Capri
May 2023
3 Days
To see the previous stop on this trip, go here to Rome
Heading south on the high speed train, it only takes just over an hour to get to Naples, a bustling historic city that also serves as the entry to get to the famed Amalfi Coast by car, bus, or ferry. Many years ago I visited the Amalfi Coast by car (and in the winter) and I would not recommend as the drive is tight, windy, and along the edge of the cliff. In the summer, the ferry system is easy to navigate and much more enjoyable. You can easily take the ferry for a day trip from Naples to the popular island of Capri, the most famous city of Positano, or the town of Amalfi itself but staying overnight is a much different experience. Once the day trip crowds have thinned, the nights are much quiter and relaxed.
Contents
Daily Itinerary
Ferry from Naples to the island of Capri
Take a taxi through the winding roads to the Airbnb
Dinner with a Panoramic view at Ristorante Panorama Capri
Set sail from Marina Grande
Sail through the Faraglioni
Disembark at Marina Piccola for lunch
Swim in the clear blue water
End with the largest limoncello spritz
Take away pizzas from Bucca di Bacco
Morning shopping in Capri city center
Amazing views from Giardini di Augusto
Take a taxi to Anacapri
Hike up to the top of Monte Solaro
Take the chairlift back down
Lunch in the garden at Aumm Aumm
Head back to Capri and spend the late afternoon at Marina Piccola
Dinner at Da Gelsomina
Train
Frecciarossa Business Roma Termini - Napoli Central: $45 + $26 Ferry
Hotels
We stayed at an Airbnb this trip, near Marina Piccola
Food (With Beli Ranking)
Da Gelsomina (9.3) - Hotel and restaurant on the Anacapri side. You can't get all the way up by car, so they will pick you up in the Anacapri center in a tiny shuttle that can navigate the narrow roads. Once you're there, the property is beatiful, the food delicious, and the views overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea are amazing.
Ristorante Panorama (8.5)- Nestled on the side of the cliff overlooking the bay of Naples and Vesuvio in the distance. On the pricier side since you are paying for the views, but the views are stunning! Plus the food is pretty good.
Aumm Aumm (8.3) - Casual restaurant in Anacapri with garden seating out back. Relaxed vibe and great food.
Buca di Bacco (8.2) - Small, homey restaurant tucked away in the Capri city center. We got pizzas to go and they were excellent.
La Canzone del Mare (6.3) - An overpriced tourist restaurant with mediocre food, but if you are hanging out at Marina Piccola on the south side of Capri your immediate food options are limited. The restaurant is right on the water with views of the Faraglioni, so it could be a good place for a mid-day break from the beach.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Ferry
From Rome, the train ride was a little over an hour and then we took a quick 15 minute taxi ride to the Beverello port in Naples. If it’s your first time in Naples, it’s definitely quite a different driving style. In that 15 minute ride it felt like we were going to hit something many times, but I’ve never had it actually happen.
From the port, the ferry ride is about 45 minutes to Capri and then it continues on to Positano. In the peak summer months, the ferry often sells out so make sure to buy tickets ahead of time. On arrival at Capri, there are many crowds and it’s difficult to maneuver with luggage. Right at the end of the pier we grabbed a couple taxis to take us to our Airbnb, up the mountain and on the south side of the island near Marina Piccola.
Arriving on Capri - Capri, Italy 2023
Capri
As a group of 8, we rented a large Airbnb which had a nice patio, small pool, and views of the famous Farglioni. With how mountainous Capri is, we had an uphill 15 minute walk to the Capri city center. While we were able to call for a taxi to pick us up in most cases, a couple times we could not get through or no taxis were available so we had to walk up to the city center to get a taxi. The taxis don’t take reservations, so make sure to plan ahead if you are trying to catch a ferry or make it to a dinner reservation.
Our Airbnb - Capri, Italy 2023
Ristorante Panorama is near the Capri city center and, as the name suggests, has a beautiful panorama view of the sea and Mount Vesuvio in the distance. Generally, everything in Capri is much more expensive than on the mainland in Italy and while you are certainly paying for the view, the food was excellent, the service was great, and we had an overall amazing meal here.
Ristorante Panorama - Capri, Italy 2023
Day 2
Marina Grande
The next day we had booked a boat that set sail from Marina Grande at 10am. We had a bit of a miscommunication, so make sure to confirm your total price beforehand. I’ve also read that you can get boats without reservations ahead of time, but in peak summer months I wouldn’t risk it if you really want to go out on a boat.
