Capri & Blue Grotto Day Tour from Naples: Fast Ferry & Monte Solaro

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Duration8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · DE +2

Mobile ticketAccepted

The Blue Grotto & Capri's Clifftop Views in One Day from Naples

You take a fast ferry from Naples to Capri, then spend the day moving between the Blue Grotto (by small boat, weather permitting), a chairlift up Monte Solaro for island views, the Piazzetta cafe square, and Augustus Gardens overlooking the Faraglioni rocks. A local guide handles the route and timing, and lunch is included in Anacapri. The return ferry gets you back to Naples by evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Capri Island and Blue Grotto Tour

Travel to Capri by ferry
Visit the Blue Grotto by small boat
Stop in Anacapri for lunch
Ride chairlift to Monte Solaro peak
Visit Villa San Michele and gardens
Relax at Piazzetta square
Tour the Gardens of Augustus
Return to Naples or Sorrento by ferry

The Experience

"How do we actually get inside that cave?" That's the question most people ask on the boat ride over, and the answer is: you duck. The entrance to the Blue Grotto is barely a meter high, so you're lying back in a small rowboat as it slides through the opening, and then the water around you turns this impossible shade of blue — the light bouncing off the limestone floor underneath. It's the kind of thing that sounds like it might be oversold until you're actually in there. The whole day starts with a 50-minute fast ferry from Naples to Marina Grande, Capri's main port, where your guide meets you and the real climbing begins.

From there, depending on your group size, you're either in a convertible car or a shuttle bus heading toward the Blue Grotto (weather permitting — if the sea's too rough, you get a shared boat ride around the island instead, which honestly covers a lot of the same coastline). After the grotto, you drive up to Anacapri, the quieter side of the island, where you stop for lunch before getting on the chairlift at Monte Solaro. The chairlift takes about ten minutes, and you're rising above the whole island — the Gulf of Naples spreads out below you, and on clear days you can see all the way to Mount Vesuvius and the islands of Ischia and Procida. It's the kind of view that makes you understand why people have been fighting over this place for two thousand years.

The afternoon moves through the smaller stops: the Piazzetta, which is basically a tiny square where locals and tourists sit at cafes and pretend they're not watching each other; Villa San Michele and its gardens (though the main garden stop is Augustus Gardens, where the Faraglioni rock formations frame the view like they were placed there on purpose); and then back down to Marina Grande for the return ferry. The whole thing takes eight hours if you're coming from Naples, or six if you're already staying on Capri. Your guide handles the timing and the logistics — you just show up at the port, and the ferry, the car or bus, the chairlift tickets, and the Blue Grotto entry are all arranged.

One thing to know: the Blue Grotto can close without warning if the sea gets choppy, and when it does, the tour pivots to a boat ride around the island's perimeter instead. It's not the same experience, but it's not nothing — you still see the Faraglioni and the cliffs and the coastline that made Capri famous. If you're traveling with young kids, strollers are fine for most of the day, though the chairlift and the boat into the grotto require you to be mobile. Book early if you're going in summer; the ferry fills up and the grotto gets crowded by mid-morning.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip shared fast ferry from Naples to Capri, transport by private convertible car (groups up to 5) or shuttle bus (6+ people), Blue Grotto admission and small boat entry, chairlift tickets on Monte Solaro, Augustus Gardens admission, a lunch stop in Anacapri, and a local guide for the full route.
If the Blue Grotto closes due to weather, a shared boat ride around the island replaces it.
Specialized infant seats are available if needed.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Tours of Capri-Private Tours of Amalfi Coast & Pompeii

Is this one for you?Book this if you want Capri's main sights — the Blue Grotto, Monte Solaro's views, and the island's famous gardens — without arranging ferries, tickets, and transport yourself; the fixed itinerary and included guide handle all the logistics so you just move through the day.