Europe,  Italy

Capri & Anacapri

Capri is dream of place, its exuberant beauty, charm and sophistication mixed with its natural treasures, make Capri one of the most visited destinations in the Campania region. The beauty of the island has been an inspiration to poets, lovers and travelers over the centuries. Rich and famous have also surrendered to the charm of Capri, the island is a popular destination for artists, politicians and celebrities. Giorgio Armani, Sophia Loren, Mariah Carey, among others have homes there. A perfect place to relax and enjoy.

Port of Capri

The island of Capri is made up of two municipalities: Capri and Anacapri, each with its own administration and a touch of regional rivalry. We chose to stay in Anacapri because the prices of hotels and restaurants are more reasonable than in Capri. Anacapri can also be accessed by bus or car, not Capri. In the end, we liked Anacapri more with its super quaint historic center than Capri with its expensive designer shops. The two cities are beautiful and charming and deserve to be visited but Anacapri, besides being more quiet has the advantage of being built on a plateau, providing stunning views of the island.

Church in Anacapri
Anacapri
Store front in Capri

How to get to Capri: If you are not traveling by boat, the only way to get to Capri is by ferry or helicopter. The ferries depart from Naples and Sorrento and during the summer months there are also ferries departing from Positano, Salerno, and Ischia.
From Sorrento: you can walk to the harbor, down the staircase of Piazza Tasso (± 100 steps), or via the Tasso bus. There is also a lift in the historic center of Sorrento which runs from Villa Comunale to Marina Piccola. During the summer the ferries are more frequent (every 30 minutes) and the trip takes around 25 minutes.
The ferries from Naples to Capri depart from two different ports. The high-speed ferries depart from Molo Beverello port and the slower ferries depart from the port of Calata di Massa. Free transportation is offered between ports. During the off-season, it is generally possible to buy ferry tickets directly at the port a few minutes before departure. However, during high season, it is advisable to reserve the seats online through the websites of the companies listed below. The trip between Naples and Capri lasts around 1 hour.
Caremar – www.caremar.it
Snav – www.snav.it
NLG – www.navlib.it
For those who want to arrive in style, book a helicopter with Sam Helicopters, tel. +39 0828 354 155; fax: +39 0828 354 211; Website www.capri-helicopters.com; email: reserve@flywithsam.com. Departures from Naples and Rome to Capri.
Important: cars are prohibited from entering Capri, only the island’s residents can enter Capri by car.

Capri

After you arrived in Capri: If you are arriving in Capri with suitcases, I strongly advise to pay the porters waiting in the port to take your bags to your hotel. I assure you that this will be a very well spent money! The service costs between € 5-12 per bag depending on the distance from your hotel. The climb up to Piazzetta, the central square of Capri, can be very arduous especially in the hot months. If you want to avoid the stairs, use the funicular that is located in front of the port (the ticket office is on the right) or one of the convertible taxis of Capri.

To get to Anacapri: The hotel we stayed offers free transportation between the port and the hotel, so it is worth checking with the hotel where you will be staying if they offer the same type of service. Most hotels in Anacapri do offer. If you do not have this option, take a taxi at Marina Grande (fares start at €25 plus extra charges for bags). A more economical alternative is the mini buses to Anacapri, which are very frequent and the bus stop is also located in Marina Grande.

Centre of Capri

The Island of Capri is situated on the Gulf of Naples (Region of Campania) on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The island has an area of about 10.36 km² and the highest elevation of the island is Monte Solaro with 589 meters above sea level.

For the best panoramic view of Capri visit Monte Solaro, the highest point of the Island with 589 meters above sea level. From there it is possible to see the whole island of Capri, the Bay of Naples, the Amalfi Coast and the distant mountains of Calabria. Unmissable!

