One day in Capri – The Best Day Trips

Day Trips to Capri

Although many travellers stay in Capri for several days, lots decide to visit Capri for only one day. The main reason for this is the high costs of staying on the island. One night in accommodation can easily set you back €90. This is about €50 more than staying in one of the mainland towns.

Can you explore Capri in just one day?

If you make it a full day, you can see a lot of what Capri has to offer. With a well-organised trip, you can explore Capri’s best spots in around 8 hours.

It is possible to plan this day trip yourself, but as we explain later, it is often much easier (and cheaper) to join an organised day trip to Capri.

There are a number of tour operators offering day trips to Capri, on the mainland, that you can choose from – each with varying prices, inclusions and levels of luxury.

Our favourite tours to Capri Island

In this post, we’ve summarized the most important stops made by each tour, as well as the costs and duration of the trip. Plus the tips that can help you to make the most of your day trip to Capri!

For the quick deciders among us, we won’t make you wait any longer. When you book one of these suggested tours below, you can’t go wrong:

Departing from Sorrento (the best location to leave from)

• Best value for money – Capri & leranto Bay Full-Day Group Tour €45 ($54)
• Day & Night – Capri Boat Tour Day & Night Experience €109 ($128)
• Private tour – Private tour from Sorrento €509 ($600)

Boats departing from Capri Island

• Basic boat trip from Capri: 2-hour Capri boat trip €18 ($21)
• All-in Land and Sea tour from Capri: Capri Day Tour Gold Package €89 ($105)
• Renting a boat in Capri: Private boat without a Skipper €80 ($94.50)

What to look for when booking a day trip?

If you would rather do some research before booking one of the suggested tours, don’t worry. We have got you covered!

As each tour operator has a unique offering, you want to make sure that you’re booking with an organisation that offers good value for money. Whether you’re looking for a more luxurious trip, or just searching for one that offers the most value for money, there are a few things to consider:

1. Where is the best place to depart from for a day trip to Capri?
2. Should you join an organised tour or do it yourself?
3. Are there additional expenses on Capri Island?
4. Do you also get to explore the towns on Capri Island?

1. The lowest-priced day trips always depart from Sorrento

To find the best destination to depart from, we compared all the Capri day trips we could find from the most popular destinations on the Italian coast.

The result? We consistently found that the lowest-priced tours are always leaving from Sorrento.

The reason why tours are cheaper from Sorrento is that it is closest to Capri. With the high-speed ferry, it’s only a 20-minute ferry ride from Sorrento to Capri.

2. Organised day trips are cheaper than DIY

It’s possible to do a day trip to Capri on your own. There are plenty of ferries going to the island of Capri in the morning, and back in the afternoon.

However, ferry trips are expensive.

Even from Sorrento – the closest city on the coast – the boat trip to Capri costs €21 ($25) for the 20-minute ferry ride. This means €42 ($50) for a return ticket, and that doesn’t include a boat trip around the island. A basic boat tour around the island will cost at least another €18 ($21).

In comparison, this highly-rated day trip from Sorrento to Capri costs only €45 ($54). That includes roundtrip transfers, a guide and a boat tour around the island.

It’s also worth noting that day trips to Capri aren’t like the usual group tours. Instead of having a set schedule where a guide controls everything, you will have a lot of free time to explore Capri Island and enjoy the views!

3. Be prepared to pay at least €30 for an average dinner

Capri’s rugged beauty makes it a true paradise – and a high-end one. It’s a haven not just for nature lovers, but also for luxurious travellers. Its many posh boutiques and lavish celebrity houses are a testament to that.

There’s no going around it, Capri can be quite expensive. It has been the island of the rich and famous for many many years – from Roman times until today.

See here a list of approximate prices on Capri Island:

• Lunch: €20-€30
• Dinner: from €30
• Beer or glass of wine in Piazzetta: €10
• Entrance and sunbed at beach club: €20
• Entrance to Blue Grotto: €14
• Return ticket for chair lift to Mount Solaro: €12
• Bus ticket to Anacapri: €2

As you can see, it’s easy to spend around €75 a day when visiting Capri. That being said, if you’re more conscious of your budget, you can still find lower-priced restaurants. Having a pizza for around €10 is still possible. You can enjoy a coffee with a pastery for only a couple of euros if you get it standing up.

