Where To Stay In Capri: 5 Very Different Areas For A First Visit

First Published:

Last Updated:

Six small photos of various places in Capri, Italy with an orange block and white text reading where to stay in Capri: great areas on both sides of the island by Where Are Those Morgans

When planning our 2-week Amalfi Coast trip in May 2022, Capri was the one place that stumped us the most when trying to figure out where to stay for 3 nights. The island was bigger than we thought, hotel prices were very high compared to Sorrento and Amalfi (but similar to Positano), and we didn’t yet realize how much the exact location we chose would impact on how convenient it was for us to get around the island and visit Capri’s top attractions.

After researching, we decided to stay on the busier Capri side of the island (east) rather than the cheaper and more rural Anacapri side (west). We wanted walkability to major sights like the Gardens of Augustus, easier access to the port, and to be closer to the lively Capri Town area in the evenings. In the end we booked an adorable bed and breakfast 10 minutes walk west of Marina Grande called B&B La Terrazza sul Mare. It had sky-high guest ratings, it was affordable and it was close to the port which was handy for our arrival and departure.

Now, the B&B was fantastic and we’d happily recommend it to certain friends and family who’d prefer a quieter and more relaxing trip, but Marina Grande turned out to be the wrong location for what we wanted to do – explore the island non-stop. It wasn’t long into our 3-day Capri itinerary that we realized Capri Town would have worked better, and we both said next time we’d just suck it up and pay more for the prime-time location to have easier access to buses, attractions, and dining.

Photo of Mark and Kristen Morgan from Where Are Those Morgans sitting together at a restaurant table outside with food and wine in Anacapri
Mark and Kristen eating lunch in Anacapri

Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travel planners take better trips. Read more about us.

Why trust us with your Capri lodging? We travel the world and book hotels for a living, and after our 3-day trip we know what makes each area of Capri good or bad place to stay. As always, every photo in this guide is ours.

But we did also discover other areas of the island that will work better than Capri Town for different types of traveler: Marina Grande was great for convenient port access, Marina Piccola would be the only real choice for a beachy-type trip (don’t expect sand though!), Anacapri Town is perfect for a more authentic stay, and finally there’s an area in northwest Capri with a cluster of villa-like B&B’s with pools that are totally secluded and would work great for anyone seeking escapism on a longer trip. But there was a clear distinction between Capri and Anacapri in terms of atmosphere and things to do, so make sure you choose the right side.

In this guide we cut right to the chase and show you the 5 areas we’d consider staying in Capri and Anacapri depending on the style of trip we wanted, with pros and cons for each area based on our experiences, and a helpful map at the end. Let’s dive in!

Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running.

Need a hand planning your Italy trip? We help independent travelers plan better, stress-free trips. Schedule a video call and we’ll build an Italy itinerary that fits your style, budget and priorities. See our travel planning help.

Infographic created by Where Are Those Morgans with 5 small photos, the names of 5 different areas to stay on the Island of Capri in Italy, and the pros and cons of booking a hotel in those areas
Feel free to save or share our areas of Capri pros and cons infographic!

Our Favorite Hotels

If you’re in a hurry or don’t want to read this full guide, here are our top hotel recommendations for first time visitors to Capri based on a perfect blend of location, quality, value for money, previous guest reviews and our own experiences. They’re all affordable hotels (relatively speaking for Capri) that we’d happily book ourselves:

🏨 Capri Wine Hotel: We think this is one of Capri’s best overall hotel picks for couples. It’s a boutique, adults-only hotel in the cellars of Capri’s first winery, under 10 minutes walk from the Piazzetta (which means it’s quiet enough to feel away from the crowds), it has an infinity pool, breakfast, a garden with lemon trees, and the owners pick you up from Marina Grande port which means skipping the funicular with bags.

🏨 Hotel la Floridiana: This 4-star hotel is about as solid a mid-range package as you’re going to get in the very best area within Capri Town. Everything is a short walk away, it’s got a great pool, the reviews and ratings are superb, and the prices are genuinely reasonable for such a prime-time location. It’s a classic pick.

🏨 Hotel La Minerva: If we were going to splurge on any luxury hotel in Capri Town, this would be it. It’s a family-run, 5-star boutique hotel with near-perfect guest ratings, rooms with sea views, an infinity pool overlooking the Faraglioni, and it’s just a few minutes walk from the Piazzetta. It would be perfect for honeymooners or a special occasion, without breaking the bank entirely.

