Anacapri, Villa San Michele and Monte Solaro

Axel Munthe built the villa on the site of a chapel and Roman remains at the top of the Phoenician Steps, and wrote about it in The Story of San Michele. Today it belongs to a Swedish foundation. You walk through furnished rooms full of Roman fragments he collected, then out along a pergola to a loggia and a granite sphinx looking out over the Bay of Naples.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in October and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in November, last entry 30 minutes before closing. In December and January it closes on Tuesdays, and it is closed all of February. The foundation also runs guided visits to the ruined Barbarossa castle above the villa on Thursday afternoons in season, by advance booking.

Our view: worth it for the garden and the view if you like house-museums. If you are choosing between the villa and the chairlift on a clear day, take the chairlift.

The single-seat chairlift leaves from Piazza Vittoria in the center of Anacapri and rises to the top of Monte Solaro, 589 m, in about 13 minutes. At the top are terraces with a bar and, on a clear day, a view over the Faraglioni, Capri town, the Sorrento peninsula and the whole bay.

• Price: €15 return, €12 one way (up or down).
• Hours: April to October 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., last descent 5:30 p.m.; November, December, February and March 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., last descent 4:30 p.m.
• Walking down: buy a one-way ticket and walk down past the Cetrella hermitage, a path for people with good knees and shoes.

The operator's price page is undated, so treat these figures as the latest published. Check the sky before you pay: on a cloudy day the summit view is gone, and the ticket is not cheap.

From Marina Grande, where all ferries land, buses run straight up to Anacapri; you can also go from Capri town. Each ride costs €2.40. The official Capri museums guide estimates 20 to 25 minutes from Marina Grande to the Casa Rossa by bus. The small buses fill up quickly in the late morning; queue early or go up first thing.

From Anacapri's Piazza della Pace, a separate line runs down to the Blue Grotto, stopping near the ruins of the Roman villa of Damecuta. Other buses go to the lighthouse at Punta Carena. For ferries to the island, see our Capri page and ferries guide.

The Casa Rossa is a red house built at the end of the 19th century by the American John Clay MacKowen, now a small house-museum run by the state. It costs €5 and is included in the €12 Capri combined ticket with Villa Jovis and the Certosa di San Giacomo. From October to April it opens 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., last entry 15 minutes before closing.

Otherwise, Anacapri is for wandering: the lanes around Piazza Vittoria and the church of San Michele, whose majolica floor shows the Garden of Eden. It is also a gentler base than Capri town for a night on the island; the Capri, Ischia or Procida guide compares bases.

1. Bus from Marina Grande to Anacapri, 9:30 a.m.
2. Chairlift up Monte Solaro while the air is clear; 45 minutes at the top.
3. Down, and Villa San Michele before lunch.
4. Afternoon: bus down to Capri town for the Gardens of Augustus, or to the Blue Grotto if the sea is calm and it is before 2 p.m. from October 16.

Our Capri day trip fits this into a day from Naples.

Naples: Capri & Anacapri, Travel like a VIP by Hydrofoil

No Blue Grotto and no Monte Solaro chairlift. Meets at Bar Picnic, Molo Beverello. Needs 2 people from April to October, 4 in winter. For comparison, the NLG hydrofoil alone is €25 each way.

8 hours

4.7★★★★★★★★★★(3,709 reviews)

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Ultimate Capri & Blue Grotto Day Tour from Naples or Sorrento

If the Blue Grotto is shut you get a boat ride round the island instead; when it is open that ride is €25 extra. Monte Solaro chairlift €14 extra. Meets outside Molo Beverello or at Marina Piccola, Sorrento.

9 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(1,244 reviews)

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Rating as shown on Viator

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