Capri On Own?

[terry the traveler]

We will be in Naples in October and want to go to Capri. I understand that it's usually always crowded with long lines for the boat and funicular. I thought we might by-pass the lines with a ship tour & Celebrity does have a shore excursion here, but it's expensive. How easy is it to do on your own, and approximately what does it cost?

[suekay]

It's very easy to DIY. The cruise ships (usually) dock next to the ferry terminal. Although there are lines to buy tickets, they move quickly. On disembarking the ferry (catamaran) go directly to the funicular to avoid the queues. Alternatively go up on the minibuses from the bus station on Capri . Check out this website for ferry times

 

http://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule

[Hlitner]

Interesting post. We have been to Capri 7 or 8 times (senior moment) and have always gone on our own. I cannot recall ever waiting in line (for a ticket) more then 5 min to get our jetboat/hydrofoil tickets. As to the funicular, a few minute wait is common at the bottom and no biggie. The bigger funicular problem happens later in the afternoon since many folks seem to want to leave about the same time (usually between 3 and 4). At that time (at the station in Capri Town) there can be a long line (we have waited as long as 30 min).

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

It wouldn't matter how much you paid for a tour, they're not going to get you into the funicular any faster. For that matter, tour groups usually don't use the funicular, they take buses up the hill.

[24butterfly]

We will be in Naples in October and want to go to Capri. I understand that it's usually always crowded with long lines for the boat and funicular. I thought we might by-pass the lines with a ship tour & Celebrity does have a shore excursion here, but it's expensive. How easy is it to do on your own, and approximately what does it cost?

 

While it is easy to do on your own, we were s'posed to dock in Naples, but there were too many ships so we docked in Salerno which was better. THe only problem was, was that I did not see any boats to Capri from Salerno. If u will be docking there, I suggest u find out how to go to Capri from Salerno. Naples is at least 30 miles from Salerno.....

[hubofhockey]

We will be in Naples in October and want to go to Capri. I understand that it's usually always crowded with long lines for the boat and funicular. I thought we might by-pass the lines with a ship tour & Celebrity does have a shore excursion here, but it's expensive. How easy is it to do on your own, and approximately what does it cost?

 

I would think all lines would be much smaller in October than during the summer, and as Hank wrote earlier, THE one line that really backs up is the 3 to 4 pm line for the funicular from Capri town to Grande Marina. Just give yourself some time. But of all ports and trips to do on your own, Capri is at the top. I can't see any benefit to a cruise line excursion there.

 

I am pretty sure the cost for a one-way hydrofoil trip was either €16 or €17 for adults. The funicular was something like €1,50 or €2.

[Hlitner]

While it is easy to do on your own, we were s'posed to dock in Naples, but there were too many ships so we docked in Salerno which was better. THe only problem was, was that I did not see any boats to Capri from Salerno. If u will be docking there, I suggest u find out how to go to Capri from Salerno. Naples is at least 30 miles from Salerno.....

 

You need to be careful in that there are only 2 hydrofoils from Salerno to Capri (8:15 and 11:05) in the morning. For cruise passengers you would need to make the 8:15. But the real problem is that the return hydrofoil is not until 5:15 and it is the only one. So unless a ship leaves Sorrento at 7pm (or later) going to Capri might be a real problem.

 

Hank

[Capricruiser]

I'm somewhat of a Capri expert since I live here 365 days a year (when I'm not cruising that is). Doing Capri on your own is easy. The OP indicated they will be here in October which is fortunate because there will be few tourists by then so long lines will not be a problem. Now some facts: The current round-trip hydrofoil ticket is €34 Naples-Capri-Naples. The Naples hydrofoil port is right next to the cruise terminal so it's fairly simple. On the island you can buy an all day ticket for €8.40 which covers all the bus runs plus two runs on the Funicolare. The ticket office will be to your far right as you come off the quay. You will find hydrofoil schedules on either http://www.capritourism.com or http://www.capri net.

[RetiredFL]

Capricruiser:

We will be in Sorrento and plan to spend the day on Capri.

Our plan is to take the boat/hydrofoil to Marina Grande, take the bus to Anacapri, see the villa and do the chairlift.

After a walk around Anacapri we will either walk or take the bus to Capri and enjoy the town. Then take the funicular down and return to Sorrento.

Does this seem like a good plan and is there anything else you would add. We are good walkers but not marathon walkers, about a half an hour is best.

Do we really need the all day ticket for the bus to Anacapri, the bus to Capri and the funicular down? (Does it cover the chairlift?)

Thanks.

