Capri?

I would never do a day trip to Capri. We stayed two nights and watched the day trippers trying to find their way around. Stay in the area between Punta Tragara and Giardini di Agosto,walk on the pedestrianized pathways.
I would take a night from Sorrento and add it to Naples.

We used Aldo Limos as private transport between Naples and Sorrento. They were very professional with great English- speaking drivers. Christine, in the office, is a Brit, so communication by email was easy.
The ferries are weather dependent, and can be canceled if a storm comes in. We were in the area May, 2023, during a period of bad weather, and folks were stuck when the ferries shut down.
Have you checked lodging availability in the area? Most folks book their stays in the Amalfi area 6-8 months out.
Have a great trip.

I did a daytrip from Sorrento several years ago. It was really just a quickie visit, and staying overnight would’ve afforded more than double the time allowance of a daytrip. Sometimes, as they say, Less is More. For Capri, More would be More.

Our first trip to Italy was all Capri--8 days on the island, with Naples at either end of the trip. We did a day trip from Capri to Sorrento and then train to Pompeii (a great day but tiring). We took the ferry from Naples at the start and at the end. We did the ride around the island, which was wonderful. No Blue Grotto. Did the Fortini Coastal hike and the hike up and over Mt Solaro between Capri and Anacapri. Also went to Villa St Michele and Gardens of Augustus.

8 days sounds like a super long time in Sorrento. It's a nice town, but other than Capri and maybe the Amalfi Coast, it's not very near a lot of other places.

We had a very satisfactory daytrip to Capri from Sorrento (5 nights), perhaps because we had no interest in the Blue Grotto. Walked five miles at least. If I did not have to hump my suitcase through pedestrianized mileage, I might be willing to spend a night on Capri. But really, it has a lot of asphalt for a place that most posters consider a slice of paradise!

It is true that Sorrento is the best location in the area for daytrips, but I agree that 8 nights are too many. Sorrento (despite the romantic name) is indisputably a purpose-built, postwar, reinforced-concrete resort product. But it is built on a sheer cliff, so it has only one tiny beach, which is located right between two diesel-fumed marinas! This sounds harsh, but we are NOT sorry we spent five nights there, for daytrips. Our luxury cliff-front hotel (Ambasciatori, paid extra for balcony and Vesuvius view from our bed) had private Gulf swimming platforms accessible from the hotel elevator. Despite double windows and (needed in May) fierce air conditioning, we sometimes heard ferry horns.

Circumvesuviana without luggage was ideal for Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other ancient sites. Alas, Sorrento is so far from Paestum that we had to discard our plan for a high-season daytrip there. It would be a really long day, even if you got the right ferries via Salerno. It is hard to download all company ferries for Sorrento. And company A will not tell you, hey company B leaves 35 minutes sooner!

We took the gritty Circumvesuviana to Sorrento, but the jammed conditions with full-sized luggage were punishing. Combined with the overpriced 15 Euro taxi to the hotel, it was easy to tell the Ambasciatori to hire a 100 Euro Mercedes to take us back to the Naples rail station, charged to our hotel bill. (Old prices, higher today.) Same local surface travel partner provided our 8 hour daytrip by sedan to Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello.

Mary, I'd choose to spend a couple of nights on Capri versus do it as a day trip. Like Suki, we found the hours that the day-trippers weren't around to be some of the more enjoyable, and much as we enjoyed Sorrento, 8 nights is a long time for that one, IMHO. We didn't do the Blue Grotto either, and spent some of the time that the two town centers were the most busy exploring parts of the island further away from them. You could also choose just to kick back, do some people-watching and enjoy the sunshine from a comfortable vantage point. :O)

There are porter services from the ferry port so don't worry about having to truck your bags around. There is a charge for it but it's worth paying. From Capri's official tourism website:
https://www.capri.net/en/e/getting-here

"Once you've arrived on Capri, hire a porter service right on the dock if you have a number of bags, which will transport all your luggage directly to your hotel. It is a service that costs €10 - 20 per bag, which may seem expensive until you realize how steep and narrow the lanes on the island are. You will consider it money well-spent, we guarantee!"