Moreover, some day trips already include drinks, food or entrances to some attractions.

4. Expect to spend 2 hours on the boat and 4-5 hours exploring the island

Capri day trips normally last somewhere between 7-8 hours, of which 40 minutes are reserved for the roundtrip transfers from Sorrento to Capri.

Expect to spend 1-2 hours on the boat, depending on how long the stops are, as some give you time for swimming and snorkelling. This leaves you with 4-5 hours to explore Capri island on your own.

Boat Tour around Capri Island

A boat tour is a must when visiting Capri and that’s why it’s also included in all organised day trips.

With a boat, you’ll have a better view of the island’s rugged landscape and many unique features. These include The Faraglioni, The Natural Arch, and the three grottoes: Green, White and Blue.

Blue Grotto

You can easily explore most of these spots during the tour, except for the Blue Grotto. Its turquoise blue waters enchant hundreds of tourists daily, so there’s always a long line of boats hoping to get in.

Entry to the Blue Grotto is normally not part of boat tours. To visit here you’ll have to wait in line for a while, and there’s also a separate entrance fee of €14 ($16.50).

PRO TIP: The Blue Grotto is beautiful but may not be worth the waiting time – around an hour to get in but you can only stay about 5 minutes. If you want to see it up close, pick a tour that offers an early departure so that you can get there before the crowd does.

Exploring Capri Island on land

For most organised day trips, you get a boat tour and then a few hours of free time to explore the island on your own.

There’s plenty to see just walking around the town of Capri. Window shopping is a popular activity, as well as spotting celebrities.

Chair lift to Mount Solaro

If you want to make the most of your time on the island, we recommend taking a bus to the more laidback village of Anacapri (€2 one way). You can get a more intimate look at local life here. From there, you can take a chair lift to Mount Solaro (€12 return ride) for the most amazing bird’s eye view. Grab a bite to eat or a cup of coffee at a lovely cafe in Anacapri before heading back to Capri town.

Your ferry will depart at the same port that you arrive in: Marina Grande. Know that you can walk here from town or take a funicular (€2 one way). A lovely way to end your stay in Capri, but it may not be worth it if there’s a long queue of passengers.

Best-value boat trips to Capri Island

There are several jumping-off points from the mainland when going on a day trip to Capri. As we discussed before, the best would be Sorrento due to its proximity.

The boat trip from Sorrento to Capri only takes 20 minutes, which allows you more time to spend on the island and less on transport.

Day trips to Capri from Sorrento

Tours from Sorrento	Costs	Inclusion	Duration
Budget-friendly Capri & leranto Bay Full-Day Group Tour	€45 ($54)	– Roundtrip boat transfers – Boat tour – Onboard Guides – Does NOT stop at Blue Grotto	8 hours
For the young Under 30’s Boat Trip to Capri	€79 ($93)	– Available only for guests below 30 years old – Roundtrip boat transfers – Boat tour – Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – Snack (cheese and tomato sandwich) – English-speaking skipper – Water sports – Does NOT stop at Blue Grotto	7 hours
Small group Capri Boat Tour – with Lunch	€101 ($119)	– Max of 12 people – Roundtrip boat transfers – Boat tour – Alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages – Lunch – Snorkelling kit – Stops at Blue Grotto, ticket not included	7 hours
Sunset tour Capri Boat Tour Day & Night Experience	€109 ($128)	– Hotel pick-up/drop-off – – Roundtrip boat transfers – Afternoon departure for sunset & night experience – Boat tour – English-speaking skipper – Dry snacks – Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – Does NOT stop at Blue Grotto	7 hours
Private tour Private Boat Tour from Sorrento	€509 ($600)	– Up to 9 people – Fuel – Snacks – Drinks – Beach towels – Snorkelling kit – Stops at Blue Grotto, ticket not included	8 hours

Capri day trips from Amalfi, Positano or Naples

With the exception of tours from Naples, it may be more cost-efficient to take a taxi to Sorrento and kick off your day trip from there.

See here the best day trip to Capri we could find from other mainland towns:

• Amalfi to Capri: Sorrento Coast and Capri Full Day Boat Cruise €139 ($165)
• Positano to Capri: Sorrento Coast and Capri Boat Tour from Positano €119 ($142)
• Naples to Capri: Sea and City Sightseeing Boat Tour from Naples €64 ($76)

How to get to Sorrento

If you are travelling alone, you might as well join a day trip directly from Amalfi, Positano or Naples.

