Capri, Italy – Exploring the Beautiful Island

Capri, Italy – Exploring the Beautiful Island

Capri Capri Capri!!! The MOST beautiful place I have ever been to!! Absolutely stunning Italian island that you have to visit at least one time in your life! Pictures truly does not do this place justice! It’s one of those places where you just had to have been there. This is the 4th and final part of my Amalfi Coast Travel series! Thank you for your patience! I know many of you have patiently waited for this post! In my previous 3 posts, I have reviewed Ravello, Amalfi city and Positano! For travel tips in traveling internationally, be sure to check out my post here. Capri is famous for celebrities visiting and vacation. Each time we have visited Capri we have missed major celebrities by a few days such as Beyoncé & Richard Geer. You will not see them in high season to avoid crowds so if you visit Capri in low season or early summer, keep your eyes and camera opened!

HOW TO GET TO CAPRI, ITALY

Capri was the last city of the Amalfi Coast that we visited. It is actually not technically a part of the Amalfi Coast. It is a whole separate Island that you need to take a ferry or quick flight to. We opted to take a ferry. You can buy tickets to ferries at the port. There are little spots where you can buy your ticket next to where you board. Just look for all the tour signs. You cannot buy tour ticket on the boat. However we ran late one time and they allowed us.

Ferry Tip: Please keep in mind that usually the last morning ferry that takes you to other cities in the Amalfi Coast including Capri departs at 9am/9:30am. We learned the hard way and had to take a ferry that had us arrive at 1pm.

If you will be visiting the Amalfi Coast during high season such as July – early September, definitely buy your tickets online ahead of time. They can get booked pretty quickly or there could be long lines. We were told this trip from our August 2015 visit from our hotel. When he found out we did not have tickets, he immediately directed us to place that was still open to quickly buy them. Alicost is one that we have used many times as well as SNAV to get to Capri and then to Naple which you can take the train to Rome.

One thing that I wished was different about visiting the Amalfi Coast is the time when ferries stop shuttling. It is quick early but basically no ferries run at night or when its getting dark. So usually the last ferry that leaves Capri is around 6pm so you cannot experience Capri at night unless you stay at a hotel. The hotel we stayed at was Hotel Weber Ambassador!

We loved the location of this hotel and you can read the full hotel review here! It is located on the other side of island that we preferred the best at Marina Piccola. The ferries come in Marina Grande and it is full of tourists. Here it was less crowded and you had amazing views.

THINGS TO DO & SEE IN CAPRI, ITALY

In Capri there are so many things to do and explore! The best part about Capri is to explore and discover beautiful points of view. We did a lot of walking and discovered so many cute little areas. There are a few must dos in Capri. You must visit the beaches of Capri Marina Grande – where the ferries come in and then Marina Piccola which is a smaller beach but more beautiful! it is actually where Victoria Secret has done photo shoots in the past! You will need the million dollar yachts where they are more than likely celebrities on them.

The beach is pebbled so you will need to bring a mat because it is hard. Our hotel provided foam mats for us which was great. there are places to eat near by and shops to buy swimsuits, beach essentials, etc. Besides the beach, you should visit the famous Capri center commonly referred at La Piazzetta di Capri! This area is full of life and great spot to people watch! It is a place to see and been seen. I recommend dressing nice in this area to fit in and to have people think you are someone important. We did and got a lot attention and looks like “ooh I wonder who they are!?” We had gelato here in the main square. My husband did not enjoy much because the price was so ridiculous like tripled. To pay 12 euros for gelato is unbelievable. Usually it is 2-3 euros but hey..it’s Capri.

Here at the centre, you will find the famous street Corso Umberto. If you have visited Italy before you know every major city has a Corso Umberto and it is always the principal street for shopping and restaurants. These shops in Capri is high end expensive shops. There are a few reasonable shops too but for the most part things are pricey.

