The Blue Grotto at a glance
The Blue Grotto, in Italian Grotta Azzurra, is a sea cave on Capri. It belongs to the municipality of Anacapri, not to Capri Town. You cannot walk into it. You go down a stair to the sea, change into a small rowboat and enter through a low opening.
Three separate things are paid for: the museum ticket, the rowboat and the trip to the cave. The museum price alone is not the total. This is an independent guide, not the museum, the boatmen's cooperative or a tour operator, and every price is as listed in 2026.
What the Blue Grotto costs in 2026
The museum rules and a travel portal list different rowboat prices, so both appear here.
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Museum ticket | €6 | Reservation is free and optional, payment on site |
| Reduced ticket | €2 | EU citizens aged 18 to under 25 |
| Children and teens | Free | Museum entry for those under 18; the rowboat is not free |
| Rowboat | €12 or €13 | €12 in the museum rules, €13 on a travel portal |
| Museum plus rowboat | €18 or €19 | Without any trip to the cave |
| Boat from Marina Grande | about €25 | Brings the total to about €43 to €44 |
| First Sunday of the month | – | State museums are free, but not the rowboat |
Without a reservation you get in only if there is free capacity. A reservation is not an entry guarantee.
Our picks: Blue Grotto tours
One tour with entry and rowing boat included, and two where the grotto costs extra.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Capri, Anacapri and Blue Grotto from Naples
Ferry from Naples, a guide and the island shuttle bus. Blue Grotto entry and the rowing boat are included; if the grotto is closed, you get an island boat trip instead.
Check availability →
Short island boat tour with a Blue Grotto stop
A short boat tour around the island with a crew and captain. The rowing boat into the grotto is extra and paid on the spot.
Check availability →
Island boat trip with grottoes
A one to two hour boat trip with an English or Italian speaking crew, life jackets and a toilet on board. Blue Grotto entry is extra, and there is no live guide.
Check availability →Blue Grotto tours
Boat trips to the Blue Grotto, round-island cruises with a Grotto stop and day trips to Capri, with live prices and availability.
Opening hours: two official listings
The ministry page and the museum rules do not match, so ask before you rely on a late slot.
| Period | Ministry of Culture page | Museum rules |
|---|---|---|
| April to September | 09:00–18:00, to 18:30 when busy | 08:30–18:00 |
| 1 to 15 October | 09:00–18:00, to 18:30 when busy | 08:30–16:00 |
| 16 to 31 October | 09:00–18:00, to 18:30 when busy | 09:00–14:00 |
| November to March | 09:00–14:00, last entry 13:30 | 09:00–14:00 |
The ministry page lists no weekly closing day. Both pages apply only when the sea allows entry.
How to get to the Blue Grotto
By land, take the bus or a taxi from Anacapri to the Grotta Azzurra area. A travel portal gives about 15 minutes by bus, another page of the same portal says 10 minutes, so do not plan to the minute. Walking from Anacapri takes about 50 minutes. At the bottom a staircase leads to the water, where you change into the rowboat. The route is not a dry tunnel.
By sea, a boat from Marina Grande brings you to the entrance. The fare is about €25, and several round-island cruises include a stop. Boat tours are compared on the boat tours page. Anacapri has its own guide.
Closures and what happened in 2025 and 2026
The sea decides, and nobody can promise a day.
Rough seas
The cave closes when the sea or the weather is unfavorable. Sun on land does not mean it is open, and a booking does not give you entry. Nobody can give you a fixed number of closed days, so treat any claim like closed every second day with caution.
15 August 2025
The local Capri Post reported a message from the boatmen's cooperative about a dispute between boatmen outside the cave on 15 August 2025, with disciplinary measures announced. The report does not describe a strike or a lasting closure.
July 2026
On 23 July 2026 Italian media published a report about a rowboat that took on water after touching rock in a wave. Another report says it happened a few days earlier. It does not describe a lasting closure.
Swimming at closing time
Operators say access after closing is prohibited. Do not plan an evening swim at the cave.
When the wait is long
One round-island offer skips the Grotto stop if the expected wait is above 45 minutes.
Plan the rest of your trip
If the cave is closed, these pages help.
Blue Grotto: frequently asked questions
How much does the Blue Grotto cost?
The museum ticket is €6 and the rowboat €12 to €13, so about €18 to €19 for the cave itself in 2026. A boat from Marina Grande adds about €25. Prices come from the museum rules and a travel portal and can differ at the ticket desk.
Is the Blue Grotto open today?
That depends on the sea, and no page can tell you in advance. Ask your boat operator on the day and keep a second plan ready. The things to do page has options.
Do I need to reserve?
Reservation is free and optional through the ministry's channel. Without one you can enter only if capacity is free. Even a reservation does not guarantee entry.
Can I swim in the Blue Grotto?
Do not plan on it. Operators say access after closing time is prohibited, and the cave is entered by rowboat.
Do children get in free?
Museum entry is free for visitors under 18. The rowboat is a separate cost.
Is it better to come by land or by boat?
Both work. The bus from Anacapri is the cheaper way, and the boat from Marina Grande costs about €25 more. See the boat tours page for the options.