When planning our 10 day Amalfi Coast trip in May 2022, we had absolutely no idea where to stay in Capri. It was the one place that stumped us because the island was bigger than we thought, and we knew the hotel location could make or break our 3 day visit.
After doing a bit of research, we decided to stay on the Capri side of the island (east), rather than the Anacapri side (west) because it was closer to the places we wanted to explore. In the end we booked a lovely little B&B near Marina Grande called La Terrazza sul Mare. It had sky high guest ratings, it was affordable and it was close to the port for our boat trips both ways.
Now, the hotel was fantastic and we’d happily recommend it to friends and family, but we didn’t pick the right location for what we wanted to do, which was explore non-stop. In hindsight, we should have booked a hotel in Capri town. Anyway, now that we’ve spent 3 full days exploring the island far and wide, we know exactly where we would and wouldn’t stay next time. Read more about us.
Here we are eating lunch at Sciue Sciue in Anacapri
Now let’s shift focus to you – the first thing you need to do is decide which side of the island you want to stay on. There’s a clear distinction between east and west in terms of atmosphere and things to do. But there’s lots of hotels, B&Bs and villas ranging from cheap to luxury on both sides so there’s no shortage of excellent options for your trip.
In this guide we explain everything you need to know about staying in Capri vs Anacapri so you can choose the right location for your plans. Plus, we’ll show you the top rated hotels, so you don’t have to waste time researching. Okay, let’s begin!
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Island Map
We created this map to help you see the popular areas to stay on both sides of the island
Looking at the map we created above – the purple outline is Capri and the red outline is Anacapri. The two sides of the island are split by Monte Solaro, and a steep road with lots of switchbacks or a long stone staircase that you can walk called Scala Fenicia.
Within Capri:
- Yellow – Marina Grande
- Green – Capri Town
- Blue – Marina Piccola
Within Anacapri:
- Orange – Anacapri Town
- Pink – Secluded area
Next, we’ll explain each of those five areas to help you decide which fits your plans better, starting with the Capri side.
Staying In Capri
Capri covers the eastern half of the island, but it can be further broken down into Marina Grande (near the port), Marina Piccola (popular beach area), and Capri town which is where you’ll find lots of hotels, shops and restaurants.
This is the ritzy and glamorous side of Capri island so it’s much busier, there’s a far more lively atmosphere and hotels are generally more expensive compared to similar quality places in Anacapri.
Let’s take a closer look at each area:
Marina Grande
We took this photo in Marina Grande as we waited for our boat ride to Positano
This is where you’ll arrive and leave the island by boat from Sorrento, Positano or Naples. It was utter chaos when we arrived and departed – hundreds of people with suitcases coming in or going out, and long lines for seriously overpriced taxis and the funicular to town. Not fun.
Our advice is to avoiding book a hotel right there in Marina Grande despite it sounding convenient for logistics. That said, if you don’t mind a 10 minute walk, going up Via Marina Grande you could stay at Capri Inn or B&B La Terrazza sul Mare (where we stayed).
They’re a bit out of the way, but they’re affordable and you can either walk 10 minutes to the funicular into town or walk 20 minutes directly into town up steps and roads. And they do work better if you really would prefer to be closer to the port.
Marina Piccola
This was one side of the pebble beach area we visited in Marina Piccola
The beaches in Capri are pebbly rather than sandy, so it’s not the place to go for a beach holiday. But after trying a few different spots across the island, we agreed that Marina Piccola was our favorite because it at least felt more like a typical beach vibe.
If we were planning to just sit on a beach for a few days, we’d consider booking the popular Weber Ambassador which is just steps from the pebbles. But the downside to staying in Marina Piccola is that it’s less convenient for the port and there’s not many places to eat without walking back into town.
So it might be better to stay on the southwest side of Capri town at an affordable place like Hotel La Prora or Casa di Capri to split the distance between the beach and restaurants in town.
Capri Town
We enjoyed walking through the main square in Capri town when it was lit up in the evenings
Overall, we think the best place to stay in Capri is right in town. There’s way more hotels and restaurants, plus it’s easy to walk to attractions like the Gardens of Augustus, Belvedere Tragara, Arco Naturale and Villa Lysis without having a long walk or funicular into town. And this is the swanky part of Capri – think ultra luxe wedding venues and high end designer stores.
There’s a few hotels with fantastic reviews on the northwest side of town like Capri Wine Hotel, Aldarogi and Villa Patrizi. They’re cheaper because they’re around 10 minutes walk from the restaurants and shops in town via roads or pedestrian steps, but we think they’re great options.
If money was no object, we’d book a 4 or 5 star hotel somewhere near Via Camerelle or Via Tragara on the south side of Capri town. There’s a few posh options like Hotel La Minerva, Hotel Mamela and Hotel Scalinatella with what we consider to be perfect locations. Book any of these if you want a classy hotel in an idyllic spot.
Or for something a bit more affordable in the same area, we’d consider La Residenza Capri, Hotel la Floridiana or Hotel Canasta. They’d give us that prime time location but without breaking the bank, especially if we visited in summer when prices are heavily inflated.
