Why Capri should be on your Italian itinerary

Imagine all the luxury stores from Via del Corso in Rome and all the five-star villas in Dubai, culminated together on a tiny island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Naples. That’s Capri in a nutshell. Where it used to hold criminals and exiled Emperors, Capri is now the home of luxury and celebrity in Italy – and a little bit of limoncello. Not enticing enough? Throw in the Gardens of Augusto, a speedboat trip to the Blue Grotto, plus a chance to buy your very own Capri Watch right from the source, and there truly is something for everyone.

Getting to Capri

If you come to Italy on a package holiday like we did, then there are many tour providers that can help you get to Capri. Sorrento is the easiest place to visit from as it’s only a ferry away, however don’t worry if you’re based in Piano di Sorrento as there are plenty of other people taking the longer journey from there. You’ll most likely go over on a ferry that the locals use to get across to Capri for work or school, so it’s a very reliable form of transport. When you arrive, you’ll be dropped off at the Commercial Port near Marina Grande.

Full day in Capri from Tui: £40 each (2018). Map for illustrative purposes only.

What to do in Capri

When you first set foot on the Island you’ll be a stones throw away from the smaller boats that take you around the whole island. Our group was given the chance of whether we wanted to pay extra for one, and of course me and Josh did. With celebrity villas, old Roman roads and even some James Bond filming locations on show, who could refuse! If you get the right weather, you can even go exploring the Grotta Azzurra, but unfortunately the sea level was too high for us so we only got a peep at the top. The rocks on the right of the below picture, known as I Faraglioni (“the stacks”), were featured in James Bond and you’ll speed through ‘the doorway’ the same way he did! Obviously, it’s Italy, so they insist couples have a cheeky kiss as you go under.

Giardini di Augusto

The Gardens of Augusto were created by Friedrich Krupp in the 20th Century, when he built his mansion in Capri. Today it is a botanical garden, and the views at the peak are some of the best on the Island – boasting an 180 degree view of the sea and disused Roman roads below. There’s a small entrance fee of €1 each which helps to keep the gardens open to tourists, which is more than worth it to see the blooms and statues. We didn’t have the sunniest spring day, but I definitely enjoyed this experience almost as much as the speedboat ride.

Drive up to Anacapri

Because the roads are so narrow on Capri, there’s no room at all for a sidewalk; therefore the only way you can access Anacapri is by taxi or rental car. Anacapri translates to “above Capri” and is the highest village on the Island. There are a number of things you can do here, including: a visit to a huge villa-turned-museum, a cable-car ride with views of the whole island, exploring the limoncello souvenir shops, and visiting a Capri Watch store. The fog you can see in my earlier photos? Well that put the cable car out of service for the afternoon but otherwise we had fairly blue skies, and at times it felt like Santorini up there!

So, if you want a fabulous time in Campania, stick Capri on your itinerary!

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