Capri

Capri is experienced most fully on foot, by boat and at a pace that the island itself imposes — unhurried, observant and unhurried again.



🏞️ Nature & Outdoor Activities

• Hike the Sentiero dei Fortini (Anacapri Western Coast) — a 5km coastal path connecting Punta Carena lighthouse to the Blue Grotto along the western cliff face, passing three 19th-century Bourbon watchtowers; 2.5 hours one way, 150m of ascent and descent, with the sea 80m below for most of the route and no vehicle access at any point.
• Snorkel the Grotta di Matermania (Eastern Cape, Capri Town) — the natural sea cave on the southeastern coast, reachable by a 45-minute walk from Capri town along Via Matermania, has a rock platform in front of its entrance with water clarity of 12–15m; bring your own equipment (hire available at Marina Grande from €10/set) for the best experience.
• Walk the Arco Naturale trail (Capri Town) — a 45-minute round trip from Capri town to the Arco Naturale, a 12m limestone arch on the northeastern cliff face formed by sea erosion over millennia; entirely free, frequently signposted and one of the island's most dramatic geological features at close range.

🏖️ Beaches

• Marina Piccola (Capri Town, South Coast) — the island's most accessible beach, a mix of pebble and rock platform with two private beach clubs; La Canzone del Mare (historic, founded 1930, sunbed hire from €30/day) has a seawater pool cut into the rock alongside the natural bathing areas.
• Lido del Faro, Punta Carena (Anacapri, Southwest) — a series of rock terraces and platforms built into the cliff face around the lighthouse; the island's most sheltered southwest-facing swimming, open June to September, with a restaurant serving fresh pasta and grilled fish at the water's edge.
• Gradola, near the Blue Grotto (Anacapri, Northwest) — a small public beach of flat limestone rocks in a cove immediately east of the Blue Grotto entrance; free access, very clear water and, outside July–August, surprisingly quiet given its proximity to the island's most visited site.

🍽️ Food & Drink

• Order Insalata Caprese (in-sa-LA-ta ka-PRE-zeh) — the original: buffalo mozzarella from the Campania mainland, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and Capri olive oil, nothing more; on the island where it was invented, it costs €12–18 and the tomatoes are incomparably better than any version you will eat elsewhere. Order it at Ristorante Il Geranio in the Augustus Gardens.
• Try Ravioli Capresi — the island's own pasta, filled with local caciotta cheese, marjoram and egg rather than meat; served with a tomato and basil sauce, it appears on every serious Capri menu and is distinct from any mainland Italian ravioli preparation. Da Paolino (Via Palazzo a Mare, Capri Town) — set under a lemon-tree pergola — is the most celebrated address for it.
• Drink Limoncello — the lemon liqueur made from the thick-skinned sfusato lemons grown on the Sorrentine Peninsula and Capri's own terraces; served ice-cold in a chilled ceramic cup as a digestif (€3–5 in a bar, €8–12 in a hotel). Buy a bottle from one of Anacapri's family producers rather than from Marina Grande souvenir shops.
• Visit the market at Anacapri (Anacapri, Tuesday mornings) — a small weekly market in Piazza Vittoria selling local lemons, caciotta cheese, fresh herbs and handmade ceramic tableware from the island's three remaining studios; entirely unoriented to tourism and the most authentic retail experience on the island.
• For a formal dinner, Mammà (Via Madre Serafina, Capri Town) holds one Michelin star and serves updated Campanian cuisine with a wine list focused on Campania, Basilicata and the volcanic wines of Vesuvius; tasting menus from €120pp.

