Capri Favorites

Favorite thing: During the offseason many of the stores, hotels, as well as the funiculare are temporarily closed. I was in Capri in Feb. 2008 and the funiculare was basically closed until the high season. Plan on catching the orange buses from Marina Grande, they run every 15 minutes.

Favorite thing: The vast, sprawling ruins of the Villa Jovis, once a holiday villa of the Roman Emperor Tiberius.
Walk up in the late afternoon and enjoy the breathtaking views at sunset.
See www.trifter.com/Europe/Italy/Capri-Island-of-Emperors.78822

Fondest memory: The garden of the Villa san Michele perched at the highest point of Anacapri, with its cool, ine-covered loggia, splashing fountains and red granite sphinx gazing out to sea.

Favorite thing: The Cruise - the Blue Grotto - is the best part of this trip, and is worth the money you pay to enter it.

You might be able to skip the rest of the sights, and just go straight for the Blue Grotto, if you'd like to save a bit of cash. It's best to prepare cash (the exact amount for the entrance to the Blue Grotto) for this trip, because you might get wet, and if you do, it's best not to have your money on you. Well, it's best not to have anything with you. If you've a camera, bring your Ziploc bag to put it in. You don't want to miss the sights, but you don't want your camera ruined.

We think Capri dell' Isola is the better cruise company, although one would see Laser Capri once one walks off the boat at the pier. It's a longer trip, and the departures are more frequent. Besides, it's right next to the tourist office - in case one gets bored waiting for the boat to depart.

It's much better going on the cruise to go into the Blue Grotto because overland transport is confusing - and you know what maps are like in Italy.

Fondest memory: The Blue Grotto, the Blue Grotto and the Blue Grotto.

You have to go there. It's expensive, but you have to go there.

The experience is hilarious, and special.

Favorite thing: The privileged and talked-about have been coming to Capri for two thousand years. The Emperor Augustus took a fancy to it, and swapped it for his island of Ischia, and his successor Tiberius made it his home when Rome became too hot to hold him. By all accounts he had a good time on Capri; if his Roman biographers are to be believed, he got up to all sorts of scandalous behaviour on the beautiful island. You can still visit the ruins of his villas, and appreciate the spell that charmed the Emperors.

Later, and presumably better-behaved inhabitants were the monks who built the Certosa in an attempt to defend the island from invading Saracens. The Romantics and Grand Tourists later admired the island's rocky natural beauty, while the French occupied Anacapri and fought the English here during the Napoleonic wars.

In 1826 the Grotta Azzurra was 'discovered' by a German tourist, the poet August Kopisch, and gradually the island became established as a desirable holiday haunt for artists, writers, royalty and celebrities, a status it still holds today. The port at Marina Grande was built in the twentieth century and enabled visitor numbers to rise as tourism became the island's chief industry.

Favorite thing: If you are staying in one of the hotels in Capri Town, do get a porter to help you (esp. if your hotel is not near the funicular). I think it's worth it to pay for the porter if you have heavy luggage. The roads in Capri town are sloppy so can be very tiring for you if you are carrying heavy luggage.

Favorite thing:
This gives you a rough idea where Capri is located. Click on the map, so you can see the red little dot.

Is located in the region of Campania. Nearby the island of Capri are the cities of Naples and Sorrento. The island of Capri is easily reached by boat from both cities.

Favorite thing: The island of Capri has two distinct flavors. One side of the island is very resorty with lots of shopping. The other, Anacapri, is more wild with lots of nature trails and the famous Blue Grotto.

Fondest memory: Capri is a tale of two islands, one by day and one by night. From about 9 a.m. until the sun goes down, it feels like Coney Island, its streets, shops and cafés packed with day-trippers from the Italian mainland. Yet at night and in the early morning, Capri is a serene paradise, where visitors and locals share the warm and relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere for which the island has long been known.

Favorite thing: In my opinion the most magical place in the world is situated on the Isle of Capri. Take the wonderful bus journey through the amazing winding roads to the upper town of Anacapri. From there you can take a chair lift to the top of Mount Solaro, the islands highest point and in about 15 minutes you will reach the ruins of the villa of the Emperor Tiberius. If you time it right and you are lucky enough to get a clear day, this is the most mind-blowing experience. From here you get the impression that you can see the four corners of the earth. The silence compared to the hustle-bustle of the towns is amazing. It is one of those experiences that will remain with you for the rest of your days. Words can not being to describe the way it will effect every one of your senses. Trust me, if you are on Capri, it is well worth the effort. Let me know what you think though!

Fondest memory: If the sea is calm and the weather is sunny, treat your self to a boat trip around the island. Takes about two hours and is time well spent.