Private Boat Around Capri from Positano

What it is

A whole day on a private boat from Positano beach to Capri: you sail round the island, stop to swim in its coves, go ashore for a few hours and return at sunset, stopping at the Li Galli archipelago. It is run by Lucibello, a boat company in Positano with its own jetty on the Spiaggia Grande. The boat is just for your group, with an English-speaking skipper.

It is a way of seeing Capri without depending on the timetables of the scheduled boats or the queues at the port, and of getting to know its coast from the water, which is where the island looks best.

The route

Lucibello publishes this itinerary, which the skipper may change depending on the sea and the weather:

• Departure from Positano: you board at its jetty on the Spiaggia Grande, next to its sales point, with a welcome drink.
• Crossing to Capri: between 35 minutes and an hour, depending on the sea.
• Circuit of the island: you pass the Grotta Bianca, the Faraglioni, Marina Piccola, the Grotta Verde and the Punta Carena lighthouse, with a stop for a swim at Cala Ventroso.
• Blue Grotto, optional: you go in on a small rowing boat, paid separately, and only if the sea is calm and there is no wind.
• Free time in Capri: about three hours from Marina Grande to go up to the town, have lunch or stroll. If you prefer not to go ashore, the boat can carry on to Nerano, in Marina del Cantone, for lunch there.
• Return: a swim at Li Galli and back to Positano.

In total it is about seven hours.

What is and is not included

Included are skipper, fuel and mooring fees, champagne, soft drinks and a few nibbles, towels, snorkelling gear and a sun kit. Not included are lunch, entry to the Blue Grotto and land transfers to the jetty.

Price and booking

Lucibello's website advertises the excursion from €1,100. That is the price of the boat for the group, not per person: with several people on board the cost is shared. You book on its website, where you can also choose another departure port (Amalfi, Sorrento, Salerno, Naples or Capri itself). In summer, book before you reach the coast.

When to go

Lucibello says the best season runs from May to October, with the calmest sea and warm water. In July and August there is more boat traffic around Capri and more people at Marina Grande; in May, June and September the day is usually more bearable.

If the sea turns bad, the skipper may shorten or change the route. The Blue Grotto is the first thing to go in a swell.

With children

It is a whole day at sea, unhurried and with stops for swimming, and it works well with children who already swim. The website says nothing about minimum ages: if you are travelling with babies, ask when booking about life jackets in their size. If you get seasick easily, Lucibello advises taking something for it before setting off.

What to bring

Swimsuit on, sun protection, a cap, sunglasses, a layer for the wind on the way back and money or a card for lunch in Capri and for the Blue Grotto. Comfortable shoes if you are going up to the town.

Combine it with

If you prefer something shorter from Amalfi, the Grotta dello Smeraldo takes an hour and a half. To get back to Amalfi from Positano without the road, take the scheduled boat. And if you have any energy left, the next day the Sentiero degli Dei ends above Positano.