Next you must do a boat tour of Capri! There are couple different ways to do it. One 2 our boat ride with others that costs about 15 euros which we have done and would do it again. We booked this company here in our 2015 trip which I recommend booking tickets online and printing off the ticket. This tour allows you to swim in the small caves. There is a transfer into the Blue Grottos or Grotta Azzurra which is a must as well and an additional 15 euros for entrance. Italy is famous for these grottos or small caves where the water is a deep pretty blue color and you can swim in them. Depending on the current, you may or may not be able to enter them. This tour also takes you to the famous Faraglioni rock formation! They do a nice stop for photo ops.

If you prefer somewhere private, I recommend Gianni’s Boat! You can do full day, half day or sunset boat tour and he has many different boat options of different prices. We booked him on our 2016 stay but end up having to cancel due to the threat of rain. There were storms coming in and we had to let him know the day before if we were to cancel. We did not want to risk it so we cancelled. However, it ended up being a beautiful day.  We are looking forward to booking with Gianni again. He was very nice!

Next must see/do is visiting the beautiful hilltop town of Anacapri! Many people think Capri and Anacapri are one of the same but they are indeed two different towns and were rivals at one point in time. Anacapri is very beautiful and they have a nice center for food and shopping and souvenirs. We mainly do our souvenir shopping here. The price is a bit less too. 

From there you must visit Villa San Michele! This is a beautiful extraordinary villa turned museum is a place that you must see! The garden and architecture is amazing and it was a wonderful experience. The entrance fee is 8 euros and so worth it.

Villa San Michele Tip: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND visiting this place on a sunny day.  When you get up there you will see what I mean. The sun came and gone when we visited and mainly was gone when we were up there so our photos were not as great as we hoped.

The unforgettable thing that you must do is visit Monte Solaro! It s the beautiful viewpoint that you saw in my opening photo! You have an amazing view of the Faraglioni. besides the view the best thing is how quiet and peaceful it is up there. You don’t even want to leave. They have a little café there to have something light to eat and gelato and buy some postcards. But you definitely have to get the iconic photo at this angle.

Monte Solaro Tip: Before visiting look at the sky and see if there is a lot of clouds. If so, I do not recommend going up there unless the clouds seem to be moving pretty steady. This is a spot you want to go when it is a clear day! DO NOT go on a cloudy day. You will be disappointed! The day when we visited we were worried because we saw clouds, but there seem to be steady windy. When we first got there, it was not as clear as our first visit. But then a gust of wind came and all was clear! You can kind of seen the clouds in the photo below right before the wind cleared it up!  

Now here is the FUN part!!! This viewpoint is so beautiful and particular that you need reach there in a particular way! The only way up is UP UP UP! There is a 13 minute single person chair lift also called funavia or funicular that takes you to this beautiful spot! We have done it each time we have gone! There is a hiking trail that you can take which can take you close to an hour to walk but it is way more exciting to take the chair lift!

The views are amazing and the ride is so smooth. I would just remember secure all your belongings, hat and set your selfie stick and camera before you get in line. If you ever been skiing the chair lift is constantly moving, you come on quickly and hop off. If you need help getting on they do stop it for those special circumstances. Our first time, it was stopped a few times but its not scary. The chair rocks a bit but you will be fine. While in the chair life it seems like you are in Jurassic park in some areas with all the green and trees. The tickets costs 11 euros one way. The chair is big enough for pets or small children to sit in the parent’s lap which we saw a lot. The chair rail does not lock and there are no seat belts!

RESTAURANTS IN CAPRI, ITALY

During our stay we ate at a couple of memorable places! For lunch, we walked from our hotel to Ristorante La Piazzetta. Service was great and we quickly was able to be seated. We had an outside table with an amazing view of the Faraglioni! We both got a small pasta -spaghetti and carbonara! Both were excellent and the price was good too! The restaurant was located steps away from the bus stop to take you to Anacapri which we did one time for the experience and it’s located near the same area to go to Marina Piccola.

The other restaurant that we ate at that we liked was Ristorante Longano Da Tarantino in Capri centre! Our hotel Hotel Weber Ambassador recommended this restaurant and gave us a discount card of 10%. Once you are in the centre it is a very short walk to get to the restaurant through a small little pathway. Ristorante Longano is also a pizzeria and a nice restaurant!

