The Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) is one of the biggest attractions on the island of Capri. A quarter of a million people a year visit this picturesque cave for the magical atmosphere created by its intense blue color.
Grotta Azzurra Capri
Address, opening hours and entrance fee
The Blue Grotto officially belongs to the municipality of Anacapri. From the center of this town there is a bus to the attraction. You can also visit the cave by boat from Marina Grande. Once you arrive, you transfer to a small rowing boat that will take you into the cave.
The entrance fee to the Grotta Azzurra is 14 Euros per person.
The cave is open from 09.00 to 17.00 except in case of bad weather. This means that from November to March you can rarely go inside. On January 1 and December 25 the cave is always closed.
History and description
The ancient Romans already knew of the existence of the Blue Grotto, which, for example, was used by Emperor Tiberius as a nymphaeum. This is demonstrated by the fact that multiple statues have been found against the back wall.
After this, the cave was not visited for centuries because the fishermen used to believer that evil spirits and demons roamed there.
On April 18, 1826, the cave was “rediscovered” by the German writer August Kopisch, along with some local fishermen and dignitaries.
The cave is about 25 meters wide and 60 meters long. The water inside the large one is about 22 meters deep. When entering the cave, one often has to adopt a lying position to pass through the opening.
The blue color is caused by sunlight reflecting in a cavity under the water.
Curiosities
The Grotta Azzurra was also known as the Grotta di Gradola for a while.
The cave is annually visited by about a quarter of a million tourists.