Capri & Blue Grotto: Private Day Trip from Naples or Sorrento

4.86

(310 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure if Capri would live up to its reputation—sometimes you hear so much about a place that it’s hard not to expect too much. But standing on the ferry deck as we left Naples behind (coffee in hand, wind messing my hair), I caught the first glimpse of those cliffs and felt something shift. Our guide, Giulia, met us at Marina Grande—she had that calm way of explaining things without sounding like a textbook. The air smelled like salt and sunscreen, and there was this low hum of scooters somewhere up the hill.

The drive along that winding “Mamma Mia” road was… well, let’s just say I gripped the seat a little tighter than I’d planned. Giulia pointed out tiny lemon groves tucked between houses—she said locals use the peels for limoncello. Then came the Blue Grotto. You have to lie almost flat in these tiny rowboats to slip through the cave’s mouth; I nearly lost my hat ducking down. Inside, it really is blue—the kind of blue you don’t get in photos—and everyone went quiet for a second except for our boatman humming softly in Italian. I didn’t expect that part.

Lunch in Anacapri was simple—fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, nothing fancy but somehow perfect after all that sea air. The chairlift up Monte Solaro is slow enough that you can hear birds over your own heartbeat (and yes, my legs dangled awkwardly). From the top you see all of Capri laid out below, plus Vesuvius lurking on the horizon like some old god. There was this older couple next to us who kept pointing out boats to each other—I liked watching them more than the view for a minute.

Later we wandered Villa San Michele’s garden paths and then sipped espresso at La Piazzetta while people-watching (someone said they saw a celebrity but honestly everyone looked famous here). The last stop was Augustus Gardens—flowers everywhere and those Faraglioni rocks just sitting out there like they’ve always been waiting for someone to notice them. The light was starting to fade when we caught the ferry back; I still think about that hush inside the Blue Grotto sometimes—you know?