Capri and Anacapri Island Day Trip from Naples by Hydrofoil

The Bay of Naples by hydrofoil

Your day starts with pickup in central Naples and a short transfer to Molo Beverello, the main passenger port beside the Castel Nuovo fortress. From here a fast hydrofoil crosses the Bay of Naples to Capri in about 50 minutes. As the city falls behind, you see the full curve of the bay: Vesuvius rising above the coast, the Sorrento peninsula to the south and, ahead, the limestone cliffs of Capri.

If you are wondering how to get to Capri from Naples, the hydrofoil is the fastest way, and on this tour the tickets are already arranged, so there is no need to queue at the port ticket windows. Sit on the right-hand side on the way out for the best views of Vesuvius and the coast, and keep a jacket handy for the air conditioning on board.

Marina Grande and the road to Anacapri

The hydrofoil docks at Marina Grande, Capri's busy harbour, lined with colourful houses, cafés and boats leaving for the famous sea caves. In high season the queues for the public buses and the funicular here can be long, but your group's minibus is waiting, so you head straight up the island.

The road to Anacapri is one of the most spectacular drives in southern Italy: it climbs in hairpins along the cliff face, with the sea far below and views back over Marina Grande and the Bay of Naples. Before this road was built in the nineteenth century, the only link between the harbour and Anacapri was the Phoenician Steps, a stairway of hundreds of steps cut into the rock, which you can still see from the minibus.

Anacapri

Anacapri, the island's upper town, sits on a high plateau below Monte Solaro, Capri's tallest peak. It is quieter than Capri town, with whitewashed houses, lemon gardens and lanes lined with small shops and workshops making sandals by hand. Your tour leader introduces the town around Piazza Vittoria, the starting point of the chairlift to Monte Solaro, and the lanes leading to the Church of San Michele, famous for its eighteenth-century majolica floor showing the Garden of Eden.

Anacapri is also the departure point for the road down to the Blue Grotto. The grotto and the Monte Solaro chairlift are not included in this tour, but your guide can explain how they work if you wish to return to the island another day. The guided time here gives a calm first taste of Capri before the livelier town below.

Capri town and the Piazzetta

Capri town clings to the saddle between the island's two mountains. Its heart is the Piazzetta, the small square that locals call the open-air living room of the island, overlooked by the clock tower and the Baroque Church of Santo Stefano with its white domes. Around it, narrow whitewashed alleys lead to elegant boutiques, perfume and ceramics shops and quiet corners with views of the sea.

Your guide walks you through the centre with stories of the island's history, from Roman emperors to artists and travellers, and then you have free time. Is Capri worth visiting on a day trip? With the transport, entries and guiding arranged, most travellers find one day gives a full picture, with time left for lunch with a view, a lemon granita or a pair of handmade leather sandals.

Gardens of Augustus and the Faraglioni

A short stroll from the Piazzetta, the Gardens of Augustus are terraced gardens of flowers, pines and Mediterranean plants laid out in the early twentieth century and named after the Roman emperor who took Capri as his retreat. Your entry is included. From the belvedere you get the most famous view on the island: the three Faraglioni rocks rising from turquoise water, with the bay of Marina Piccola below.

From another terrace you see the extraordinary hairpin road that winds down the cliff towards Marina Piccola. The gardens are small but every corner offers a photo, and the best time to visit for light is late morning, which is exactly when this tour arrives. After the gardens you return to the Piazzetta for free time before the minibus takes the group back to Marina Grande for the hydrofoil to Naples.