HOW TO VISIT THE BLUE GROTTO IN CAPRI & IS IT WORTH VISITING?
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This post is about visiting the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri, Italy
Capri is an enchanting island off the coast of Italy and is known for its crystalline waters and stunning cliffs. The Blue Grotto is one of the islands main attractions. But is it truly worth the visit, or just a tourist trap?
When I was looking at what to do on our visit to the Amalfi Coast the Blue Grotto kept coming up as a suggested place to visit. So, I put it on my list of places to visit.
When you are inside the Blue Grotto you are bathed in an ethereal blue light, a result of the sun's rays passing through the seawater and illuminating the cave. The effect is surreal, like floating in a sapphire dream.
But, after talking to other tourists and locals I’ve discovered that the Blue Grotto's enchantment often depends on the day. The weather, sea conditions, and the number of tourists can greatly influence your experience. On crowded days, the charm may feel a tad diluted.
Let’s delve into visiting the Blue Grotto in Capri, exploring when it's truly worth the trip and how to make the most of this mesmerising Mediterranean gem.
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This post is about visiting the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri, Italy
The Blue Grotto is Capri’s biggest tourist attraction. But is it really worth it?
We were travelling that area of Italy in August so knew it was going to be one of the busiest times of the year. Read on to find out more about the Blue Grotto and our experience during our visit.
THE HISTORY OF THE BLUE GROTTO
The origins of the Blue Grotto can be traced back to ancient times when it was formed by the sea relentlessly thrashing against the limestone cliffs of Capri. It’s name "Grotta Azzurra" is because of the incredible azure hues that paint the cave's interior.
According to Greek mythology, Capri was like a magnet for sirens, those legendary enchantresses of the sea andthe Blue Grotto was rumored to be one of their secret hangouts.
In the 19th century the grotto was rediscovered and it transformed from a well-kept secret to a superstar tourist attraction. It's now one of the most iconic symbols of Capri's charm. It’s on most peoples must-visit for anyone exploring the island.
THE MAGICAL PLAY OF LIGHT
The Blue Grotto's enchantment is rooted in a natural phenomenon. Sunlight enters the cave through an underwater cavity, creating a surreal luminance.
The result is a mesmerising, cerulean-blue glow that covers the cave's interior. This phenomenon is particularly incredible in the early hours when the sun is lower on the horizon.
The cave's limestone walls play a crucial role in reflecting and refracting light, intensifying the blue effect. It's a natural masterpiece of geology and illumination.
LOCATION
HOW TO GET TO THE BLUE GROTTO
Before you get to the Blue Grotto you have to get to the island of Capri. You can get a direct boat from many areas including Sorrento (that’s where we came from), Positano, Amalfi and Naples. It cost us €40 each for a return boat ticket from Sorrento to Capri. I was concerned that we had to prebook them but we just wandered down to Marine Piccola in the morning and bought our tickets from one of the many booths there. Depending on the type of boat you get if takes between 20 -45 minutes from Sorrento to Capri.
Once on Capri we decided to do a Capri island boat tour. You could pay €20 for a boat to take you over to the Blue Grotto (a blue ticket) or pay €21 for the boat over to the Blue Grotto plus an hour and a half boat tour around the island (a yellow ticket). We figured it was a no brainer and went for the blue ticket.
BOAT TOUR AROUND CAPRI
Seeing Capri from the water is a must in my opinion. The tour lasts around 1.5 hours and a tour guide will point out areas of interest in both English and Italian. It’s a simply stunning island with steep white cliffs plunging in to the clear aquamarine sea below.
The island has several grottos - white, blue and green. On the boat tour you will see all of them although only go inside the Blue Grotto.
Your boat will travel between the iconic Capri sight of the Faraglioni Rocks.
THE BLUE GROTTO
Just over an hour in to the boat tour we arrived at the entrance to the Blue Grotto. I thought we would go in then but we were informed by our tour guide that we would go back to the habour in Capri and have to board a smaller boat and come back to the Blue Grotto.
So thats what we did. Back at the habour we boarded a smaller boat and went back to the Blue Grotto. When we arrived there were around 10-15 other boats bobbing around on the waves each with between 6-30 people on. It was clear we were going to be waiting a while for our turn to enter the grotto.
We rocked around on the waves, soaking up the sun and watching the fasinatinating sights and sounds in front of us of Italian men rowing small boats in and out of the grotto singing songs and shouting to each other.
After around 30 minutes it was our boats turn to board the rowing boats. It was a little tricky climbing in to the boats. In fact, one man fell in to the water as he was trying to navigate his way from one bigger boat to the much smaller rowing boats. Once in the rowing boat our Italian rower took us over to a floating boat where we had to pay €14 each to enter the Blue Grotto. Ridiculously expensive in my opinion.
INSIDE THE BLUE GROTTO
The Blue Grotto is a cave on the island of Capri. It can only be reached by squeezing through a small, narrow opening in the cliffs at sea level. Every day someone rows out to check that the sea levels and tide is safe for tourists to enter safely so it’s worth a check before you travel to see if it is open on the day you plan to visit.