The individual hotels usually mention available porter services on the their individual websites as well, although the cost is generally not included in the tariffs.

Do you have an idea of what you'd like to do/see during your proposed stay?

So much helpful advice although not unexpectedly--differing opinions about staying on Capri vs day trip to Capri.

A few more comments regarding our specific travel plans:
The length of our trip is somewhat fixed due to availability of business class flights to/from the U.S. and family commitments that also impact the dates of our trip. I understand the comments about 8 days being too much time in Sorrento but after leaving Rome on April 15, there are 8 days remaining until our flight home. There is not much flexibility in that time frame so the question really comes down to how to allocate the time. We are currently booked at Hotel Continental for those 8 nights but it is 2 separate reservations. April 15-17 (which could be changed to staying on Capri) and April 17-23 (in an upgraded junior suite with sea view and balcony that we really don't want to give up or modify since it is no longer available).

I am obviously open to spending April 15-17 on Capri but my concerns are:
--what if the ferry from Naples to Capri isn't available due to weather? Lodging on Capri needs to be booked well in advance and isn't cheap so it would be a waste to miss out on pricey hotel stays due to weather. If we stayed in Sorrento for 8 nights, we would have the flexibility to select a nice day for going to Capri.
--we are not the kind of travels who need to fill every day with exciting activities. Our most memorable travel experiences have been very laid back, people watching, and leisurely stays in hotels that we enjoy.

Question: Can someone explain where this is? the area between Punta Tragara and Giardini di Agosto--we are totally unfamiliar with Capri so I'm having trouble figuring that out.
Re: an extra day in Naples--Currently we plan to leave Sorrento on April 23, spend that night in Naples @ ROMEO Napoli, fly from NAP @ 5:45 PM on April 24. We would have at least a half day + evening + the next morning +next early afternoon in Naples. Tbh--it sounds a little busy/crazy for our travel style so while we are open to spending another day there, we tend to prefer smaller towns vs cities.

I hope this helps to explain to make it easier for those with more insight into this area to share their advice.
Thank you!

We spent 11 days in Sorrento last April and loved it and never ran out of things to do. Here's our Trip Report if you're interested.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento

Are you talking about this April? You'd better check on hotel availability asap for both Capri and Sorrento as both places fill up fast. We did a daytrip to Capri and in hindsight, a 1 or 2 night stay would have been even better. If you just do a daytrip to Capri then I'd recommend you check out the Rick Steves guide for tips on how to avoid the crowds. I read so many comments about how Capri isn't worth it because of the crowds, but I suspect most of those comments are from people who never get off the main street in Capri Town.

We do have hotel booked in Sorrento--2 different reservations but both at Hotel Continental. First stay 2 nights April 15-17, second stay April 18-23. We have had but cancelled stays on Capri b/c I was concerned about the ferry. I can still try to cancel the first 2 nights in Sorrento and try to find something in Capri although that is more difficult in regard to availability and price.

I realize that I need to finalize the Capri vs Sorrento issue soon and thus my request for input from those who have done it either way.

I don't doubt that 2 nights in Capri would be amazing. (We live in Michigan and feel the same way about staying a few nights on Mackinac Island vs a day trip when so many tourists are on the island. Once the ferries stop running, it is a completely different world plus it's great to have a place for a midday break.). The downside to staying on Capri is the ferry/weather issue plus the hassle of checking in/ out vs checking in/out and unpacking in Sorrento.

LOL, more differences of opinion but there's (usually) no wrong answer unless it's wrong for YOU. The garden is more interesting with a variety of blossoms and not just one, eh? And it looks like you already have Sorrento accommodations nailed down for either scenario so it's all good there. :O)

Can someone explain where this is? the area between Punta Tragara and
Giardini di Agosto

You do need a map to find your way around the island: its "streets" (little more than narrow paths) ramble here and there according to terrain. Get one at the visitor center when you arrive.

