Which Positano Boat Tour: Shared, Private or Capri

In this guide

• What a shared coast boat, a private boat and a Capri day each give you
• How per person and per boat pricing compare for your party
• Which fees are paid in cash, and where you board
• Children, rough seas, and the one question that decides

Why the choice is harder than it looks

From Positano the boats sell three very different days under very similar names. Some run along the coast towards Amalfi and back; some cross to Capri; a few do both. Some sell a seat on a boat of twelve, others the whole boat for your party. The headline price compares a seat with a boat, and a four-hour morning with an eight-hour day, so reading it alone tells you almost nothing. The fix is to sort the boats by two things first: where they go, and what the fare buys. Once you have done that, most parties find their answer in a minute.

What does a shared coast boat give you?

A shared boat sells seats. You book for your party and join whoever else is aboard, usually no more than twelve. From Positano the classic version is the four-hour boat that meets at Le Tre Sorelle on the main beach, from $110 a person, with five timed stops between Amalfi and Positano, snorkel masks, drinks and snacks included. The seven-hour day from the Blue Star desk on the same beach, from $130, adds a stop at the Emerald Grotto, whose entry you pay yourself.

The strengths are price and ease: you walk down to the beach and step aboard, and the crew handles the rest. The weakness is control, because the skipper sets the stops and the time at each one, and you share the ladder with strangers. For most couples and first-time visitors, that is a price worth paying.

When is a private boat worth it?

A private boat sells the whole boat. You pay one price for your party, up to a stated maximum, and nobody else comes aboard. The 40-horsepower boat is $470 per boat for up to four, with the harbour arranged with the skipper; the six-hour private boat is $1,299 for up to six, boarding at the harbour nearest you. The detail is on Positano boat tours.

What you buy is your own pace: stay longer at the cove you love, skip the one you do not, turn back when a child has had enough. What you give up is the price advantage for small parties. Read what each private listing leaves out, too: the 40-horsepower boat names fuel, the skipper and food as extras, so confirm the total before you pay.

Coast or Capri?

Choose the coast if you want swimming, cliffs and the towns seen from the water, with time ashore in Amalfi on some boats. Choose Capri if you want the island itself: the grottoes, the Faraglioni, and three or four hours ashore. A Capri day is longer, carries more cash extras, and depends more on the sea, because the Blue Grotto closes when the swell is up. The Capri options, shared and private, are on Capri tours from Positano.

How long should the day be?

Four hours is a morning: you are back for lunch in town and the afternoon on the beach. Seven or eight hours is a full day, with a long stop somewhere, and it suits people who want the sea to be the whole plan. With young children, or anyone prone to seasickness, start with the shorter option. With a Capri day, there is no short version: the crossing alone takes time.

What does "per group" really mean?

It means the fare buys a unit of people, and you should divide it by your party before you compare. The 40-horsepower boat at $470 for four comes to about $117 each when all four seats are filled; the private Capri boat at $673 for five comes to about $134 each. For two people the same boats cost double that per head. A few private listings quote per person instead, and their cards say so, so read the small print beside every price.

• Two of you: a shared boat almost always wins on price.
• Four of you: price the private boats; the gap narrows fast.
• Five or six: a private boat is often the better value as well as the better day.

Which fees are paid in cash?

Most fares cover the boat, the crew and usually drinks. The extras are paid on the day. Several boats collect a landing or docking fee, about €10 a head where the listing names a figure. On a Capri day you add the island's €5 landing tax from April to October, and about €18 a head if the Blue Grotto is open. Each card lists what its own fare leaves out.

Where do you board?

Most coast and Capri boats sold for Positano board on Spiaggia Grande, at the pier or at a kiosk on the beachfront, each with its own meeting point. Some Capri days start in Sorrento, and their cards say so; from Positano that means an extra journey before the day begins. How to reach the pier from your hotel is on getting around Positano.

Can you bring children?

Most boats take children, and several ask that infants sit on a lap. A shaded, small boat with a restroom and short swim stops suits families best, and a private boat lets you set the pace. The family view is in Positano with kids.

What if the sea is rough?

Operators can cancel for weather and offer another date or a full refund, and almost every boat here has free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Book early, watch the forecast, and keep a road day to Pompeii in reserve. The months that suit the boats best are on Positano weather by month.

Morning or afternoon?

Take the morning if you can. The sea is usually calmer before the afternoon breeze, the coves are emptier before the day boats from Sorrento and Salerno arrive, and you are back in time for a long lunch in town. A four-hour morning boat also leaves your afternoon free for the beach or a nap in the heat. Afternoon departures suit you if you arrive in Positano that day, or if you want the light on the cliffs going gold on the way home.

What should you bring on the boat?

• Swimwear under your clothes, and a towel unless your boat supplies one.
• Sun protection and a hat: the canopy moves, the swim stops are in full sun.
• A dry bag for your phone and for the ride back, which can be wet.
• Euros in small notes for any landing fee, the grottoes and a tip if you choose.
• Something for seasickness, taken before you board, if you need it.

The kinds of boat day side by side

The one question that decides it

How many of you are there, and do you want the coast or the island? One or two, and a shared boat along the cliffs is the best value morning on the coast. Four or more, and a private boat starts to pay for itself. If Capri is the goal, choose shared for price and private for pace, and pack euros for the fees. Then check where the boat boards, confirm what the fare leaves out, and book with free cancellation.

Frequently asked questions

Three kinds of boat day to choose from

Amalfi Coast & Positano: Boat Tour with Snorkeling & Drinks

Four hours from Le Tre Sorelle, five stops, snorkel gear and drinks aboard.

From $110 per person

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Private 40hp Boat Tour of the Amalfi Coast and Positano

Your own boat for up to four, seven hours along the coast.

From $470 per group, up to 4

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Full Day Capri Island Cruise from Praiano, Positano or Amalfi

A 9:00 boat from Positano's pier, about four hours ashore on Capri.

From $183 per person

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