[tom_uk]

We will be in Naples in October and want to go to Capri. I understand that it's usually always crowded with long lines for the boat and funicular. I thought we might by-pass the lines with a ship tour & Celebrity does have a shore excursion here, but it's expensive. How easy is it to do on your own, and approximately what does it cost?

 

We did Capri on our own on our last visit to Naples two years ago. I blogged from that cruise, and here's a link to the blog entry for that day. It includes some practical information and prices, though it's now two years old.

[RachelG]

Only thing I have to add to the above advice is to buy a round-trip hydrofoil ticket instead of one way, and carefully check the schedule so you don't miss the boat back.

Didn't have to wait in line for the funicular up when we were there, but it was late March. We actually walked back down and it was pretty nice.

[Hlitner]

Only thing I have to add to the above advice is to buy a round-trip hydrofoil ticket instead of one way, and carefully check the schedule so you don't miss the boat back.

Didn't have to wait in line for the funicular up when we were there, but it was late March. We actually walked back down and it was pretty nice.

 

Absolutely disagree and here is why. The lines really do not sell "round trip tickets" in the true sense but will, of course, sell you tickets for each direction (no real discount for round trip). But, there are several different companies who run these boats and the tickets are not interchangable. It usually makes more sense to buy tickets on the actual boats that best fit your schedule which can often turn out to mean you should use two different companies. We do recommend buying your return ticket as soon as you get on the island (there are no lines at the ticket office in the morning) or I guess you could take the time, check the various schedules, and buy your return ticket at Naples. WE have often run into the situation in Naples that we only have a few minutes to get on the next boat and do not want to waste extra time trying to decide which boat, company, and time we want for our return. So we just grab a ticket on the next boat (the schedules are clearly posted near the ticket windows and get on the boat. But as some would say, "whatever floats your boat." :)

 

Hank

[RachelG]

True, there is no discount for buying a "round trip" ticket. But the reason I said that was so that you don't get stuck in a ticket line for the return trip. So definitely could just buy your return ticket as soon as you get there. But you need to have a plan as to when you need to leave Capri in order to get back to Naples or Sorrento in order to catch the ship.

[Hlitner]

True, there is no discount for buying a "round trip" ticket. But the reason I said that was so that you don't get stuck in a ticket line for the return trip. So definitely could just buy your return ticket as soon as you get there. But you need to have a plan as to when you need to leave Capri in order to get back to Naples or Sorrento in order to catch the ship.

 

All very true. When we go to Capri on a port day (we also go there when we are vacationing on the Amalfi Coast) the first thing we do upon arriving at Marina Grande is stop by the ticket office and buy a return ticket. There is seldom any line at the Capri ticket booth (early in the day) and its not nearly as frantic as dealing with the ticket office in Naples. We generally look for a boat that will get us back to Molo Beverelo (the ferry port next to the cruise ports) about 1 1/2 hours before we need to be back on the ship. Although that return ticket does have the departure time on the ticket (it is a reservation) it is perfectly fine to take an earlier (or later) boat as long as its run by the same company.

 

Hank

[screwcork]

Capricruiser:

We will be in Sorrento and plan to spend the day on Capri.

Our plan is to take the boat/hydrofoil to Marina Grande, take the bus to Anacapri, see the villa and do the chairlift.

After a walk around Anacapri we will either walk or take the bus to Capri and enjoy the town. Then take the funicular down and return to Sorrento.

Does this seem like a good plan and is there anything else you would add. We are good walkers but not marathon walkers, about a half an hour is best.

Do we really need the all day ticket for the bus to Anacapri, the bus to Capri and the funicular down? (Does it cover the chairlift?)

Thanks.

 

We did the same thing last month, but we had to take a taxi from Marina Grande to Anacapri. The buses are very small (15 - 20 seats) and do not run very often. We also walked down from Anacapri to Capri Town and took the funicular down to Marina Grande. I takes about 30 min. to walk down from Anacapri to Capri Town.

 

Screwcork

[DD99]

How do we figure out if we will dock In Naples or Salerno I reading places saying it can change? I am in Naples with some large ships 15,000 people in port that day.

[Capricruiser]

Capricruiser:

We will be in Sorrento and plan to spend the day on Capri.

Our plan is to take the boat/hydrofoil to Marina Grande, take the bus to Anacapri, see the villa and do the chairlift.

After a walk around Anacapri we will either walk or take the bus to Capri and enjoy the town. Then take the funicular down and return to Sorrento.

Does this seem like a good plan and is there anything else you would add. We are good walkers but not marathon walkers, about a half an hour is best.

