The island everyone has heard of, fifty minutes by boat from Positano, and the town over the ridge that keeps the whole coast connected, with trains to Pompeii and Naples and ferries all year.
Capri has been a retreat since the emperor Tiberius ruled Rome from it. Sorrento, at the start of the peninsula, is where most visitors arrive on the coast.
From Positano and Amalfi, summer boats cross to Capri in about 50 minutes for around €24. On the island, the funicular climbs from Marina Grande to the Piazzetta; from there a short walk leads to the Gardens of Augustus, looking down on the Faraglioni sea stacks and the hairpins of the Via Krupp, which has reopened. In Anacapri, a chairlift rises to Monte Solaro, the island's high point. When the sea is calm, rowing boats slip into the Blue Grotto, lit by sunlight coming through the water.
The day crowds thin after four, which is when the island is at its best. If you want to walk, the Fortini path on the wild west coast is almost empty.
Sorrento, over the ridge, is the coast's transport town: the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and Naples, ferries to Capri all year, and the SITA buses that start the coast road. The peninsula's own treasures, Nerano's tables and the Ieranto bay, are covered in the food and hikes sections of the guide.
Take the first boat, head uphill before the crowds, and stay for the late afternoon.
Take the first boat of the day; check the sea forecast for the Blue Grotto.
If the sea is calm, take a boat round to the grotto before the queues build.
Ride up to the Piazzetta and walk to the Gardens of Augustus for the Faraglioni view.
Bus to Anacapri and take the chairlift to the summit.
Enjoy the island as it empties, then take the last ferry back to the coast.
From Positano and Amalfi, April to early November, about €24. From Sorrento, all year. Boats are cancelled in rough seas.
Funicular from Marina Grande, small buses to Anacapri; queues are long at midday.
Base here for trains to Pompeii and Naples and year-round boats, 40 to 60 minutes from the Amalfi side.
Amalfi Coast practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences; some are our own.