🏨 Hotel Carmencita: This is one of our best value picks on the island. It’s a seriously affordable 3-star hotel on the edge of Anacapri Town with easy access to buses, a pool set in gardens, breakfast included, a full renovation in 2025, and importantly a free shuttle from the port. If value is your top priority and you want to be on the west side of the island, look no further.

🏨 Il Carrubo: This our top “pure escapism” pick on the island. It’s a small B&B with just 6 rooms in the quiet northwest of Capri, very close to the Blue Grotto and Path of the Forts hike (which is awesome). It has near-perfect guest ratings, a pool, garden terrace, and breakfast buffet – but it doesn’t take children aged under 14 and rooms book up early.

Our favorite hotels in Capri are all excellent options with sky-high guest ratings, but we hope you love to research and learn about a place before you visit like we do. Keep reading to see what makes each of Capri’s areas a good or bad area to stay for your trip. Within each area we’ll show you the top rated cheap, mid-range and luxury hotels, along with a few Airbnb vacation rentals we’d love to book.

Here’s a summary of what we’re going to show you:

AreaPriceVibeWhy?
Capri Town$$$ – $$$$Glamorous / buzzingHeart of the island
Marina Grande$ – $$$Busy port / practicalFerries, boat tours
Marina Piccola$$ – $$$Beachy / laid backSwim, avoid day trippers
Anacapri Town$ – $$$$Village / relaxedBetter value, local feel
Anacapri Escape$ – $$Secluded / ruralB&B’s with pools

Capri Town (Our Top Pick)

Map showing the location of Capri Town neighborhood within Capri Island
Map showing the location of Capri Town on the island of Capri

Okay let’s start with the most popular place to stay in Capri for a first time visitor – Capri Town. This is the bougie, upscale, boutiquey Capri you’ve seen in photos, videos, and TV shows. It’s where you’ll find honeymooners, wedding parties, and couples or families treating themselves to luxurious accommodations. But there are also a handful of relatively affordable places to stay in and around the super posh hotels, so don’t automatically discount this area if you’re visiting Capri on a tight budget.

What we liked about Capri Town was being in the heart of the island’s most lively and well connected area. We found ourselves naturally gravitating to Piazzetta di Capri, the narrow white-washed streets around Via Camerelle, and everywhere in-between each evening because it was so attractive and had such a vibrant atmosphere. We also used Capri Town as our “local” bus stop for getting around the island, and we walked to tons of attractions like Villa Lysis, Belvedere Tragara, and the Gardens of Augustus directly from town.

A top tip from our experience is to avoid eating on the main square because the food isn’t good and the prices are heavily inflated. Instead, eat in restaurants near the square, then head back to La Piazzetta for a few drinks if you want that immersive and lively vibe. There are lots of excellent places to eat nearby so you’ll be spoiled for choice compared to other areas on the island. We really liked Pulalli and Pizzeria Longano.

Now, we don’t tend to splash the cash on hotels when we travel, so we will be as savvy as we can when booking our hotel in Capri Town next time we visit. We’ll plan to arrive outside of peak months, we’ll book well in advance (6+ months), and we’ll shop around on different platforms like Booking.com (using our rewards program and mobile only prices) before checking the price going direct with the hotel. In our step-by-step 3 days in Capri itinerary, we use Capri Town as our base because it’s the most logistically efficient spot on the island.

Photo of the main square in Capri town lit up at dusk with lots of people eating in restaurants
Mark took this photo as we walked through Capri Town in the evening

💰 Cheap: If we desperately wanted to stay in the iconic Capri Town area but had a limited budget, we’d start by looking at Capri Dolce Vita which has affordable prices for its prime-time location. Next, we’d compare prices at Capri Wine Hotel, Aldarogi and Villa Patrizi, three high-quality lodgings that sometimes have lower prices because they’re around 10 minutes walk from the restaurants and shops in town. We particularly like Capri Wine Hotel.

💰💰 Mid-range: With a middle of the road budget, we’d look at hotel options on the south side of Capri Town around Via Camerelle or Via Tragara (our favorite area and where we’ll try to book next time). La Residenza Capri, Hotel la Floridiana and Hotel Canasta have that prime-time location but won’t break the bank. Mark tends to recommend these hotels during his travel planning consultations as “right in town at fair price” picks.

