Elegant Capri Villa With Panoramic ViewsN°001
Capri, Italy
Private poolgardenGym
From $8,640 per night
The Mediterranean's most storied island, after the boats leave
Capri floats off the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Bay of Naples, a limestone island of sheer cliffs, bougainvillea lanes and a glamour that stretches from Roman emperors to the Piazzetta's evening rituals. Renting a private villa here is the way to own the island's magic hours, the early mornings and late evenings after the day boats depart.
- The Faraglioni sea stacks and a boat circuit of the island's grottoes
- The Blue Grotto's famous luminous water, best in morning light
- Anacapri's quieter lanes, Villa San Michele and the Monte Solaro chairlift
- Evening aperitivi in the Piazzetta once the day-trippers have sailed
- Cliff-top villas with pools, terraces and concierge-arranged boats and chefs
Known forThe Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni sea stacks, the Piazzetta, Villa Jovis, Monte Solaro and a century of Mediterranean glamour
Best time to visitMay, June and September for warm weather without peak crowds; July and August for high-summer glamour
Nearest airportNaples (NAP), then hydrofoil or ferry from Naples or Sorrento to Marina Grande
Ideal forCouples, celebration groups and connoisseur families who value privacy on a legendary island
Stylish Capri Escape With Magical GardensN°002
Capri, Italy
Private poolgardenair conditioning
From $8,640 per night
Luxury Villa with Private Dock, Pool & GardenN°003
Capri, Italy
Private poolHot Tubgarden
From $4,070 per night
Capri Villa With Panoramic PoolN°004
Capri, Italy
Private PoolSea View
From $4,070 per night
Panoramic Capri Villa With SeaviewsN°005
Capri, Italy
Sea View
From $4,070 per night
5homes available
5–9bedrooms
up to 19guests
4with a pool
Events not to miss in Capri
- 14 May
Festa di San Costanzo
Capri honours its patron saint with a procession carrying his statue from the church in Capri town down to Marina Grande, a genuinely local day before the summer season peaks.
- 13 June
Festa di Sant'Antonio
Anacapri's patron saint festival fills the upper village with processions, music and celebrations along its whitewashed lanes.
- Early September
Settembrata Anacaprese
Anacapri's end-of-summer festival celebrates the grape harvest with parades, gastronomy and neighbourhood contests, a window onto the island's local life.
- Late December to early January
Capri Hollywood International Film Festival
The island's winter film festival brings screenings and international guests to Capri over the holidays, a stylish reason to see the island out of season.
Capri through the seasons
- Spring (April – June)
Bloom, walks and warming seas
Wisteria and bougainvillea light up the lanes, the Pizzolungo and Monte Solaro paths are at their freshest, and May's Festa di San Costanzo opens the season.
- Summer (July – August)
High glamour and grotto-blue water
The warmest swimming, beach-club lunches beneath the Faraglioni and the Piazzetta at full wattage; villa guests own the island's early mornings and late nights.
- Autumn (September – October)
Golden light, warm sea, fewer boats
The insiders' season: sea at its warmest, day-trip crowds thinning and the Settembrata harvest festival in Anacapri.
- Winter (November – March)
The island to yourself
Most businesses rest, but quiet lanes, clear winter light and the Capri Hollywood film festival at year's end reveal a Capri few visitors ever see.
The Area and Where to Stay
Capri divides into two small worlds. Capri town, above the harbour at Marina Grande, holds the Piazzetta, the designer lanes of Via Camerelle and the walk out to the Gardens of Augustus overlooking the Faraglioni; villas here put you at the centre of the island's social theatre. Anacapri, higher on the slopes of Monte Solaro, is the quieter half, a place of whitewashed lanes, Villa San Michele and long views over the bay, where villa stays feel more secluded. Marina Grande below is the working port, handy for boat days. Everything is connected by funicular, bus and the island's signature open-top taxis, and nowhere is far: Capri measures barely six kilometres end to end. A villa with a pool and terrace is the island's scarcest luxury, and booking early for summer is essential.
Things to Do
Start on the water: a private boat circuit of the island passes the Faraglioni, the Punta Carena lighthouse and a string of grottoes, with swimming stops in impossibly clear coves; the Blue Grotto itself, entered by rowing boat, is best in morning light. Ashore, walk the Via Krupp switchbacks (viewable even when closed), the Pizzolungo path beneath the Natural Arch, and up to Villa Jovis, Emperor Tiberius's ruined cliff-top palace. In Anacapri, ride the single-seat chairlift to Monte Solaro, the island's summit, and visit Axel Munthe's Villa San Michele. Then there is the island's oldest sport: the evening passeggiata, an aperitivo in the Piazzetta and dinner on a vine-covered terrace. Your concierge arranges skippered boats, restaurant tables and beach-club daybeds at spots such as those below the Faraglioni.
Food and Local Flavour
Capri gave its name to two classics, insalata caprese and torta caprese, the flourless chocolate and almond cake, and both taste best at source. Menus lean on the Bay of Naples: spaghetti alle vongole, just-caught fish baked in salt, ravioli capresi filled with local caciotta and marjoram, and lemons in everything from granita to limoncello. Beach clubs at the water's edge serve long, barefoot lunches, while Capri town's terraces handle the glittering dinners. Anacapri hides quieter, family-run rooms beloved of regulars. Much produce arrives daily by boat, so seasonality is real. A private chef at the villa turns the same market haul into dinner above the lights of the bay, and the concierge secures the tables that summer demand makes scarce.
When to Visit
Capri's season runs roughly from Easter to October. May and June are superb: warm seas beginning, gardens in bloom and the island fully open but not yet at peak crush. July and August bring high glamour, the warmest swimming and the biggest day-trip crowds, which villa guests sidestep by enjoying the island early and late. September is the insiders' month, golden and calmer with the sea at its warmest, and early October can still be lovely. Winter is genuinely quiet, with many businesses closed, though the Capri Hollywood film festival enlivens the year's end. Whenever you come, the island transforms after the last ferry leaves, which is precisely what staying in a villa buys.
Getting There
Fly to Naples (NAP), then transfer to the port, where frequent hydrofoils reach Capri's Marina Grande in about 50 minutes; ferries and hydrofoils also run from Sorrento in around 25 minutes, convenient if you are combining Capri with the Amalfi Coast. Private speedboat transfers from Naples, Sorrento or Positano are the seamless option and easily arranged by your concierge, as are helicopter transfers for the shortest journey. Cars are effectively pointless on Capri: from Marina Grande, the funicular rises to Capri town, buses and taxis climb to Anacapri, and porters handle luggage to villas on pedestrian lanes. Travel light and let the island's rhythm take over.