How to spend 6 glorious hours on the Isle of Capri

When I decided to visit Naples a close friend recommended Capri. My main goal, apart from seeing as much of Naples as possible, was to visit Pompeii and Vesuvius. Therefore I wasn’t sure I would manage it all on my first trip to the Campina region.

While I loved Naples after two days there and one day at Pompeii and Vesuvius, a day visiting Capri seemed the perfect complement.

Travelling by Ferry 

It was very easy to book tickets for the ferry on the “Open Ferry’ app. E-tickets are validated when boarding the ferry. I visited Naples at a quiet time of the year so was able to book tickets the night before. However, I suggest you book them as early as possible.

My outbound journey on “Snav” left at 9.30am from “Molo Beverello”. My return was scheduled for 15.35pm as I wanted to be back in Naples well before it got dark. The return journey was with “Caremar” and the tickets cost €63.99, inclusive of booking fees.

I walked to the ferry port, from the city center, which took about 35 minutes. The majority of the time I was walking along commercial streets. It was extremely easy to find the pier. While I had read that the area around the port was a little sketchy, it all seemed fine when I arrived at about 8.45am. The ticket said to arrive 30 minutes before the departure time. The terminal was modern with a cafe, vending machines, public toilets and lots of seats. TV screens showed the departure gates and time.

At 9.00am, a large group started queuing at the gate and the boarding process was completed extremely quickly. Most people seemed to have paper tickets and the attendant did check my digital ticket carefully.

The boat was more modern than I expected and was extremely clean. We left right on time. Image 1 below is the ferry I travelled to Capri on and image 2 is the one I returned on. These images were both taken in Capri.

I didn’t have an agenda but I knew my options were limited as the seasonal tours hadn’t started. Therefore I decided I would walk around, get a public bus to another part of the island and have a long lunch. 

A few minutes after we set sail two tour guides started talking to people. They confirmed that very few tours were operating currently. They were selling two options as follows:

1. Bus Tour : this would last about 3 hours and would include the towns of Capri and Anacapri. This English speaking tour would start as soon as we docked. Time was included in the schedule to sightsee alone. The cost was €25.00.
2. Boat Tour : this would last for 1 hour, circling the Island, highlighting the caves etc. This also cost €25.00 and there were several time slots available.

As this was my first visit to Capri, I asked if it was possible to do both tours. I told the guide the time I planned to return. She said if I could do both by reducing the personal sightseeing on the bus tour by about 30 minutes. This sounded a much better plan than my non-existent itinerary so I signed up immediately. She processed my payment by card and gave me two paper tickets.

While I usually avoid short tours like this, I was delighted that I would see Capri by road and sea. Little did I know I also would see it from another angle !

Bus Tour 

As soon as I got off the boat, I could see the tour guide rounding up people. We were a group of about 30 once everyone assembled. She took us straight over to where buses were waiting and divided us into two groups. I was in the first group, we left the dock immediately and our route was along a narrow winding road.

Along the way the guide told us lots about the island.  Anacapri is considered the Greek town and Capri the Italian. On several occasions the driver had to go slow or back up when larger vehicles passed in the opposite direction. The views were breathtaking between the picturesque small towns, the blue sea and the trees. 

After about 15 minutes we arrived in the small town of Anacapri. We were to have approximately 90 minutes here. The guide pointed out some shops, cafes, a museum and the Mount Solaro chair lift.

Thankfully I have a good head for heights so off I went to the ticket office for the chair lift. It cost €14.00 for a return ticket, lasting 12 minutes each way. I wondered how many one way tickets they sell !

I presumed this was like a ski lift and I would be with other people. Only a few people on my tour approached the ticket office.

However, when I went to the start I was delighted that the chairs were just for one passenger. I secured my bag and camera and waited. Two men then beckoned to me, pointed to two blue painted feet on the ground and told me to stand there. The chair then approached me from behind, I sat back and the attendant secured the bar. In a few seconds I was going uphill. I have shown the photographs to several people who have said they would hate it but I have to say it was incredibly relaxing. It goes quite slow, there is a distance between you and the chair in front and for most of my journey the chairs going downhill were empty. 

The view was just amazing. You pass over small gardens, vegetable patches, houses etc. You could see for miles over the island and out to the sea. There were a few signs advertising local produce like lemon flavoured olive oil and lemon scented perfume.

While the chair is quite small I had sufficient room to move around and take photographs on my phone and camera very easily. It was a wonderful 12 minutes and I knew if I hadn’t taken the tour I wouldn’t have found this myself. 

As soon as I got close to the end a man gestured to me to lift up the crossbar. I hadn’t realised it wasn’t locked until then. I did as he said and along with his help I got off extremely easily. 

