Capri day trip review: the one that collects you from the door
My verdict: the comfortable way to do the island, and the pickup is worth more here than it would be almost anywhere else. Positano is a staircase with a town attached; the walk down to the beach at eight in the morning is fine and the climb back at six is not. This listing includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Positano, the Marina Grande landing tax, a guide on Capri, towels and a swim stop. The Blue Grotto is optional at extra cost rather than included.
Why the pickup is worth more than it sounds
Every listing on this site leaves from the same beach, and every one of them expects you to get yourself down to it. In Positano that means stairs, several hundred of them depending where you are staying, in a town where the road above is a one-way ledge and taxis cannot get much closer than the church. Going down is easy. Coming back up at the end of eight hours in the sun, with a wet towel and sunburn, is the part people remember. The geography and where the pier actually is are at where the boats leave, and what a day in the town itself demands of your legs is at one day in Positano.
The meeting point, when you do walk, is on the Spiaggia Grande under the operator’s blue-and-white gazebo. That is a useful instruction rather than a landmark: in July there are several groups on that beach at the same hour and the gazebo is how you find yours.
What is inside the price
The skipper, drinks, towels, life jackets, a swim stop, a guide on Capri and the Marina Grande landing tax — roughly €10, which some other tours collect from you on the day — along with the car at each end. At $206 that puts it between the two other island days here. What is not inside it is the Blue Grotto, which is an optional extra on this listing, and lunch.
The guide is the part that separates this from a boat that simply drops you at the port for four hours. Free time on Capri is pleasant and directionless; a guide turns it into a walk that goes somewhere. Whether four to six hours ashore is enough to see the island properly is a fair question and I have answered it honestly at Capri in a day.
What the reviewers say
302 reviews at 4.8, and the pool is unusually cheerful. Tony, from the United Kingdom: “A top top excursion, would really recommend, really helpful guide, informative.” Lawrence, from the United States, described the circuit itself: “Boat trip around the island was great. The captain was funny and explained what we were viewing.” That second half matters more than it looks — the stacks, the arch and the two grottoes you pass from the water are much better with somebody telling you what they are.
Stephanie, from the United States, kept it short: “We really enjoyed this boat trip, and our tour guides were excellent.” Kyle, from the United States, did not: “It was a great time!! So much fun, our guide was amazing.” And Lucas, from the United States, gave the pool its one number: “Loved it... everything about the boat ride was 10/10. Would recommend.”
Usually included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Positano
- The Marina Grande landing tax
- A skipper, a guide on Capri, drinks and towels
- Life jackets and a swim stop
Not included
- The Blue Grotto, which is an optional extra here
- Lunch
- A fixed schedule — the day runs six to eight hours depending on the sea
- Any guarantee about which side of the island you will circle
What works
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in a town where that genuinely matters
- The landing tax is inside the price rather than collected on the day
- A guide on Capri, not just a drop-off at the port
- 4.8 from 302 reviews, the second-largest Capri pool here
- A named meeting point on the beach, under a blue-and-white gazebo
Worth knowing
- The Blue Grotto costs extra on this listing
- Lunch is not included
- Six to eight hours is a wide range to plan an evening around
- More expensive than the cheaper full day, less inclusive than the grotto tour
- Pickup is within Positano, so it does not help if you are staying up the coast
If you do add the Blue Grotto, carry roughly €18 in cash for it and treat it as a maybe rather than a plan. The cave shuts whenever the swell is up, the entry boats take four people at a time, and a day built around it can be spoiled by a wind that arrives the night before.
Who it is for
Anyone staying up the hill, anyone travelling with knees that have opinions, families, and first-timers who would rather be told where to be than work it out. If you want the grotto settled in advance instead, the grotto-inclusive day covers it. If you would rather keep the booked price down and pay the extras yourself, take the cheaper full day. The three are set against each other at the Capri boat tours.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tour really pick you up from the hotel?
Yes, within Positano, at both ends of the day. That is the main reason to choose it over the other two island tours here, because the town is vertical and the climb back up from the beach after eight hours out is the part nobody plans for. Where everything leaves from is at where the boats leave.
Is the Blue Grotto included?
No — it is an optional extra on this listing, paid separately, and like every other boat on this coast it cannot promise the cave will be open. What is included is the Marina Grande landing tax, which several other tours collect from you on the day. How the grotto visit actually works is at the Blue Grotto.
Where does it meet if I walk down myself?
On the Spiaggia Grande, under the operator’s blue-and-white gazebo. In high season several groups gather on that beach within the same half hour, so the gazebo rather than the beach is the instruction to follow. Read your confirmation rather than the map.
How does it compare with the other two Capri tours?
It sits in the middle on price and includes the things the cheaper day leaves to cash. The cheaper full day is the lowest sticker with the most extras on the day; the grotto-inclusive day is the highest sticker with the fewest. This one buys comfort rather than either.