Capri Italy or the Amalfi Coast: Which Boat Day Should You Book?
The short answer
A Capri day crosses once and works an eleven-kilometre island, so more of it is spent swimming. An Amalfi Coast day covers forty kilometres of cliff and two towns, so more of it is spent under way. Pick on that, not on the photographs.
The real question is not which is prettier
Both are sold from the same marinas by the same operators, often on the same boats. The difference that matters is how much of your day goes under way. A Capri day crosses once and then works a coastline eleven kilometres long. An Amalfi Coast day runs east along forty kilometres of cliff and comes back, and the engine is on for a lot more of it.
So the question is really: do you want more time in the water, or more things seen from a moving boat?
Side by side
| A Capri boat day | An Amalfi Coast boat day | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical length | 2 to 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Time under way | Short hops between stops | A large share of the day |
| What you see | Sea caves, the Faraglioni arch, the Blue Grotto, swimming coves | Positano, Amalfi, Li Galli, the Fiordo di Furore, the Emerald Grotto |
| Time ashore | Often two to four hours on the island | Two hours in Positano and about ninety minutes in Amalfi |
| Swimming | The point of the day on most trips | Stops along the way, fewer of them |
| Extra tickets | The Blue Grotto at €18, on most trips | The Emerald Grotto at €8, the Duomo at €3, the Paper Museum at €4.50 |
| Shortest version | From $105 for two hours | There is not one |
What a Capri day gives you
An island small enough to circle, with a town at either end of it and Anacapri high above the water. In two hours a shared boat covers the White Grotto, the Grotta Verde, the Natural Arch, Villa Malaparte, the Faraglioni and the Punta Carena lighthouse, with twenty minutes to swim in the middle of it. In eight hours a charter does all that with real time ashore and several swim stops of its own choosing.
It is also the only one of the two where the headline attraction has a ticket and a queue. The Blue Grotto costs €18 on a tour boat and closes whenever the sea is up, and only two of the trips here include it — the Blue Grotto tours page is the detail. The rest of what the island charges for is on the visiting page, and the highlights price each one.
What an Amalfi Coast day gives you
Two towns you cannot otherwise reach easily by sea, and a coastline that is genuinely extraordinary from the water. Positano from a boat is the view the road does not give you. The Fiordo di Furore, Li Galli and the Emerald Grotto are all on the way. The trade is time: eight hours with a fair proportion of it under way, and the swim stops shorter and fewer.
The costs also stack up differently. One listing here excludes the Emerald Grotto at €8, the Duomo di Sant'Andrea at €3, the Paper Museum at €4.50 and a fuel charge of €300 per booking. Another charges €300 to €500 in boarding fees depending on the port. None of it is hidden, but none of it is in the headline price either.
Can you do both in one day?
Two of the trips listed here try, and it is worth understanding what that means. Eight hours split between Capri, the Sorrento coast and the Amalfi Coast gives you a taste of each and a long day of engine noise. One operator states in plain words that the remaining hours are used for travel. If you have only one day on the water, pick one coastline.
If you have two, the sensible order is Capri first, because it is the one whose headline attraction can be closed by weather, and a second day gives you another chance at it. The best time to visit covers which months lose the most days to the sea.
Which to book
- Book Capri if swimming matters more than sightseeing, if you have fewer than six hours, or if the Blue Grotto is on your list.
- Book the Amalfi Coast if you have a full day, you want to walk round Positano and Amalfi, and you would rather see a lot than swim a lot.
- Book a charter for either if there are six or more of you: the per-boat fare divides into something close to a shared per-person seat, and the route becomes yours.
- Book neither yet if the forecast is unsettled. Everything here refunds at 24 hours, so wait a day rather than lose one.
Tours from Sorrento lists the trips that board on the mainland for both coasts, and private boat tours covers the charter arithmetic.
Where the day is really about the island rather than the coast road, the boat tours Capri Italy give you more time in the water and less of it under way.
Every trip named here is compared on price, hours and what the fare covers at Capri Italy Tours.
Frequently asked questions
Are Capri tours private or shared?
Do Capri Italy boat tours include the Blue Grotto ticket?
What happens if the weather cancels my boat tour?
How much do Capri Italy tours cost?
How long is the ferry from Sorrento to Capri?
Trips for either coastline
Capri Italy Private Boat Tour: Local Gems and Prosecco
The Sorrento coast and Capri in one private day, boarding on the mainland, up to eight aboard.
From $1,479 per group, up to 8
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Amalfi Coast Private Boat Tour from Sorrento, Positano & Capri
Eight hours east along the Amalfi Coast with two hours in Positano and ninety minutes in Amalfi.
From $567 per person
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Capri Italy Small-Group Island Boat Ride with Swimming and Limoncello
The short answer: two hours round Capri with a swim, for the price of a lunch on either coast.
From $105 per person
Check AvailabilityChoose by how much of the day you want to spend in the water, and the itinerary sorts itself out.