What to do in Capri in a day

About Capri

Capri is synonymous with glamour, celebrities, and luxury. But you don’t have to be a jet setting, yacht owning star to appreciate all this tiny island has to offer. A day in Capri is not nearly enough time to see and do it all, but it is plenty of time for an Italian adventure you’ll never forget.

Here’s what to do in Capri in a day. And it doesn’t include waiting in line or visiting the Blue Grotto.

How to get to Capri from Sorrento

Since I am not a member of the 1%, I took the half-hour ferry from Sorrento to Marina Grande on a beautifully humid, legs sticking together, sweat dripping down the small of your back, kind of day. Lovely, no? 

When we arrived, Marina Grande was already alive with thousands of tourists awaiting departure to the world-famous Blue Grotto. An event we would be skipping for our day in Capri. We wanted to save time, avoid tourists and see the best Capri has to offer. Getting on a tiny boat with a bunch of strangers to see the Blue Grotto didn’t seem like the best way to go. So, we skipped it. Crazy, I know.

Our morning in Capri

We started our day with a ride in a convertible. Bianca alerted me on the ride over that she has always wanted to take one of the convertible taxis up the curvy roads.

So, instead of jamming our bodies against other bodies on the short bus, we jumped into a neon orange and white convertible. Top-down, wind in our hair. We arrived much quicker and we were smiling ear to ear.

The taxi dropped us off at La Piazzetta, the heart of Capri. Ps, La Piazzetta has nothing to do with a slice of pizza (although you can find plenty there) but instead is the central plaza. Bianca was a bit confused by this, likely due to excessive heat exhaustion…

To alleviate that, we bought two overpriced melon granitas. I loved it so much I recreated the recipe when I got back home.

We stood with the other tourists and awed over the cliffs looking down into Marina Grande. We had had enough of people so set off to explore the narrow alleys and streets beyond the plaza.

Just seconds from the bustling piazza, we were spellbound by the peaceful silence and barren streets.

Off-the-beaten-path afternoon in Capri

And so, our adventure began. No guidebook, no prior research, just two girls, two cameras and four feet (Thank God for the feet). We started walking and never stopped. Which way did we go? I truly don’t know but eventually, we stumbled upon a sign that read “Arco Naturale”.

We decided we should probably check it out.

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Arco Naturale

The entire trail was scented with wild sage and rosemary. The trail offered incredible views of the twinkling sea and was spotted with extravagant private villas and quaint farmland. During our walk, we only passed seven or so other hikers.

We were surrounded by Capri’s lush gardens and vegetation. In time, we reached the arch. It’s a natural arch created by millions of years of erosion.

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Lunch at Le Grottelle

We needed to rest our flip flop feet and have a glass of water, so we stopped for lunch too. This was pretty much the only restaurant out this way. It was called Le Grottelle. Al-fresco dining overlooking the turquoise sea, what could be better?

The food was fresh and reasonably priced which was a definite plus. With full bellies, onward we went. A sign hanging outside the restaurant with an arrow pointing down the cliff said it led to “Capri town”… you can see where this is going. We did eventually get to town, but it was over two hours later. Not ideal when you only have a day in Capri.

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Capri’s walking trail, Pizzolungo

I found out later that this walking trail is called Pizzolungo. It begins with about 500 stairs that appear to be leading to absolutely nowhere. At the base, we arrived at Grotto di Matromania. Grotto di Matromania is a large Roman cave. It’s said to have been used for many things during Ancient times. Today, it’s a shady escape from the sun.

We passed the famous cliffside villas on Punta Masullo followed by the late home of Pablo Neruda.

The walk continued around the Punta Tragara with magnificent views of the Faraglioni rocks. After the rocks, the area became more populated and inhabited with many luxury homes and hotels smugly hidden within the hills. 

The Via Tragara lead back into the center of Capri with designer shops and fancy people to match. The most perfect street for people-watching and window shopping.

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Shopping on Via Tragara

While on Via Tragara I stepped inside a jewelry store to admire a dainty bracelet far beyond my price range. Bianca sat on a bench outside with an older Caprisian woman. Despite an incredible language barrier, the woman began to communicate with Bianca. Her high school Italian came in handy. We discovered that this woman had seen us pass her home a few hours earlier and that she doesn’t usually like the tourists very much.

To me, this exemplified exactly what Capri is when the tourists aren’t around – a small village. The tourists crowd the center and take over the large sites, but there is so much more to do and see.

After talking with the woman, we stopped in a few touristy shops and bought anklets. We went to the beach because we needed to rest our feet and catch the last of the sun.

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The beach in Capri

The beach was very pebbled and sadly, overcrowded. From there, we hopped on the overcrowded ferry to head back to Sorrento.

Exploring all of Capri in a day is not possible, but we were able to see so much on foot. We skipped the Blue Grotto and opted for the incredible Pizzolungo trail instead. I can’t wait to return and fall in love with Capri all over again.

Hopefully next time I’ll be chartering my private yacht… a girl can dream can’t she?

If you’re spending some time in this part of Italy, check out my guide to Sorrento and a drive along the Amalfi Coast.