gulf of Naples option and the price-to-coastline ratio is the best in the Tyrrhenian.