Italy / Naples, Amalfi Coast & Capri / CapriCapri
The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni and La Piazzetta
A limestone island in the Bay of Naples, 50 minutes by fast ferry from Naples or 20-30 from Sorrento: the Blue Grotto by rowing boat (closed in rough seas), the Faraglioni rocks, the Piazzetta, Anacapri's chairlift up Monte Solaro and the Gardens of Augustus. Day-trippers crowd it from 10:00 to 17:00; a night lets you see it quiet. Most hotels close from November to March. Ferry fares include a landing fee.
Highlights
- Blue Grotto
- Boat round the island and the Faraglioni
- Monte Solaro chairlift
- Gardens of Augustus
- Villa Jovis
- Evening in La Piazzetta
Things to do
- Boat round the island and the Blue GrottoMorning · 3h
- Monte Solaro chairlift from AnacapriAfternoon · 2h
- Gardens of Augustus and Via Krupp viewpointAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Walk to Villa JovisMorning · 3h
- Aperitivo in La PiazzettaEvening · 2h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – June, September – October
Worth knowing
August Peak: Italians on Holiday
August, and the week of Ferragosto (15 August) above all, is the busiest time on the coasts, lakes and islands: rooms cost the most of the year and sell out, beaches and beach clubs fill, ferries and trains to the coast are booked solid, and roads jam. Book rooms, ferries and trains months ahead, or come in June or September.
Worth knowing
Winter: Coast Ferries Stop, Many Hotels Close
From about November to March the ferries along the Amalfi Coast and between Positano or Amalfi and Capri stop running (in 2026 they ran from 1 April to early November), and many hotels and restaurants in Positano and on Capri close. Capri is still reached all year from Naples and Sorrento, and the SITA buses run. Sorrento stays open and is the best winter base. Boats are cancelled in rough seas.
Heads up
Blue Grotto Closes in Swell
The Blue Grotto can only be entered by rowing boat through a low opening, and it shuts whenever the sea is rough or the tide high, often for days in winter and sometimes in summer. Don't build a Capri day round it: book a round-the-island boat, which visits if it is open.
- Ferragosto — The Assumption holiday and the peak of the Italian summer holiday: beaches, lakes and islands are at their fullest and dearest, many city shops and restaurants close for the week either side, and there are fireworks and beach parties on the coast. Book everything well ahead.