Capri boat tours from Positano: the three that go, compared
The fees that decide this page
Three separate charges exist on Capri and every argument below is really about which of them is inside the price you paid at home. They are small individually and they are cash, which is the part that catches people out at a jetty with no machine.
| On-site charge | Roughly | Who pays it | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Grotto entrance | €18 | Cash on the day unless your tour includes it | Entry to the cave itself, taken from a rowing boat that carries four at a time |
| Capri landing tax | €10 | Included on two of the three here | The municipal charge for stepping ashore at Marina Grande |
| Disembarkation fee | €5 | Cash on the day, on the full-day budget boat | The operator’s own charge for putting you ashore, excluded from that sticker |
A word about the grotto before you spend anything on it. Entry is from a rowing boat through a mouth barely bigger than the boat, four passengers at a time, and it closes whenever the swell is up. No operator can guarantee it, and any that does is telling you something it cannot know that morning. In high season the queue at the cave mouth can run past an hour, floating, in the sun. Some people count it among the best ten minutes of their trip and some count it as an hour of their life they will not get back. Both are reasonable — both cases, argued out.
The full-day budget boat
The Capri Full-Day Boat Tour from Positano, Praiano or Amalfi, from $172, rated 4.6 from 621 reviews, eight hours, in English and Italian. It carries a skipper, drinks, prosecco, homemade limoncello, snacks, towels, masks, noodles and a shower and toilet. It excludes the disembarkation fee, the grotto entrance, lunch and hotel pickup. That is the honest budget read: the lowest sticker of the three Capri boats, with two cash items and your lunch arriving separately during the day.
The 4.6 is the lowest score on this site, which on 621 reviews means something real rather than a bad week. Reviewers keep describing the same thing, which is a skipper who over-communicates. Cheryl, from the United States: “The captain explained everything and even provided his name and number in case we needed to reach out to him.” Joseph, also American: “The sites were spectacular. Pepe was a great guide with lots of recommendations.” Nicole Ann called it “a great value for a full day excursion like this!” Fiona, from Australia, said the team made sure they had an excellent experience.
The one with the fees already inside it
The Capri & Blue Grotto Shared Boat Tour with Drinks, from $238, rated 4.8 from 245 reviews, eight hours, in English, Spanish and Italian. The grotto entrance and the Capri landing tax are both in the price, which removes exactly the two surprises the cheaper boat leaves you holding. There is a swim stop, free time on the island and a limoncello tasting. The operator states it is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Its reviewers produced the most useful sentence in anything I gathered for this site. Stephanie, from the United States, wrote: “The time on the boat was better than the time on the island.” That is a paying customer saying the destination was the lesser half of the day, and it is the single best argument for buying a boat rather than a crossing. Margaret said the guides were amazing and the boat captain very impressive; Linda wrote that “the hosts were very inclusive of everyone on board and very attentive!”
The one that comes to collect you
The Capri Day Trip by Boat with Grotto Stops, from $206, rated 4.8 from 302 reviews, six to eight hours, in English and Italian. It includes the skipper, drinks, towels, life jackets, a swim stop, the Marina Grande landing tax, a Capri guide, and hotel pickup and drop-off in Positano. The grotto itself is optional at extra cost. It meets on the Spiaggia Grande under a blue-and-white gazebo.
Read that pickup line properly, because in this town it is not a convenience item. Positano is built up a cliff and every route to the beach is stairs. If you are staying high, travelling with anyone who finds steps hard, or simply do not want to start a boat day with a twenty-minute descent and end it with the climb back, somebody arriving at your door is worth real money. Tony, from the United Kingdom, called it “a top top excursion, would really recommend, really helpful guide, informative.” Lawrence, from the United States: “Boat trip around the island was great. The captain was funny and explained what we were viewing.”
The three, side by side
| Capri Full-Day Boat Tour from Positano, Praiano or Amalfi | Fees already inCapri & Blue Grotto Shared Boat Tour with Drinks | Capri Day Trip by Boat with Grotto Stops | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | $172 | $238 | $206 |
| Rating | 4.6 from 617 | 4.8 from 219 | 4.8 from 302 |
| Length | 8 hours | 8 hours | 6–8 hours |
| Grotto entrance | Cash on the day, optional | In the price | Optional, at extra cost |
| Landing tax | Not stated as included | In the price | In the price |
| Other on-site cash | Disembarkation fee | None stated | None stated |
| Hotel pickup | Excluded | Not offered | Included, both ways, in Positano |
| Languages | English, Italian | English, Spanish, Italian | English, Italian |
| Who it suits | Anyone happy to carry cash for a lower sticker | Anyone who wants the grotto settled before they leave home | Anyone staying high up, or tired of the stairs |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
Notice how much of that table is administration rather than sightseeing. All three go round the island, all three stop to swim, all three carry drinks. What you are really buying is which version of the day you want to have arranged in advance — and whether four hours ashore is the point of the trip or an interruption of it, which is the Capri-in-a-day question.
What works
- All three circle the island, which no ferry ticket does at any price
- Two of the three have the landing tax settled before you leave home
- One has the grotto entrance inside the price as well
- One sends a car to your hotel, which in a vertical town is not a small thing
- Swim stops in water you cannot reach on foot, on every one of them
Worth knowing
- The grotto closes whenever the swell is up and nobody can promise it
- Queues at the cave mouth can run past an hour in high season
- Lunch is yours to buy on all three, during free time ashore
- Two of the three want cash on the day, at a jetty with no machine
- The cheapest sticker here is not the cheapest day, once the cash is added
Take euro notes in small denominations and keep them somewhere separate from your card. The grotto rowers and the landing desk are cash operations, the queue is not the place to discover you have none, and a cash machine on Capri in August is its own small adventure.
What I would do
If the grotto matters to you, buy the boat that includes it and stop thinking about it; you will still be at the mercy of the swell, but you will not also be at the mercy of a queue with your wallet out. If the stairs are the problem, buy the one with the pickup. If neither applies and you are content to carry cash, the budget boat gives you the same eight hours on the same water for the lowest sticker on this page. The arithmetic that puts those stickers on a level footing is at what a day on the water costs, and if you are starting to suspect the ferry would have done, read the crossing first.
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Frequently asked questions
Which Capri boat tour from Positano is best value?
It depends on whether you count the cash you spend on the island. The full-day budget boat has the lowest sticker but excludes the grotto entrance and a disembarkation fee, both payable in cash, plus lunch. The Blue Grotto boat carries a higher sticker with the grotto entrance and the landing tax already inside it. Once you add what arrives on the day, the two sit far closer together than the headline numbers suggest — the arithmetic, worked through.
Is the Blue Grotto included in these tours?
On one of the three it is included. On the other two it is optional and paid on site, in cash. No tour on this site or anywhere else can guarantee you get in: the cave is entered from a rowing boat through a very small mouth, and it closes whenever the swell is up. Skippers will reroute to the sheltered side of the island on a windy day, which is seamanship rather than a cheat — how the visit actually works.
How long do you get on Capri itself?
Free time ashore on these boats runs to a few hours inside a six to eight hour day, because most of the day is spent going round the island rather than standing on it. That is enough for the Piazzetta, a walk and lunch, and it is not enough for Anacapri, the chairlift and a proper wander. If the island is the point rather than the sea, the scheduled ferry gives you far more hours ashore for far less money.
Do I need cash for a Capri boat tour?
Yes, on two of the three. The grotto entrance and, on the full-day budget boat, a disembarkation fee are both paid on the island in cash, and the landing tax is only pre-paid on two of the three. Bring euro notes in small denominations. The fees are itemised in the table above so you can see which ones apply to the boat you are looking at.