A positioning apparatus includes: an upper unit that includes a spherical body, a retainer part that retains the spherical body, and an upper plate part provided on the retainer part and adapted to carry a carried object; a lower unit that includes a lower plate part on which the upper unit is mounted and a guide part that marks a region of movement of the upper unit on the lower plate part; and a tilting structure that tilts the region of movement relative to a horizontal plane and guides the upper unit, on which the carried object is not mounted, toward a reference position located on a lower side of a tilt.