Capri/Blue Grotto vs day spent in Sorrento/Positano/Ravello

[cruisegal415]

 

Our cruise in August is landing in Positano.  The cruise line offers an excursion to the Emerald Grotto, but having read about it, that sounds like a waste of time.  My parents did the Blue Grotto and said we have to go there! However, when we were last in Positano several years ago, we took an excursion to Sorrento and really loved that town. I see there is an excursion offered that goes to Sorrento and Ravello, which is supposed to be beautiful also.  For those of you who have done both, would you recommend a boat tour around Capri including the Blue Grotto, or a day in Sorrento/Ravello?

[cruisemom42]

A tough quandary. I'm not a big fan of Sorrento, so keep that in mind. Ravello is a beautiful little town with views along the Bay in several directions (assuming you are there on a day that's not misty, which can negate the views) but you can see most of what's there in a couple of hours including the Villa Rufolo (a must for the views) and the main piazza and cathedral.

 

If I were going to Capri, doing a boat ride around it and the Blue Grotto wouldn't be how I'd choose to spend the day either. I would want to visit both Capri Town and Anacapri. But these can be very crowded in peak season. If you like Roman ruins, there is a wonderful villa (once owned by Roman emperors) at the top of the cliffs called Villa Jovis. It also has spectacular views.

 

As you can see, it's hard to give advice to others whose tastes may be different. Only you can really choose which one sounds best.

[Hlitner]

The interesting part of this post is that Positano is generally considered a terrific place.  Many folks who port at Naples, Sorrento or Salerno, will somehow make their way to Positano for part of all of their day.  I do agree with Cruisemom, that on Capri, the Blue Grotto would be way down on list of how we spend time on that island.  That being said, it is one of those overpriced tourist traps that most folks need to experience once.  We do like everything about Ravello and find it a charming place for a 2 hour walk and perhaps a nice lunch.

 

Hank

[cruisegal415]

wow that is interesting and good feedback! We enjoyed Positano when we last visited, and I would certainly not mind going there and Sorrento again (love Sorrento, but it holds a special place as that is where my grandparents are from).  That being said, we have visited there but have not been to Capri/Anacapri.  Some folks recommend a boat ride around Capri, don't know if that is something we should look into.

[euro cruiser]

The consistent feedback this spring from regular visitors to the Amalfi coast is that the crowds this year are already making it uncomfortable, and it's not even swimming weather yet.

[cruisegal415]

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

The consistent feedback this spring from regular visitors to the Amalfi coast is that the crowds this year are already making it uncomfortable, and it's not even swimming weather yet.

This is very concerning, as our cruise is in August!

[John Bull]

We stayed in Ravello for a few days on a road-trip. Beautiful, quiet (can't be sure about that in daytime), and truly glorious views from much higher up than the coast road.

Sorrento we found "pleasant", but - dare I say it - rather bland. That said, you know it & like it - so go by your own thoughts rather than mine.

Your cruise tenders into Positano, so need to caution you that "Positano" on bus tours means no more than a photo-stop on the high coast road overlooking the place 😟 

You'd need a tour of some sort - can be done by local bus but you start with a bracing (😏) uphill walk to the coast road where you catch the hourly bus to Amalfi, then a reasonably-frequent bus up to Ravello - and that might be pretty time-consuming.

 

Since you've not been there, I think Capri your best choice. There are inexpensive little ferries which run between Positano & Capri (they actually start their route in Salerno), or your ship might offer a tender service to Capri.

I agree with the others that on Capri itself is the way to spend the day.

From near the harbour you can take the funicular up to the town - behind the town there are spectacular vertical views down to the sea.

We never got to Anacapri, where there's a chairlft.

 

Hint. Leave your credit card in your cabin safe & take your partner's card to Capri. When you stop for a coffee or a beer you'll thank me for this little piece of advice 😏🤣

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited May 9 by John Bull

[euro cruiser]

1 hour ago, cruisegal415 said:

This is very concerning, as our cruise is in August!

Sorry, I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but better you know what to expect so you don't over-commit yourself. 

 

Tourism has roared back after covid, spurred on by generally healthy economies in various parts of the world.  The Chinese are not traveling yet at the rate they did pre-covid, once they do ...

[cruisegal415]

On 5/9/2024 at 12:01 PM, John Bull said:

We stayed in Ravello for a few days on a road-trip. Beautiful, quiet (can't be sure about that in daytime), and truly glorious views from much higher up than the coast road.

Sorrento we found "pleasant", but - dare I say it - rather bland. That said, you know it & like it - so go by your own thoughts rather than mine.