💰💰💰 Luxury: If money was no object for our next trip, we’d book a 4 or 5 star hotel like Hotel La Minerva, Hotel Mamela or Hotel Scalinatella. They all have what we’d consider to be perfect locations within Capri Town. Book any one of those three if you want a classy hotel in an idyllic spot. If they were all the same price, we’d probably lean towards La Minerva.

🏡 Vacation rentals: Capri Town has a handful of highly rated Airbnb rentals, but there aren’t many and we’re sure they will book up a long way in advance. If it was just the two of us, we’d compare prices at Capri Penthouse and The Sea Suite. If we took our kids or visited with another couple, we’d book either Villa Olive, Tramonto, or Villa Pablo for a splurge. Or for a bigger group, we really like the look of La Grande Perla.

Pros

✅ Walk to Capri-side sights
✅ Main transport hub
✅ Best restaurants & bars
✅ Easy logistics
✅ Lively atmosphere

Cons

❌ Most expensive
❌ More tourist traps
❌ Heavy daytime crowds
❌ Walk to hotels with luggage
❌ Hotels book up first

Staying in more places along the Amalfi Coast? Read our extended guide on where to stay along the Amalfi Coast to see the best and worst areas to stay in the likes of Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and more areas we visited.

Marina Grande (Most Convenient For Transport)

Map showing the location of Marina Grande neighborhood within Capri Island
Map showing the location of Marina Grande on the island of Capri

Marina Grande is home to Capri’s bustling port. It’s where tourists like you and us arrive and leave the island by ferry from Sorrento, Positano, Naples, and every other nearby town. And you know what? The port was utter chaos when we arrived and departed, both around 9:30 AM. There were hundreds of tourists flustering around, pulling heavy suitcases on cobbled roads, and trying to figure out where to go. It was pandemonium, and the lines for seriously overpriced taxis or the cheaper funicular to town were massive. Not fun.

Most of the restaurants and cafes right on the port-front seemed like overpriced tourist traps, and overall Marina Grande felt like the most commercialized part of the island to us. Now, there are hotels within steps of the port, but we’d avoid them for the reasons we just mentioned, despite the obvious convenience for ferry access. Staying right on Marina Grande port wouldn’t give us that true Capri experience. It’s too busy.

That said, there are a few highly rated and affordable places to stay slightly uphill to the west of Marina Grande port. We stayed at B&B La Terrazza sul Mare, and there are a few other solid options in the same area. We had a great view and the breakfast was excellent, but we ended up walking 8 minutes to the funicular or 20 minutes into town, a few times each day. And that became annoying by the end of our third day, so we personally wouldn’t stay in that area again either.

So who should stay in Marina Grande? If we were only staying on Capri for one night and didn’t want to deal with lugging suitcases all over the island, Marina Grande makes sense as a convenient “bag drop, explore, crash at the hotel” type of area. It would also work if we were prioritizing a boat tour to the Blue Grotto or taking a boat tour of the island through a company like Viator. But now we know how easy it is to get down to the port from Capri Town by funicular, so it’s not exactly a game-changing benefit.

Photo of a tourist sitting at a small table from a hotel balcony in Capri overlooking the Bay of Naples
Kristen enjoying sea views from the balcony during our stay at B&B La Terrazza sul Mare
Photo of small wooden boats on a rocky shore next to a blue sea under a clear sky in Italy
Mark took this “fishing village vibes” photo of Marina Grande as we waited for our boat ride to Positano

💰 Cheap: If we absolutely wanted to stay in Marina Grande but had a tight budget, we’d book Hotel Belvedere e Tre Re which is just steps from the ferry port. and B&B La Terrazza sul Mare (where we stayed) really was fantastic – it would work well for anyone looking to escape the crowds but still be close-ish to the port and town.

💰💰 Mid-range: With a mid-range budget we’d look at the highly rated Capri Inn on the lower end of mid, or Relais Maresca for lite-luxury at the upper end of mid. They’re both within a few minutes walk of the port.

💰💰💰 Luxury: Or if had a bigger budget and wanted a real treat in the Marina Grande area, we’d book either the 5-star boutique hotel J.K. Place or the top rated Luxury Villa Excelsior Parco. Both are a few minutes walk from the port and look excellent.