Marina Grande - Capri, Italy 2023
Boat Ride
Our captain, Enrico, was an excellent captain, tour guide, and bartender. We spent the first part of the morning going around the entire island where he showed us some of the more popular locations including going right through the Faraglioni.
Faraglioni in the Distance - Capri, Italy 2023
On our second pass around the island we stopped to jump in the water which was absolutely amazing.
Capri, Italy 2023
In the afternoon, we stopped on the south side of the island and a small inflatable picked us up to take us to a restaurant near Marina Piccola. La Canzone del Mar was incredibly expensive for food that wasn’t spectacular, but obviously you are paying for the ambiance and view.
La Canzone del Mare - Capri, Italy 2023
Caffè Augusto
Sadly, our day of fun in the sun came to an end at 5pm when we arrived back at Marina Grande, but before heading back to our Airbnb we had limoncello spritzes served in the largest lemons ever (and the largest price tag)
Limoncello Spritz - Capri, Italy 2023
Buca di Bacco
On the way back to our Airbnb we stopped at Bucca di Bacco in the Capri city center to pick up some pizzas, which were just amazing and quite reasonable.
Buca di Bacco - Capri, Italy 2023
Day 3
Capri City Center
Capri might be a small island, but there is no shortage of shopping. The main square has a number of cafes and stores while the streets leading off the main square are lined with designer stores and other local boutiques.
Capri City Center - Capri, Italy 2023
Giardini di Augusto
While the ladies shopped, I headed just a bit further to Giardini di Augusto, a small garden which has amazing views of the sea and the Farglioni.
View from Giardini di Augusto - Capri, Italy 2023
View from Giardini di Augusto - Capri, Italy 2023
Anacapri
The island is split into two sides, Capri and Anacapri. While you can take the bus between the two, it’s much faster to take a taxi which costs about 20 EUR. Anacapri is a bit quieter than Capri, but still gets busy during the day when the Ferries have all arrived filled with visitors. When we arrived in the late morning, the line for the bus was already very long.
Anacapri City Center - Capri, Italy 2023
Monte Solaro
The highest point on the whole island is Monte Solaro, on the Anacapri side. There’s a single person chairlift that takes you from the Anacapri city center up to the top, but if you are feeling adventurous you can also hike up to the top which takes about 30 minutes. I recommend following the signs pointing toward Monte Solaro rather than following Google Maps as the Google route took us in the wrong direction (though we eventually made it up).
View from Monte Solaro - Capri, Italy 2023
At the top of the mountain, there is a restaurant although we did not go inside. Outside the restaurant, there is a large viewing area where you can see the Faraglioni, the town of Capri, and the rest of the Amalfi Coast in the distance.
View of the Amalfi Coast from Monte Solaro - Capri, Italy 2023
If you are afraid of heights, the chairlift is probably not the way to go although it's definitely the fastest and easiest. A round trip costs 14 EUR while a one-way ride costs 11 EUR.
Anacapri Chairlift - Capri, Italy 2023
After our chairlift ride back down, we walked about 10 minutes outside of the city center to Aumm Aumm, a restaurant I had seen online but couldn’t determine if it was still open as their website did not work.
From the outside, the restaurant looked like it could be closed, but the beautiful patio in the back was very open and we were able to get a seat right away. On top of the relaxing atmosphere, the food was excellent and definitely worth the trip.
Ristorante Aumm Aumm - Capri, Italy 2023
Marina Piccola
While the bus is an option to go between Capri and Anacapri, the line we saw was incredibly long and getting a taxi from the Anacapri city center was not too difficult even in the peak of the afternoon. Back in Capri, we headed down the stairs from our Airbnb to Marina Piccola to relax in the late afternoon.
Marina Piccola is also home to the Sirens' Rock, one of the most popular photo spots on the island.
Marina Piccola - Capri, Italy 2023
Da Gelsomina was recommended to us by some friends and is on the Anacapri side. Our taxi drivers dropped us off at the bottom of the hill where a tiny green van picked us up to take us the rest of the way. This ride was a bit reminiscent of traffic in Naples as our driver whipped around blind corners and up the narrow roads until we finally reached the top where the hotel and restaurant are. While the food was great, the views were even better with the sunset turning the sky into a pinkish purple color.
View from Da Gelsomina - Capri, Italy 2023
Overall
Capri was by far our favorite part of the whole trip and our day out on the boat was true paradise. Staying overnight was definitely worth it as the crowds thin in evening once the ferries have left and the island becomes much quieter.
To see the next stop on this trip, go here to Amalfi
Image Store
