Practical Information for visiting Capri

There are no private hire cars for visitors and you will not want one. Capri’s roads are single-track in places, and the island is small enough that the alternatives work better.

A funicular runs from Marina Grande up to the Piazzetta in a few minutes and is the normal way to arrive. Small orange buses connect Capri town, Anacapri, Marina Piccola and Punta Carena; they are frequent, cheap and often full. Open-top taxis, which are a local institution, cost several times the bus.

A chairlift climbs from Anacapri to the summit of Monte Solaro in about twelve minutes, and it is the single best value on the island.

Otherwise you walk, and most of Capri is pedestrian by necessity rather than by policy — the lanes are too narrow for anything else. Distances are short but gradients are not: almost every route involves steps.

Capri is reached only by sea. Ferries and hydrofoils run from Naples, from Sorrento — the shortest and most frequent crossing — and, in season, from Positano, Amalfi and Salerno. Crossings take between twenty minutes and an hour and a half depending on the route and the vessel. Services are heavily seasonal and can be cancelled outright in bad weather, so leaving no slack before a flight is a poor idea. The nearest airport is Naples Capodichino.

Capri is very safe and violent crime is close to nonexistent. Ordinary pickpocketing happens in the crush at Marina Grande and on the funicular in high season.

The real hazards are terrain and water. Paths run along unfenced cliff edges, steps are worn and often wet, and the drop is serious — proper shoes matter more here than almost anywhere else on this coast. Walking the roads is risky where buses take up the full width.

Swimming is from rocks and platforms. Currents around the Faraglioni and off Punta Carena are stronger than they appear, and boat traffic in the same water is heavy through the summer.

Ferries are the only way off the island and they do stop running in bad weather. Do not plan a same-day onward connection with no margin.

No vaccinations or special precautions are required, and tap water is safe to drink. There are pharmacies in both Capri and Anacapri, operating a rota for nights and holidays.

The island has a small hospital, but anything serious means transfer to the mainland, by boat or by helicopter. That is the specific reason travel insurance covering evacuation is worth more here than it is on the mainland.

The practical risks are heat and sun between June and September, and dehydration or a turned ankle on the walking paths — carry water, since there is little to buy once you leave the towns.

The single emergency number across Italy is 112, reaching police, fire and ambulance, with English-speaking operators. 118 still works for medical emergencies.

At sea, the coast guard answers on 1530, which is the number that matters on an island where serious cases leave by boat or helicopter.

There is a Carabinieri post on the island. Consulates are in Naples or Rome.