🏡 Vacation rentals: Marina Grande’s Airbnb scene is mostly for 1 or 2 bedroom properties suited to couples, families with kids, or small groups of friends. For a one bedroom stay, we’d look at La Casetta del Porto, Il Refugio del Pescatore, Casa Chiara, and Sea View Terrace. They all have high ratings and look great. Or if we needed the extra bedroom, we’d compare prices at Capri Holiday Home and The Gabbiano.

Pros

✅ Easiest arrival/departure
✅ Boat tours & Blue Grotto ferry
✅ Good connections
✅ Decent value
✅ Beach access

Cons

❌ Daytime chaos
❌ Less attractive
❌ Touristy restaurants
❌ Quiet evenings
❌ Long uphill to town

Marina Piccola (Best For A Beach Trip)

Map showing the location of Marina Piccola neighborhood within Capri Island
Map showing the location of Marina Piccola on the island of Capri

This is just our opinion, but after visiting three “beach” areas on the island of Capri, we thought Marina Piccola was no more than the best of a bad bunch. We certainly wouldn’t choose to stay there over Capri Town next time. Why? The main reason is because Capri’s beaches aren’t sand, they’re pebbles. We spent a few hours on the tiny and uncomfortable pebble beach at Marina Piccola and honestly we thought it was average at best. It didn’t feel like a typical beachy vacation vibe, nowhere on the Amalfi Coast did.

But looking beyond the lack of golden sand we all want from a beach holiday, the Marina Piccola area only has a few hotels and dining options – and the lack of quality places to eat out would be our biggest concern for a multi-night trip. The beach is also located at the bottom of a hill, so if we stayed there we’d end up walking 25 minutes or taking a 10-minute bus into town every time we wanted to eat. And the same goes for getting around the island, we’d have to walk or bus into town before walking or taking another bus to get anywhere else.

Staying in Marina Piccola also means a longer connection to Capri’s port for the ferry, when compared against Capri Town and Marina Grande. From Marina Piccola it would be either two buses, a longer and more expensive taxi, or a 25-minute walk and the funicular which wouldn’t be fun with massive suitcases. Now, we’re not trying to put you off, but we want you to know the realities of choosing the most popular beach area to book your Capri hotel.

Okay, so who is Marina Piccola actually for? Well, if we visited Capri with a big group of friends or family who weren’t bothered about exploring the island’s attractions and genuinely just wanted a place to unwind in the sun for a few days to break up a longer Amalfi Coast trip, Marina Piccola would be Capri’s best beach area to do just that. And it does also work for anyone who wants to be close to Capri Town’s vibrant evening atmosphere, but far enough away to avoid the worst of the day tripper crowds.

Photo of a rocky beach with buildings built into a cliff in Marina Piccola in Capri
This was one side of the pebble beach area we visited in Marina Piccola

Quick note on hotels in Marina Piccola: The only hotel we would consider booking that’s actually near the beach is Weber Ambassador. The other highly rated options are all located in-between Capri Town and Marina Piccola beach, which is better for food but not for instant beach access.

💰 Cheap: If we wanted to stay near Marina Piccola beach on a tight budget, we’d book the highly rated Hotel Guarracino. Our backup option would be Casa Augusto B&B for a more intimate and peaceful experience.

💰💰 Mid-range: The most popular hotel in Marina Piccola is the 4-star Hotel Weber Ambassador which is located almost next to the beach. If we wanted a lazy trip on the seafront where we rarely left the hotel, this is the one we’d book. It’s also got lots of amenities, which might make it more appealing to families.

💰💰💰 Luxury: There are no real luxury hotel options in Marina Piccola, but the 4-star Hotel Della Piccola Marina is the most expensive place to stay and it does look nice. It’s located half way between town and the beach, so we’d choose between this one and Weber Ambassador based on price and exactly where we wanted to set up base for the trip.

🏡 Vacation rentals: Interestingly, the lack of traditional hotel options actually near the beach is offset by a massive amount of seriously cool-looking Airbnb rentals available close to Marina Piccola’s pebbles and blue water. Most of them are 3 or 4 bedrooms, perfect for extended families and bigger groups of friends. Casa Fiore is our favorite 1 bedroom property, and Villa Azzurra with 2 bedrooms also looks awesome. With three bedrooms we really like Villa Cortina, Blu and Garden, Wonderful Villa, and especially LA Baika. Or with four bedrooms Beach House by the Sea offers excellent value right on the beach, and the incredibly beautiful Tenuta Saracena looks like one of the most exclusive properties on the entire island – we’d love to book it one day.

