Capri
An island that changes completely once the last ferry leaves
The Destination
Capri has a reputation problem, and it is entirely a scheduling problem. For about seven hours a day the island belongs to the day-trippers who arrive by the boatload from Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. The Piazzetta is shoulder to shoulder, there is a queue for the Blue Grotto, and anyone who has only ever experienced that version comes away baffled by the fuss.
Then the last hydrofoil goes. The shops stay open, the lights come on, and the island turns back into a small Mediterranean town with a few hundred people in it — which is the Capri that people fall in love with and keep returning to for thirty years. Staying the night is not a nicety here. It is the entire difference between the two experiences.
What follows is where to base yourself, how the island is laid out, and the practical business of getting here and moving around a place with almost no cars. The three hotels below we book at the same nightly rate as the hotel's own site, with preferred-partner benefits added.
Where to Stay
Grand Hotel Quisisana
Capri Town — a minute from the Piazzetta
Capri's grande dame since 1861, a minute from the Piazzetta, with the island's most famous bar terrace
Hotel La Palma
Capri Town — above Via Vittorio Emanuele, with a beach club
Capri's first hotel, opened in 1822 and reborn in 2023 as Oetker Collection's first house in Italy
J.K. Place Capri
Marina Grande — at the harbour, above the beach
Twenty-two rooms above the beach at Marina Grande, done by Michele Bönan as a 1950s yacht-owner's house
Reading the Island
Capri is small — about four miles by two — and arranged in three parts. Boats arrive at Marina Grande on the north shore. Above it, reached by funicular or road, is Capri town, which is where the Piazzetta, the shopping and most of the hotels are. Higher and further west is Anacapri, quieter and more residential, with Villa San Michele and the chairlift up Monte Solaro.
On the south side, Marina Piccola is the swimming side, and beyond it the Faraglioni — the three rock stacks that are the island's signature. The beach clubs below them are reached by a long staircase or by boat, and they book out in season. The Blue Grotto is on the north-west coast and depends entirely on the sea state; on a rough day it simply does not open.
There is very little flat ground anywhere. Capri is a place of steps, narrow lanes and small open taxis, and almost every walk is uphill in one direction. That is part of its charm and worth thinking about when choosing where to sleep and how much luggage to bring.
When to Go
Late May into June, or September. The island flowers in spring, the sea is swimmable from June, and the sea holds its summer temperature into September as the day-trip boats start to thin. The season runs roughly April to October and the island substantially closes outside it — hotels, restaurants and beach clubs together.
August is the one to think hard about. It is the hottest, busiest and most expensive month, the beach clubs need booking well in advance, and the daytime crowds are at their peak. It is also when Capri is at its most glamorous, so if that is the point, come in August and pick a hotel with its own pool and beach arrangements so that the middle of the day is spent somewhere you control.
Getting There & Around
Everything arrives by sea. Ferries and hydrofoils run from Naples in roughly forty-five minutes to an hour and from Sorrento in about twenty, with seasonal sailings from Positano and Amalfi. The public boats are perfectly good; a private transfer by sea costs more and removes the queue at the port, which in August is worth considering. We book the crossing and arrange a porter at Marina Grande, because the last stretch to the hotel is rarely something you want to do dragging a suitcase.
On the island there are no hire cars for visitors in season, and no need for one. The funicular runs from the harbour up to the Piazzetta, small open taxis cover the rest, a bus climbs to Anacapri, and the best way to see the coast is a boat for the day — around the island, through the arch at the Faraglioni, and into the coves that no path reaches.
What the Days Look Like
A boat around the island is the one thing to do, and it is better early or late than in the middle of the day. The Faraglioni arch, the sea caves, a swim off the back of the boat somewhere with nobody else in it. The Blue Grotto is remarkable and heavily oversubscribed — go first thing, and accept that a swell can close it without notice.
On land, the Gardens of Augustus and the Via Krupp switchbacks are a short walk from Capri town, and Villa San Michele in Anacapri — Axel Munthe's house, full of antiquities and looking out over the whole bay — is worth the trip up. The chairlift to Monte Solaro from Anacapri takes about a quarter of an hour and delivers the best view on the island. Then the evening: the Piazzetta, dinner late, and the streets belonging to the people who live here.
Frequently Asked
Is Capri worth staying on, or is a day trip enough?
Stay. This is the single most useful thing we tell people about Capri. Between roughly ten in the morning and five in the afternoon the island takes on thousands of day visitors from Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, and the Piazzetta, the Blue Grotto queue and the main streets are a scrum. Then the last hydrofoils leave and it becomes a quiet Mediterranean island with a few hundred people on it. Everyone who loves Capri loves the evening version. If you only see the daytime one you will wonder what the fuss is about.
Capri town or Anacapri — where should I stay?
Capri town is the centre of gravity: the Piazzetta, the shopping on Via Camerelle, the bars, and where all three hotels on this page sit or sit close to. Anacapri is higher up the island, quieter, cheaper and more residential, with Villa San Michele and the Monte Solaro chairlift — lovely, but you will be taking taxis down for dinner. Marina Grande, where J.K. Place is, is the harbour: five minutes from the boats and the beach, a funicular ride from the town. For a first visit we would almost always put you in or just above Capri town.
Which is the best hotel on Capri?
They answer different briefs. Grand Hotel Quisisana is the grande dame — 148 rooms, a minute from the Piazzetta, and the terrace out front is the island's evening ritual whether or not you are staying. Hotel La Palma is the island's oldest hotel, reopened in 2023 by Oetker Collection with fifty rooms, a rooftop restaurant and its own beach club, which on Capri is a real advantage. J.K. Place Capri is the smallest and the most personal: 22 rooms above the beach at Marina Grande with a terrace over the bay, though you are at the harbour rather than in town.
How do you get to Capri?
By boat, and only by boat. Ferries and hydrofoils run from Naples in roughly forty-five minutes to an hour, and from Sorrento in about twenty, with seasonal services from Positano and Amalfi. We book the crossing, or a private transfer by sea if you would rather not queue at the port, and arrange the porter at Marina Grande — which sounds fussy until you have tried to get luggage up to Capri town yourself.
Can you bring a car to Capri?
In season, no — visitors cannot bring cars onto the island, and you would not want to. The roads are single-track and largely for residents, buses and the little open taxis. Getting around is the funicular from Marina Grande, those taxis, the bus up to Anacapri, boats around the coast, and a lot of walking, much of it up or down steps. Pack accordingly, and tell us about any mobility issues early, because on Capri it changes which hotel makes sense.
When is the best time to go to Capri?
Late May to June, and September. The sea is warm from June, the island is in flower in spring, and September gives you the best water of the year as the day-trip traffic drops away. July and August are hot and extremely busy. Most hotels here run an April-to-October season, so winter is not really an option — the island largely closes.
How many nights do you need on Capri?
Two or three. Two gets you a full day on the island plus the two evenings, which is the part that matters. Three lets you take a boat around the island properly, get up to Anacapri, and still have a day doing nothing at a beach club. It slots neatly onto the end of an Amalfi Coast stay, or between Rome and Naples.
Plan Your Journey
Stay on Capri with Via Privata
Same nightly rate as booking direct, with complimentary breakfast, upgrades when available and property credits — plus the crossing, the porter at Marina Grande, and the beach club that was full when you called.
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