Capri in December
 

My wife and I are traveling to Italy in the end of December. We will be in Naples for a couple days and were wondering if a day trip to Capri was worth it in the winter.
Also, I've read somewhere that the hyfrofoils from Naples to Capri don't run in the off season- does anyone know anything about this?
Thanks.

My husband & I were there in November a couple of years ago, and many places on Capri were closed or about to be closed for the winter season. That said, what we enjoyed most about Capri was the long (5-6 hrs. including stopping multiple times) hike we took. We left Capri town almost immediately (after first stopping for our picnic lunch items at the shop recommended by travel writer Rick Steves)and headed for Villa Jove. Then we hiked to the Arco Naturale and sat in front of the awesome site and ate our lunch. I think there were only one or two other couples there, and we were all spaced out, so it was very peaceful. Then we kept looping around and saw various sites (I think the hike we took was outlined in Fodors and/or Rick Steves), and ended up back in town 5-6 hours later. It was wonderful. I guess it might not be so wonderful if the weather is bad as it's all outdoors and I suppose could get cold, windy & wet in the winter. But if you luck out with the weather, I would highly recommend the hike. Not many tourists on the trail past Villa Jove, and probably hardly a soul in the winter.

P.S. We did this as a daytrip from Sorrento. Stayed at the Excelsior Vittoria which was a perfect transportation hub for daytriping. If the weather turns out to be bad, you would have many more options to do things being based here.

I agree with SloPugs -- if you get a decent day and are in to hiking and want some gorgeous vistas, go to Capri. But expect practically all the shops and most of the restaurants to be closed.

Also, you need to be in pretty good shape, as the island is VERY steep and you'll be doing a lot of climbing up and down.

Here's a web site with info on getting to Capri:

http://www.capri.net/salsa/lang/en/p...ting_here.html

Hi,

We were in Capri over Thanskgiving. We lucked out and got beautiful weather and clear days. Most of the shops were closed but that wasn't a big deal to us. The Blue Grotto was also closed due to rough seas which was a bit disappointing.

There were boats to both Naples and Sorrento running (about 5 a day).

We hiked quite a bit, found some great views, took the chair lift and hiked down and then took a walk over to see the famous walks. We were able to find an open pizza place where we had a great lunch.

We heard that off season is the best time to go. Our tour guide (for the Almafi Coast) told us that in the summertime you can't even walk it gets so crowded that you go where the crowds take you.

OOPS - I meant "then took a walk over to see the famous 3 rocks"

"Also, you need to be in pretty good shape, as the island is VERY steep and you'll be doing a lot of climbing up and down. "

OOPS! Oh yeah~I forgot to mention the thousands of steps we took up and down the hillsides. Oh, but it was oh-SO-worth it!!! ;-)

.....Maybe THAT'S why it took us 5-6 hours...... :-)

SloPugs, I love that hike! I did it a few years ago and the scenery is breathtaking. When I looked down into the sea by the Arco Naturale it was such a beautiful translucent green, very memorable.

I am in pretty good shape and my legs hurt the next day from the steps though! But yes it was worth it!

Capri is at its most beautiful in the winter, I think. You get to experience more of its wildness, less of the "touristy" parts that come out in the summer.

The likely reason that you read that the hydrofoils don't run is the weather. The sea tends to be choppier in the winter than it is during the summer, and when the water is really choppy, the hydrofoils don't run. However, the ferry ALWAYS runs. I lived on Capri for a year and during that year there was only one day where the water was so rough that nothing was running.

So, you should be fine getting out there and you will enjoy a different side of Capri than the one most people get to see.

If you want to see some amazing photos of Capri in the winter, go to http://www.umbertodaniello.com/gallery/landscapes. This guy has lived on Capri all his life and his work is unbelievable. I love the austerity in these photos.

You are at the mercy of the weather that time of the year. We were there one November and the seas were too choppy for the boats to run from the mainland.