When it was our turn to enter, we had to duck our heads below the level of the rowboat, while our roller pulled us into the grotto using chains attached to the rocky walls. If you don’t duck down low enough you’ll definitely get a bang to the head as you go through quite fast when he starts to pull on the chains.
Once we were inside - wow! The whole atmosphere changes. From being out on the rocky waters with crowds of boats all around it changes to being calm, cool, peaceful and very blue! Our rowboat captain sang Italian songs as he rowed us around the grotto.
We were inside the grotto for around 8 minutes, just enough time to do a quick row around, soak up the atmosphere and get some photos.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR THE BLUE GROTTO
HOW TO GET TO THE BLUE GROTTO
The Blue Grotto is on the island of Capri and you will first have to get to Capri. There are many boat companies from Sorrento and all the major towns on the Amalfi coast.
Once on the island of Capri, you can get to the Blue Grotto by boat or by bus.
GETTING TO THE BLUE GROTTO BY BOAT
You can book a tour with Motoscafisti or Laser Capri. Both companies offer round trip excursions to the Blue Grotto from Marina Grande or a tour of the entire island of Capri with a stop at the Blue Grotto.
Blue Grotto only
To go from Marina Grande directly to the Blue Grotto and back to the marina it takes about an hour and a half (or more during peak season) and expect to pay €20 per person.
Blue Grotto and island tour
If you prefer a tour that circles the entire island with a stop at the Blue Grotto you can purchase that for €21 (only €1 extra so if you have the time this is what I recommend) This will take around 2 and a half hours.
Once at the Blue Grotto, you will have to pay an additional fee of €16 to enter the grotto (this fee is not included in either the boat straight to the Blue Grotto or the boat that tours the island).
Private boat
You also have the option to hire a private boat at Marina Grande. Prices average €150 for a two hour tour including time at the Blue Grotto.
GETTING TO THE BLUE GROTTO BY BUS
From Anacapri, take the bus at Piazza Cimitero towards the Blue Grotto. At the last stop, take the stairs down to the entrance of the Blue Grotto. There is a queue here for rowboats into the grotto.
COST OF ENTRANCE TO THE BLUE GROTTO
In addition to the cost of getting to the Blue Grotto via boat or bus, there is an additional fee to board the rowboat that takes you into the grotto. The cost is €16 per person. Children under 6 years old free. Citizens of the EU under the age of 18 are also free. Tipping your rowboat skipper is at your discretion but our skipper very much pressured us (in a friendly, Italian way!) into a €10 tip. He tried for €20 but there was no way I was paying that on top of everything else we’d paid to get to the Blue Grotto! You can, obviously, choose to tip whatever you want.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE BLUE GROTTO
It is best to visit the Blue Grotto on a sunny day between 12pm - 2 pm. Due to how the magical blue is created by the sunlight coming in through a small entrance hole to the cave this is the optimum position of the sun to create the blue colour and illuminate the cave. On a cloudy day, you will miss the experience of seeing the brilliant blue color that makes this grotto so famous.
The Blue Grotto is generally closed in off season during winter months, although they do open it when the weather is mild.
IS THE BLUE GROTTO OPEN?
Due to the small entrance to the Blue Grotto it can only be entered when the sea is calm enough. If the seas are rough the Blue Grotto will not be open. Every morning at 9 am, skippers arrive at the mouth of the grotto to check if it is safe to enter. On the day we went to the Bue Grotto the sea was rough in the morning so they weren’t open but they opened up later on in the day. For today’s forecast, visit the capri.com website.
HOW MUCH DOES A TRIP TO THE BLUE GROTTO COST?
If you are travelling from Sorrento, here are updated prices (per person) for 2023.
Sorrento to Capri by ferry (roundtrip): €46
Capri boat trip with Motoscafisti: €21
Blue Grotto Entrance Fee: €16
Total €83 for just the Blue Grotto
Cost of extras you may want to do whilst in Capri
Bus from Blue Grotto to Mount Solaro: €2
Mount Solaro Chairlift: €12
Bus to Marina Grande: €2
TOURS OF THE BLUE GROTTO
ITALY ESSENTIALS
Planning a trip to Italy? Here are some of the resources and tools I personally use to organise my travel plans to anywhere in the Italy.
FLIGHTS : Find the best deals on flights to Italy using Skyscanner.
VISAS : Use iVisa to check if you need a tourist visa for the UK and apply for an expedited visa online. Use OneWayFly to obtain proof of onward travel/hotel reservation for your visa application if needed.
TRAVEL INSURANCE : Insure your trip with my preferred insurance for single trip and annual cover HeyMondo
AIRPORT TRANSFER : Pre-book your hotel transfer from an airport in Italy
ACCOMMODATION : Find the best hotel deals in Capri or Amalfi Coast on Booking.com.
BUS TICKETS : It is easy to book your transport once you’re in Italy and the Amalfi Coast but if you’d like to book in advance you can do so online through Bookaway .
DAY TRIPS : Find the best city tours and day excursions in Italy on Viator or Get Your Guide.
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