Reviews of the six boat tours
How we read the ratings
A single rating doesn’t tell you much. The lunch-on-board tour has 4.8 from 366 reviews; the short tour with a stop at the Blue Grotto has 4.1 from 2,579. The first is an experience with eight people on board, where just one off-day crew can drag down the average; the second is a service that runs every thirty minutes from 9:30 to 14:00 and takes anyone who turns up at the dock, including those who haven’t read what the ticket includes. With nearly ten thousand reviews between the two short tours, the 4.1 and 4.3 are solid numbers: they show the experience is consistent, and that some passengers expected something different.
The recurring complaints about the two departures from the island are always the same four: a tour that ended sooner than expected, the boarding point hard to find among Marina Grande’s docks, muffled commentary when the wind drowns out the guide’s voice, and the wait outside the Blue Grotto. None of these make the tour a rip-off; all four can be avoided by knowing about them beforehand.
The six excursions, one by one
Exclusive tour from Sorrento
The most booked and the most comprehensive: pickup, landing tax included, and four hours free on the island.
Full-day tourRead the review ›
Island circuit with the grottos
The classic circuit from Marina Grande in one or two hours, live commentary, no bathroom stops.
Island circuitRead the review ›
Short tour with a stop at the grotto
Ninety minutes from Pier 0, departures every thirty minutes: convenient, but entry to the grotto is an extra charge.
Short cruiseRead the review ›
Full day with swimming and lunch
Maximum of eight people, Caprese sandwich on board and the Blue Grotto weather permitting. The smallest group of the six.
Full-day tourRead the review ›
Full day in a small group
Transfer by van, twelve passengers and the landing tax covered by the operator on-site.
Full-day tourRead the review ›
Small group with free time
Departure from Sorrento or Positano, three and a half hours on the island: check the meeting point twice.
Full-day tourRead the review ›What we look at
For each excursion, we show the live rating, the number of reviews, the stated duration, the maximum passenger limit, and a list of what’s included and what’s not. The landing tax and grotto entry are the two items that vary the most from one tour to another. Quotes in quotation marks are from reviews published on GetYourGuide, translated—we didn’t write any of them ourselves. If you’re still choosing the type of tour, compare the six options in all boat tours or read which is the best tour; if you’re weighing whether it’s worth it, the honest answer is in this page.
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Frequently asked questions
Are the reviews genuine?
Yes. Ratings and counts are those published on GetYourGuide at the time we update the page, and the quoted comments are from travellers who booked that tour, translated into Italian. We never publish our own reviews: we write a reasoned assessment for each tour, as in this one.
Why do you recommend tours with a 4.1 rating?
Because a 4.1 from 2,579 reviews describes an experience where expectations didn’t quite match reality, not poor service. The short tour does exactly what it says: ninety minutes at sea. The details are in the review of the short tour.
Which tour should I choose if I’m staying in Sorrento?
One of the four full-day options: they depart from the peninsula and bring you back without needing ferries. You can compare them in tours from Sorrento, and the highest-rated is the exclusive tour.
What if I’m already on the island?
Then you’ll want the tours from Marina Grande, lasting one or two hours, which slot easily into your day without needing a full reorganisation: the island and grotto tour or the shorter version.