Capri on our own or with a tour?

If the Blue Grotto is on your wish list, even a tour will not get you in if the seas are rough the day you go. We have been to Capri 3 times, and never made it to the Blue Grotto due to rough water.

We DID have the most amazing day hiking and wandering around Capri. We completely stayed away from crowds !

When you get off the ferry, take the bus up to Anacapri and ride the gondola up to Mt. Solaro and then hike down.
Go back to Capri Town, and hike to the Arco Naturale and Villa Jovis - the views are amazing !
Walk over to the Via Krupp Augustus Gardens.

This is very easy to do on your own. Look at Lonely Planet for even more hikes on the island.

You can very easily do Capri on your own; no need at all for a tour. It's small enough that getting around is easy.

But Is there any chance you could spend at least 1 night on the island? The atmosphere is much nicer in the early mornings/evenings before/after the day trippers arrive/depart. We spent 2 nights there and probably wouldn't have enjoyed the island as much if we'd only spent a day. If you are sure you'll never get back, I'd absolutely recommend a longer visit.

I guess a tour would allow you to skip the buses to Anacapri but the tradeoff of having to spend all our time with a tour versus on our own wouldn't be worth it: we're very independent. I also don't recall that getting on a bus there was that big an issue but then, we jumped on one of the first out of Capri (town) the morning we did that.

Blue Grotto: if there's anything which I personally feel can be skipped it's that one. We didn't do it, and didn't do it as it's really expensive for the very few minutes you're in the "cave." It's also a tourist magnet, and some days they can't get the boats through the opening if the sea is too rough. If you're already IN the boat when they decide it's too dangerous, there are no refunds.

There's some very nice hiking on the island, and that's a good way to lose the worst of the mob...many of which will be headed to the grotto. I'd probably hustle up to Anacapri and take the chairlift up to the top of Mt. Solaro. Take a spin around the village (it's really small) and then hike down the mountain. Hikes up to Villa Jovis and along the Pizzolungo Coastal path are both great: highly recommend. Anyway, it's a fun place to ramble about and there's lot of info on the website:

http://www.capri.net

I would skip the blue grotto (way too touristy/gimmicky for my liking) and just spend the limited time you have strolling around the island. There are lots of delightful nooks and crannies and you can actually get somewhat off the beaten path if you have time to make it to (adjacent) Anacapri.

Visit the Augutus Gardens and then walk the pedestrianized lanes out to Punta Tragara, a beautiful walk away from the crowds of the main town. We stayed in a hotel in this area and loved the location.
You will be lucky if the boat trips are going out the day you visit.

Thank you all so much for this input! We are very much adventurers and are into walking and hiking so all of these suggestions sound perfect. One additional question please...were any of you there in July? We live in the northeast and are picturing the crowds to be very heavy - kind of like the Jersey Shore on a summer weekend +. I am leaning toward just doing Capri on our own and if we get there early enough in the day and the boats are running maybe do the blue grotto but do the rest of Capri for sure. Were any of you there in July?

Were any of you there in July?

No. I'd be horrified at the thought. There were already way too many people there in Sept when I went. That's not a recommendation "not to go", but rather do what you can early or late and get off the beaten path. Most people will congregate right on the central plaza and nearby alleyways...the more fit you are and are able to hike further out, the less crowds you'll have (since most tourists really don't like to huff it that far...Capri is a place most people go shopping or light strolling in, which is way slower of a pace than I'm used to).

We did May, July, and September.

It could be crowded in July on the bus, the gondola wait up to Mt. Solaro, or the funicular up to Capri Town when you get off the ferry. But as soon as you begin your hikes, you are away from the crowds !

I have been there in July, Sept. and Oct. Capri IS TOURISM...the only way to avoid crowds is to not go, or go in the off season.

I have never been to the Blue Grotto...in 7 trips. Just say'n...why spend 2 hours and boat hopping when you could be touring the island and experiencing things...

I recommend taking a taxi up to Anacapri to cut down on the wait for the bus ( and the crush) you can find another couple to share a taxi there and back...right at the taxi stand..or on the ferry over to the island...The Mt. Solaro chair lift is a great experience...you can do this and go to Villa San Michele..sweeping views as well , Punta Carena is also beautiful...as is the Garden's of Augustus suggestion...

Enjoy!

This is a fantastic information! And I am starting to think that the chairlift up Monte Solaro is truly the thing to do on Capri. One final question, those of you who have been to both, if you had the choice for just one day trip would you do Capri or would you pick an Amalfi Coast town like Positano instead?

Tough question. Positano was a treat for the camera but didn't do that much for me otherwise. Trekking around Capri was a lot more fun but again, I don't know if I would have enjoyed the island as much if only for a day trip.

if you had the choice for just one day trip would you do Capri or would you pick an Amalfi Coast town like Positano instead?

Capri/Anacapri is an island, whereas anything along the Amalfi Coast are little villages hemmed in by the bluff....so the latter are tiny compared to Capri/Anacapri, where you have much more space to explore on all sides of the island (that you can get to, that is). Positano by itself is too small, if you combine with other villages strung along the coast, that seems more reasonable. I guess I would pick the option that's the most efficient in terms of the time you have and where you are the day before...the downside of Capri/Anacapri is that you have to factor in ferry time back and forth which takes away from on-the-ground time. That could be true of Amalfi Coast too (not the ferry, but getting there via bus or car), depending on where you're coming from. Either way, you'll feel like a day trip to either is really, really short (I did a bus ride along the Amalfi Coast and spent a day in Capri, and both were too short - I wish I could have spent the night in both). If you end up going for a day, try to get to either place as early as possible to maximize your time.

So glad you are getting lot's of posts! I have only been to Positano once for two nights. Capri is more captivating for me as others have said..relaxing and has variety..I keep returning!

Positano is beautiful but lot's of strolling and most shops and restaurants are similar...it surely is worth a visit sometime, but no match for the Capri experience.

Have fun!

Thank you so much everyone for your posts! We are counting the days now. We are doing a combination of organized tours (for things like the Vatican) and exploring on our own (like Pompeii with Rick's audio app). We are staying in some boutique style hotels and staying at a family friend's apartment for part of the time as well. The highlight for us is getting to visit my husband's grandfather's hometown where we are going to be meeting cousins for the first time and joining in the weekend long celebration in the town of the Festa della Madonna del Carmine (Patroness of Immigrants). It is the trip of a lifetime for us and your assistance with all of these posts is much appreciated.