Capri was by far my FAVORITE day along the Amalfi coast! The sparking blue waters, hidden grottos, picturesque beach clubs, and lemons literally the size of your head made this Capri day trip so memorable.
If you are thinking about carving out a day in Capri on your Italy itinerary… this is your sign to do it. Just trust me on this one. And if you don’t trust me on it, then after reading this guide and seeing all of the beautiful photos, I know you will!
If you are staying along the Amalfi coast in a town like Positano, doing a day trip to Capri is so incredibly easy! Ferry’s depart constantly from the main port and it only takes about 45 minutes to get over there. In this guide, I will be deep diving into how to get to the island of Capri, a few “must-pack” items, and of course.. my one day in Capri itinerary!
Let’s jump right into it!
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How to get to the Island of Capri
If you are staying in a town along the Amalfi Coast, there are SO many ferry times available and SO many ferry companies available to choose from!
If you want to make sure you secure your time in advance, you can book your ferry tickets in advance. Otherwise, almost everyone was just walking up to the ferry station and hopping on the next available ferry.
For me, I stayed in the beautiful town of Postiano. If you want to read more about my time in Positano, be sure to check out my 2 week Italy itinerary! 🙂
There are ferry’s leaving from the Positano beach / pier constantly throughout the day. If you only have one day in Capri, I would recommend maxing out your time on the island and taking the first ferry out (around 9am) and last ferry back (around 6pm). I used FerryHopper.com to look up ferry times & book tickets. 🙂
The ferry’s are quick and efficient! From Positano, it only took about 40 minutes to cross and it lands you right in the main square / marina!
Best Time to go to Capri
Capri is definitely a summer destination! You will want to take full advantage of the boat tours, beaches, dips in the crystal blue waters, and adorable patios. I would recommend going anywhere from late spring (late May) to early fall (early September) to take advantage of the best weather.
Of course, if you go in the off season you will find better rates and less crowds… but what you should keep in mind is that Capri is a complete summer destination. This means, a lot of the tour companies and restaurants will close their doors until the tourists come back.
What to Pack for a Capri Day Trip
I never want to bore you with a long packing list, especially because you came here to read an itinerary! But, I do always like to recommend just a few must-have’s for this specific trip! Here are my top 3 absolute must-have’s for Capri:
You should not be swimming in the ocean with sunscreen that contains chemicals that are harmful to reefs (and toxic for your skin). I solely used Sun Bum, which you can get right on Amazon! It has a good smell, doesn’t make you feel super greasy, and didn’t make me break out!
2. Cute Sun Hat
I get all my hats from Olive and Pique, which are seriously the cutest hats! My specific hat I wore on all my travels is the “Jana!” These are on the pricier side, and a lot of people don’t like to bring expensive hats on vacation because they can get banged up in your suit case.
The closest dupe I could find for you was this one from ASOS (SUPER affordable)!
I am not a sunglass snob AT ALL. I buy 99% of my sunglasses off amazon because I am the most irresponsible sunglass owner on the planet! When you are traveling, you should bring a cheap pair to take with you in the ocean / pool, shove in your bag when you’re in a rush, and not care if you lose!
I have this adorable two pack! They are super sturdy, so adorable, and the best part.. extremely affordable!
Day Trip to Capri – A Perfect Itinerary!
The island of Capri was actually my favorite day on my two weeks in Italy. Something about this island is just so magical! 🙂 You can expect to see lemons the size of your head, rows and rows of hand-painted ceramic shops, towering limestone cliffs, hidden grottos and glistening blue waters.
On this quick Capri day trip, you will be seeing almost everything this adorable island has to offer. I will break the guide into morning, afternoon and evening, plus a bonus section at the bottom for even more ideas! Let’s jump right in!
Morning: Breakfast in the Square & Monte Solaro Chair Lift
If you take my advice and take one of the earliest ferry’s out, you will be landing on the Island of Capri before 10AM!
The island of Capri has two main cities: Capri and Anacapri. On this short day trip, you will be getting to see both! 🙂
Once you step foot off the ferry, you are landing in the main city of Capri. This is where the main square and the marina are if you opt in for a boat tour (which, spoiler alert.. you are!!). I would recommend grabbing breakfast and a fresh lemonade in this area before heading to your first excursion!