In the meantime, reference a google map of the island. Giardini di Agosto is the Gardens of Augustus on the map; it's not a long or difficult walk from Piazzetta di Capri (the town center) and is a popular island attraction (which also makes that spot very busy).
https://www.capri.net/en/e/augustus-gardens-via-krupp

Punta di Tragara is way down on a southern tip, just north of the Faraglioni. Again, reference a map. It's some distance from the town center and the bulk of restaurants and whatnot. If it's Hotel Punta Tragara you're looking at, find it on the map: a little further north of that coastal tip. It's fairly isolated but that isolation might be fine with you as long as you don't mind the walk; the bulk of the daytrippers are unlikely to venture that far from center. Capri's terrain does involve ups, downs and steps but whether that's an issue for you is, well, a questions only you can answer. Other than the very short bus ride up to Anacapri. we hoofed all over the island and enjoyed doing that very much.

The risk of the ferries not being able to travel to/from the island is much smaller than more. Yes, it could happen but the locals rely on them too so it has to be pretty bad for them to cancel. The cancellation risk is actually higher for the Positano dock.

PS: we stayed 2 nights on Capri and 3 in Sorrento and didn't find the checking in/out process especially onerous, not like it might be, maybe, with only a 1-night stay, It's only a 20-minute or so ferry ride between the two.

Just FYI, I really liked the Blue Grotto. I know it gets a lot of hate - or is at least easily "dismissed" but many on this forum, but I am really glad we went.

We were on the RS Best of South Italy Tour which stayed in Sorrento 2 nights, and the full day was a "day on your own" where most people went to Capri. Our tour leader (Ann) described the Blue Grotto as a tourist trap and discouraged the tour members from going so that only 2 couples (us and one other) actually went. Both of us loved it. Yes, it's touristy, but so what! We are tourists, after all. And now we have photos and (more important) memories.

If you go, I have a very strong recommendation: get one of the very first boats in the morning. I think we rushed over on the first boat from Sorrento to the island and then ran to find the boat to get to the Blue Grotto; If you go later in the day, there is a huge backlog of boats (you take a boat from the Capri harbor to the blue grotto, and there you off load into smaller row-boats that can fit in. Apparently there can be a very big backup of boats there at the grotto and can take an hour or more (perhaps several hours) if you are going later in the day. We had no wait (perhaps a minute or two). Getting off the bigger boat into the row boat was a little awkward, but we managed it.

So if you are willing to plan it well (ie, going very early in the morning) then I recommend it. But I wouldn't do it later in the day. And if being rowed around a blue cave doesn't sound interesting to you, then go ahead and skip it. But when I described it to other tourmates afterward, I could tell that some were disappointed that our guide had discouraged it.

On our last tour (Eastern France) we went paragliding while in Chamonix. We are NOT adventure-seeking types (and I'm scared of heights) but wow, that was a highlight of all our travels. (and our 75+ y.o. friend who was on the trip also went and he still talks about it whenever we see him). If you have a chance to make memories on a trip, do it! Be adventurous and create memories.

Anyone have experience with a day trip to Capri from Sorrento with a scooter rental? We have have 3 adult children 19-24 and we are always looking for something to keep them engaged as we traverse the world. Just want to confirm there is enough "critical mass" to justify scooter and that safety concerns don't make this a bad decision. The front end of trip we will be flying into Rome, getting rental car, spending that day decompressing in Amalfi (staying there?), day two working the coast and sleeping in Sorrento, and then day 3 would be trip to Capri heading back North.

The downside to staying on Capri is the ferry/weather issue

I highly doubt ferries would be cancelled from Sorrento to Capri. Most cancellations I hear about are to Positano which has a very small dock.

