Capri Day Trip from Sorrento: Boat Tour & 3.5 Hours Free Time

The Grottoes & Faraglioni Rocks: A Boat Tour Built Around Swimming, Not Crowds

You board a small boat in Sorrento with eleven other people maximum, cruise past four sea caves and the Faraglioni Rocks with a swim stop, then spend 3.5 hours exploring Capri's piazzas and shops on your own. Hotel pickup, a professional English-speaking skipper, and drinks on the return are included. The boat skips the Blue Grotto to avoid the queues, but you can visit it yourself during your free time if you want to pay the separate entry fee.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each5 stops

1. White Grotto10m
2. Green Grotto10m
3. Faraglioni10m
4. Marina Piccola30m
5. Natural Arch5m

Boat tour and explore Capri Island

• Pick up from hotel in Sorrento
• Depart from Sorrento to Capri
• Visit White Grotto sea cave
• Visit Green Grotto sea cave
• See Faraglioni rock formations
• Cruise past Punta Carena lighthouse
• View Natural Arch and Roman nymphaeum
• Swim at Marina Piccola Bay
• Free time to explore Capri island

The experience

"How many people are on this thing?" someone always asks at the dock in Sorrento, and the answer (twelve, maximum) is exactly why you're here instead of crammed onto a ferry with three hundred others. The boat leaves from the port after hotel pickup, and you're already past the first difference: no ferry terminal, no ticket line, just your group and a skipper who knows where the light hits the water right. The Tyrrhenian Sea between Sorrento and Capri takes about an hour, and you spend it watching the coastline drop away, the water turning from gray-green to that blue that doesn't photograph the same way twice.

Once you're at Capri, the boat slows down and the real part starts. The White Grotto comes first: white stalactites hanging from the roof, the rock face crusted with calcium deposits that glow when the sun hits them at the right angle. Then the Green Grotto, where the water itself seems to be the color, a trick of light bouncing off the yellow-hued cave walls and the blue water playing against each other. The Faraglioni Rocks are three massive stone outcroppings rising straight out of the sea, and they're the kind of thing you've seen in a hundred photos but still stop talking when you're actually under them. Punta Carena Lighthouse sits on a rocky point, Italy's second most powerful, and the Natural Arch, a rock formation carved by waves into something that looks too perfect to be accidental, hangs above the water like a sculpture someone left behind. You get a swim stop near Marina Piccola Bay, where the water is clear enough that you can see the bottom and it's cold enough that you don't stay in long, but you do.

Then the boat drops you on the island for 3 to 3.5 hours, and this is where the tour stops being a tour. You're loose in Capri with time to actually sit in a piazza, walk the narrow streets where sandal shops are crammed between gelato places, or climb up to one of the viewpoints if you're the type. Some people use it to visit the Blue Grotto on their own (it's not included because the waiting times are brutal, sometimes over thirty minutes), but that's your call. The skipper gives you a meeting time and a spot, and you come back when you're ready. On the way back to Sorrento, there's Prosecco and Limoncello tasting, water, soft drinks, and chips, which sounds small until you're tired and the sun is dropping and someone hands you a cold drink and you're watching Capri get smaller behind the boat.

The whole day is about eight hours from pickup to drop-off. Book at least 24 hours ahead if you want hotel pickup guaranteed. If you're booking closer than that, you'll get a meeting point sent by WhatsApp or email instead. The tour runs if the weather holds. If it doesn't, you get a refund or another date. Bring sunscreen, a towel, and something to wear over your swimsuit when you're on the island, because the wind off the water is real and the sun is direct.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from the Sorrento area (if booked 24+ hours in advance), boat transport to Capri with a professional English-speaking skipper, swim stops in crystal-clear waters near Marina Piccola Bay, cruises past the White Grotto, Green Grotto, Faraglioni Rocks, Punta Carena Lighthouse, and the Natural Arch, 3 to 3.5 hours of free time to explore Capri's piazzas and shops, and drinks on the return journey including Prosecco, Limoncello tasting, water, soft drinks, and snacks.

Options for this experience

4 options

Capri Boat Tour lasting the entire dayGuide in 4 languages · 08:00, 09:05 and 10:30Semi-private Gozzo boat trip to Capri with no stop at the Blue Grotto. Lasts 8 hours, departs from Sorrento, includes 3 to 4 hours of free time on the island of Capri, and pickup is included.

Boat tour of Capri lasting a half dayGuide in English or Italian · Available from 15 Mar 2027Shared half-day small group tour with no stop on the island. Lasts 4 hours and departs from the Sorrento port. Snacks and soft drinks are served, including chips, water, soft drinks, Prosecco and a Limoncello tasting. The Blue Grotto entrance fee is not included and costs €19 per person. Entry is guaranteed, except when the grotto is closed due to high tide or excessively long waiting times. Starting point is Via Marina Piccola, 2, 80067 Sorrento NA, Italy.

Boat tour including the Blue GrottoGuide in English, Spanish or Italian · 07:30Semi-private Gozzo boat tour that stops at the Blue Grotto. Lasts 8 hours, departs from Sorrento, includes 3 to 4 hours of free time on the island. The Blue Grotto entrance fee is not included and costs €19 per person. Entry to the grotto is guaranteed, except when it is closed due to high tide or excessively long waiting times. Starting points are Parcheggio Comunale Achille Lauro, Via Correale, 25, 80067 Sorrento NA, Italy and Via Marina Piccola, 2, 80067 Sorrento NA, Italy. Pickup is included.

Private tour of Capri by boatGuide in 4 languages · 08:30, 09:30, 10:00 and 11:00Private tour lasting 7 hours, departing from Sorrento on a private Gozzo boat. The landing tax in Capri is not included and costs €100.00. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Lasts 8h, runs every day, 8 start times, from € 109 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish, French and Italian and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day8 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 11:00Last departure this season: 30 Nov

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (3 to 9 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 100

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on site€ 10

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Buyourtour di Amo Italy Travel

Is this one for you?This tour works well if you want to see Capri's main sights from the water without arranging your own boat or dealing with ferry crowds: the small group size and fixed schedule are what make both possible in a single day.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

In English, Spanish and Italian, with 8 departure times. In French, with 7 departure times.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 9 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Is the Blue Grotto included in this tour?

No. The tour skips it due to long waiting times, which can exceed 30 minutes. You can visit it on your own during the 3.5 hours of free time on the island and pay the entrance fee separately, or book the "with Blue Grotto" option at a different price.

What time does the tour start and end?

The tour includes hotel pickup in the Sorrento area before departure. The full day is approximately 8 hours from pickup to drop-off. If you book less than 24 hours in advance, a meeting point and time will be sent via WhatsApp or email instead of hotel pickup.

How many people are on the boat?

Maximum 12 passengers, which keeps the group small and avoids the crowds of larger ferries.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup (if booked 24+ hours ahead), boat transport to and from Capri, swim stops, a professional English-speaking skipper, 3.5 hours free time on the island, and drinks on the return including Prosecco, Limoncello tasting, water, soft drinks, and snacks.

What happens if the weather is bad?

The tour requires favorable weather conditions. If it's canceled due to poor weather, you'll receive a full refund or can reschedule for another date.

Do I need to visit the Blue Grotto?

No. It's not part of the standard tour. If you want to see it, you can visit during your 3.5 hours of free time on the island and pay the entrance fee separately.

Is there time to explore Capri on my own?

Yes. After the boat tour of the grottoes and rocks, you have 3 to 3.5 hours of free time on the island to visit shops, piazzas, viewpoints, or restaurants at your own pace.