Published on: December 2021
Capri is well known for its designer shops and hotels that cost hundreds (even thousands) of euros per night. But this chic island is not just that, there are a lot of interesting things to see at more than affordable prices. Yes, you can absolutely visit Capri without breaking the bank 😉
Capri is a very popular destination, especially from April to October. Obviously, the closer you get to the high season, the more tourists you will find on the island: in general, I would say that May and September are excellent compromises to find the island not too crowded with a warm (but not muggy) weather. April and October are also nice months, but if you're here for a swimming bear in mind that the sea temperature may be a bit chilly.
The island is connected to the mainland by ferries and hydrofoils departing from Naples, Castellammare and Sorrento. Ferries are slower but cheaper, hydrofoils are quicker but more expensive.
Talking about departure points, the ticket prices are more or less similar, the only difference is that departures from Naples are more frequent than those from other cities. Tickets cost around €22 each way per person, you can check timings and prices on capri.net/ferry-schedule.
Getting to Capri is very simple, but if you have a car I recommend that you leave it in Naples because:
Otherwise, if you want to visit Capri comfortably and hassle-free, you can book a guided boat tour to Capri from Naples.
For timetables, availability and prices, check this link:
Once arrived at the landing port of Capri (also called Marina Grande), you'll need to choose how to get around the island.
I chose to take bus n.1 to Anacapri, the highest area, and then slowly come back towards the harbour.
The ticket office is located after the docks on the right.
I'm sorry to say that public buses are old and few compared to the number of tourists who disembark every day. There are plenty of private taxis, instead, guess why 😒.
The roads to Capri and Anacapri are narrow, two-way, and overlooking the gorges, which might be fun for some, but scary as hell for others. A round of applause to the drivers who are really skilled, brave, and very folkloristic in dealing with the traffic!
If the weather is good, I recommend a Capri boat tour, with or without a visit to the Blue Grotto, such as these:
- Capri - boat and island tour £55 each
There are different companies but prices are more or less the same, obviously, the more services are included in the tour, the higher the price.
[Please note, I'm a Get Your Guide affiliate: this means that if you book one of the tours through my link, I will get a small percentage of the sale (we're talking about a few euros), while the price for you will remain unchanged. This way you will help me to run my blog, without any additional expense for you. I often use Get Your Guide for my travels and have always enjoyed it].
Anyway, I always recommend reading all the details and full descriptions of the tours, what the services include and what do not, where they start from and how long they last, and also look for customer reviews. For example, I understand that the Blue Grotto is a museum and as such the ticket must be paid for at the entrance. For this reason, many of the tours do not include the ticket for the Blue Grotto in the price, it must be bought on site (the visit is, however, optional).
After the info on how to get to Capri and the best time to visit, let's now move on to what to see in Capri in one day. I'll split the island in two: on the map, the blue dots are the things to visit in Capri, the yellow ones refer to Anacapri.
From the harbor, after a fun 10-minute ride, the bus stops in Piazza Vittoria in Anacapri, 257 meters above sea level. The difference with Capri is undeniable: there are fewer people, it is quieter and more authentic.
Via Giuseppe Orlandi is the cute street on your right, it stands out with its craft shops, small ateliers, bakeries, white houses with doorways full of colorful flowers, tiled benches, and the scent of lemons.
The first thing that will catches your eye is the Museo Casa Rossa (red house museum), which is less than 200 meters from Piazza Vittoria.
Casa Rossa was built in the late 1800s by General John Mackowen, who came to Italy right after the American Civil War and lived here with a girl from Anacapri, called Mariuccia Cimmino. Today, Casa Rossa houses a permanent exhibition of images of Capri from the 19th and 20th centuries and the four ancient Roman statues that were recovered from the Blue Grotto in 1964 and 1974. In the courtyard, there are archaeological findings dating back to the Egyptian era and mosaic floors. Go to the rooftop for a nice view of the white streets below!
