Capri packs more into 10 square kilometers than islands ten times its size. You can ride a chairlift to the island’s summit, walk through a 2,000-year-old Roman villa, take a rowboat into a fluorescent blue sea cave, and shop on one of Italy’s most famous squares all in a single day. See our Capri weather by month for more details. Here are the essential things to do, with practical details on tickets, hours, and tips to beat the crowds. For an overview of the island, read our complete Capri travel guide.
Things to Do in Capri: Iconic Sights and Natural Wonders
Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra)
The Blue Grotto is Capri’s most famous attraction, a sea cave on the island’s northwest coast where sunlight refracts through an underwater opening to fill the cavern with an electric blue glow. Entry requires transferring from a motorboat into a small wooden rowboat (4 people max) at the cave entrance, where you lie flat as the boatman pulls the boat through a meter-high opening. Tickets cost 18 EUR per person (14 EUR grotto entry + 4 EUR boatman tip), paid in cash to the boatmen at the cave mouth. Hours are 9am to 5pm in summer, closing earlier or entirely in rough seas. The wait can reach 2 hours at midday in July/August. Arrive at the marina by 8:45am or go after 3pm to avoid the worst queues. The grotto is closed when sea conditions are rough, typically 30-40% of days in November through March. See our best time to visit Capri for more details. Boats to the grotto leave from Marina Grande (21 EUR round-trip with Motoscafisti Capri or Laser Capri) or you can take a bus to Anacapri then walk down Via Grotta Azzurra.
Monte Solaro Chairlift (Seggiovia)
The 12-minute chairlift ride from Piazza Vittoria in Anacapri to the summit of Monte Solaro (589m / 1,932ft) delivers the best panoramic view in the Bay of Naples. On a clear day you can see Mount Vesuvius, the Sorrentine Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast, and the islands of Ischia and Procida. Single chairs carry one person each with a simple safety bar across your lap (no full enclosure). Tickets cost 14 EUR round-trip or 11 EUR one-way. Hours are 9:30am to 3:30pm November through March, extending to 5:30pm in summer. The chairlift does not operate in high winds or rain. At the summit, a small bar sells drinks and sandwiches. See our Capri events and festivals for more details. If you prefer to hike, the trail up takes about an hour via the stone steps beside the chairlift line.
Gardens of Augustus (Giardini di Augusto)
These terraced botanical gardens sit on the ruins of ancient Roman gardens overlooking the Faraglioni rocks and Via Krupp. The 5 EUR entry fee is worth it for the postcard view alone: the three Faraglioni sea stacks rise directly in front of you, with the zigzag switchbacks of Via Krupp cutting down the cliff to the left. The gardens themselves feature manicured flower beds, pergolas, and a statue of Vladimir Lenin (the Russian writer Maxim Gorky lived on Capri from 1906 to 1913 and Lenin visited him here). Open daily 9am to 7:30pm in summer, closing at 5pm in winter. Free entry November through March. See our best neighborhoods in Capri for more details. The viewpoint gets crowded from 10am to 2pm; go at opening or after 4pm for the best light on the Faraglioni.
Things to Do in Capri: Historical Sites and Architecture
Villa Jovis (Jupiter’s Villa)
The largest and best-preserved of Emperor Tiberius’s twelve Capri villas, Villa Jovis sits at the eastern tip of the island on Monte Tiberio (334m). Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire from this cliff-top complex from AD 27 until his death in AD 37, and the ruins include imperial apartments, baths, a lighthouse, and the infamous “Salto di Tiberio” cliff where (according to Suetonius) the emperor disposed of enemies. The 45-minute walk from the Piazzetta follows Via Tiberio past residential Capri. Entry costs 6 EUR. Open 10am to 6pm Wednesday through Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday). Closed entirely from November through March. See our where to stay in Capri for more details. Bring water: there are no vendors on site, and the sun exposure on the exposed cliff is intense.
Villa San Michele
Swedish physician and writer Axel Munthe built this dream home on the ruins of a Roman villa in Anacapri, filling it with Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian antiquities he collected during his medical career. The villa’s whitewashed terraces and pergola offer panoramic views over Marina Grande, and the garden contains a 3,200-year-old Egyptian sphinx that looks out over the sea. Entry costs 10 EUR. Open daily 9am to 6pm May through September, 9am to 3:30pm October through April. The on-site cafe has one of the best cappuccino views on the island. Munthe’s book “The Story of San Michele” (1929) was an international bestseller and is sold in the gift shop.
Things to Do in Capri: Outdoor Activities and Walks
Via Krupp and the Faraglioni Viewpoints
Via Krupp is a historic switchback path cut into the cliff face in 1902, connecting the Gardens of Augustus to Marina Piccola beach below. Closed to pedestrians since 2015 due to rockfall risk, it remains one of the most photographed sights on Capri from above (the best vantage is from the Gardens of Augustus terrace). The Faraglioni rocks themselves, Capri’s iconic trio of limestone sea stacks named Stella, di Mezzo, and di Fuori, are best viewed from the Punta Tragara viewpoint (Via Tragara) or from a boat tour that passes through the natural arch of the middle Faraglione. Boat tours around the island cost 15 to 20 EUR per person for a 1-hour group tour departing from Marina Grande, covering the Faraglioni, Green Grotto, White Grotto, and the Punta Carena lighthouse.
Punta Carena Lighthouse and Sunset Walk
The Punta Carena lighthouse on Capri’s southwestern tip is the best sunset spot on the island and the second-brightest lighthouse in Italy after Genoa. A 30-minute bus ride from Anacapri (bus line Anacapri-Faro) drops you near the lighthouse, where a small beach club and bar serve drinks until sunset. The water here is deep and clear, popular with local swimmers who jump from the rocks below the lighthouse. The bus runs roughly every 30 minutes in summer, hourly in shoulder season. The last bus back to Anacapri departs around 7:30pm, so plan accordingly if staying for sunset (a taxi back costs about 30 EUR).
Piazzetta (Piazza Umberto I)
Capri’s main square, known as “the living room of the world,” is where the island’s social life orbits. Four outdoor cafes (Gran Caffe Vuotto, Bar Tiberio, Bar Caso, and Piccolo Bar) ring the small square, all charging roughly the same: 5 EUR for an espresso, 12 to 15 EUR for an Aperol spritz, 20 EUR for a Bellini. The clock tower of Santo Stefano church anchors one side. People-watching is the main activity, and the square fills by 10am and stays busy until the last travel tips guide leaves around 7pm. After the day-trippers depart, the Piazzetta takes on a quieter, more local feel. The tourist information office (APT) is in the small building under the clock tower.
Things to Do in Capri: Beaches and Swimming Spots
Marina Piccola
Capri’s main beach area sits on the island’s south side with the Faraglioni rocks as a backdrop. Several beach clubs line the small pebble coves: La Canzone del Mare (the most famous, 30-40 EUR for a sunbed), Bagni Internazionali (25-35 EUR), and the free public beach at the eastern end. The water is calm and clear, sheltered from prevailing winds by the Faraglioni. In July and August arrive by 9am to secure a spot. Bus from Capri town or a 20-minute downhill walk from the Piazzetta (Via Mulo, steep in parts). Taxi back up costs 20-25 EUR.
Bagni di Tiberio
A small beach club at Marina Grande near the ferry port, built around the remains of a Roman villa. More convenient than Marina Piccola if you are arriving by ferry and want an immediate swim. Sunbed rental costs 20 to 30 EUR. The restaurant serves decent seafood pasta (15 to 20 EUR) and the Roman ruins add historical interest. The beach is pebbly, so bring water shoes.
