Capri

Capri's most famous wonder — the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), a sea cave on the island's north coast where sunlight, refracted through an underwater opening, fills the water with an astonishing, glowing electric-blue light while objects below the surface shimmer silver. You transfer into a tiny wooden rowing boat and lie flat to slip through the low entrance, then drift in the eerie blue glow as the boatman sings. It's touristy, brief and weather-dependent (it closes in rough seas or high tide), but the colour is genuinely magical and unlike anything else. Go on a calm morning. Unforgettable and iconic. Check conditions before you set out.

The glamorous stage on which all of Capri performs — the Piazzetta (officially Piazza Umberto I), the tiny, café-ringed square at the heart of Capri Town that has been the island's living room and celebrity-spotting hub for a century. Bordered by four famous cafés with their spill of little tables, watched over by a Baroque clock tower and church, it's where everyone converges to sip an overpriced Aperol spritz, see and be seen, and watch the parade of the beautiful and the famous. Snag a table at golden hour, order a drink, and soak up the dolce vita theatre. Iconic and buzzy. Worth the price of a coffee for the show.

The best way to grasp Capri's beauty is from the water — a boat tour right around the island, gliding beneath sheer cliffs and past a string of sea caves (the green, white and coral grottoes), secluded coves and, the highlight, the majestic Faraglioni: three towering rock stacks rising from the sea, one pierced by a natural arch your boat sails right through (kiss your love as you pass, says the legend). Take a shared or private gozzo, stop to swim in the impossibly clear water, and see the island's most spectacular scenery. A gorgeous, essential half-day. Simply stunning. Go for a private boat if you can — it's magical.

The most breathtaking view in all of Capri — a ride up Monte Solaro, the island's highest peak (589m), on a wonderfully scenic single-seat chairlift that floats you silently up over gardens, vineyards and whitewashed houses in about 12 minutes. From the summit terrace the panorama is jaw-dropping: the whole island spread below, the Faraglioni, the Bay of Naples, Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento peninsula, and on clear days as far as Calabria. It's a genuine 'wow' moment and an easy one; ride up, drink in the view, and walk down through the hills if you like. Spectacular and unmissable. Go on a clear day.

The classic Capri postcard — the Gardens of Augustus (Giardini di Augusto), a series of flower-filled terraced gardens perched on the cliffs just below Capri Town, framing the island's most famous view: the towering Faraglioni rocks rising from the blue sea on one side and, on the other, the dizzying switchbacks of the Via Krupp, a beautiful (currently often closed) path zigzagging down the cliff to Marina Piccola. Wander the blooming terraces, drink in the double panorama, and take the photo everyone comes for. A gorgeous, easy and essential stop. Simply beautiful. Go early or late for softer light and fewer crowds.

One of the loveliest spots on the island — Villa San Michele in Anacapri, the exquisite cliff-top home built by the Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe on the ruins of a Roman villa, filled with antiquities and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The real magic is the pergola-lined terrace and the famous marble sphinx gazing out over one of the most spectacular views in Capri — Marina Grande, the whole island and the Bay of Naples far below. Wander the elegant rooms and blossoming gardens and soak up the serene beauty; it's a poem of a place. A beautiful, cultured and peaceful highlight. Enchanting. Lovely paired with the Monte Solaro chairlift nearby.

Capri's beaches are small and pebbly, but the swimming and the style are sublime — spend a day at one of the chic beach clubs of Marina Piccola, where wooden sun decks and loungers cling to the coves in full view of the Faraglioni, and you slip straight from your sunbed into crystal-clear, deep-blue water. Sunbathe, swim, sip a spritz at the beach bar and lunch on fresh seafood with your toes near the sea; it's quintessential Capri glamour. Book a lounger at a lido, or find the small free public patch. A gorgeous, sun-soaked highlight. Divine on a hot day. Reserve a sunbed ahead in summer.

A lovely, more laid-back place to swim — Bagni di Tiberio, a pretty little cove west of Marina Grande, reached by a short boat shuttle from the port (or a scenic walk), where you can swim in calm, clear water right beside the submerged ruins of one of Emperor Tiberius's seaside villas. There's a small beach club and a relaxed trattoria for a long seaside lunch, and it feels a world away from the glitz. Take the boat over, swim among the Roman remains and while away an afternoon by the sea. A relaxed, beautiful and characterful spot. Delightful and a bit special. A calmer alternative to Marina Piccola.

