Capri Things to Do

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Set in the main square of Capri town, this 17th-century church is not especially interesting in itself. There has been a cathedral/church on the site since 994 but what you can see now dates from 1682.

It is worth going inside to see the rather lovely grey and white marble floor which was taken from the Roman Villa Jovis (which itself is worth visiting).

There is also a rather odd font (see photo) and a reliquary which contains a saint's bone credited with saving the island from the plague in the 19th century.

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This is another really fabulous (free) walk! Natural Arch was once a grotto (cave) in the side of mountain that eroded into the free-standing form you see now. The arch makes a perfect frame for a slice of Capri's impossibly blue sea. The best way to reach it is to head south out of the piazzetta on Via V. Emanuele, take a left onto Via Camerelle and follow it to Via Tragara. Wander past hotels and beautiful villas to the overlook (Belvedere of Tragara) with terrific views of the Faraglioni and Capri coast. Continue on as Via Tragara turns into Via Pizzolungo and keep going to a flight of steps that lead to the Grotto di Matermania, where pagan rituals were once observed. Beyond the grotto, another flight of steps lead to the Natural Arch. Return back town on Via Matermania.

A wonderfully scenic route with many gorgeous view points, it does involve quite a lot of steps so wear comfortable shoes and bring a beverage!

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Our tour package included a one-hour tour around Capri Island by boat where you get to see the beautiful color of the sea, singular shapes of the rocks, the capes, the natural arch, faraglione and the Blue Grotto, (but unfortunatelly we couldn't go inside because of the sea level in that moment).

As I already said, it was included in my tour package but I saw it costs 13€, which I think is very, very, very worthwhile!! don't go from Capri without taking this boat, you won't regret it.

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Capri has long been a playground for the rich and famous and it's not unlikely that you might see a few whom you might recognize. We were having a late afternoon drink on the piazzetta when Claudia Schiffer and an entourage of male models and camera people showed up for a fashion shoot. After the excitement was all over, I was amused to see what my husband and I had chosen to focus our lenses on. :)

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We loved this place so much that I'm listing it as a "Thing to Do" rather than a restaurant/night spot. We'd stumbled in (up?) here after fleeing the early afternoon crowds and spent a blissful hour-and-a-half far above the tour-group-choked Piazzetta. Pulalli is hidden away in a cozy aerie right next to the clock tower and offers a full bar and long wine list as well as small-plate appetizers and entrees.

The interior has a warm but contemporary feel and there is a lovely little terrace on the Piazzetta side. The REAL prize is a tiny balcony - just big enough for two - with views of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Solaro. From this sunny, romantic spot we watched the activity below in relative peace (other than quarter-hour bonging from the clock) as the bar was practically deserted in mid afternoon. Our beer and wine both came with the great little dishes of snacks that seem to be standard with table service in Italian bars.

I read that this is a terrific place to go for lunch as so few tourists realize it's there. I'm sure it's even more wonderful at night! To find Pulalli, look for the small arch at the base of the clock tower, on the Piazzetta side, and follow the stairs up. It's closed Tuesdays and from December - February. During our fall visit they closed at about 3:30 PM and opened again in early evening.

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This 10-minute walk from the Piazzetta is one of the easiest and most popular on Capri. The gardens, named for Emperor Augustus, were built over Roman ruins by German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp in the 19th century. Multiple terraces provide fabulous panoramas of the Tyrrhenian Sea, soaring cliffs, the Faraglione and an eagle-eye view of Via Krupp - a road built by the same creator of the gardens. Winding down the cliffside in a series of stomach-churning, hairpin turns, it leads to Marina Piccola and a couple of the very few island beaches. It's also occasionally closed (as when we were there) due to falling rock.

Il Faraglione are iconic of Capri, being the most photographed and recognizable of her natural wonders. Faraglione is a generic term for sections of rock that have been isolated from the mainland and eroded over time into cone-like formations. Of these famous three, the closest to the coast - di Terra or la Stella - is actually still attached to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. The smallest, di Mezzo for "middle", has an opening large enough for boats to pass through. Di Fuori/ Scopolo is the farthest away and home to a very rare, blue lizard found nowhere else on earth.

Because it's so easy to get to and FREE, this spot tends to draw large crowds and I couldn't get decent pictures of the gardens for the people everywhere. I'd recommend doing this one early in the morning and then moving on to more remote locations.

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Capri is not for Couch Potatoes. As what they call a "street" is usually a narrow path that can't accommodate even Italy's impossibly tiny cars, adventurous types will be doing a lot of walking. And a lot of it will be uphill/dowhill and involve lots of steps. This is actually a very good thing as it's a great way to escape the tour group crowds that tend to stay close to (and clog up) the Piazzetta. A ramble away from the center of Capri or Anacapri towns will take you past rustic villas and walled gardens to ancient ruins or breathtaking overlooks along the sea - even to delightful, small cafes that only those willing to invest a little extra effort can get to. Paved walkway, dirt footpath or mountain trail, just point yourself in just about any direction and you'll stumble into something amazing. For free.

One word of caution: you WILL need a map. Pick one up at the tourist information office at Piazza Umberto in Capri town. This standard, blue-and-yellow version (abt. 5 euro) will work but it doesn't title all of the streets, and finding signs can sometimes be a challenge. Don't worry though, it's a delightful place to take a wrong turn or two!

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If you're in Capri, you should definitely do the chairlift to the top of Monte Solare. A one-way ticket costs six euros (and I think a return ticket is either nine or ten euros). Instead of buying a return ticket, just buy a one-way ticket to the top. There's an easy path back down. It takes about 40 minutes or so depending on your pace.