keeping trips within the realm of reality
Posted By: Ashley Friemel · ·
Considering a day trip to Capri from Positano? This guide details everything you need to know including how to get there, what to do in Capri for a day, how to get around, top boat tours, and all about the Blue Grotto experience (is it worth it?)!
A day trip to Capri from Positano (or any of the Amalfi Coast towns) is not only worth your time, but very easy to do on your own. With ferries departing from the main beach in Positano and the ride being a quick 30 minutes, there's no excuse not to visit Capri.
It's easy to fill a Positano to Capri day trip; a visit to the Blue Grotto with an optional boat tour around the island, riding the chairlift up to Anacapri, enjoying breathtaking views from Monte Solaro, window shopping the top luxury brands in Capri, and taking a few gelato and espresso breaks.
While the island is small, it tends to be crowded and top sights (like the Blue Grotto) can quickly become overrun with tourists. It's important to have a game plan of what to do when you arrive so you can fit everything in and avoid long wait times.
Enough of the preamble, let's dive into the details of your day trip to Capri from Positano!
This map shows everything listed in my Positano to Capri day trip guide. Click the top left button (in the blue bar) to see a list view of each pinned location or the top right button to enlarge the map.
You can just see the cement dock in the bottom left of the photo (where there is a line of people). This is where you'll find the Positano to Capri ferry and where it will return.
Traveling from Positano to Capri via ferry is a breeze. Ferries depart from the port of Positano, which is conveniently located at the main beach, Positano Spiaggia (spiaggia is beach in Italian). When facing the ocean, the port where ferries depart is to your right…it's hard to miss.
I bought my tickets online in advance via Ferry Hopper. You could buy them directly from the port the day of, but I didn't want to risk a boat being sold out and then having to wait for the next available ferry.
Tickets are €20 to €25 each way, it's a direct route and takes about 30 minutes.
You can get some beautiful pictures of Positano as you depart.
Marina Grande is the main port in Capri and where you'll arrive (and depart for your return trip back to Positano). After arriving in Capri, you'll immediately hop on another boat to get to the Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto is one of the most famous things to do in Capri. Is it a memorable experience? Yes! Is it worth waiting hours and hours for? No. In reality, you only spend about 5 to 10 minutes in the cave itself.
To avoid long lines and an even longer wait, it's important to get there as early as possible. This is the main reason I recommend taking the first available ferry from Positano to Capri. Lines can become hours long in the afternoon and overrun with large tour groups.
This is Marina Grande (where you will arrive in Capri). See all the blue signage? These are the boat companies taking you to the Blue Grotto.
The ferry from Positano to Capri will arrive at Marina Grande. There are several boat companies that will whisk you to the Blue Grotto from here.
You could take the bus, but it will take longer and it's essential you get to the Blue Grotto as soon as possible.
Motoscafisti di Capri (you can see their ticket booth in the photo above) offers a €20 option that will take you around the entire island and end at the Blue Grotto. Total time is around two hours. It's a great way to see the island of Capri from the water, but also means you will be arriving at the Blue Grotto about 1 to 1.5 hours later. This is fine, but if you got a late start (arriving in Capri after 11:00 am), I would skip the island tour and go straight to the grotto.
The basic transfer with Motoscafisti di Capri is a roundtrip ticket to and from the blue grotto. Instead of going around the entire island first, it takes you directly to the Blue Grotto. Cost is €19 and the total trip will be around an hour.
Laser Capri is the same as Motoscafisti di Capri. An option to go around the island with a stop at the Blue Grotto (2 hours, €20) or an option to go straight to the Blue Grotto and back (1 hour, €20).
HP Travel has MUCH better reviews than the other companies and I'm not really sure why more websites don't mention them. They offer the island cruise with the option to stop at the Blue Grotto for €20.
The entire Blue Grotto Capri experience was memorable and I was very glad I did it.
Your boat from Marina Grande will anchor just outside the Blue Grotto so the little dingy boats can pick you up. Up to four people can fit in the boats that enter the cave.
Once you transfer to the dingy boat, you will make a quick stop at the Blue Grotto ticket boat. This is where you will pay your entry free, which is currently €14.
You then wait with all the other dingy boats for your turn to enter the Blue Grotto. The mouth of the cave is TINY. You have to lay all the way down in the boat. Your expert captain will time the entrance and uses a chain along the roof of the cave to quickly pull the boat in. This entire process is half the fun!
