Capri- Blue Grotto

Worth it I guess is in the eye of the beholder. If you're already on Capri, then, I say yes. If you weren't planning on going to Capri, then what would a day there take away from your trip? I personally thought the grotto was a great site to see, and I'm glad we planned a day trip to Capri (grotto and everything else) in our itinerary. It is touristy, for sure, and costs some money, but I thought it was a unique experience. All the tourists go out together in larger boats around the isle to the entrance of the grotto, which is a small gap in the rocks. Small boats that hold about four people, plus the rower, pull up alongside and you transfer into a boat. He then rows you to the gap, you lean back completely in order to squeeze through, and then you are inside the cave with its spectacular views, and the likely singing of your boatman, hoping for a tip. If you google Blue Grotto you'll see many photos of how it looks. I would not fear the boat transfer or the lying position unless you have a disability or an extreme fear of enclosed spaces.

Yes and yes. In July a while back we skipped the boat tour and swam into it instead. Wait until the tour boats are done for the day. Walked down a path from the Bagni di Nettuno to get to it.

One tip for the Blue Grotto: bring your seasick pills. There is a lot of bobbing around in the boats while you wait your turn. And - at least when we were there - a lot of hustling for tips by the boatsmen. Our guy basically told us that our length of time in the Grotto would be directly proportional to the size of our tip. You have to pay for the larger boat that takes you to the Grotto, then pay again for the smaller boat that you have to transfer to. It is unusual and beautiful, but IMO it's also a classic tourist trap.

It is safe and really a lot of fun, especially if you get a
boatsman who sings to you as we did. You can also get there by bus, not just the boat. Try to spend some time in Anacapri which is a lot less touristy.

I would echo the previous posts. It is definitely touristy and the idea of paying twice is a sure sign of a tourist trap, but it not an experience you get every day. I still talk about my trip into the blue grotto. If you're on Capri and don't mind being a "tourist" I'd say go for it! A few tips:
- You take a larger boat from the docks to the grotto and then wait to transfer into the small boats that actually enter the grotto. Once you get into the small boat you enter a queue of small boats. Before entering the grotto you pass a payment station where you pay the small boat fee. If they ask you where you are from, say Canada. When I went there was a discounted price for Canadians. Our boat driver warned us of the discount so we were able to spend less than our friends on another boat. - To encourage your boat driver to sing, a tip might help. Our driver sang without being asked, but others may need some incentive. Even if you don't ask for it, it's usually a good idea to tip them a small amount if they sing. I'm curious about swimming in. I bet it would be thrilling to swim in, but just make sure you're fit enough. Now that would be a unique experience!

Here I am answering a question with a question (Is that too much bad form?): If I am going to be in Sorrento in early March (around the 12th), would it be worth it to go to Capri and do the Blue Grotto on a Saturday at that time of year? I'm also traveling solo and so will have to share a small boat with other travelers, I guess. Any idea how that works? Thanks everyone for any info you can pass along about these mysteries. You're the best!

If you go to Capri with the sole intention of going to the Blue Grotto, be prepared in case it doesn't work out. If the tide is high or if the sea is choppy, they shut it down with no warning. My husband and I tried to go this last fall, we'd checked the tides and looked at the water (my husband sails and kayaks, so unlike me, he actually knows what he's looking at with that sort of info) and everything looked good, but when our boat got there, they weren't letting anyone in. Naturally they didn't say anything about this when we bought our tickets for the boat, and our boat took us all on a tour around the island, which was a pretty good consolation, but it was still disappointing. If you can't get into the Blue Grotto and don't want to head straight back to Sorrento, I'd recommend the chair lift up to Monte Solaro for a great view. Going in March sounds like it could be chilly, but I'd guess they still have rowboats available - maybe double-check with your hotel in Sorrento if it's open, they should know. Have fun, I hope you get in!

I thought it was safe and beautiful but I'm not sure that you should go for that sole reason. We went about 8 years ago with the intentions of exploring Capri proper as well as the Blue Grotto but an interesting thing sidelined our plans. We were getting a sandwich at on of the local shops after getting off the hydrofoil. We were discussing our plan of getting tickets from one of the big boats when the guy behind the counter overheard us. He said that his brother had a boat. Long story short, his brother took us to the Blue Grotto (we still had to pay to get in one of the smaller boats) but he then sailed us completely around the island--for the price the big tour boat was charging to take us just out to the Grotto. It was pure luck on our part but it may be worth asking around to see if someone local would do that.

In terms of "opportunity cost", the Blue Grotto is not worth it IMO. If you have to sacrifice doing something else by adding a few hours extra to do it - don't bother. The something else will likely be more worthwhile of your time. If, however, you have the whole entire day on Capri, including a jaunt to Anacapri, then do the Blue Grotto boat trip. The sea is usually calmer early in the morning, but the tides play into it as well...

It is worth seeing the grotto.... my first time to Capri, we couldn't go because of the tides but we had success the second time.
To avoid the high cost...you can take the ride up to Capri and then take a bus to anna capri and then another bus to the grotto. You can then walk to a dock and be picked up by a rower to take you into the grotto. A little bit more work but much less expensive! Use the saved money to have lunch at one of the several restaurants by the grotto entrance.

Thanks susan, we'll keep that in mind. I just wonder how long it took to get there.

Sally...it doesn't take long at all because you will already be in Capri (one level up from the marina) and it is about a 10-15 minute ride to anna capri and then another 5 minutes by bus to the grotto. It is a trade off of time to money but we spent the whole day in Capri and we had plenty of time. Capri is beautiful and going up to the highest level is worth it.