Available in :
What to see in Capri in one day? The island of Campania, world-famous for being fashionable and for its spectacular Faraglioni, is definitely worth a visit! In this post I describe the best of Capri, with all the information on how to get around and what to do in a day in Capri.
The island of Capri is home to two municipalities, Capri and Anacapri. The population of the two municipalities is similar: currently 7000 people live in Capri and 6700 in Anacapri: on the whole island of Capri the population is about 14000. Anacapri is home to the highest point on the island, namely Monte Solaro (589 meters): from here the views are absolutely magnificent. Capri, on the other hand, is the center of the island’s social life.
What to see in Capri: the boat tour
You can get to Capri by private boat or by public service, which leaves from Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi or Naples. In any case, the first impact with Capri will be at Marina Grande, Capri’s main port.
Once you get to Marina Grande, the first thing to do is to take another boat! In fact, taking a tour of the island of Capri is a must-do. By private boat, the tour of the island of Capri is generally included in the cost of the daily tour. Arriving by public service, however, you will need to contract for additional service: the tour (this is an example) costs about 25 euros and lasts about an hour.
During the tour of the island of Capri it is possible to admire the Faraglioni rocks, the lighthouse at Punta Carena, the Malaparte house and some caves: the most famous is definitely the Grotta Azzurra (it can be visited, but generally the wait exceeds one hour: in my opinion it is not worth it). A big difference between the two tours is that with the boat that leaves from Sorrento generally a stop for swimming is included, which is not the case with the service that leaves directly from Capri.
What to see on Capri: Monte Solaro
From Marina Grande it is possible to travel by small cabs or public buses (lines are long in summer) to Anacapri. The cab fare is about 30 euros and it takes about 20-30 minutes to reach Anacapri from Marina Grande.
Once you reach Anacapri, the first thing to do, in my opinion, is to take the single-seat chairlift to the summit of Monte Solaro. The chairlift costs 14 euros round trip and takes about 13 minutes, one way only (26 in total).
From Monte Solaro the views are absolutely fantastic. From here, in fact, you can see the Bay of Naples, Vesuvius, Punta Campanella (the place where the Sorrento coast meets the Amalfi coast) and the Faraglioni rocks. There is a bar restaurant, very expensive!
Between ascending, descending, queuing, and taking pictures you need to calculate about an hour and a half.
What to see in Capri: the center of Anacapri
The town of Anacapri itself is worth a visit. The beautiful narrow streets, the churches of San Michele and Santa Sofia, the museum of the red house and, above all, the Villa San Michele are the places not to be missed in Anacapri. Generally, Anacapri is not as crowded as Capri: the feeling is to walk around calmly, without being hassled by the mass tourism that there is in the town of Capri.
What to see in Capri: the center of Capri
From Anacapri you can get to the center of the town of Capri by bus or by cab. In this case the cost is around 20 euros, and the distance is 15-20 minutes. The center of Capri is definitely the piazzetta, as it is locally called Piazza Umberto I. Near the piazzetta is the church of Santo Stefano, graced by its bell tower: characteristic is its clock, formed of 144 majolica tiles.
Capri boasts two beautiful viewpoints: from the splendid Gardens of Augustus (cost 2.50 euros) you can admire the hairpin bends of Via Krupp (another postcard of Capri) and the Marina Piccola, while from the viewpoint on Via Tragara (which is about a 20-minute walk from the Piazzetta) you can admire for free the beauty of Capri’s three stacks, rock formations that reach a height of 109 meters. Near the Gardens of Augustus is the Charterhouse of San Giacomo, Capri’s oldest monastery, dating back to 1371.
Capri is also the place for high-fashion shopping, especially walking along Via Camerelle.
What to see on Capri: Villa Jovis, option for a second day and map of what to see on Capri
From Capri it is possible to return to Marina Grande on foot (twenty minutes downhill), by cab (about 10-15 euros) or by funicular (cost 2.40 euros, 4-minute ride: leaves near the Piazzetta). If you have more than one day on Capri there is also the possibility of visiting Villa Jovis, which is about a 40-minute walk from the Piazzetta. This villa has imperial origins: in fact, Villa Jovis was the home of Tiberius, the second Roman emperor, from 26 to 37 AD.
Here you can find a map of what to see in Capri.
IN ADDITION TO WHAT TO SEE IN CAPRI, YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN …
Dive at Baia in the Phlegrean Fields!
INFORMATION ON WHAT TO SEE IN CAPRI IN A DAY
- The best time to visit Capri is in the spring, secondarily in the fall. In summer, the heat and queues could make the experience bad.
- Is Capri very expensive? My answer is it depends, but it tends to be yes. A cappuccino at the bar in Monte Solaro can cost five euros, a draft beer in Capri (not even in the main streets) nine euros. Sleeping on Capri costs at least 100 euros a night. In short, it is not a cheap experience.
- Hangout Capri is a place where you can eat relatively inexpensively.
- Here you can find the link to directly book the public boat that reaches Capri from Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Naples. The cost is at least 50 euro round trip. This price includes only the transfer to Capri. I strongly recommend that you devote at least 8 hours to Capri: so if you take the 8 a.m. ferry from Sorrento, I recommend that you return from Capri at least after 4 p.m.
- Having a boat experience on Capri is a must. If your group is small, or you are traveling individually, I recommend joining a shared tour of the island, such as this. You might, however, consider visiting Capri on anexcursion directly from Sorrento, like this. If you are a small group of five people, I recommend directly this private option: it is absolutely the best way to enjoy the Capri adventure.
- Capri’s beaches can be found in either Marina Grande or Marina Piccola: the latter is more inconvenient to reach. They are still fairly small beaches.
- The Punta Carena lighthouse is the second largest lighthouse in Italy after the one in Genoa. It is of fundamental importance for navigation in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
- Also during the boat trip, it is possible to appreciate the Villa Malaparte, built overlooking a cliff near Villa Jovis. The villa, built following the dictates of modern architecture, still belongs to the heirs of writer Curzio Malaparte and cannot be visited.
- All in all, does Capri deserve it? Yes: the stacks are truly magical and the boat tour of the island is spectacular. Let’s say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
