My wife and I are taking a Cruise in April and one of our stops is Naples. We have already been to Pompeii andwe have already cruised the Amalfi Coast. We will be In Naples on April April 28th and my wife wants to take the hydrofoil over to Capri. I am hesitant to go with her because my wife and I aren't bigg shoppers while on vacation and I am thinking that Capri being an over priced tourist trap. Would someone tell me how accurate or inaccurate my feelings are? Thank you very much,
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
In terms of shopping or the restaurants close to the harbour Capri can indeed feel like a tourist trap. Especially if you are there during high season. However, we were able to take a day trip to Capri that turned out to be just wonderful with no shopping at all. And the end of April is not as touristy as the middle of June when we were there. We hired a boat + captain at the harbour and took a 2 hour tour around the island (90 Euro for the 4 of us). It would have also given us access to the Blue Grotto but unfortunately the waters were too high that day and the Grotto was closed. It was still a very lovely boat ride. Afterwards we took a taxi up to Anacapri and from there the chairlift to the highest viewpoint of the island. And then a leisurely hike back down to the harbour. There are busses as well that link the different places across the island and a good option - outside the most touristy seasons when they are just completely overcrowded. That's why we went for a quick taxi ride.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
Yes it is a toursit shopping trap in the daytime if you want it to be espec in summer and wkends. However if you are willing to walk around and visit lots of nook and cranny walkways , stairs, chair lifts, churches (floor mosaic), views galore, it is beautiful and peaceful. And full of photo ops.
We stayed 2 days and 1 nite and I never bought anything but our meals, 1 charm.
Posted by
point pleasant beach, nj, usa
646 posts
We took the ferry from Sorrento to Capri. We then took the bus to Anacapri which I found to be lovely. From there, you can take the the chairlift up to Mount Solaro. The views are beautiful.
Posted by
sauk rapids, mn
267 posts
did the same as the previous post, really enjoyed our day:):)
Posted by
Tinton Falls, NJ
782 posts
I rented a villa on Capri for a week back in the summer of 1999. Sure there are expensive shops, but I never went in those. It's a charming island with no cars and pedestrian walks with lots of climbing flowers and incredible views. The port area is not especially appealing. You need to go up (via Funicular) to the center of Capri . The walk from the center piazza to to the Faraglioni's (large rocks jutting out of the sea) is very nice. Also, higher up on the island is Anacapri, with the chairlift people have mentioned, and some nice ceramic shops. We also liked spending the day at the rocky little beach (Marina Picolo) and had wonderful meals at the restaurant down at the beach (it was called Ristorante Ciro - back in 1999).
Posted by
Manchester, NJ, United States
75 posts
We did the same as a previous post & took the boat to Capri from Sorrento. We then took the Finucular (sp) up to Capri & then a bus to the AnaCapri and then another short bus ride to the grotto. We then we able to go into the grotto from there.
It was a lovely day & no shopping, except for Gilatto. It was a great day & we didn't break the bank. I have heard that some are charged 80-100 euros to take the boat tour which includes the grotto which is additional. We got to the grotto for less than 10 euros.