one beautiful day in Capri

[grills]

Am I crazy to think we could plan a day in Capri ourselves?? We will arrive in October on the Constellation. How far is the "ferry" to Capri from the cruise port?? Once you reach the Island of Capri, are there sights within walking distance or do you need transportation?? So appreciate any help from this inexperienced mediterranean cruiser

[shifty]

As I recall the ferries are about 200 yards from the cruise ship terminal. Once on Capri you take a funicular to the top & can easily walk around the entire area (I think it's called Anicapri). This is one of the easiest "tours" to take by yourself.

[grills]

Thanks so much for giving me such a quick reply. I am new to this but I am not afraid for independent travel. Worse case scenerio, we miss our cruise ship and have to stay on the beautiful Island of Capri!! You have given me the confidence I needed. Now, one last question, what is the weather usually like in Naples first week in Oct. Thanks so much for all your help

[lais]

Depends on how much time you have and the ferry schedule. When we went (not on a cruise) the ferry back took twice as long to return because it made an additional stop and we were totally unaware of that so that is something you need to check. But, if you have a good ferry schedule, go for it. It was like Disneyland with so many people there. We went off the beaten path and had a great day and saw a very beautiful Island.

[bjm07]

When we went (in 2004) it was very convenient to catch the ferry to Capri, as shifty said, very close. When we arrived, we strolled up the pier towards the village and turned to the left and walked along the front of the stores, past the small amusement park, almost to the end. We sat at a cafe there with the biggest glasses of wine you have ever seen and some pizza; lovely, very inexpensive, local product. Great for just sitting and watching the world go by. A great day. It is possible to book boat tours to the "blue grotto," if you wish.

[tom_uk]

We did a day on Capri on our own last October, on our Solstice cruise. I blogged about it here. That post contains quite a lot of detail about how we got there, transport on Capri, etc, so I won't reiterate it except for one point: buy your return hydrofoil ticket when you arrive in the morning. Marina Grande was total chaos at 3 o'clock that afternoon; I'd have hated to try to buy tickets then, indeed I don't even know if tickets were still available.

 

At both Molo Beverollo (Naples) and Marina Grande (Capri) each separate hydrofoil company has its own booth, so you just need to identify the company you want. It also means you could use different companies for the two halves of the journey.

[excitedofharpenden]

We went to Capri a couple of years ago. It is a very busy little island. Like Tom we took the chairlift up to Monte Solaro and were very glad we did. It took us out of the busy Anacapri and the views at the top were beautiful. The chairlift was great fun, but you need a reasonably good head for heights as you are quite high off the ground on it at times. We also did the Blue Grotto which was great to see from inside the cave on a small boat.

 

We took the hydrofoil which was quick and efficient, but packed with people. We were really glad we spent the day there though and it was one of the most memorable excursions I've done.

 

Phil

[mildavis]

If you haven't been to Pompeii, seriously consider it. When we did our Med cruise in summer of 2008 I researched and researched and it seemed that I found lots of reviews on Capri that said it was very beautiful but very crowded. Very touristy. Found alot of reviews saying we really needed to see Pompeii. I am not a big history buff but I figured I didn't go all this way not to see something like Pompeii plus I had my two teenage children with me. History lesson for them as well.

We were not disappointed! This was more than I imagined. We hired a guide, in advance, to take us through the ruins and it was just inbelievable. One of our most memorable stops in the Mediterranean. The kids loved it!!!! Really one of our best days. We had a private driver take us along the riviera and up to Pompeii and then he was there to take us back to the ship. Great day!

[Onessa]

We've done Pompeii, Capri, and Amalfi (separate trips). Each are great. Amalfi, if done right, is expensive. Pompeii is unbelievable. But for relatively inexpensive and relaxing, Capri is the choice -- very doable as an on your own.

 

Just a side note -- On our last trip, we did a private tour of Amalfi coast, but our tablemates did the ship's excursion to Capri. Their hydrofoil broke down mid crossing on the way back and the ship had to delay sail away! Good thing it happened to a hydrofoil with a ship's excursion.

[ORCRUISER]

I know you're wanting to do Capri but I've seen suggested here that anything water is a bit of a gamble on your own like when the hydrofoil broke down if you're on your own the ship might leave you. We did Romeinlimo with a private guide to Pompii and then down the coast to Sorrento and Positano...lovely!!!

[grills]

Wow so much more advice and I am so grateful. It all makes me feel alot less anxious and to have such experienced helpful advice is a godsend for me. Carpri sounds lovely as well as a trip to Pompei. I am so glad I am starting this research early since we leave from Barcelona Oct 2. I can digest this wonderful info and then I have all the other ports YIKES!! Nice, Genoa, Florence, Rome and Naples to plan. A trip of a lifetime for us and again so appreciate all the help.