🎉 Nightlife & Entertainment

• The Piazzetta after dark (Piazza Umberto I, Capri Town) — the 30m² central square functions as Capri's open-air sitting room from 20:00 onwards; a glass of Campari at one of the four terrace tables (€8–12) buys you a seat in Europe's most theatrical small piazza, where the crowd-watching is the entertainment.
• Number Two (Via Camerelle, Capri Town) — the island's most established nightclub, operating in a cave-like space below street level on the main boutique street; open from 23:00 in season, dress-code enforced, and the only club on the island likely to still be operating past 03:00 in July and August.
• La Fontelina beach club aperitivo (Marina Piccola, Capri Town) — the historic beach club below the Faraglioni opens for aperitivo service at 18:30 in season; a Campari Spritz with the Faraglioni illuminated gold behind you as the day boats leave is one of Capri's defining early-evening rituals.
• Live music at Pulalli Wine Bar (Piazza Umberto I, Capri Town) — a terrace wine bar above the Piazzetta clock tower with a regular programme of live acoustic music in season; the combination of the elevated position, the Campanian wine list and the music below makes it the most atmospheric late-evening option outside the main clubs.

📸 Instagram-Worthy Spots

• The Faraglioni from Punta Tragara (Capri Town) — the clifftop belvedere at the end of Via Tragara looks directly at all three sea stacks in alignment; photograph in the golden hour before sunset when the limestone turns deep amber and the sea below is almost motionless.
• The Blue Grotto interior (Marina Grande, Northwest Coast) — the cobalt-blue water inside the Grotta Azzurra is essentially impossible to photograph well on a smartphone; bring a waterproof camera or GoPro and lower it beneath the surface for the truest representation of the light quality.
• The Piazzetta from the clock tower (Capri Town) — the view down into Piazza Umberto I from the campanile's base, accessible via Pulalli bar's terrace (order a drink), frames the four café terraces, the domed church and the funicular exit in a composition that has appeared in almost every significant photographic document of Capri since the 1950s.
• Arco Naturale at midday (Eastern Cape, Capri Town) — the 12m limestone arch frames a rectangle of sea and sky; midday is the correct time to photograph it, when the sun is directly overhead and the sea through the arch is the deepest blue of the day.

Best Value Deals

🌟 All-Inclusive Holidays

All-inclusive holidays to Capri do not exist — the island's hotel culture is exclusively boutique and luxury, and no property offers a buffet or all-inclusive arrangement. Capri is fundamentally a half-board-or-room-only destination; the restaurants and cafés are integral to the experience in a way that makes inclusive dining arrangements both impractical and undesirable. UK operators typically package flights to Naples with 3–5 nights hotel on a bed-and-breakfast basis from around £599pp in shoulder season. Travellers seeking all-inclusive value in the Bay of Naples area would be better served by the larger resort hotels on Ischia or the Sorrentine coast, using Capri as a day trip.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Holidays

Capri is not the island's natural market — the near-absence of sandy beaches, the steep terrain, the high prices and the primarily adult atmosphere make it challenging with young children. Families with teenagers who are interested in history, boat trips and the natural landscape will find the island genuinely rewarding: the boat circumnavigation, the Monte Solaro chairlift and the Villa Jovis ruins engage older children well. For families with children under 12, the Sorrentine Peninsula or the Amalfi Coast offer more practical bases with Capri visited as a half-day ferry excursion rather than an overnight stay.

💎 Luxury Holidays

Capri sits at the apex of Italian boutique luxury. The Capri Palace Jumeirah in Anacapri — a white-walled modernist property with one of southern Italy's most celebrated spas (the Capri Beauty Farm) and a Michelin-starred restaurant (Il Riccio) — is the island's benchmark five-star, with sea-view suites from £800 per night. The Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri town, open since 1845 and the social centre of the island's grand-hotel tradition, offers a more classical alternative. For the most private experience, the J.K. Place Capri — a 22-room boutique property above Marina Grande — has the finest infinity pool view on the island and a design aesthetic that has been widely imitated but not surpassed.

⏰ Last-Minute Deals

Last-minute availability on Capri is genuinely rare — the island's limited hotel stock and intense demand from May through September mean properties fill months ahead at peak. July and August require booking 4–6 months in advance for any serious choice of accommodation. Last-minute savings are occasionally available in early May and late September, when weather remains excellent (22–25°C) but the peak crowd has not yet arrived or has just departed. October is Capri's most underrated month — the sea is still warm enough to swim (22°C), the light is extraordinary and prices are 30–40% lower than August — but book at least 6–8 weeks ahead even then.

