Capri

On our fourth day in Italy, we made arrangements to visit the nearby island of Capri. From the Amalfi Coast, Capri is just a 30 or 40 minute boat ride away. In the summer months, hydrofoils operate direct from Positano and Amalfi, but if you are visiting in the winter months, you will need to catch a boat from Sorrento. Public sea connections between the island and the mainland do not run after 8pm, so keep this in mind when planning out your accommodations. If you would like to spend an evening on the island, enjoy dinner and drinks, etc, my recommendation would be to book at least one night on Capri.

Another option is taking a private boat tour around the island. There are several companies who all offer similar tours, but after checking out all our options, we decided on L’uomo e il mare. For only 55 euros each, we took an 8 hour tour complete with towels, drinks, and desserts. The tour began with 4 hours on the boat touring around the island and stopping at several sites along the way, including a stop to swim in the sparkling Mediterranean, sailing under the Faraglioni Rock, as well as a stop at the infamous Blue Grotto and Green Grotto. After the tour around the island, we had 4 hours to explore the mainland on our own. During the ride home, we stopped again for a final swim and toasted to a wonderful day with champagne and cakes. The private boat tour was a perfect way to see Capri and I highly recommend taking this route. Our tour guide and captain were very funny and informative, and spending a day out on a boat with visitors from all over the world was an experience I’ll never forget.

It can be hard to understand the perspective from photos, but the Faraglioni rock is extremely large—our boat drove straight through the center. Crazy! What a beautiful piece of Mother Nature.

Pulling up to Marina Grande, the island was much larger than we were expecting. The beautiful white buildings sparkled against the turquoise waters.

We began our time in Anacapri, the quieter half of the island. Heading first to the gardens of Villa San Michele for stunning panoramic views of the island and it’s main harbor Marina Grande, Sorrento and Mount Vesuvius.

After Anacapri, we ventured to the opposite half of the island, Capri. If you only have a couple of hours to visit the island of Capri and want to take that classic shot of the sea and the Faraglioni before you leave, head to the Gardens of Augustus.

Not far from the center of town, the Gardens of Augustus are full of flower-filled terraces with panoramic views overlooking the Faraglioni on the one side (image above) and the Bay of Marina Piccola and Via Krupp on the other (image below). Views don’t get much better than this!

If you have more time on the island, here are some additional recommendations:

Monte Solaro – for the most grand views of the island, take the chair lift from Piazza Vitoria in Anacapri to the summit of Monte Solaro. Soaring 589 meters above sea level, is the highest and most panoramic point on the island.

Carthusia – if you’re looking for the ultimate souvenir, look no further. This perfume shop has been making scents unique to Capri for over half a century. All preparations are made from high quality, natural raw materials and even the finished product is hand-wrapped.