Ciao, from Italy! For the past few weeks I have been enjoying an Italian summer, traveling throughout Rome and along the Amalfi Coast, with more ‘pinch me’ moments than I can count. It’s true what they say about Italy…it really is ‘la dolce vita.’ I have been living the good life here and I wanted to share a travel guide for each location I visited, and hopefully any tips I share will help make your future travels to Italy as magical as mine have been! Let’s start off with my Capri travel guide, land of the lemons and a true slice of heaven!
How To Get There:
You know that saying ‘planes, trains and automobiles’? Well, this is very much true when traveling along the Amalfi Coast! I’m not going to lie, depending on where you’re coming from, it can be a long travel day, especially when you have heavy luggage and it’s hot, and you have to get your luggage from one form of transportation to the next! My tips: give yourself plenty of time, wear easy, breezy travel clothes (dependent on weather) and walking shoes, and don’t be afraid to ask for help! Everyone was very friendly, and happy to direct us to the right place and help with our luggage. We specifically stayed in Rome for a few nights before moving on to Capri, instead of going straight to Capri, so that we didn’t get off a long flight to Rome, only to have to move on to the trains and ferries! Some people fly in to Naples (a little pricier and more connections) to avoid the train portion from Rome, and then just ferry to Capri to make it slightly shorter if you’re wanting to go directly to Capri. On your travel day, plan to have a chill night upon arrival!
–Ferries depart from Naples and Sorrento. We were coming from our hotel in Rome, so we took a train from Rome to Naples (about 2.5 hours), a taxi from the train station to the port, and then got on the ferry to Capri (about 45 min high speed ferry, about 20 euros.) There are high speed and slow ferries. I recommend the high speed, which depart only from port Molo Beverello in Naples. Once you arrive in Capri and depending on where your hotel is, you can pay for porter service to drive your bags to your hotel (there is a lot of hills, and cobblestone streets!) Porter service was about 10 euros per bag.
-You can book your train and ferry tickets online ahead if you’d like, but we did not. We had someone help at the train station which was so helpful to make sure we got on the right train! The ferries run throughout the day, so you can just walk up and purchase tickets, just go there a little early. You can also check the schedule ahead of time to get an idea of when they depart. If you have a strict schedule to follow, maybe book online ahead! Also, you have to pay a small additional charge for each piece of luggage!
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at Relais Maresca and it was a true slice of heaven! It was located right by the main marina, and you could see it as you come in on the boats! This was helpful as we could just roll our luggage up a little hill to the hotel. If you stay here, try to book the Attic Room! We had our own private rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Capri and the ocean, lounge beds, and an outdoor shower! It was without a doubt one of the most magical experiences of all my travels. The hotel itself was beautiful, covered in gorgeous blue and white tiles throughout, amazing service and breakfast, and the location was perfect. We were able to just walk down the stairs to all of the restaurants, the water, or the little grocery stores to grab water and necessities. Hop on the little tram that takes you up into the main center of Capri or Anacapri. The main beach by the marina is very small, so having the private terrace with our room was amazing for when we wanted to spend the hot afternoons tanning and cooling off with the outdoor shower! We spent every evening laying out on the lounge bed just relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking view, some nights we brought back take-out pizza! We were able to go out and explore Capri, but still had somewhere to come back and relax. We didn’t do this, but if you stay here you can arrange transfers with them from the airport or train station to the Naples port, as well as assistance with the ferries and arrival, and tours of Capri via boat or car!
What To Do:
–Take a boat tour!! This is my #1 recommendation, and my favorite thing we did. There are so many to choose from along the main marina, and you can do private or group tours. We used Ciro Capri Boats, and I HIGHLY recommend them! It’s so easy to book online (make sure to book 24 hrs in advance!!), the service was fantastic, and the prices and options are really great. We did a private tour for 2 hours (150 euros!), and it took us to all of the different grottoes around Capri. The Blue Grotto was an option to stop for (an additional 14 euros per person), but the line to get in was so long that we just decided to pass and not waste our 2 hours waiting. We had the cutest boat that was so picturesque for a day boating around Capri, and we even got to stop and swim! Never have I ever seen water more blue or beautiful than along the Amalfi Coast!! Our captain was so sweet and a great tour guide. Nothing in the world makes me happier than being on the water, and I could’ve spent a lifetime lounging on that boat in the sun.
