Known for
History as a retreat for Roman emperors and, more recently, film stars
Must-see landmarks
The Faraglioni, Blue Grotto, the Gardens of Augustus and Villa Jovis
Best time to visit
May, June and September, avoiding hot peak of July and August
Days needed
One full day covers the highlights on a trip from Naples or Sorrento
Ferries and hydrofoils from Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast dock at Capri's main port, backed by cafes, a small beach and the kiosks selling bus and boat tickets. A funicular climbs to the town centre in a few minutes, or the stepped lanes make the same climb on foot in about 25 minutes.
Piazza Umberto I is Capri's living room, a small square of cafe terraces beneath the freestanding Torre dell'Orologio and the Baroque front of the Cattedrale di Santo Stefano. Mornings are quietest, before the day trippers arrive. The Certosa di San Giacomo is a short walk downhill.
A 14th century Carthusian monastery keeps cloisters and frescoed halls above the sea, and since July 2024 also houses the National Archaeological Museum of Capri, around 120 finds from the age of Augustus and Tiberius. It opens from 10:00 to 18:00 in the main season, closed Mondays. The Gardens of Augustus lie a short walk further on.
Terraced flowerbeds and a pergola walkway look down over Marina Piccola and the Faraglioni from the clifftop gardens, with the switchback path of Via Krupp visible dropping toward the bay below. The gardens open from 9:00 to 19:30 in the main season. Marina Piccola itself is about 23 minutes away on foot.
The small bay beneath the gardens holds Capri's best swimming, its public beaches and beach clubs looking straight out at the Faraglioni rock stacks. It makes a relaxed close to the day before a bus or the funicular returns to Marina Grande for the ferry back.
The three rock stacks off Capri's coast cost nothing to admire from the shore. The Belvedere di Tragara and the clifftop path above Marina Piccola both frame them for free, while boat trips that circle the rocks or thread the natural arch are a paid excursion.
Piazza Umberto I costs nothing to stand in, with no ticket beneath the clock tower and the cathedral front. Only a seat at a cafe terrace adds a charge, so budget visitors linger by the balustrade, best in the early morning before the day trippers arrive.
Capri's main harbour is free to walk end to end, past the fishing boats, the pastel houses and the small pebble beach by the ferry terminal. Beach clubs along the shore charge for loungers, but the quay and the waterfront stay open to everyone at no cost.
Beneath the Gardens of Augustus, two small free beaches, Marina di Mulo and Marina di Pennauro, sit between the paid loungers of clubs like La Canzone del Mare. The same shoreline gives one of the closest views of the Faraglioni without a boat.
The 921 steps known as the Phoenician Steps, cut by Greek settlers rather than Phoenicians, climb from Marina Grande to Anacapri with no ticket and no gate at either end. Sea views widen with every switchback, and a wayside chapel marks the old route.
The natural rock arch above the sea sits at the end of the public Pizzolungo path from the Piazzetta, a walk with no gates or ticket booth anywhere along it. The route rises and falls over uneven stone rather than running flat, so a relaxed pace suits it best.
The lighthouse tower at Punta Carena stays closed to visitors, but the rocks and small bay beneath it are free to reach from Anacapri, with no charge to swim off the point or watch the sunset. A lido beside it rents loungers for extra comfort.
A quiet public garden on the cliffs near the Certosa opens Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10:00 to 14:00, with no admission charge for its terraces over the Bay of Naples and the Sorrentine Peninsula. It ranks among the calmest free viewpoints on the island.
Via della Migliera is a flat, roughly kilometre long farm track through Anacapri's vineyards and vegetable gardens, free to walk with no ticket. It ends at the Belvedere del Tuono, a cliff edge over jagged white rocks toward the Punta Carena lighthouse.
Capri has drawn admirers since the emperors Augustus and Tiberius built villas on its cliffs, and its mix of dramatic limestone scenery, sheltered coves and a genuinely glamorous small-town centre has kept that pull alive through the Grand Tour and into the era of postwar film stars. High cliffs, a Mediterranean scrub of pines and myrtle, and two distinct towns are packed onto just 10.4 square kilometres, so the short crossing from the mainland lands visitors somewhere that feels entirely apart from it.
Capri town spreads around the Piazzetta and its steep, boutique-lined lanes, gathering the busiest sights: the Gardens of Augustus, the Certosa di San Giacomo and Marina Piccola below. Anacapri, the second comune higher up the mountain, moves at a slower pace around Piazza Vittoria, with Villa San Michele, the Monte Solaro chairlift and the road down to the Blue Grotto and Punta Carena.
May, June and September bring warm, settled weather without the heaviest crowds, which build through July and August when ferries and the Piazzetta fill fastest. One full day covers the main sights on a trip from Naples or Sorrento, and staying two nights allows an unhurried look at Anacapri and the Blue Grotto as well.
Marina Grande is the island's main port, reached by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples, Sorrento and other towns on the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. A funicular and buses climb from the harbour to Capri town, and further buses link Capri town with Anacapri, since cars are largely off limits to visitors. Both town centres are best explored on foot once there.