Has anyone traveled to both Pompeii and Capri (to see the Blue Grott) from Rome in 1 day? Was it just crazy? Even feasible? I only have 1 day for a side trip from Rome, and for sure want to see Pompeii, but would be interested in visiting the Blue Grotto if possible (just not sure if the timing will work)
Thanks!
That's a bit much in one day. Capri is a "most of a day" trip.
Many people in this office would say the Blue Grotto's not worth a special detour. Start with Pompeii first and see what you still have time and energy for after that. From Pompeii to Sorrento takes about 30 minutes by Circumvesuviana train, boat from Sorrento to Capri takes about 30 minutes each way, the tourist boats to the grotto may not run due to weather or high tide, and then you have to do it all in reverse. It would be easier to visit Sorrento itself, or to visit the Archeology Museum in Naples (prone to sometimes closing early).
From Rome it would be a real stretch to visit both attractions in one day. I would suggest you take an early train from Rome to Naples, take the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii and spend the day there. I also suggest you take up an offer to use one of the guides that is offering their services in and around the ticket booth. Pick one that you feel comfortable with that is not too pushy. Make sure you ask how long his or her tour will be. They should be with you for at least 4 hours. After the four hours with your tour guide you can wander around Pompeii for at least as long as you feel up to. There is lots to see.
I think we paid our guide 50 Euros and he was with us for a little over 4 hours. He knew all there was to know about Pompeii history and every nook and cranny of this huge site. Good luck. By the way we did not negotiate what he quoted us, which was 40 Euros.
Absolutely not feasible. In addition to Capri being too long an excursion, you have the need to coordinate with the tide to enter the Grotto, assuming there isn't an awful backlog of tourists in the little boats. And the afternoon ferries back (which don't run that late because they can't go in the dark) tend to be crowded, for obvious touristic reasons. And Pompeii isn't (any longer!) a coastal city, so you'd have to allow an hour, total for Pompeii to the Naples ferry dock. And if you miss your train back to Rome, you'll have to pay full price for a last-minute fare.
If you're going to Capri simply to see the Blue Grotto, it's not worth it in my opinion. We enjoyed our day on Capri but I'd say the Blue Grotto was our least favorite part of the day. In our case, we had a private tour of Capri with a guide who was able to get us into/out of the Blue Grotto at the right time (before the swarm of tourists descended on it) & luckily we didn't wait a long time to see it & were able to quickly move on to more enjoyable aspects of Capri. If you're going to be in Capri to see other things, then it might be worth doing but if you're going to Capri simply to see the Blue Grotto, I wouldn't waste the time.
