A Day Trip to Capri, Italy

Capri is an island off of Italy’s Amalfi Coast and a popular tourist destination. During my stay on the Amalfi Coast, we ended up taking a day trip to Capri twice! Some choose to stay overnight on the island but personally, I’m glad that we stayed on the mainland. I hope you enjoy my guide to a day trip to Capri, Italy!

GETTING THERE

The cost-effective mode of transportation to Capri is by a ferry. You can take a ferry from Naples, Sorrento or Positano. We were able to book tickets on the spot in early September but if you are visiting in July or August, you may want to reserve in advance. There are several ferry companies to choose from but there weren’t as many time slots to choose from as I thought there would be so you should make note of the times beforehand. One thing to note is that not all ferries have viewing decks – we were only able to look outside on our way back to Positano and it was beautiful!

However, when we returned to Capri the following day, we booked a boat excursion from Praiano, where we were staying, and it blew our ferry journey out of the water (pun intended)! There are several boat excursion companies with different options (private, small group, large group) running out of each beach/marina in all the towns on the Amalfi Coast and if it’s within your budget, it’s so worth it.

Our boat departed at 8:30am, we stopped in Positano, had time in Capri from 11:00am-3:00pm and returned around 5:00pm. There were about 20 people on our boat, we made friends, had drinks, lounged at the front and went swimming twice! We went around the entire island, explored grottos, went through the famous “kissing arch” rock and heard many stories. Our time on the boat was unforgettable and I highly recommend taking a boat excursion instead of a ferry to Capri.

WHAT TO DO

Getting off of a boat at the Marina Grande in Capri is incredibly chaotic and confusing. There are two towns on the island; Anacapri and Capri. From the Marina, turn right and start walking up the hill. You will pass people lining up for bus tickets. Buy a bus ticket to Anacapri and from Anacapri to Capri and wait for the bus a little bit further up the hill. Once you’re in Anacapri, buy round trip tickets for the chairlift.. The chairlift is my favourite thing to do in Capri with one of my favourite views at the top.

If you took a ferry and have more than 4 hours on the island, walk around charming Anacapri and the outside of Villa San Michele for another great view.

Next, take the bus from Anacapri to Capri. Once you arrive in the main square, make your way to Belvedere Tragara for my favourite view. If you’re up for it, keep making your way down the steep stairs (yes, it sucks on the way up). Once you reach the bottom, have lunch at La Fontelina or Da Luigi Ai Faraglioni, which also have beach clubs. We tried to eat at La Fontelina but they were fully booked (it’s a celebrity hot spot). Luckily, we got an amazing table at Da Luigi and had delicious food with an amazing view. The journey was so worth it!

Make your way back up to the main square in Capri and if you have time, walk around and you will see every luxury designer store. When it’s time to head back to your boat, take the funicular down to the Marina Grande or if it’s too busy, you can walk down in ten minutes.

NOTE: A popular thing to do in Capri is visit the grottos (Blue Grotto, Green Grotto) through a boat company. The grottos were closed due to high water levels on both days that we visited. In my opinion, I did not feel a need to visit the grottos since we did a boat excursion around the island already.