The inside is nice and cool with white interior and table cloth and many arches. One of the arches was window and had a beautiful view of the moon! The price of the food was not bad – about 16 euros and up. We both got pasta and I always get my favorite pasta when in Italy which is the seafood pasta which on the menu will say “frutti di mare”. That includes clams, shrimp, mussels and octopus! The octopus was quite good and this was a very good pasta! We would definitely eat here again!

 

“When Life gives you Lemons, make LIMONCELLO!”

SOUVENIRS TO BUY IN CAPRI, ITALY

Souvenirs in Capri can be pricey but there are a couple of souvenirs that you must get! #1 is limoncello! Capri is famous for their lemons and limoncellos! They have many lemon trees on the island and I have seen some of the biggest lemons here on capri! Our #1 spot (of 3) to buy limoncello in ALL OF ITALY is located here. You must go to Anacapri and visit Nino & Friends! which the outside of the store says Sapori di Capri. You cannot miss this place as you walk to visit Villa San Michele! They sell exquisite candies, cookies, coffee, soaps, jewelry and of course limoncello.

We discovered this place in 2015 and loved it so we made sure we returned again. We get a lot of our souvenirs here. One item you should get a few boxes of is the limoncello filled chocolate candies! They have nice shot of liquor inside and it is a favorite with my family and friends! The cookies are also really good here too and we always bring a few boxes back. The people are so nice and let us sample pretty much anything!

The limoncello you are able to sample onsite too! They have the best limoncello I have ever tasted They sell the classic limoncello which is the liquid one that you see as well as cream ones and flavored cream ones too. You should definitely try the creams- “Limoncello di crema” and the melon flavored one that is orange which is my favorite – Meloncino! It is soo good!

They also have pistachio which is actually good and I am not a fan of this nut in general. The best thing about limoncello is that you drink it VERY COLD so you keep it in the freezer and it won’t freeze but stays super cold. The cream ones may get a little slushy but all you have to do it shake it and it is fine with no water down taste! It’s a classic refreshing after meal drink in Italy.

You can also buy custom made sandals here at a shop that is connected to Nino & Friends called D’Esposito Capri Sandals! The classic sandal of Capri is famous in the Amalfi Coast and you will see many places all over the Amalfi Coast selling them. The are hand made using real leather tailored to your shoe size and style. There are only a few places I would get them from. You can kind of tell by looking what shops are touristic traps and what shops sells authentic sandals. You want to choose a place that only sells the sandals and not other souvenirs.

D’Esposito Capri Sandals, you can order online and they can ship it to you in case you don’t have time to have them made during your stay! You can read about this shop in the Amalfi city where they also sell these sandals in case you do not make it to Capri! My other two spots are located in Anacapri – D’Esposito Capri Sandals and the other shop which is not too far and on the same path is called l’iSola dei Sapori!

I got a friend a mine pair of custom handmade sandals from l’iSola dei Sapori as a graduation! You can keep it as simple as a just black leather or add a bit color or crystal! These sandals can be very pricey beginning if you want to add crystals to them. In general the sandals start from 60 euros to 250-300 euros for a pair. The best price I found in Amalfi where some of the ones with crystal was about 80-100 euros. In Capri, the price doubles but they are very beautiful!

They need time to make them so it is best to go there first and place your order and then do shopping, go to Villa San Michele, Monte Solaro and then come back and pick up your shoes! Trust me if you don’t get a pair, you will regret it. It is best to do it then and not think you will come back to do it another day. My pair were completed within an hour – at least that was about how long we were gone by the time we came back for the sandals.

I hope you found this guide very helpful to plan for your next Amalfi Coast trip! I would love to hear feedback and how your trip went when you visited it! Stay tuned for my downloadable mini Amalfi Coast Guide which is a snapshot of each guide with the addresses and Italian phrases so you can take it along with you! Grazie mille e buon viaggio!