Capri has been a byword for chic since the 1950s, and its glamorous evening ritual is a must — wander the whitewashed lanes of Capri Town past the windows of the big designer names and the island's own artisans (hand-made Capri sandals fitted to your foot, limoncello, lemon-print linen), then claim a table on the Piazzetta or a panoramic terrace bar for an aperitivo as the sun sets and the beautiful people emerge. It's people-watching, dolce vita and gentle indulgence at its finest. Browse, sip a spritz, and soak up the glamour after the day-trippers leave. Stylish and buzzy. The island is at its best in the evening.

Capri gave the world some delicious classics, and you should taste them at the source — insalata caprese, the simple perfection of local mozzarella, ripe tomatoes and basil (born right here); torta caprese, a rich flourless chocolate-and-almond cake; ravioli capresi stuffed with caciotta cheese and marjoram; and, to finish, an ice-cold limoncello made from the island's fat, fragrant lemons. Sit at a trattoria terrace with a sea view and work your way through them over a long, sunny lunch. Fresh, sun-drenched and iconic. Delicious and unmissable. The lemons here are the size of your fist.

The loveliest stroll in Capri Town — the Via Tragara, an elegant, mostly level lane that winds from the centre past grand hotels, villas and cascading bougainvillea to the Belvedere di Tragara, a panoramic terrace with a heart-stopping, close-up view straight down onto the Faraglioni rising from the sea. From there, energetic walkers can continue down the switchbacks of the Pizzolungo path to the striking Grotta di Matermania and the Arco Naturale. It's a beautiful, easy walk to the island's signature view, gorgeous at golden hour. A scenic, romantic highlight. Simply beautiful. Wear comfy shoes for the steps beyond.

A dramatic walk into ancient history — Villa Jovis, the vast ruined clifftop palace from which the Emperor Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire in his final years, perched on the island's north-eastern tip. Reached by a pretty (uphill) 45-minute walk from Capri Town through gardens and lanes, the sprawling brick ruins tumble across the headland, and the reward is a spectacular, breezy panorama over the sea to the Sorrento peninsula and the bay, with the sheer 'Tiberius's Leap' cliff plunging below. It rewards the effort with history, solitude and a magnificent view far from the crowds. A rewarding, atmospheric highlight. Bring water and good shoes.

Capri's best spot for a sunset — Punta Carena, at the wild south-western tip below Anacapri, where a handsome red-and-white lighthouse stands above a rocky cove with a beach club, flat sunning rocks and deep, clear water for swimming. Being on the west coast, it's the rare place on the island where you can watch the sun sink straight into the sea, drink in hand, and it stays lively and unpretentious well into the evening. Ride the bus down from Anacapri, swim in the golden light and stay for the sunset. A gorgeous, relaxed and slightly wilder highlight. Magical at sundown. A local favourite.

A beautiful walk to one of the island's natural wonders — a scenic path east from Capri Town leads through gardens and quiet lanes to the Arco Naturale, a huge, ancient natural rock arch draped in greenery and framing the blue sea far below. Nearby, steep steps drop to the atmospheric Grotta di Matermania (a Roman nymphaeum cave) and on to the panoramic Pizzolungo trail beneath the Faraglioni. It's a gorgeous, leg-stretching escape into Capri's wilder side, away from the shops and crowds, with sea views at every turn (and a famous terrace restaurant on the way). A lovely, scenic highlight. Peaceful and spectacular. Wear proper shoes for the steps.

The island's colourful front door — Marina Grande, the pastel-painted fishing harbour where the ferries dock, lined with bobbing boats, seafood trattorias and gelaterie, and backed by the green cliffs climbing to Capri Town. Beyond the arrivals bustle it's a lovely, characterful place to linger: watch the fishermen and the boats coming and going, browse the little shops, and sit down to a long, unfussy lunch of the day's catch and a carafe of local wine right by the water, far cheaper and more relaxed than the town above. A pleasant, authentic seaside highlight. Charming and down-to-earth. A great first or last stop on the island.