How to get to Monte Solaro: My recommendation is the cable car, this is the way we chose and the easiest way to access Monte Solaro. The journey takes around 12 minutes and the cable car starts from Piazza Vittoria in Anacapri. I’m not going to deny that climbing up to the mountain in these chairs is a bit frightening as the chairs can shake a lot and looking down does not help much … but to compensate, the landscape is beautiful and walk an hour and a half on the hill to reach the top was out of the question for me.
The return ticket costs € 11.
Opening hours: March to October: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. From November to February: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Don’t miss the wonderful Villa San Michele in Anacapri, the dream home of Swedish doctor Axel Munthe. There you will also find several handicraft shops with beautiful hand-painted ceramics.
To visit the Villa San Michele Museum, take the bus to Anacapri. The museum is open daily from 9 am until sunset. The admission ticket costs €7 and for more information visit the official website of the museum www.villasanmichele.eu

Bellow, the Casa Rossa, a museum with a permanent exhibition of paintings showing views of the island between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Best time to visit: We visited Capri in the middle of June, the weather was nice, not too hot or crowded with people. If you want to avoid crowded places and huge queues, the best time to visit the island is at the beginning or end of summer. April, May and October are considered the best months to visit Capri. I personally think that April is still a bit early to visit the island because it is very early in the season and some establishments may still be closed. Ferry times may also be more limited. In June was still calm to visit the island (in the height of summer 6,000 people come to visit Capri daily!) And as most visitors visit Capri only during the day, at night it becomes possible to enjoy the beautiful Capri quietly. For those who can, I advise you to stay at least 1 night in Capri because the vibe of the city changes a lot at night. Capri becomes a serene city with great choices of restaurants and bars. We stayed for 2 nights and 3 days and went away wanting to stay longer!

Boat trip around the Island: a must do while in Capri! The tour lasts between 1 and 2 hours and will take you to see the fantastic Grotta Azzurra (ticket to enter the Grotto is not included in the tour so bring money exchanged with you). The tour will also pass through the Faraglioni rocks, sparkling caves and wonderful places that can only be seen from the sea.
You can opt for two options of tours, the group boat ride or if you prefer more privacy, there are several companies that offer private tours. We opted for the group tour and it was very smooth. Motoscafisti (click here) and Laser Capri (click here) are the two companies that offer group tours and tickets and these tours can be purchased directly at their offices in the Marina Grande. We had the option of buying tickets at our hotel so for those staying in Capri it is worth asking at the hotel reception if they have tickets for the tours available.
For those who prefer to do the private tour, most companies that offer this type of tour are located in the Marina Grande.

The color of the water inside the Grotta Azzurra, a fluorescent blue tone that looks magical! The effect is created by sunlight, which when it passes through a cavity under the water, it shines through the sea water, creating a blue reflection that illuminates the cave.

We stayed at Hotel Carmencita, which is well located in the center of Anacapri close to restaurants, bars and public transport. The hotel is run by the owners, a very friendly and welcoming family. Upon our arrival, in addition to the driver having picked us up at the port for free, we were greeted with a delicious welcome glass of wine. Hotel guests are taken and brought in from the port for free, after making the reservation, you only need tell the hotel the day and time of your arrival and they will pick you up at the port. To make reservation please Click Here.

Hotel Carmencita, Viale Tommaso de Tommaso, 4, 80071 Anacapri. Tel. +390818371360, Whatsapp: +393889361842, Email carmencita@capri.it www.carmencitacapri.com

Find the perfect hotel in Capri and in Anacapri in the map bellow!

Booking.com

Thank you for visiting the Blog! I hope you enjoyed the post 🙂

2 Comments

  • Bruna de Marchi

    Meu Deus !!! Cada lugar lindo. Olha as flores!
    Estou encantada com tanta coisa linda
    o seu blog está a sua cara Carlitcha. É perceptível o tanto de carinho envolvido.
    A primeira foto está muito italiana hehehehhe que vista perfeita.
    eu amei suas dicas ♥
    Te amo muito! Já me inscrevi e estou ansiosa pela próxima postagem =)

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