Your cruise tenders into Positano, so need to caution you that "Positano" on bus tours means no more than a photo-stop on the high coast road overlooking the place 😟 

You'd need a tour of some sort - can be done by local bus but you start with a bracing (😏) uphill walk to the coast road where you catch the hourly bus to Amalfi, then a reasonably-frequent bus up to Ravello - and that might be pretty time-consuming.

 

Since you've not been there, I think Capri your best choice. There are inexpensive little ferries which run between Positano & Capri (they actually start their route in Salerno), or your ship might offer a tender service to Capri.

I agree with the others that on Capri itself is the way to spend the day.

From near the harbour you can take the funicular up to the town - behind the town there are spectacular vertical views down to the sea.

We never got to Anacapri, where there's a chairlft.

 

Hint. Leave your credit card in your cabin safe & take your partner's card to Capri. When you stop for a coffee or a beer you'll thank me for this little piece of advice 😏🤣

 

JB 🙂

 

If we took a ferry from the port in Amalfi to Capri, is it difficult to wander around the island on our own? And if we wanted to go to Anacapri also, same question.  Walking? taxis available? A day exploring these two places seems like a nice day.  I see that the ferry ride takes about an hour, so we would have about 5 hours or so.  We have to take a tender from the ship and I remember last time we did this, since we were not taking the ship's excursion, it took a couple of hours after we docked until we could get a tender from the ship.

[euro cruiser]

There are very limited crossings from Amalfi, so be sure to nail these ferry tickets down if you decide to go to Capri.

 

The island is very crowded, my personal preference is to grab a taxi immediately upon arrival (they will put six or so people in one taxi, there aren't enough to go around otherwise) and go right up to Anacapri, then work your way back down.

 

Walking between the port, Capri and Anacapri is possible (The Phoenician Steps) but it's pretty steep and, in the summer, very hot.

 

The Phoenician Steps - Itinerari - Island of Capri

[John Bull]

52 minutes ago, cruisegal415 said:

If we took a ferry from the port in Amalfi to Capri, is it difficult to wander around the island on our own? And if we wanted to go to Anacapri also, same question.  Walking? taxis available? A day exploring these two places seems like a nice day.  I see that the ferry ride takes about an hour, so we would have about 5 hours or so.  We have to take a tender from the ship and I remember last time we did this, since we were not taking the ship's excursion, it took a couple of hours after we docked until we could get a tender from the ship.

 

 

Harbour to Capri town is fairly easy - short walk, funicular, & you're there. Little streets & paths, quite spread out, undulating but not steep.

 

But as I posted, we never got to Anacapri. There are buses but apparently not frequent. It's only 2 - 3 miles, best take @euro cruiser's advice.

 

JB 🙂

[euro cruiser]

While there are buses on Capri, within the limitations of a port day you do not have the time to mess around with them.  In the off season I've waited on a line and wasn't able to get on the first bus, then waited another half hour for the next one.  I don't want to think about how bad it would be in season.

[Hlitner]

We would recommend spending a day on Capri (not a boat tour) as we enjoy the island.  Just exploring Capri Town, and heading up to Anacapri (via bus or taxi) to spend some time in the quiet village and also take the chair lift up to the top of Mt Solaro, is a day we have enjoyed.  The Blue Grotto is a tourist trap that should be seen, once, if time and crowds permit.  One can get a boat tour, from along the same pier where you arrive on Capri, assuming that the boats are running and the queues are not overly long.  The usual problem, with any port day, is making choices based on the time that is involved.  We honestly enjoy this part of Italy when we spend a few days, rather than trying to squeeze a few things into port days.

 

There is a reality to folks who completely rely on cruises.  Time is always a big factor, and with all the overtourism/crowds it has become an even bigger problem.  Cruisers need to make choices, in most places, since they cannot do it all on port days.

 

Hank

[steamboats]

Capri is my favorite island... but it took me almost 40 years to go into the Blue Grotto (and only because during the pandemic there wasn´t any crowd and our sailing yacht stopped directly in front of it). So I join those saying don´t waste your time on that.

 

I usually jump off the ferry, buy my bus tickets (also valid for the funicular) and hop on the next bus to Anacapri. Yes, there can be a wait and it is definitely crowded and if you have fear of hights take a taxi. I love it ;-). Then you can explore Anacapri (Ville Axel Munthe, chair lift to Monte Solaro). Then I take the next bus to Capri town and do my things there (Augustus gardens, Faraglioni... in August I might skip Villa Iovis). The Via Krupp opened recently. Something I haven´t done yet. In that case you need another bus from Marina Piccola back to Capri town. Walk down to Marina Grande (or take the funicular).

 

Taxi is more convenient but also more expensive.

 

steamboats