You then enter the Blue Grotto and it is beautiful (though small). Your captain will spin you around, sing a song in Italian, offer to take pictures (if he's nice), and five to ten minutes later you're back out in the sun light.
Your captain will then take you back to your original boat or back to land if you aren't going back to Marina Grande. He will ask for a tip (€1-2 is fine per person).
So, was it worth it? I visited the Blue Grotto in Capri during COVID, so I barely had to wait. In this case, it was 100% worth it.
If the line was long and I had to wait an hour, then I'd skip it. If you're doing a day trip to Capri, that hour wait will eat up into other activities.
Now, if you're spending more than one day in Capri, and you have extra time, then waiting an hour doesn't mean you have to miss out on other Capri activities. In that case, I would wait up to an hour…only if I had time to kill.
In reality, the cave is small and you only get a few minutes in it. There are other blue caves like this around the world. I visited one in Croatia and actually liked that one better than the Blue Grotto in Capri. So it's not like you will never get the opportunity to experience a blue cave if you don't do this one.
Views from the chairlift to Monte Solaro
Walk 5 minutes from the center of Capri to the Gardens of Augustus (I used Google Maps for directions). You'll be rewarded with stunning views, terraces, and a plethora of photo opportunities. This is where you'll get great photos of the Marina Piccola cove and the Faraglioni sea stacks.
The gardens are small, so you don't need more than 20 minutes here.
You will need to purchase tickets to enter the gardens. Buy them in advance online for €1.50.
Our Positano to Capri day trip is coming to a close. You'll make your way back through the center of Capri in order to return to Marina Grande. To get to Marina Grande from Capri, either walk 15 minutes down another flight of stairs or take the funicular. The stairs are to the right of the funicular.
Tickets for the funicular are €2 and the ride takes 4 minutes. Lines can be long during high season.
Sit at one of the cafes surrounding Marina Grande or hang at the Cala Grande beach (to the left of Marina Grande when facing the ocean) until it's time to board your ferry back to Positano.
A day trip to Capri from Positano is 100% worth your time and will be a memorable experience. My day trip to Capri was actually my favorite day while visiting the Amalfi Coast. It's easy to plan on your own and the views are breathtaking.
Rather not plan what to do in Capri and have someone do the planning for you? There are several small group and private tours to join!
Small Group Tours from Positano to Capri:
Private Tours/Charters are a great choice if you have a few people in your group. You'll get to choose how to spend your time and what to see:
If you'd rather spend more time on the water while in Capri, consider these boat tours:
Positano is very expensive. Typically, the luxury hotels I list are 5 star hotels. For Positano, luxury will be 4+ stars and will often feel outdated and small. Expect to pay a minimum of $500 to $600 a night for a "luxury" hotel in Positano.
Praiano is a small town east of Positano. It's about 25 to 40 minutes via taxi or bus. It's quiet and has spectacular views. Hotels will be a fraction of the cost. What you save in money you will give up for in inconvenience. There aren't many restaurants here and you'll have to rely on taxis and the bus system more so in Praiano than Positano. Ferries and tours typically depart from Positano, not Praiano. Factor in extra time traveling to and from Praiano and decide if it's worth the savings.
Posted By: Ashley Friemel · In: Day Trips, Europe, Italy
In 2018, I left the world of corporate finance to pursue travel blogging full-time; documenting and sharing my itineraries and travel tips. My most visited and favorite countires are Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. While I love discovering new places, I have a tendency to return to my favorites again and again. I live in Dallas, TX with my husband Jake and rescue dog Bailey.
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Omggg absolute best guide ever. Got positano to Capri planned for sept 2022 and this is everything! I love the way you broke everything down, tips to get places first, tips to skip if not sunny, and the chronological order of the perfect Capri itinerary. Thank you from Hawaii!
Thank you so much for the kind words…made my day! Enjoy Positano and Capri!
This is amazing, what a great find! Thank you for putting it together – I’ve been a bit lost on what to do with all this information on must see items so this really helped!
I’m so glad this helped! I felt the same way when researching my first trip…so I’m happy to hear it proved useful. Enjoy Capri!
I agree wholeheartedly with the above comments. Wonderfully organized and detailed itinerary. What would you suggest if you arrive in Capri and it is not sunny that day…head straight to Anacapri??? Thanks so much!
Yes, that’s what I would recommend…straight to Anacapri. Have fun and thank you for the kind comments 🙂
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