I’m in the camp of those who advise staying one night on Capri. We did it as a day trip and were sorry. The reason is that the last return ferry left in the late afternoon (6?). We were in Anacapri, so had to get down to the marina and find the correct dock. Between the time needed for getting to the island, and that for the return, it felt quite rushed.
I recommend a day trip to Paestum, though it is hard to get to on your own. After much web- surfing, I found a reasonably priced tour that took us to Salerno, as well. It was a worthwhile, though long day. Not needing to work out the transportation on our own made it completely doable.

sjebens, welcome to the RS forums!
It's best if you start a NEW thread with your own question versus hijacking (as it's usually referred to in forum etiquette) someone else's. Otherwise, Mary will get all sort of notices for replies having nothing to do with her trip, Make sense?

The opinion I see most often from most of the gang about renting scooters is that if you don't already have seasoned experience with them, Italy is no place to learn. There's some good hiking around the island: a much safer option. Or go swimming. If they insist upon two motorized wheels, make sure you have good travel medical policies.

More follow up with thanks for all the great help and to @Kathy for speaking up to keep this thread on topic. (We are definitely not interested in renting scooters anywhere in Italy! Lol) I am looking forward to more insight from this amazing community of travelers!

Re: the Blue Grotto--although it looks beautiful and would be memorable, we do not plan to include that in our plans. I am scheduled for knee surgery 2 weeks after we return from this trip. Yes--we've been to Italy a few times before so I understand that there will be challenges but this is when it works for us. The trip was planned before I knew about the upcoming surgery so we plan to take the trip with my surgeon's blessing and do things on our own terms. The transfer between boats does not seem feasible. I'm fine with just seeing the photos and videos--in fact, I'm not even sure I would like the confined nature of the grotto.

The consensus seems to lean toward 2 nights on Capri and cancellation of the first 2 nights in Sorrento. That would still give us 6 nights in Sorrento without needing to take a full day out of that time for a day trip to Capri. That seems to make perfect sense.

Can anyone expand on this comment: "Capri's terrain does involve ups, downs and steps but whether that's an issue for you is, well, a questions only you can answer." That isn't shocking but would love to hear suggestions from anyone who can assist with making it easier and/or suggestions for specific areas of the island that would work best for us. I do plan to do more research on Google maps with Kathy's explanation of where things are located but that still may not tell me what I need to know to make our stay more enjoyable, given my knee issues. I can walk and stand without much problem but steps can be more of a challenge. Again past experience tells me that stairs in Italy can be quite different from those in the U.S.

Can anyone expand on this comment: "Capri's terrain does involve ups, downs and steps but whether that's an issue for you is, well, a questions only you can answer."

Capri I recall as a lot of walking paths, lanes, trails, stone stairways, narrow windy secondary roads, and just a couple main paved roads (principally up and over the mountain from Capri to Anacapri). There was a funicular from ferry dock up to town. We walked everywhere. I think the only time we took a taxi was coming back from Anacapri after we had hiked over the mountain to get over there.

The hills in Anacapri and Capri Town are reasonable once you get to both from the marina. As mentioned, there is a funicular up to Capri Town. We hopped the public bus to Anacapri straight off the ferry and also took the bus to Capri Town from Anacapri. They stuff those buses full, like clowns in a VW Beetle, but that was part of the adventure and gave us stories to tell when we got home.

Thank you for all the great advice. I booked 2 nights on Capri!

We'd like to try to do some of Capri in a day trip with an early start by ferry. We'd like to do the hike down from Monte Solaro after taking the chair lift up to it. Going down should be about 1.1 mile dropping 900 ft. From AllTrails.com

At the top of Monte Solaro it is possible to admire beautiful views of the Gulf of Naples with Vesuvius in the background, the Gulf of Salerno, the Anacapri Plain and the Island of Ischia.
Alternatively, there is the possibility to take the chairlift in one or both directions.

Link to AllTrails: Monte Solaro via Anacapri ]1

What do others think? Doable in a day trip?

Les, please start a new thread with your question so that Mary doesn't get responses that don't have anything to do with her trip. As well, some other travelers to Capri might be interested in the same hike, and they won't see the question and feedback if buried in Mary's thread. Make sense?