Capri is easy to dislike in July: crowds in the funicular, queues at the Piazzetta, handbags for the price of a car. It is also one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, and it simply needs a different plan. Here is how we would spend a day there, and why a night is worth the extra ferry ticket.
Arrive early, and go up
Take the first fast ferry from Sorrento (about 25 minutes) or from Naples (about 50). At Marina Grande, skip the taxi queue and take the funicular up to the town of Capri, a five-minute ride. By 10:00 you will be at the top while the main wave of day-trippers is still on the boat.
Walk the Via Tragara
From the Piazzetta follow the signs for Via Tragara, a gently sloping lane lined with villas and stone walls, towards the Belvedere di Tragara. From here you see the Faraglioni, the three sea stacks that are Capri’s trademark, with the water far below. It takes 20 to 30 minutes at an unhurried pace and is nearly empty before 11:00. If you want another hour on foot, continue to the Arco Naturale, a rock arch in the woods.
The gardens and the view
On the way back stop at the Giardini di Augusto, terraced gardens with flower beds and a long view over the Faraglioni and the hairpins of Via Krupp. Via Krupp, the zigzag path down to Marina Piccola, has been closed for long periods because of rockfall, so check before you plan around it. Marina Piccola can be reached by road and by bus in any case.
Anacapri and Monte Solaro
Take the bus up to Anacapri for lunch in a quieter, whiter town, then ride the chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro, 589 metres above the sea. It takes about 12 minutes each way, and on a clear day the view stretches from Naples to the Sorrento peninsula. Villa San Michele, home of the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe, has a garden loggia and a stone sphinx that looks straight out to sea.
About the Blue Grotto
The Grotta Azzurra is a sea cave lit electric blue by sunlight entering from underwater. It is lovely, short and queue-heavy. You change into a small rowing boat at the entrance, lie back to pass through the low opening and spend a few minutes inside. It closes in rough seas, so keep your morning free as a plan B, and know that the wait can reach an hour in August. If you dislike queues, a swim from a quiet boat near the Faraglioni may be a better use of the money.
Why stay the night
By 18:00 the last fast ferries have taken most of the day-trippers away. The Piazzetta empties, the light turns gold on Monte Solaro and the lanes go quiet. Watch the sun set from the lighthouse at Punta Carena in Anacapri, then have dinner without a queue. In the morning, walk the same lanes while the shutters are still closing.
Browse stays in Capri and Anacapri. Anacapri is usually quieter and better value, and the bus to the town of Capri takes about 15 minutes.