Pros

✅ Beach is right there
✅ Faraglioni views
✅ Short walk/bus into town
✅ Feels more resorty
✅ Calmer evenings vs town

Cons

❌ Awkward for the port
❌ Few places to eat
❌ Infrequent buses
❌ Limited choice of hotels
❌ Beach is pebble, not sand

Photo of Capri with a smartphone showing a Capri guidebook sold by Where Are Those Morgans

Want to see Capri’s highlights?

Our 3-day Capri itinerary walks you step by step through the best way to see every major sight in the right order, with insider tips and an exclusive map to use on the island – everything you need to visit with confidence for just $9.99.

Anacapri Town (Better Value & Much Quieter)

Map showing the location of Anacapri Town neighborhood within Capri Island
Map showing the location of Anacapri Town on the island of Capri

We have to admit Anacapri Town surprised us. We’d been walking around the bustling and ritzy Capri Town area non-stop, and Anacapri Town felt so quiet, calm, low-key, and “normal”. We didn’t expect such a stark contrast between the two main built up areas of the island. Anacapri’s restaurants and independent shops were more affordable and authentic, it felt like we were walking through an old village rather than a busy town center, and very few of the day-tripper crowds were in sight.

We spent one full day out of our three on the island exploring the Anacapri side. We visited Villa San Michele, took the chair lift to Monte Solaro for the best views on the island, ate a delicious lunch at Sciue Sciue, took a bus to the Blue Grotto and entered the cave from the land, hiked the scenic Sentiero dei Fortini, took a dip in the sea at Faro di Punta Carena, and walked down the Scala Fenicia. It was awesome, we loved Anacapri. But would we stay there next time? If we found affordable rates at one of the two 5-star hotels, yes. Otherwise no.

Why not? As nice as it was to escape the crowds at attractions and eat at reasonably priced restaurants, Anacapri was just a bit too quiet for our taste. We visited in May, and we’re sure it would be busier in July or August, but we felt it was lacking any sort of atmosphere, not just in the evenings but even during the day. But if we didn’t care about the vibe, let’s say we just wanted a relaxing trip, we’d definitely consider staying in Anacapri because hotels are cheaper than any of the three areas we’ve discussed on the Capri side of the island, and it’s well connected to Capri Town and the port at Marina Grande by bus.

Photo of Kristen Morgan standing on a platform holding onto metal fences at a high up viewpoint with views over the ocean and sky
Kristen enjoying immense views from the top of Monte Solaro
Photo of statues and columns inside a tunnel like walkway in a museum in Anacapri
Mark took this photo as we walked through the pergola outside Villa San Michele in Anacapri

💰 Cheap: Anacapri Town is a great place to stay for anyone visiting Capri on a shoestring budget because hotels tend to run cheaper for the same quality. The highest rated hotels we can find for the lowest prices in Anacapri Town are Caprita Guest House, B&B Casa Angelina, and B&B Il Sogno which has a pool that could be a life saver in summer.

💰💰 Mid-range: With a bit more wiggle room in the budget, we’d start by looking at Hotel Carmencita which has impressive ratings, a free shuttle from the port, and breakfast included. But there are two more excellent options that we’d consider if they were cheaper, first is Hotel Bellavista near Villa San Michele and second is Relais Caposcuro which is near the chair lift to Monte Solaro.

💰💰💰 Luxury: Or if we wanted a massive splurge on the quieter side of Capri, we’d flip a coin between Jumeirah Palace and Hotel Caesar Augustus. They’re both proper luxury 5-star hotels. The hidden gem alternative in our luxury category is the boutique hotel Casa Mariantonia which looks amazing and costs a fraction of the two traditional 5-star hotels. It’s our top value for money pick on the island.

