Day trip to Capri or Positano/Amalfi Coast?

Month of year? It's very much a matter of personal taste and travel style. Many skip the Blue Grotto because of the tiny boat transfer being subject to wave height, and its a time- sucket. Capri is huge and pedestrianized in many areas.

Positano is a lovely photo but the same international boutiques you saw in Rome and Paris. Ravello is unique but remote. Public transit is time consuming and JAMMED. A car and driver for 8 hours is what you need, but that might be 350 Euros.

My vote: Capri, if you cant do both.

Edit:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sorrento-v-positano-v-capri

Having done the nine-hour round trip car tour on the AC, I wish I had done the boat trip to Capri instead, and viewed the coast from a boat. The car /bus tours of the AC make for a very long day in traffic congestion. The popular towns are packed and make walking difficult. Positano is overrated and just high-end shopping, and the beach is pebbles.
Hopefully you are aware of the congestion and traffic in the area, which makes getting anywhere arduous.
Perhaps check out the shared Mondo tours , RS recommends, for the Capri experience.
Have a great time.

Thanks for all the input! We would be there late June early July and my kids do seem to get car sick in congested/lots of stopping traffic. If we were to go to capri would you just recommend to walk around and the island and go to the mountain/gardens? Or is there better activities? Again, thanks for all the input!

I agree Capri will be easier, especially at that time of year. I wouldn't consider a land-based tour of the AC, maybe a ferry ride to Amalfi, but it will be very crowded. If you use the search bar above, here are some ideas for Capri posted recently - https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Capri+Villa+San+Michelle&utf8=%E2%9C%93.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Anacapri (skip the town of Capri & take the bus up to Anacapri) & Villa San Michele. https://www.villasanmichele.eu/. It's going to be very warm at that time of year, try to get to Pompeii EARLY. Enjoy the area!

If we were to go to capri would you just recommend to walk around and the island and go to the mountain/gardens

No, the island is large and hilly. After you arrive at Capri Harbor, you have to get up to Capri town that is up the steep hill. You could take the funicular or a bus or a taxi. Walking would waste your limited time here.
Once in the town of Capri, you will walk around. From the viewpoint in the main square by the clock/bell tower you will see the steep and narrow road that hugs the mountainside. That's the road to Anacapri.
To get to Anacapri, you would WANT to take a bus or taxi. Walking would be too dangerous. Not sure about off road hiking trails that would go there, but it would take some time.
Once up at Anacapri, you look around, walk out to the villa or take the chairlift to the top and back.
then you will need to get back to Capri or Capri harbor.
Take the bus or taxi down to the Capri Harbor, where you can book a boat tour around the island that stops at the Blue Grotto.
There, if the Blue Grotto is open, you will pay an additional fee and transfer to a small rowboat to go inside the grotto. Then back to the big boat to go back to Capri harbor.
With one day there I would suggest Mondo Shared Tours. We found it because it was mentioned in Rick's book. The tour includes a guide, the ferry ride over from Sorrento, a private bus to Capri and Anacapri and the boat ride around the island and the ferry ride back to Sorrento. We felt the cost was well worth it as we only had one day there.

I'm absolutely not contradicting derek's perfectly good tour plan for Capri. But we rode only the funicular and the chairlift. We walked at least six miles, including Villa Jovis, and returned to the ferry docks by the Phoenician Steps. Skipped the Blue Grotto. We were exhausted but happy. Our return ferry used a pier quite far from our arrival pier, because it was bigger and took cars too.

We spent 8 days on Capri, with Naples at either end of the trip. Really enjoyed our time there--walked all over, and hiked the trail up and over the mountain. Also the coastal hike (Fortini Trail). We did the boat around the island but not Blue Grotto. As a day trip it would be busy, along with all the other day trippers, but still maybe more doable than Amalfi Coast? I have never been there so can't judge--have only heard how crowded that region gets. Staying on Capri for a period of time, you kind of get to see how the flow of people goes--busy during the day with people arriving but very quiet mornings and evenings.

If we were to go to capri would you just recommend to walk around and
the island and go to the mountain/gardens? Or is there better
activities?

