What to see on Capri, and is the island walkable?

The headline sights are on the water, and the towns are walkable but steep. From the sea, in the order a boat takes them: Marina Grande, Tiberius’ Leap, the White Grotto, the Natural Arch, Villa Malaparte, the Faraglioni with the arch through the middle stack, Marina Piccola on the south side, the Punta Carena lighthouse, the Blue Grotto and the Baths of Tiberius. The Green Grotto and the Coral Grotto are on the same route. Ashore, Capri town and Anacapri are both walkable in themselves; the island between them is not flat, and three or four hours goes quickly.

The one photographThe Faraglioni arch

Grottoes on the routeWhite, Green, Coral, Blue

Blue GrottoAbout €20, about 5 min

TownsCapri and Anacapri

TerrainSteep, not flat

Time ashore3–4 h

From the water

The circuit is the reason to be on a boat at all. Passing beneath the arch through the middle Faraglione is the moment every reviewer photographs, and the run round to Punta Carena and the north-west coast takes in caves you cannot see any other way. Andrew described commentary on all the grottoes before four hours to explore; Richard wrote that his guide clearly described all the highlights, which is what separates a boat ride from a tour. That distinction, and the boat built around it, is covered in the guided tour review.

On foot

Capri town and Anacapri are the two places you can reasonably walk, and the chairlift up from Anacapri is the thing reviewers mention most often from their free hours. The streets are narrow and the gradients are real, so walkable is true of each town and much less true of the island as a whole. If you are on a tour, ask the crew where to go before you step off — Ada’s gave the boat advice on navigating Capri and Anacapri, and Ori came back with a list. How to sequence it against the clock is on Capri in one day.

The one to think twice about

The Blue Grotto. It is about €20, about five minutes inside, and the high-season queue reaches two hours, with the whole thing subject to a 09:00 weather call. It is on everybody’s list and it earns its place, but it earns the caveat more — see the Blue Grotto page before you build a day around it.

Insider tip

If you only get one thing from the water, make it the Faraglioni arch. Every boat here does it, and it is the one image people come back holding.

Check the tour with a guide on board

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Frequently asked questions

What is a must-do in Capri?

Passing under the arch through the middle Faraglione by boat. After that the sea caves, Punta Carena and, if the queue is short, the Blue Grotto at about €20 for about five minutes inside.

Is Capri walkable?

The two towns are, though both are steep. The island as a whole is not, which is why the sea route is how most people see the sights in one day.

Do I need a guide on the boat?

Not to enjoy the coastline, but reviewers on the guided boat name the guide as what made the day. The day’s realistic shape is on Capri in one day.