🏡 Vacation rentals: There are far fewer Airbnb options in Anacapri Town, but we still found a few that we’d happily book if the prices were cheaper than hotels and we wanted a full place to ourselves. If it was just the two of us, we’d book Casa Dalmasso. Or if we were visiting with our kids or parents, we’d compare Cozy and Bright House, Unique Terrace, and Capri Kronos to see which would fit best. And if we needed a third bedroom, we’d book Casa il Terrazzino which has an outdoor kitchen and looks lovely.

Pros

✅ Much better value
✅ Walk to Monte Solaro chairlift
✅ Hub for west side
✅ Quieter, more local feel
✅ Close to Sentiero dei Fortini hike

Cons

❌ Very quiet at night
❌ Must bus to Capri Town
❌ Fewer standout restaurants
❌ Further from port
❌ Doesn’t have the same “glamour”

Anacapri Escape (Perfect For Seclusion & Calm)

Map showing the location of the rural Anacapri neighborhood within Capri Island
Map showing the location of rural Anacapri on the island of Capri

The final area we want to highlight is on the northwest side of Anacapri, not far from the Blue Grotto. This is a part of Capri that we’d never, ever have considered ourselves before our first visit because of the isolated location – but when we took a bus from Anacapri to the Blue Grotto and it stopped outside a handful of villa-style B&B’s with pools in the middle of nowhere, we realized it would be the perfect place for a total escape.

Now, we’re not saying this rural part of Anacapri is going to suit every first-timer. On the contrary, we think it will only suit a small percentage of people visiting Capri for the first time. And we wouldn’t stay there ourselves unless we were actively seeking a place to disconnect from the world and recharge. But we wanted to highlight it as a potential option for anyone who wants just that. Hidden away, old-world villas with magical sea views and nobody else around.

Now, there are very few restaurants in the area, so eating out would likely be a bus ride back into Anacapri. But this area has almost instant access to the Blue Grotto from the land side (we did it by land and it was much easier than arriving by sea – read our guide on what to expect at Capri’s Blue Grotto), and it’s not far to the northern terminus of the amazing Sentiero dei Fortini hike which we loved. Plus, it’s easy enough to do attractions on the Capri side by taking a bus across the island for a full day.

One major downside to staying in this rural northwestern part of Capri is how far away the port is. It would be two buses minimum or a very long and expensive taxi. Or, massive insider tip, if you’re in good shape and only have a backpack, take a bus to Anacapri, then walk down the Scala Fenicia (900 Phoenician steps) and you’re nearly at Marina Grande. And finally, lots of the secluded lodging options in this area are for adults only – or they have cut offs below certain ages like 14 for example. This is something families should pay attention to.

Photo taken of small boats with people inside a sea cave with deep blue water
This was our view looking back out of the cave as we waited to leave after a few minutes inside

💰 Cheap: To really escape into the rural northwest side of Capri and keep expenses to a minimum at the same time, we’d compare La Draghina B&B against B&B Casetta Minghitto for price, location and amenities based on the type of trip we wanted. Both are solid low-cost options.

💰💰 Mid-range: The two mid-range hotels in this area are a massive step up so we’d do our best to stretch the budget. First is Il Carrubo which has near perfect guest ratings, a lovely outdoor pool, and a truly remote location for genuine escapism (this would be our top pick for this area). Second is Villa Ceselle which has excellent ratings and is a bit closer to civilization in Anacapri Town.

💰💰💰 Luxury: Finally, if we really wanted to treat ourselves in this more secluded part of Anacapri, we’d look no further than the highly rated Albergo Orsa Maggiore. It looks excellent.

🏡 Vacation rentals: Unsurprisingly, there aren’t many Airbnb options in this quieter part of the island. But the few that we have found look genuinely amazing and they perfectly match the whole point of choosing to book accommodation here – pure escapism. With two bedrooms we like the look of Casa Andrea and Capri Darly. For a three bedroom stay we think Seaside Villa looks great. Or if we needed four bedrooms for a bigger group, we’d compare prices at Anacapri Classic and Luxury Villa. If Luxury Villa was within budget for our group, it would be our top pick because it looks like exactly what we imagine a truly luxurious and private villa would give you in Capri.

