Capri, After the Day-Trippers Leave: An Insider's Islanda
Four days, three nights, and our favourite way to do the island
Dan and I have been to Capri a couple of times now, and we've learned one thing: don't do it as a day trip. Stay a few nights and the island changes completely. The ferries leave, the Piazzetta goes quiet and golden, and suddenly Capri feels like it belongs to you. This is exactly how we'd plan it for our closest friends, right down to what to order and where to sit.
Day One: Arriving Slowly
Morning. Arrive by private boat rather than the public ferry. You skip the crowds at Marina Grande, see the island rise out of the sea the way it should be seen, and someone else takes care of your bags. Check in at J.K. Place Capri, our home on the island. We recommend it because the service is so intuitive you barely notice it happening, and it feels more like a beautiful private house than a hotel.
Afternoon. Spend it at the J.K. pool. We think it's the best pool on Capri, and there's a real sense of space around it, which is rare on an island this busy. Order a bottle of rosé by the pool and let the afternoon disappear. This is Capri at its most relaxed.
Evening. Take one of Capri's open-top taxis up to town and give yourself an hour before dinner to get lost in the little lanes around the Piazzetta. This is one of our favourite things to do on the island. Step off the main streets and you'll find tiny boutiques, family-run shops and small bars you'd never spot otherwise. Every visit, we find something new. Then head to Pulalli for dinner. Book ahead and ask for the table in the clock tower overlooking the Piazzetta, because it's the best seat in town for watching the island's evening parade. Order the cacio e pepe. It's simple and perfect, and it's the dish we think about most when we're back home in Sydney. Finish with a nightcap at Capri Rooftop. We love it for the view over the lights of the island and the calm after the buzz of the Piazzetta.
Day Two: A Day on the Water
Morning. Breakfast at J.K. first. It feels intimate, with views straight over the beach and Marina Grande, and it's one of our favourite moments of any stay. Then head out on a private boat. We always recommend private over a group tour, because you set the pace and can stop to swim whenever the water tempts you. Go straight to the Blue Grotto while it's still quiet. You'll transfer into a little rowboat and duck through the entrance into that unreal electric blue. Arrive late and you'll spend more time queuing than enjoying it.
Afternoon. Cruise around the coastline past sea caves and sheer limestone cliffs to the Faraglioni. Ask your skipper to take you through the arch. Dan always has his camera out here, and most of our favourite photos of the island were taken from the water. For your swim, drop anchor below the Punta Carena lighthouse on the western tip of the island. This is where the locals swim, and we love it because the water is crystal clear and deep, and the vibe is relaxed and unpretentious, a world away from the glamour of town. Stay for as long as you like.
Evening. Dinner at La Capannina, a family-run Capri institution. We recommend it because it's where you get real Capri hospitality without the scene. Skip the menu and ask what came in fresh that morning, because the team will steer you right.
Day Three: A Walk, a Long Lunch and a Wander Through Town
Morning. Walk up to Villa Jovis, the clifftop palace where Emperor Tiberius ruled Rome. We love this walk because it shows you a quieter, greener side of Capri. The path winds past whitewashed villas and bougainvillea before opening onto views across to the Sorrento Peninsula. On the way back down, reward yourself with an ice-cold granita. After that climb in the Capri sun, nothing tastes better.
Afternoon. Head down to Marina Piccola for lunch at La Palma Beach Club. This is our pick for the perfect Capri lunch: sunloungers, the sea right at your feet, and a slow seafood lunch with the Faraglioni in view. It's also a lovely place to swim straight off the rocks. Book your loungers and table ahead in summer. Later, take a taxi back up to town for a gelato, then walk over to Carthusia, Capri's own perfume house. We recommend it because the scents are made here on the island, inspired by its flowers and lemons, so it's the one souvenir that brings Capri straight back every time you wear it. From there, stroll Via Camerelle for the big fashion houses, then slip back into the side lanes for the smaller, more personal finds.
Evening. Dress up a little and head to Anacapri for dinner at L'Olivo at Jumeirah Capri Palace, the island's only two-Michelin-starred restaurant. We recommend it for a special night because the cooking is refined but still full of the flavours of Campania, and the attention to detail is on another level. Arrive early for an aperitivo on the terrace. Fair warning: I could spend the whole night on their wine list. My insider tip is to ask for the sparkling water menu, and you'll see what I mean.
Day Four: Summit to Sea
Morning. Take the little single-seat chairlift from Anacapri up to Monte Solaro. We love it because it's so peaceful: you float silently over gardens and vineyards to the highest point of the island, with the whole Bay of Naples laid out in front of you. Walk back down to Anacapri at your own pace and take in its quiet, residential streets, which feel a world away from Capri town.
Lunch. Stop at La Terrazza di Lucullo at Hotel Caesar Augustus, perched on the cliff edge high above the sea. We recommend it for your last lunch because the views over the Bay of Naples all the way to Vesuvius are some of the best on the island, and it's the perfect place to linger before heading home.
Afternoon. Then take the old Phoenician Steps down to Marina Grande. Your legs will feel it, but it's our favourite way to say goodbye to Capri, one step at a time, with the island slowly giving way to the sea. Your luggage can go straight from the hotel to your boat or ferry.
The Edit.
The Property: J.K. Place Capri
Perched above Marina Grande, J.K. Place Capri feels less like a hotel and more like a beautiful private villa by the sea. The service is intuitive to the point of being invisible, breakfast is intimate with views over the beach and marina, and the pool is, in our opinion, the finest on the island. We anchor our Capri journeys here. Spacious, serene, and effortlessly glamorous, it is the island at its most refined.
The Experience: Capri by Private Boat
To truly understand Capri, you have to see it from the water. A private boat takes you at your own pace around the entire coastline: the electric blue of the Blue Grotto before the crowds arrive, past sea caves and sheer limestone cliffs, and through the arch of the Faraglioni. Drop anchor below the Punta Carena lighthouse and swim where the locals do. It is the island unhurried, and entirely your own.
The Restaurant: L'Olivo
Set within Jumeirah Capri Palace in quiet Anacapri, L'Olivo is the island's only two-Michelin-starred restaurant. Chef Andrea Migliaccio celebrates the flavours of Campania with remarkable precision, transforming local produce into an evening of quiet theatre. Arrive early for an aperitivo on the terrace, linger over an exceptional wine list, and ask for the sparkling water menu, a small detail that captures the extraordinary care behind every moment here.