However, if you are travelling in a group, you can easily share the cost of the taxi and still save money on the trip.

See here a breakdown of the taxi costs from Positano or Amalfi, plus the boat trip from Sorrento:

• Amalfi to Capri: roundtrip taxi to Sorrento from €90 ($108) + Sorrento day trip rates from €45 ($54) = €135 ($162)
• Positano to Capri: roundtrip taxi to Sorrento from €50 ($60) + Sorrento day trip rates from €45 ($54) = €95 ($114)

Day trips from Capri Island

Another option when coming from coastal towns other than Sorrento is to take a ferry to Capri on your own and book a day tour on Capri Island.

This is an especially great option when staying in Salerno as there are almost no day trips from Salerno to Capri.

Ferry tickets to Capri Island

If you want to take the ferry to Capri and book a tour from there, check out our detailed route guides for the best info on how to get to Capri:

• Amalfi to Capri – Ferry tickets from €19 ($23)
• Naples to Capri – Ferry tickets from €24 ($28)
• Positano to Capri – Ferry tickets from €19 ($23)
• Salerno to Capri – Ferry tickets from €23 ($28)

Day tours from Capri Island start at Marina Grande

The day tours from Capri Island usually kick off from Marina Grande, the main port in Capri. That means you can easily transfer to a boat upon your ferry’s arrival on the island.

See here a selection of the best day tours from Capri Island’s Marina Grande. Most are boat tours, but some also include an additional land tour for the ultimate experience!

Tours within Capri	Costs	Inclusion	Duration
Budget Boat Trip and Blue Grotto Visit	€18 ($21)	– Boat tour – Stops at Blue Grotto, ticket not included	2 hours
For small groups Living La Dolce Vita	€59 ($70)	– Boat tour – Public tour, but up to 12 people only – Snacks – Beverages – Limoncello tasting – Does NOT stop at Blue Grotto	2 hours
Private tour Private boat tour	€259 ($306)	– Boat tour – Beverages (water/soda) – Beach towels – Snorkelling equipment – Expert skipper – Bluetooth stereo – Stops at Blue Grotto, ticket not included	3 hours
Water & land tour Capri Day Tour Gold Package	€89 ($105)	– Boat tour – Includes a stop at Blue Grotto – Bus tickets to Anacapri – Traditional lunch at La Giara – Chairlift tickets up and down Mount Solaro – Funicular tickets back to Marina Grande – Stops at Blue Grotto, ticket included	7 hours

Booking a trip at the harbour on Capri Island

Not yet sure if you want to join an organised day trip? You can decide that upon arrival on the island. All ferries dock at Marina Grande, and you can simply walk into a travel office and book your tour for the day.

Below are some of the favourite local tour operators in Capri that get excellent reviews. You can book the tours at their offices on Capri island or online through their respective websites.

Local Tours	Costs	Inclusion	Duration
Motoscafisti	€19 ($22.50)	– Non-stop departures from 9:00 to 14:00 – Boat tour (includes stop BUT not entrance to Blue Grotto) – You can also get a separate boat ride directly to and from Blue Grotto only for €17, but that also doesn’t include the €14 entrance fee	1-2 hours
Laser Capri	€18 ($21)	– Non-stop departures from 9:30 to 16:30 – Boat tour (includes stop BUT not entrance to Blue Grotto) – You can also get a separate boat ride directly to and from Blue Grotto only for €17, but that doesn’t include the €14 entrance fee	1-2 hours
Capri Blue Boats	w/o skipper from €80 ($94.50)	– Only company offering boats without a skipper – Printed maps of Capri – Ice chest – Fuel – Wooden “gozzo” boat with sun awning – Max 6 passenger	2 hours to a whole day
Capri Blue Boats	w/ skipper from €150 ($177)	– From 8 passengers – Wooden or modern boats (more expensive) – Stop for a swim and snorkelling masks (upon request) – Ice chest and soft drinks. Wine and prosecco upon request. – Towels and a shower on board – Music (optional) – Sun awning – Stop at the Blue Grotto (optional, doesn’t include the €14 entrance fee)	2 hours to a whole day