Naples to Capri...any independent tours where guide actually stays with you on Capri???

[skiiergirl]

Are there any independent tours from Naples to Capri where the guide actually stays with the group?  I have read several tour descriptions and it seems like most just get you to the island and then you are on your own.  

Any recommendations, hints, etc. greatly appreciated. 

[Hlitner]

I assume if you look hard enough you will find a tour guide that will stay with you...but at a price.  I do understand that there are some folks who do not want to go anywhere without a guide and that is certainly their choice.  But Capri is relatively easy to do on one's own.  There are a few decent online sites where you can get tons of information, but it comes down to just doing some basic homework and deciding what you want to see and do.  The first question that folks should consider is whether they truly want to go to one of the great tourist traps of the world which is the Blue Grotto.  If so, that should be your first priority on arrival.  Before you even walk off the arrival pier you can find a deal where a small power boat will take you from that same pier to the Blue Grotto area where you will transfer to a small rowed boat that takes you into the Grotto.  You then return to that power boat and are brought back to the same pier.  From that pier you can go up to Capri Town (via a funicular, taxi, etc) which is a nice place for shopping and eating.  If you want to go further you can take a small bus or taxi up to the more residential community of Anacapri where you cross the small road and walk a few yards to the chair lift that wlll take you to the top of the island (Mt Solara) where the view is spectacular.  

 

And there you have it.  The options for most first time visitors and you do not have to pay a guide one Euro for that info :).  As to getting to Capri, when you get off your ship in Naples you have about a 7 min walk from your ship out of the port and over to the next door ferry port where you can buy a ticket on a high speed jet boat to Capri (all the tours/excursions use these same boats).  If you decide to do this come back here and post and myself or a few others can give you more details about the ferry companies (there are at least two) and the details of how to buy your tickets.  

 

So do folks need a tour guide on Capri?  While I can see a family group hiring a guide (because they prefer not to do anything on their own) I think it is a big mistake to move around Capri as part of a larger tour group.  Groups just do not work well when it comes to checking out shops (especially the high end boutiques) or enjoying a nice lunch in a restaurant or cafe (you can find plenty of places to eat on Capri in all price ranges).  If you would want to spend a few hours with a long lunch in a very upscale restaurant (most first time visitors do not want to spend much of their day eating) there are a few posters here who can give you recommendations.   Keep in mind that there are two Capris, the one seen by most day tourists/cruisers with the typical touristy shops, cafes, etc.  But the other involves very expensive high end boutiques (think Rodeo Drive) where you can find $1000 jeans and may need to ring a doorbell to get access.  And there are some restaurants off the beaten path where you can easily spend over 100 Euros a person for lunch.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

I can see where a guide would be helpful for the walk up to Villa Jovis and to explain the ruins, but other than that the island is pretty self explanatory.  Rather than pay for someone to get you over from Naples (very easy to do on your own using public ferries) I'd pay for a licensed guide to meet you on the island and accompany you on the walk up to the villa (there is no other way to get there).

[cruisemom42]

As you can see from the two posts so far, the need for a guide on Capri really depends heavily on what it is you want to see and do while there. 

 

If you just want to have a leisurely day, maybe see the Blue Grotto and Anacapri, you really do not need a guide. Capri is a heavily touristed place and you do not need to speak or understand Italian to get around on your own. There's virtually no way to miss where the ferries leave from in Naples as it is next door to the cruise port.  One tip I've used through the years is to only buy a one-way ticket to Capri in the morning rather than round-trip.  However, DO stop when you arrive in Capri and buy your return ticket as the "popular" later afternoon return times CAN sell out as people scramble to get back for ship departures or just at the end of a normal day out.  

 

Why not buy both of them at once?  Because there are several different ferry lines plying the waters from Naples to Capri. If you buy R/T you are limited to only the departure times of that particular line. Whereas if you buy your ticket in Capri you can choose from ALL of the departures.  JUST MAKE VERY SURE that you are buying a ticket that returns you to the right place. The destination you want is called Napoli -- Molo Beverello. The other destination in Naples is Calata Porta di Massa, and it's a distance from the ships.

 

P.S.  I'm not knocking a guide for Capri. Once many years ago a travel companion and I hired a wonderful guide who accompanied us to all of the Roman sites on Capri -- including Villa Jovis, Villa Damacuta, the gardens of Villa San Michele, the small museum in Anacapri and more. It was well worth our while. I would recommend him highly but he is now one of the curators for the Museo Egizio in Turin!

 

[skiiergirl]

Thanks to all for the great information. I do appreciate, but am not interested in doing it on our own. 

[euro cruiser]

Is there any part you'd be willing to do on your own?  I'm thinking specifically of the ferry ride to Capri and back.

 

The reason is that there are several different types of licenses for guides in Italy.  Technically, someone who accompanies a group from place to place is a different kind of license than someone who guides a group at a location.  Licenses are established at the regional level, and both Naples and Capri are in the same region (Campania) so that's not an issue.  Some places require location specific guides, ones that I've hired stayed with the group and led us around on Capri, but we did not go to Villa Jovis.  Because that's a site regulated by MiBAC (Ministry of Cultural Activities and Tourism) a specialized license is required to lead groups there.

 

There are lots of specifics but overall the difference is that a tour manager license allows someone to travel with a group while a tour guide license allows one to lead a tour at a location.  That's why you might have a hard time finding one person to do both tasks.  It's not impossible, people stretch the rules, but finding them might be a little difficult.  The easier route would be to pay a company for two employees, a manager to oversee getting you from place to place and a guide to lead at the locations.

[skiiergirl]

On 7/14/2021 at 7:25 PM, euro cruiser said:

Is there any part you'd be willing to do on your own?  I'm thinking specifically of the ferry ride to Capri and back.

 

The reason is that there are several different types of licenses for guides in Italy.  Technically, someone who accompanies a group from place to place is a different kind of license than someone who guides a group at a location.  Licenses are established at the regional level, and both Naples and Capri are in the same region (Campania) so that's not an issue.  Some places require location specific guides, ones that I've hired stayed with the group and led us around on Capri, but we did not go to Villa Jovis.  Because that's a site regulated by MiBAC (Ministry of Cultural Activities and Tourism) a specialized license is required to lead groups there.

 

There are lots of specifics but overall the difference is that a tour manager license allows someone to travel with a group while a tour guide license allows one to lead a tour at a location.  That's why you might have a hard time finding one person to do both tasks.  It's not impossible, people stretch the rules, but finding them might be a little difficult.  The easier route would be to pay a company for two employees, a manager to oversee getting you from place to place and a guide to lead at the locations.

Thanks for all of the info…but…no…not comfortable doing any of the Capri portion on our own. 

[euro cruiser]

Here's one you can try e-mailing.  They offer a similar full day trip to Procida, you could ask about a customized tour to Capri.

 

Although the web site is in Italian they offer tour guides in various languages, including English.

 

Visite Guidate e tour a Napoli - Guide Turistiche Napoli

[skiiergirl]

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

Here's one you can try e-mailing.  They offer a similar full day trip to Procida, you could ask about a customized tour to Capri.

 

Although the web site is in Italian they offer tour guides in various languages, including English.

 

Visite Guidate e tour a Napoli - Guide Turistiche Napoli

Thanks!