Exclusive Capri boat tour review: the flagship, and the word optional
My verdict: this is the most-reviewed boat leaving Sorrento for Capri, by a margin the other five cannot approach between them, and the rating has held up under all that traffic. Five to eight hours, a group capped at twelve, the island circled, snorkelling gear, drinks on deck, a limoncello tasting, hotel pickup, and roughly four hours ashore. It is also the only listing that names the Blue Grotto in its own title, with optional doing a great deal of quiet work: about €20 extra, a separate queue the boat does not control, and a cave that closes on wind. Book it for the day. Treat the grotto as a bonus and you will have a good one.
What the day contains
A skipper collects you from your hotel, you check in at the harbour, and then the boat does the circuit: out past Marina Grande, Tiberius’ Leap, the White Grotto, the Natural Arch, Villa Malaparte, and then the Faraglioni with the pass beneath the arch through the middle stack — the one moment on this coast that everybody photographs and nobody gets quite right. Then Marina Piccola on the island’s south side, the Punta Carena lighthouse, the north-west coast, and the Blue Grotto on the way back round. Snorkel gear is on board, the drinks run to prosecco, beer, water and soft drinks, and there is a limoncello tasting. After that you get about four hours on the island to yourself, which is enough for Capri town and the funicular or for Anacapri and the chairlift, but not comfortably for both — the arithmetic is on is four hours enough. The full stop-by-stop route is in the complete guide.
Per person this is not the cheapest seat on the water; the day trip with transfer costs less and rates higher. What the extra buys is the largest body of evidence on this route. 4.8 from 4,997 reviews is the kind of number that stops being an opinion and starts being a description.
Julie and Rebecca, and the same cave on two mornings
These two reviews are the most useful thing on this site and they sit on this listing. Julie wrote that the guide made great suggestions for touring other caves aside from the Blue Grotto, and then added the detail that matters: there was a two-hour wait. Rebecca, on a different day, wrote that the tides allowed them to see many sea caves including the blue grotto, and that their tour was timed well so they only waited fifteen minutes. Same boat. Same product. Same price. The difference is the sea, and no operator on this coast controls it.
Here is what actually happens. The grotto fee is not part of your tour fare — it is about €20, most of it the rowing boat and the rest admission, paid at a floating booth once you are already out there. You transfer into a small wooden rowboat and lie back to clear the low cave mouth. You are inside for about five minutes. The rowers often sing and are often tipped. The operators assess the conditions at 09:00 each morning and the same day can open and close more than once, so a boat that promised you the grotto at breakfast has promised you something it does not own. Budget two to three hours in total in high season, and read the Blue Grotto page before you decide whether to spend them.
What the other reviewers pick out
Ada’s review is the practical one: an easy hotel pickup, a few minutes to check in, a restroom available before boarding, an experienced skipper, and a crew who gave her good advice on getting round Capri and Anacapri. That last part is worth more than it sounds, because the four hours ashore are unguided and most people waste the first thirty minutes working out where the funicular goes. Ori sailed with Antonio and came off the boat with a list of recommendations for the island. Thomas mentions the Anacapri chairlift, which tells you how he spent his afternoon. Kathleen, Klemen and Kara are all in the five-star pile without a complaint between them.
What works
- The largest review base on this route by several times over, and the score holds
- Group capped at twelve, so the boat is a boat rather than a bus
- Hotel pickup, snorkel gear, prosecco, beer, water, soft drinks and limoncello all inside the price
- Ada credits the crew with advice on Capri and Anacapri, which is the unguided afternoon sorted
- About four hours ashore — the standard on this route, not a cut-down version
Worth knowing
- The Blue Grotto is about €20 extra with its own queue, and Julie waited two hours for it
- Dearer per person than the day trip with transfer, which rates higher
- Five to eight hours is a wide window — do not plan a dinner at 19:00
- The four hours ashore come with no guide attached; you navigate the island yourself
Decide about the grotto before you board, not at the floating booth. Ask the skipper what the 09:00 call was and how long the queue is running, then either commit the fee and the wait, or spend that hour swimming somewhere the rest of the boat has to yourself.
Who it is for
First-timers who want the reassurance of a very large number of people having done this before them, couples, and anyone who wants the grotto to be possible without being promised. If the budget is the deciding factor, the day trip with transfer does nearly the same day for less and rates higher. If you want somebody talking the whole way round, read the guided boat tour review instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is the exclusive Capri boat tour worth the money?
For most people yes — it holds 4.8 across 4,997 reviews, caps the group at twelve, and includes hotel pickup, snorkel gear, drinks and about four hours ashore. The day trip with transfer costs less and rates 4.9, so compare the two before you pay the difference.
Does this tour include the Blue Grotto?
No, and the word optional in the title is the giveaway. Entry is about €20 paid at a floating booth, most of it the rowing boat and the rest admission, with its own queue. Reviewer Julie faced a two-hour wait; Rebecca waited fifteen minutes on a calmer day. Full detail at the Blue Grotto.
How long is the tour and how much of it is on Capri?
Five to eight hours in total, of which roughly four are free time ashore. The rest is the crossing, the island circuit past the Faraglioni and the sea caves, and the swim stops. Whether four hours is enough for you is argued out at is four hours enough.
Is hotel pickup really included?
Yes, pickup and drop-off both. Reviewer Ada describes an easy collection, a few minutes to check in and a restroom available before boarding. If you would rather make your own way to the quay, the walk down to Marina Piccola is described at where the boats leave.