Pros

✅ Walk to Blue Grotto
✅ Secluded & peaceful
✅ More space for the money
✅ Fortini trail on doorstep
✅ Different Capri experience

Cons

❌ Hard to get around
❌ Very few restaurants
❌ Small B&B’s, few services
❌ Not suitable for short trips
❌ Worst area for port access

Capri Neighborhoods Map

Map key:

  • Green – Cheap hotels
  • Red – Mid range hotels
  • Blue – Luxury hotels

How to use this map: Click the map above to activate, then tap any hotel icon to see more information. See a list of all hotels and neighborhoods by clicking the arrow icon in the top left, or see a full version of the map by clicking the “view larger map” icon in the top right.

How to save this map: Click the small star next to the map title – this will add the map to your Google account. Open your Google Maps app, tap “saved”, then tap “maps” and open this map.

Where To Avoid Staying

Southwest Anacapri: This side of the island looks like our northwest “escape” area on the map – rural, quiet, great views and cheaper B&B’s. But we’d say skip it to most people. It’s not a bad area, it’s a poor base. The northwest’s big advantage is being able to walk to the Blue Grotto first thing in the morning to beat the boats. Down here the main draw is Punta Carena lighthouse, the swimming spots, and the sunset. We did enjoy hanging out near the lighthouse for an hour after our Sentiero dei Fortini hike, but not enough to make us want to book a hotel there.

East of Capri Town: Don’t book something 20 minutes walk from the Piazzetta on the way up to Villa Lysis and Villa Jovis. If a place looks unusually affordable, there’s probably a reason. There aren’t many options up that way, but if you do book something on the east side of the island, make sure it’s within easy walking distance of the restaurants and amenities in town (5-10 minutes is fine).

Sorrento: Both Capri and Sorrento have a Marina Grande and a Marina Piccola. It might sound obvious, but please don’t book your hotel in the wrong place!

Vibe: The most important thing to avoid is the wrong vibe for your travel style. Don’t stay in Marina Grande if you hate massive crowds, avoid booking a hotel right on Piazzetta di Capri if you’re a light sleeper, don’t choose a B&B in northwest Anacapri if you prefer an energetic atmosphere in the evenings, and skip Marina Piccola if you’re not interested in the beach.

Photo of Mark Morgan hiking on a narrow rocky trail towards towering cliffs in the distance under a clear blue sky in Capri
Mark hiking the awesome Sentiero dei Fortini on the west side of the island

Our Top Tips

Stay at least one night: If you’re still not sure whether to spend a night on Capri vs staying in Sorrento or Positano, we strongly urge you to consider it. In peak season up to 60,000 people visit for the day, but most leave on the evening ferries. That means you get to see Capri in the mornings and evening without the intense day-trip crowds.

Use one base: We’re usually big fans of moving hotels to make life easier for logistics or attractions. But it makes perfect sense to stick with just one base on the island, even for longer stays. The buses are actually pretty good and the island is small, so there’s never too much transit time lost.

Allow an extra day for the Blue Grotto: Honestly, we don’t think the Blue Grotto is worth the massive hype. But if it’s a big priority for your trip, it might be worth adding in a spare day just in case the cave is closed due to rough seas.

Check seasonal opening dates: We were surprised to learn that Capri’s hotels, restaurants, shops and even the funicular close for a long winter season from early November through Easter. Capri is not a place to go for a winter escape!

Avoid July and August: Personally, we wouldn’t even consider going to Capri in July or August because it would be too hot, too expensive and too busy. Yes, the evening atmosphere would be more vibrant, but attractions would be packed and hotels book up a long way in advance.

Arriving into Capri: Some ferry operators charge small fees for checked luggage on the way to Capri. Porters can be arranged with certain hotels to pick up baggage separately. Lines for the funicular can be enormous, check with your hotel to see if they include a hotel-guest lane.

Missing your flight home: On a longer Amalfi Coast or Italy trip, we’d stay in either Naples or Sorrento the night before our flight, rather than staying in Capri and being worried about canceled sailings due to bad weather.

Pools are worth paying for: Capri’s beaches are small, pebbly and packed, so a hotel pool can make a big difference on a hot summer afternoon. We’d happily pay more for a pool.

And finally, we travel for a living so take a look at our guide on how to book cheaper hotels for your trip to Capri.

Next Steps

We hope our neighborhoods guide helps you figure out where to stay in Capri.

If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning consultations where we answer any questions you have, help you avoid tourist traps and find you the perfect hotel. Book a 1-on-1 call.

Still researching for your trip?

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel guide for helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

Find our guide helpful? Pin it for later!

All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Leave a Comment