I'm going to recommend Capri over Positano/Amalfi Coast too. For a family with teens the ages of yours - I'm going to assume they're fairly active - there's some really fun trekking about the island. Capri is really only 3.9 miles long by 1.8 miles at its widest point. It may feel larger to some due to the many narrow pathways that run higgledy-piggledy over and around, up and down. Take a look at map and you'll see what I mean!

But you won't be using up shoe leather on most of 'em. Yes, other than using the funicular up Capri town from the pier (fee) or one of the little buses up to Capri town or Anacapri (fee), the best way to explore is on foot. There aren't that many roads that allow vehicles anyway! But with some planning you're most likely to be hoofing it to/from just some select locations. If the line for the funicular is really long (it can be) you can walk up instead, or take a short cab ride for abt. €20 or so.

Capri has a good website (https://www.capri.net) with lots of ideas for things to do. It also pushes a lot of tours but honestly, they're not necessary with some reading up in advance. Here are 3 activities we've done and I'll recommend if you only have a day:

Getting Around (funicular; buses, etc):
https://www.capri.com/en/e/getting-around

Chairlift in Anacapri to top of Mt Solaro:
https://www.capri.com/en/e/mount-solaro-cetrella
Do this first thing as it's a popular attraction.

Walk/hike up to Villa Jovis:
https://www.capri.com/en/e/villa-jovis-mount-tiberio
This will get you away from the worst of the mob in the village centers.

Pizzolungo walk:
https://www.capri.com/en/e/arco-naturale-and-pizzolungo
This will also help you lose the mob. Generally, the further you can get from the village centers, the fewer people you'll be dealing with.

These plus a look at Capri and Anacapri towns (we preferred Anacapri too) some lunch plus a break here and there should fill your day. You mentioned your kids' queasy stomachs? Reports of the bobbing of the little rowboats used to access the Blue Grotto making some visitors sick is just one of the reasons we elected not to do that one (I have one of those stomachs). Bleh. We also skipped a boat tour around the island during our two-night stay; preferred seeing what was on it versus coastline from the water.

Anyway, get the first ferry out of Sorrento in the morning (purchase a round-trip ticket to be sure to have a seat going back) and take the last or 2nd to last back in the afternoon/early evening. They do not travel after dark.

https://www.capri.com/en/t/capri/sorrento

Thanks for all of the input everyone! Much appreciated!

I was in Sorrento a few months ago and tried to take the bus to Positano. The line was loooooong!!! I ended up taking a taxi with a few others at the end of the line with me and got there faster than the bus. If I had waited I bet it would have been 2-3 hours wait and the taxi was only $25 so that was money very well spent.

Forgot to mention: buy a map of the island at the tourist info center when you get there. You'll make good use of it! Oh, and there's a little bar/cafe with a view near Villa Jovis that makes a convenient stop for refueling/rehydrating after hiking to the ruins, and before weaving your way back to Capri town.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187783-d2298236-Reviews-Bar_Jovis-Capri_Island_of_Capri_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

https://www.facebook.com/barjoviscapri/

If your kids are prone to car sickness, do not take the bus from Sorrento to Positano. I haven't been car-sick since I was a kid but I came close when on that bus.

Kathy, I think my friend and I gave up completely on that walk up the hill at that bar! We were like "we are never going to get there!" and I had a granita limone con limoncello (like an affogato, but way better! haha) while we sat and stared at the view HAHAHAHAH

🤣😂 Katherine!
Pish. Resting heels in Capri with a killer granita limone con limoncello and a great view?
What's not to like?

I'm going to have a different opinion from the rest.

I was not impressed with Capri. But I love the Amalfi Coast.

In June slash, July, both places will be tremendously crowded. Traffic will be murder. If you can take the boat along the coastline because it's the view of the coastline that makes. Forget Positano. It's just a high end shopping mall. Instead, visit the town of Amalfi. It will also be crowded. But it's a lot nicer.

My first time in the area, I skipped the Amalfi coast and visited Capri. When I went back years later, I purposely skipped Capri to tour the Amalfi Coast. I'm glad I did.

