Worried about seasickness on a Positano boat tour?

Choose a bigger boat, sit towards the stern, go in the morning, and keep the crossing short. Those four choices are the ones actually in your hands, and they are boat choices rather than anything else. A larger hull moves less in the same water than a small one. The stern moves less than the bow. The sea here is usually flattest early and picks up through the afternoon as the wind gets going. And the Capri crossing is only about 40 minutes, which is a short exposure by any standard. I am not going to give medical advice, because that is not mine to give: what follows is how to pick the day.

Bigger boatMoves less in the same sea

Where to sitTowards the stern

Best timeMorning, before the wind

Capri crossingAbout 40 minutes

Look atThe forecast, the day before

Most listingsFree cancellation, 24 hours

Picking the day and the boat

Larger day boats with shade, a toilet and room to move about are a different proposition from a small open gozzo in the same swell. If motion is a worry, book the bigger boat and take the morning departure. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on most listings means you can look at the forecast the evening before and move the booking if the wind has come up, which is the single most useful thing available to you — see how the booking window works.

The short-crossing option

If a full day afloat is the thing you are unsure about, the scheduled Capri crossing is about 40 minutes each way and nothing more, which is a much smaller commitment than eight hours. Doing that first tells you a good deal about how you get on with this water before you book anything longer — the crossing, explained. Which months tend to give the calmest mornings is on the best time to go.

The comfortable day boat

The Capri day trip with hotel pickup runs six to eight hours from $206, rates 4.8 across 302 reviews, and includes drinks, towels, a swim stop, life jackets, the Marina Grande landing tax and a Capri guide, with pickup and drop-off in Positano. Tony, who took it, called it “a top top excursion”, and the pickup means you are not climbing stairs at either end of the day.

One reviewer on the big coast tour, Keely, put the honest version better than I can: “I didn’t quite get my sea legs but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Most queasy sailors land somewhere near her — uncomfortable for a stretch, glad they went. Pick the bigger hull and the morning sea and the odds improve further.

Check dates for the day trip with pickup

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on most tours — book now, decide later.

Frequently asked questions

How do I avoid feeling seasick on a boat tour?

Take the biggest boat you can, sit towards the stern rather than the bow, and go in the morning before the wind gets up. Those are boat choices rather than medical ones, and they are the ones in your hands.

Where is the best place to sit on the boat?

Towards the stern, where the motion is least, and out in the air rather than inside. Larger day boats give you more room to move around and find a spot that suits you.

Is the crossing to Capri rough?

It is about 40 minutes and usually calmest in the morning, but the sea decides and nobody can promise otherwise. Free cancellation on most listings lets you move a booking if the forecast turns — how far ahead to book.