Why Book with us:

💰 Low deposits from £49pp

📅 Flexible payment plans with balance due 6 weeks before travel

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✏️ Free amendment window on selected packages

📞 UK-based customer support, 8am–11pm every day

📅 Best Time to Visit Capri

May, June and September are the finest months for Capri holidays. May brings temperatures of 20–23°C, the island's broom and jasmine in flower, the sea warming to 18–20°C and the summer crowds not yet at their most intense — hotel prices are 25–30% lower than August while the experience is comparable or better. June is the peak of the island's natural beauty, with long days, warm evenings and the Faraglioni illuminated until 21:00. September combines summer-level warmth (25–27°C), sea temperatures of 23–24°C and a significantly quieter atmosphere as Italian families return to school — the Piazzetta in mid-September bears little resemblance to its August incarnation. July and August are the most expensive and crowded months: the Blue Grotto queues can run to 90 minutes, the Piazzetta is difficult to move through and hotel rates are at their annual peak. October is an outstanding late-season option — cool enough for comfortable walking (18–20°C), the sea still swimmable, the light autumnal and warm. The island effectively closes from November to March, with most hotels, restaurants and boat services operating on minimal or zero schedules.

🏨 Where to Stay

• Couples: J.K. Place Capri (Marina Grande views), Punta Tragara (Faraglioni views), Villa Brunella (Capri Town)
• Luxury seekers: Capri Palace Jumeirah (Anacapri), Grand Hotel Quisisana (Capri Town)
• First-timers: Capri Town for ferry access, funicular and the Piazzetta circuit
• Walkers & nature: Anacapri for Monte Solaro, Sentiero dei Fortini and Villa San Michele
• Late-season visitors: Anacapri properties, which remain quieter and more affordable throughout the season

🚗 Getting Around

There are no privately hired cars permitted on Capri — the island's road network is served by an orange SIPPIC bus service connecting Marina Grande, Capri town and Anacapri (€2pp per journey, every 15–20 minutes in season). Open-top taxis (convertible Fiat and Mercedes vehicles) are the island's signature transport, charging fixed tariffs: Marina Grande to Capri town €15–20; Marina Grande to Anacapri €20–25. The funicular from Marina Grande to Capri town runs every 15 minutes (€2pp) and is the quickest connection between the port and the town centre. From the UK, Naples International Airport is served by direct flights from Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester and Edinburgh by easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and ITA Airways; the hydrofoil from Naples Molo Beverello to Marina Grande takes 50 minutes (€22pp, SNAV or Caremar); from Sorrento the crossing takes 25 minutes (€13–16pp). Walking between Capri town and Anacapri via the mule tracks takes approximately 45 minutes and is the most rewarding way to move between the two settlements — the path passes through lemon groves and past the entrance to Villa San Michele.

💡 Travel Tips

• Arrive on the first morning hydrofoil from Naples or Sorrento — the day-tripper boats from the mainland begin arriving at Marina Grande from 09:30 and transform the island's character within an hour; the first Sorrento departure (around 07:30 in season) gives you 2 hours of near-empty Capri at its finest.
• Book the Blue Grotto on a calm day only — the cave entrance is at sea level and closes entirely when the swell exceeds 0.5m; in July and August, closures occur on roughly one day in four. Check the SIPPIC website or ask your hotel the evening before.
• The island is almost entirely pedestrianised above the road network — the mule track system connects every part of Capri on foot; buy the Kompass Capri walking map (€6, available at Marina Grande newsstands) and the island becomes navigable independently.
• Plug type: Italy uses Type F (two round pins, 220V). UK adaptors required.
• Tipping: Not obligatory. Round up a restaurant bill or leave €2–3pp after a sit-down meal; coperto (cover charge, €3–5pp) is standard and higher here than on the mainland.
• Bring cash — several of the island's smaller cafés, beach clubs and boat operators are cash-preferred; the ATM at Marina Grande and the two in Capri town can have queues in peak season; withdraw before arriving.