Is Capri expensive? The actual line items

The line items you can actually check

A return crossing on the cheapest operator is the smallest line on the day, landing tax included. The grotto is about €20, most of it the rowing boat and the rest admission, with under-6s free and reductions for EU under-18s and 18 to 25-year-olds. Bags beyond one carry-on carry a small supplement. A shared boat tour costs several times a return crossing per person, and the private charter is about $1,200 for the whole boat, up to five people. That is the whole fixed bill, and it is itemised properly on what a boat tour costs.

Where it gets expensive

On land, in season, sitting down. A resort island in August prices lunch like a resort island in August, and nothing about that is hidden or unfair. The other cost is time: a two-hour queue for five minutes in the Blue Grotto is expensive in a currency the receipt does not show, which is why I keep pointing people at the honest version of that page before they commit.

How to keep it down

Take Caremar and the ferry if transport is all you need. Eat away from the most obvious terrace. Treat the grotto as optional in fact rather than in wording. And if you do book a boat, note that the drinks on deck and the limoncello tasting are already inside the price on most of them, which is more than you can say for the first bar you walk past ashore.

Frequently asked questions