Museo Casa Rossa is open from Tuesday to Sunday, the timing varies, and the ticket is €3.50. You can take pictures almost everywhere around the museum, except inside the rooms where the paintings and statues are.
For updated information on timetables, visit the website comunediAnacapri.it.
Less than 200 meters from Casa Rossa, there's San Michele Monumental Church, well known for its floor entirely tiled built in Naples by Leonardo Chianese in the mid-1700s.
A wooden walkway allows you to walk around the church without stepping on the majolica, which depicts the terrestrial Paradise and the expulsion of Adam and Eve. The main altar is made out of marble, the lateral ones of wood.
There is also a steep spiral staircase you can climb up, get to the organ, and see the majolica floor from above - truly impressive!
The entrance to the church costs only €2.
Outside the church I smelled a very inviting scent from a bakery: it was from Pasticceria San Michele, where I bought a bag of mixed biscuits (with jam, chocolate, lemon, plain with icing sugar). And that was my lunch, munching biscuits while walking around Anacapri 😆.
After about 150 meters there's Piazza Diaz, overlooked by Santa Sofia Church. The church is actually a bit disappointing, maybe because after San Michele the expectations are high? 😄
On the left of the square, there's Via Boffe, a quiet street made of white houses, whose only noises are those from people having lunch. At the beginning of the street there is a very tempting tiny restaurant, and further behind a beautiful colored parrot having his lunch.
One of the must-do in Anacapri is to get up to Monte Solaro via its famous single-seater chairlift! The ticket costs €12 return, or €9 one way (you can walk back down through a natural path in just about half an hour), the queue for tickets is long but it's totally worth it! The ride to the top takes about 13 minutes, it's relaxing, you get a tan and enjoy the view of Anacapri from above😊
Here's the link to the chairlift website: capriseggiovia.it for updated info about opening times and prices.
The view from the top is magnificent: blue as far as the eye can see, the Faraglioni plunged in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the boats sailing around the island and, in the background, the islands of Ischia and Procida, Naples, plus the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts. What a view!!! 😍
The entrance to the Monte Solaro chairlift is near Piazza Vittoria, so once you get off the chairlift you can take the bus to Capri. You could also walk to Capri, but I don't recommend it because the road is narrow, congested, and with no sidewalks.
The difference with Anacapri is so obvious, you'll get it as soon as you land in Capri.
The famous Piazzetta is so packed with people, you could hardly walk. Endless queues to buy ice creams and slushes, designer shops, luxurious hotels, and the people: tanned and very well dressed, hidden behind large hats and sunglasses, they all look like VIPs.
If that's not the kind of vibe you're looking for, just move to the next stop, Giardini di Augusto, perhaps sipping a nice and refreshing lemon granita.
The ticket to Giardini di Augusto costs €1; the gardens are well cared for and full of flowers, with panoramic terraces overlooking the Faraglioni on one side, and on Via Krupp on the other. Via Krupp is a beautiful pedestrianized street with hairpin bends that leads to Marina Piccola. When I visited, it was closed due to the danger of falling rocks, too bad! I hope you'll be luckier than me!
Giardini di Augusto are open from April to October from 9:00 to 19:30, while from November to March from 9:00 to 16:30. Just to be sure, ask at the info points in Marina Grande or in the Piazzetta.
From Giardini di Augusto you can walk down following the signs to Certosa di San Giacomo, a monastery built in 1371 and therefore the oldest historical building on the island.
Over the years, the Charterhouse has been used as barracks, then as a hospice for the disabled, as a high school, and as a library. Today it houses the Diefenbach Museum and, during the summer, it's a venue for concerts and cultural events. The entrance costs €4.
From there, just take the funicular back to the harbour.
That's all I think! There are obviously more things to do in Capri, but if you only have one day to spend on the island, this is quite a comprehensive itinerary.
Other ideas on how to spend your time in Naples and around? Here are some ideas:
I hope you enjoyed it, and if you find it useful or need more info, just email me at flavia.iarlori@outlook.com 😉
Note:
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