490. Sailing around Capri & Positano

On the second day in Capri, we went on a full-day 8-hour boat tour around the island, to Positano and back. I booked the boat with a company called Gianni's Boats about a week in advance. Out of my whole trip, I was most excited for this but unfortunately I wasn't in the best physical shape that day (which I already talked about during my daily diary posts from the trip) so I spent most of the time trying to sleep while on the boat and didn't enjoy it as much, or take as many photos as I wanted to. It was a nice and sunny day but quite cold on there (with the wind and all). So I pretty much spent the whole time wrapped up in the towels shivering lol. But it was still a very enjoyable day and a fun experience. The boat was really nice and clean. It was a private tour so just for Anouk and I + the sailor/guide. It was quite expensive (500 euros for the day) but I would recommend doing it this way rather than the usual boat tours. We saw a lot of them go by and there was like 20+ people sitting in each boat. The private boat is a lot more relaxing and more personalized for where you want to go, how long you want to stay, etc.

In the photo above: We just got on the boat and started sailing away from Marina Grande in Capri. My new Givenchy bag matched the colours of the boat perfectly!



Our first stop was the Blue Grotto/Grotta Azzurra! This is one of Capri's main attractions and definitely very magical. Here we were "lining up" to go in. You can see from this photo some of the boats I mentioned where there were a lot more people. There was a line up of boats and a line up of people who lined up on the stairs of the cliffs, to go in the grotto. The entrance into the grotto is tiny. Actually, the grotto itself is quite small. You can only go in on a rowboat (large enough for 3 people), and at any given time there was only 4-5 boats in there which already fills the space. The entrance is a hole just wide enough for the boat, and about 1 foot tall or so. You need to lie flat down on the floor of the boat while you enter. I'm not good with descriptions so hopefully you're able to understand and visualize it lol.

The wait to go in is a lot longer than the time you'll be able to spend inside. I don't exactly remember how long we waited but it was at least 20 minutes. & I felt like we only got to spend 3-5 minutes inside the grotto (at the price of 15 euros, including tip!). I assume it will be a longer wait time during the peak tourist season though.

When it's your turn to go in, the rowboat will come up to your boat. You then hop in and sit on the floor. Then the skipper rows you over to a cashier boat where you pay the entrance fee. Then you row over to enter the grotto. You all lie down on the floor of the boat, while the skipper pulls you all in (with a chain on the roof of the entrance, since the entrance is tiny it's the only way to move the boat forwards and in). For a split second it's completely dark and you feel a deep rush of adrenaline (well, I did at least)..you hear very loud, echo-ey singing as the skipper yells to you "get up!!!". When you get up, you will see that you've made it inside..the most beautiful sparkling blue waters all around you..the air is very cool..the sounds are all echo-ey and the loud singing comes from all the skippers inside. The skipper then told me to touch the water and run my hand through..I can't remember why though. As you can see, it looks quite magical inside. Very surreal. It would be so amazing to be able to come in without anyone else though.

I later discovered that they found statues of Greek Gods here in 1964. The statues date back to the time of Emperor Tiberius though (42BC to 37AD) when he used it as a swimming pool. So cool. We saw the statues at a museum in Anacapri which I will show you in a future post.

Then we rowed back to our main boat and off we went again!




Can you see the face in the cliffs??









Next stop: Positano!













Positano was very nice but it doesn't seem like there's much to do there. We spent a couple hours here which I think was enough..if visiting that part of Italy, I'd recommend staying in Capri and doing day trips to the surrounding areas. I know people usually do the opposite though. Positano seems like a less colourful version of Cinque Terre (which is high on my bucket list!!) but my friend told me Cinque Terre is a lot nicer so hopefully I will go there in the near future. 

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