If you do make it to the town of Amalfi, there is a bakery/dessert shop that is incredible:

Pasticceria Pansa Amalfi

CORRECTION: Below I posted that I thought we had taken a ferry to Ravello. I since Googled to refresh my mind, and apparently there is no port in Ravello, so that would not have been possible. Perhaps that trip was partially by ferry and the rest of the way by group transport on land

ORIGINAL POST: If you decide to go to Capri, I recommend being met by a convertible car (you can Google and find several vendors). We experienced this as part of the arrangements made by Tauck Tours for our group (now many years ago), and it was not only a lovely surprise, but an incredible experience. I recall ours being a bright red antique convertible. The roads are rather narrow, and of course, steep there. But, your kids (especially if you keep it a surprise) might be delighted, as well as the parents :) The driver will tell you a bit about the island, too.

The chairlift has already been mentioned, along with the gardens...both very nice experiences.

As far as whether to visit Capri or progress further along the coast -- we did both, but it would be a tough choice to have to make if only selecting one. While it has been several years ago, my recollection (and maybe other posters can chime in), I remember taking a ferry of sorts along the coast, all the way to Ravello (which in my opinion offered the very best, classic view of the coast..I was smitten), and then we might have returned along the coast by boat (a public ferry of sorts). While in Ravello, we enjoyed lunch at a wonderful family-owned restaurant.

A disclaimer re: the ferry boats that go along the coast....seems I remember hearing they might not run during bad weather or rough seas. Again, the caveat that it has been many years, so one's memory fades a bit.

The actual town of Amalfi seemed to be the one that offered the widest selection of dining and shops (if I am remembering correctly).

We were staying at a hotel technically in Positano (but a short ride from the town), and the one time we were driven to Positano, I remember it being very steep and extremely crowded. Seemed to be mostly a shopping type destination (if I recall correctly).

What a wonderful experience your family will have, regardless of what choice you make!

You have likely already viewed photos various travelers may have posted on TripAdvisor.com I always found quickly scrolling thru the 100s or 1000s of photos for various locales helpful when trying to make decisions re: where to visit.

Have fun. What lucky kids you have being treated to such a wonderful trip!!!

we only had one day for capri and i would definitely not do it again. we went in early september and all it did was eat away our precious time. the line for the buss to Anacapri was extremely long and they only offer 1 bus every 20 minutes that takes about 18 people. our wait was well over 90 minutes. another line for the chair lift. and again for all on the way back down. the line for a taxi was even longer.

no good way up and would not recommend.

Man...I don't know...Capri would certainly complete the trifecta of places to visit from Sorrento. But in late June/early July...all I'm seeing is heat, people & gridlock, a total time-sucker as Tim says.

Not to scare you. Maybe you can build a better mouse trap. Get out and over to Capri at first light, maybe with a knowledgeable guide that gets up early!

Next April, we're spending 3 nights in Salerno, our 3rd trip to the area, but the other times it was early March and the A.C. was basically deserted, and wonderful. This time, with so much more tourism expected from Jubilee 2025, we've hired a driver for our one day to the Amalfi Coast. 6 hours worth, he will pick us up at our Salerno hotel, take us to shop at Vietri Sul Mare, then lunch up in Ravello, then for pastries down in Minori. No Positano, Amalfi-town or Capri. If the ferry's operating from Salerno to one of those three destinations, we can do that another day if we choose.

BTW...I think Sorrento has the best cuisine on the peninsula--just tremendous. I'd stay there just because of that. Scenic-wise, ain't so great compared to the other side, but it is a good place to base, a nice post-war town that's a lot of fun, with a lot of limoncello!

Enjoy your planning!

If you have kids that are prone to motion sickness, be careful about the ferry to Capri. It is notorious for being extremely choppy. I know two people personally who have done it, and both had people in their party who threw up. Both also said they weren’t the only people on the ferry throwing up.

As a side note, I think the OP's trip was in late June/early July, and this was the only thread they'd started; pretty sure they're not checking it anymore. If you happen to do that, William, it would be great if you could fill us in on what you decided to do and how it went?

Ferry: at least the hydrofoil between Sorrento and Capri only takes 20 minutes (been there; done that) and my touchy stomach didn't have the issues I know it would have if traveling the coast by road. Could be that there wasn't a lot of wind to stir up the waves that day.