The first thing I saw was a small restaurant with an amazing stone courtyard (image 1 below) . But of course it’s the view from the top of Mount Solaro that you go to see. I spent about 15 minutes enjoying it and taking some photographs

When I decided to leave, I was assisted to get on the chair lift extremely efficiently. This time I had no one in front of me but there were a lot more people now on the opposite side. As you are now on the inside you have to angle your camera to exclude the lift to take photographs. I did enjoy trying to take a photo of an empty chair suspended over the island though (image 2 below) !

When we got to the end, I was helped to get off easily. This was the most enjoyment I have got from €14.00 in a long time and it’s a fabulous way to see Capri. I highly recommend you do this if you get the chance. I knew there had been an accident resulting in 4 fatalities last year but I didn’t let that put me off.

I still had about 40 minutes to walk around Anacapri. It’s quite small and only a few shops and cafes were open. I was desperate for a coffee so sat at an outside table, with a great view, and ordered one. My delicious espresso cost €2.00.

Most people were back for the bus on time – apart from one couple who were close to 10 minutes late. It was frustrating watching them stroll towards the bus without a care in the world. Other passengers were complaining loudly and the guide was waving at them to come quickly. I refused to let this confirm why I hate tours as I was still on a high after the chair lift.

The guide then explained we were now going to Capri. She said there was time for lunch and to walk around alone. But as a family were leaving early, to catch their ferry, she asked if I minded going with them also. I’d have about 45 minutes back at port but less time in Capri. I didn’t mind at all and agreed to do that.

I walked up the street of Capri and saw some beautiful buildings. They have the most picturesque Italian post office I have seen to date. There were more people here than in Anacapri but it was still relatively quiet. Lemons dominate the tourist memorabilia. There were ceramic ones, they are on clothing, on tableware and of course in beverages.

As I wasn’t going to get lunch I decided I couldn’t leave the island without tasting a local drink so deciding it’s 5pm somewhere I ordered a Lemon Spritz in a lovely cafe with great outdoor seating. I never drink Aperol Spritz and hoped I hadn’t made a mistake by ordering this. I don’t know if it was the sea air or if the lemons in Capri are particularly delicious but I haven’t enjoyed a drink so much in a long time. The waiter brought me some chips and peanuts which were much appreciated and served as my lunch. I paid €17.00 for this aperitivo.

I ensured I was back waiting for the bus on time, as did the family and we got back to the port very quickly. The tour guide also accompanied us.

The guide showed me where I was getting the boat from and it was due to depart in 45 minutes. She also pointed out that my ferry would leave from a different area than the one I came in on. I really was impressed with her and very surprised to be getting this level of attention. She seemed extremely surprised when I tipped her €5.00 and thanked her for her help.

I was pleased to have time to walk around as I had seen none of this area earlier. What do you do if you don’t have time for lunch in Italy ? Of course you get a gelato ! Along with my favourite Stratcciatella (vanilla with chocolate shavings) I got a scoop of a local creamy lemon gelato. It was delicious and I enjoyed it immensely. This cost €3.50 and the portion was a generous size. I ate it so quickly, I forgot to take a photograph.

Boat Tour

Fifteen minutes before my boat was due to leave a small group started queuing. Tickets were checked and we boarded quickly. I’d estimate there were about 25-30 people onboard.

The guide asked if he could give the tour in Italian and English only and heads nodded. I was delighted as I am learning Italian so this was perfect for me. He also said there was room for eight people to sit up on top and he opened a small gate. I didn’t need to ask twice and made my way up.

We then spent a wonderful hour going around the perimeter of Capri. It was great to see the amazing limestone cliffs and rock formations up close. The sea is a beautiful colour and very visibly blue close to the rocks. There were also some statutes and ruins in several areas.

The captain was amazing. On several occasions he brought the boat very close to the caves as the guide pointed out all the unique features. I was amused by the reaction of one person (Image 1 below) that I just spotted when reviewing my photographs.

We saw a lighthouse and several famous people’s houses (including homes owned by Sophia Loren and Giorgio Armani). It was great to see the rock formations I had seen from Mount Solaro now up close. When the guide was talking about Anacapri he recommended taking the chair lift. 

They played some amusing songs and really had a great mixture of information and lighthearted banter. I really enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it – particularly if you can go on a small tour.

Back to Naples 

My ferry back was much larger than the one I had come out on. It was also a car ferry. The majority of the passengers looked like workers on their daily commute. Again the boarding was completed extremely efficiently. 

The interior of this boat appeared to be older than the one I had come out on but it was clean and comfortable. We docked at a different pier and it took me a few minutes to find my bearings. This seemed a more run down area but it felt safe.

Final Thoughts 

So in six hours I had seen Capri by sea, road and air ! I spent €142.00 and really had one of the most enjoyable days I have had on my travels for awhile. Despite no plans everything fell into place. I got a great feel for the island and I’ll certainly return. I’d love to stay for a few nights and explore it further. While I loved the boat tour, I don’t think I’d do that again – but I’ll certainly be taking that chair lift !!