Do we really need the all day ticket for the bus to Anacapri, the bus to Capri and the funicular down? (Does it cover the chairlift?)

Thanks.

Sounds doable to me. Single one run tickets for the buses and funicular are €1.60 each. The chairlift is extra, €10 round trip.

[Capricruiser]

Absolutely disagree and here is why. The lines really do not sell "round trip tickets" in the true sense but will, of course, sell you tickets for each direction (no real discount for round trip). But, there are several different companies who run these boats and the tickets are not interchangable. It usually makes more sense to buy tickets on the actual boats that best fit your schedule which can often turn out to mean you should use two different companies. We do recommend buying your return ticket as soon as you get on the island (there are no lines at the ticket office in the morning) or I guess you could take the time, check the various schedules, and buy your return ticket at Naples. WE have often run into the situation in Naples that we only have a few minutes to get on the next boat and do not want to waste extra time trying to decide which boat, company, and time we want for our return. So we just grab a ticket on the next boat (the schedules are clearly posted near the ticket windows and get on the boat. But as some would say, "whatever floats your boat." :)

 

Hank

They DO sell round trip tickets but I'll agree with you that it's not a great idea unless you're visiting in the height of the tourist season (15 Jul-31 Aug) when there are guaranteed to be crowds and long lines. I would just recommend knowing when the various boats are scheduled to leave and when you're all pooped out, go down and buy a ticket for the one you want. At both ports, Naples and Capri, there are electronic signs indicating all the next departures.

[Capricruiser]

How do we figure out if we will dock In Naples or Salerno I reading places saying it can change? I am in Naples with some large ships 15,000 people in port that day.

Naples and Salerno are quite distant from one another. If your cruise itinerary says the port call will be Naples, it will be Naples; if Salerno, then Salerno. The only changes could occur if the scheduled port call is for either Sorrento or Capri, then if the sea conditions are too rough the ship will dock in Naples instead. There are frequently four or five cruise ships docked at the Naples cruise terminal.

[euro cruiser]

Well, there have been instances lately when a cruise ship that had planned to dock in Naples changed its itinerary at the (seemingly, anyway) last minute and wound up in either Sorrento or Salerno. I don't think there is a way to know unless/until your cruise line fesses up.

[DD99]

So if I understand it right the hydrofoil is right near the port in Naples. Only buy a one way ticket then when. Get there figure out which company I am going to use to come back.

Did I get it right?

 

Now when I get to Capri is it all walkable?

[RachelG]

If you want to go to Anacapri, rec you take a taxi or the bus as it is straight uphill. But Capri itself (town) is very walkable.

[Hlitner]

So if I understand it right the hydrofoil is right near the port in Naples. Only buy a one way ticket then when. Get there figure out which company I am going to use to come back.

Did I get it right?

 

Now when I get to Capri is it all walkable?

 

That would be our recommendation. When you are facing inland at the cruise port you will see the Ferry Port (this ferry port is called Molo Beverelo) on your left. Depending on docking position it is a 10 - 15 min stroll from the ship. When you get to Capri you will notice the ticket office at the end of the pier.

 

Hank

[Capricruiser]

That would be our recommendation. When you are facing inland at the cruise port you will see the Ferry Port (this ferry port is called Molo Beverelo) on your left. Depending on docking position it is a 10 - 15 min stroll from the ship. When you get to Capri you will notice the ticket office at the end of the pier.

 

Hank

Actually there are two ports or docks at Naples. The one to the left of the cruise terminal is Molo Beverello and it is only for hydrofoils, jetboats and catamarans which go to the islands of the Bay of Naples. The port for the ferry boats for Capri and Ischia is to the right of the cruise terminal, about 500 meters eastward. This is called Port Calata di Massa. There is a shuttle bus that runs between Molo Beverello and Calata di Massa. Hydrofoils, etc. take about 50 minutes to get to Capri while the ferries take an hour and 20 minutes on the average.

The ticket offices at Capri for buses and funicular (and all of the boats) are all now located around the back of the coast guard station which is at the end of the quay. You have to turn right at the taxi rank and then another right.

Regarding walkable Capri, the town itself is walkable but you have to take either the funicular or a bus/taxi to get from the port up to the town. Then, between Capri and Anacapri, either the bus or a taxi.

[24butterfly]

Well, there have been instances lately when a cruise ship that had planned to dock in Naples changed its itinerary at the (seemingly, anyway) last minute and wound up in either Sorrento or Salerno. I don't think there is a way to know unless/until your cruise line fesses up.

 

The cruise line should e-mail you or your travel agent, and they in turn should tell you. X did this.....