–Go to Capri city center and Anacapri! They have what’s called a funicular (like a little tram) and you just buy a ticket (2 euros each way), and it takes you up through the mountain to the city center of Capri where there are lot of the shops, more hotels, designer boutiques, restaurants and incredible panoramic views! We did this one day and spent the afternoon in Capri (4 min ride on the funicular) We didn’t make it up to Anacapri, but would’ve loved to!
–Go to the ceramic shops! You will see pretty ceramic shops everywhere along the Amalfi Coast, and they have the most beautiful hand-painted ceramics!! Almost all of them offer shipping back to the U.S., but luckily the plate and small kitchen utensils I bought just fit in my suitcase. Even if you buy something small, I think it’s such a fun memento to bring back home and use in your home!
–Shop, of course! There are tons of cute little shops everywhere, especially along the main marina. We even went to some of the ‘touristy’ ones to get comfy Capri sweatshirts! We also went to a perfumery called Carthusia I, and we bought their ‘Mediterranean’ perfume and it smells amazing! Another fun little memento to take home and set on your vanity or bring back as a gift for someone. I also bought a pretty hand-painted lemon ornament at the Capri Bell shops that they have scattered across the island. They have such pretty ornaments in their store, and I love collecting things like that on my travels that will always remind me of my trips!
Where To Eat:
Right along the main marina are a bunch of cute little restaurants lined up by the shops. We ate at just about every one at some point, and they were all good and so friendly! There are a lot of little gelato spots to choose from, too! You can’t go wrong. Keep in mind, many restaurants and stores close up early in the evening, mostly along the main marina, as most of the tourists and traffic from the marina are gone by the evening. None of the high-traffic restaurants along the main marina required reservations, and you can generally get in most places without one. If there is somewhere specific you want to go for dinner, or if it’s a nicer restaurant, it can’t hurt to make a reservation online, or call! A few of our favorites overall were…
–Limoncello di Capri/Molo 20: this is a restaurant/bar along the main strip, and they also have a cute little bar out front where they make the drinks inside the HUGE lemons (shown in photo.) They called the guy making them the “Lemon Doctor”, ha! He was so sweet, and the drink was AMAZING! Not to mention, it makes for the cutest photo op!
–L’Approdo: also along the main strip, more towards the end. Garlic pasta is one of my all-time favorite dishes, and their’s was SO good!! We also went here one night to get pizza to-go to take back up and eat on our terrace!
–Ristorante D’Amore: This one is located in the center of Capri, so you take the quick 4 min ride on the funicular up through the hills to get there. Do yourself a favor and get the lemon pasta…it was to die for!! The caprese salad was amazing, too.
What To Wear:
I’ll share what I wore based on the weather we had, which was HOT and SO humid! Like step outside and within minutes you’re melting, ha! I definitely recommend…
-Comfy walking shoes/sandals.
-Sun hats are a great option if you’ll be out for a little while (and also function as great fans, lol) Speaking of, don’t be afraid to bring a little fold-up fan, or purchase one in the shops… you’ll need it!
-A crossbody or hands-free bag since you’ll most likely have your hands full shopping, or if you’re like me, with gelato in hand!
-Lightweight, easy breezy clothing or dresses. Linen is a great option, too! I wore all lightweight sundresses and sandals.
If you’re like me and are trying to look cute and take photos, I tried to get those done early before I spent the rest of the day melting, that way I didn’t have to worry about it! After that, my hair went up in a ponytail or hair scarf to stay cool! Dependent on when you go, you might not have to worry about some of these things! All that being said, we still had an amazing time, just had to be prepared to embrace the heat!
Other Info:
-It was nice and cool in the mornings and evenings, it was just the main stretch of the afternoon that it was the hottest and busiest, so just plan accordingly to that.
-There are a lot of boat tours that come in for the day, so be prepared for there to be an influx of people during the daytime. Go out in the mornings or evening if you want to avoid that, or get photos without a lot of people in them. The evenings were so beautiful and so quiet!
-If you’re staying in Capri, you can also take boat tours to Positano or Amalfi for the day!
Capri, you were pure bliss! I hope to return again soon. I believe that covers all the important details for my Capri travel guide, and that this will hopefully make your travels a little easier! Please let me know if you ever have any other questions! XO, Rachel.
This post was sponsored by Moroccanoil.