Once you are done with breakfast, grab a taxi right by the marina and head to the Piazza Della Vittoria in the town of Anacapri. This is the small square where you will find tons of hand-painted ceramic shops, restaurants and your first activity: Monte Solaro Chair Lift!
This chair lift will take you to one of the highest points on the island where you will get draw-dropping, panoramic views of the island & the coast.
At the top of the chair lift, there is a restaurant / bar and a walking trail with many picturesque viewpoints. I spent about an hour at the top and I thought that was plenty!
Buying tickets to the chair lift is not necessary in advance, you can easily buy them right when you arrive. The chair lift is an individual seat, which I actually really loved! You get to enjoy the view without any distractions, it was quite peaceful!
Afternoon: Lunch and Shopping in the Piazza Della Vittoria
After you have explored Monte Solaro, you can grab lunch & do some ceramic shopping right by the chair lift in the Piazza Della Vittoria in Anacapri. I actually preferred Anacapri over Capri because it did not feel as touristy. You see many homes in the area with lemon gardens in their backyards, which was so neat to see!
My recommendation for lunch is La Zagara, where you can dine under the lemon trees! Plus, it’s only a 7 minute walk from the chair lift! Here are a few other good restaurants in Anacapri: Ristorante Il Solitario & Pizzeria Aumm Aumm.
La Zagara
Evening: Boat Tour with Capri Precious + Ferry back to the Amalfi Coast
In the afternoon, you will have plenty of time to book a boat tour to see Capri from the sea! The most magical thing about Capri is the beautiful rock formations around the island, hidden grottos, and sparkling blue water.
For reference, I booked a three-hour boat tour at 2pm and had plenty of time to get on the last ferry back to Positano (around 6pm). So yes, a boat trip and all these sites are completely doable in a Capri day trip!
I got a few quotes and read hundreds of reviews and decided on Capri Precious! They are a small, locally owned company who knows the island like the back of their hand. We were actually lucky enough to get the owner as our captain for the day. 🙂
Click here to check out their boat tour options!
During our two hour boat tour, we had plenty of time to go all the way around the island, see all the famous grottos, taking a cheesy tourist picture in front of Faraglioni rock formations, enjoy some cheese and wine, & swim in the glistening waters! The boat captains will ask you if you want to add on a blue grotto tour, which we decided not to.
Even though the blue grotto is one of the most famous things to see in Capri, it sounds painfully crowded. Sometimes, you have to wait hours on the boat to get into the grotto, which you are only inside for a few minutes. The water is not always as blue as photographs you may see online because it depends on how much sun is hitting the water inside. PLUS, it’s an additional fee to get inside.
After your boat tour, they will drop you back off in the marina where the ferry’s load. If you get there early (which I did) just grab some gelato and lemoncillo from one of the waterfront restaurants and soak up your last few moments on the island of Capri!
Again, I would recommend booking one of the last ferry’s out (around 6pm), and I used FerryHopper.com to look up ferry times & book tickets.
Recommended Read: A Perfect 3 Day Itinerary to Lake Como in Italy!
BONUS IDEAS
Looking to squeeze more activities into your Capri day trip? Well my friend, I’ve got you covered! If you want to add or swap some activities out, here are tons of bonus ideas…
- Lounge out at a Beach Club – La Fontelina is the most photographed and known beach club in Capri!
- Lounge at a public beach – Marina Grande is the main beach right by the marina! Here is a great guide on the best beaches in Capri 🙂
- Take the funicular (small train) to Capri Town, located right when you get off the ferry.
- Visit one of an ancient roman emperor’s summer villas, Villa Jovis! This villa was thought to be made in 27 AD and is the biggest and best preserved today.
- Cooking class and wine pairing
Okay, that’s a wrap!
I hope this day trip to Capri itinerary is borderline too informative 😉
But truly, this was such a magical day on my 2 week honeymoon in Italy, and I hope you get to visit and have the same magical experience! If you want more guides on Europe, be sure to check these out…
- 2 Weeks in Italy – My Honeymoon Itinerary!
- Lake Como Itinerary – A Romantic Long Weekend!
- 10 Day European Road Trip – Germany, Italy & Switzerland!
- 10 Day France Itinerary – See ALL of France in just 10 days!
- Champagne tasting in Champagne, France – a perfect day trip from Paris!
- Everything you need to know about visiting the Gorges du Verdon in France!
Honeymoon in Italy!
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