Our Experience
Here’s Kristen enjoying views from the balcony during our stay at B&B La Terrazza sul Mare
We stayed at B&B La Terrazza sul Mare, a lovely family run place with stunning north facing views over the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. It was a 10 minute walk to Marina Grande and the funicular that runs up to Capri town, or a 20 minute walk directly into town. The views were amazing, breakfast was excellent, the owners were so nice, it had superb reviews and it was surprisingly cheap.
Honestly, it would have been perfect if our goal was to take a relaxing break on a budget, and we recommend taking a look at it if you’ll be taking it easy. But we were on a mission to tick off as much as possible in three days, and it’s secluded location meant we lost a lot of time going to and from attractions or bus stops.
Here are our pros and cons to staying in Capri:
Pros
Lots of quality hotels
Plenty of restaurants
Famous part of Capri
Easy for logistics
Good beach access
Lively atmosphere
Cons
More expensive
Hotels book up quicker
Not off the beaten path
Restaurants are busier
Staying In Anacapri
Anacapri covers the western half of the island, and despite being larger by size, it doesn’t have the same obvious mini-areas to break things down. This side of the island is more peaceful, so consider staying here if you want a retreat-type experience.
The major downside to staying on this side is that it’s harder to reach from the port – you’d need to take either an expensive taxi, a longer bus or a hard hike up the Scala Fenicia staircase to get there. We walked down the staircase and it was awesome, but going up might not be so much fun!
Personally, we’d only book a hotel close to the built up area of Anacapri, or slightly to the northwest if we stayed on the west side of the island. Here’s why:
Anacapri Town
We took this photo during our visit to the lovely Villa San Michele in Anacapri
By staying in Anacapri town we’d have restaurants (we really like Sciue Sciue), the chair lift to Monte Solaro, Chiesa di San Michele and Villa San Michele within easy walking distance. Plus, we could easily hop on buses to Capri town, the Blue Grotto and Lido del Faro.
On a regular mid-range budget we’d consider staying at B&B Monte Solaro, Casa Mariantonia or Relais 2 Pini. Casa Mariantonia is a boutique hotel with pool, and Relais 2 Pini is top rated and closer to town. B&B Monte Solaro has a pool with views, but it’s a longer walk into town.
Or if we were looking for a massive splurge we’d choose between Palace Jumeirah and Hotel Caesar Augustus. They’re both 5 star luxury hotels, and we think they’d be cheaper than 5 star hotels on the Capri side of the island, which might work if you’re looking for something special without bankrupting yourself!
We liked the escaping the crowds in Anacapri (especially during our hike along the Sentiero dei Fortini), but it was super quiet and didn’t have a lot going on later in the day. This might be exactly what you want, but we typically prefer a bit more atmosphere – unless we’re purposefully seeking out a tranquil place in the middle of nowhere to recharge.
Northwest Anacapri
This was us waiting in line to leave the Blue Grotto
And that leads us nicely to a remote and totally secluded area to the west and northwest of built up Anacapri town (heading for the Blue Grotto). If you want an authentic non-touristy place to stay when you visit Capri, take a closer look at accommodations in this area.
We like the look of both Albergo Orsa Maggiore which is 10 minutes walk from Anacapri and Il Carrubo which is 20 minutes walk away from town. If walking puts you off instantly, it’s good to know they both have bus stops right outside the gates going into town. And they both have excellent reviews from previous guests.
It would be a bit of a pain getting to attractions around the island from here – but this area is very close to the Sentiero dei Fortini for a great hike, and you can easily walk to the Blue Grotto to access the popular sea cave by foot rather than by boat.
There are more places to stay on the south side of Anacapri, but we’d personally skip that area because it’s even more remote and not close to any attractions.
Here are our pros and cons to staying in Anacapri:
Pros
Cheaper than Capri town
Near Sentiero dei Fortini
Closer to sunset spots
Quieter escape
Easy for Monte Solaro
Way less touristy
Cons
Further from port
Not much going on
Quiet atmosphere
Fewer quality restaurants
Where We’d Stay Next Time
This was Kristen enjoying the immense views from the top of Monte Solaro
It turns out choosing where to stay in Capri isn’t all that difficult, right? You just have to decide which side of the island suits you more, then find a hotel in a good location to suit your budget.
We liked our hotel a lot, but we know now that we should have booked a hotel in Capri town, even if it cost us more to stay in a lesser hotel. It would have given us the ease of access we needed to reach all parts of the island by foot or bus.
But now that we’ve seen the whole island, our criteria might be different next time. Maybe we’d go for one of those secluded hotels with a pool and amazing views that’s 20 minutes walk from either Capri or Anacapri.
If we were stay in Capri next time, we’d like to book the Hotel Punta Tragara, Hotel Villa Brunella or Albergo La Minerva. They’re all on the south side of town which we liked the most.
Or if we were to stay in Anacapri next time, we’d like to book the Caesar Augustus or Jumeirah Palace – although we’re not sure either would be in our price range!
Capri Hotels Map
Click or touch the map below to activate, zoom in and out, and scroll around. If you’d like to see a bigger version, click the “view larger map” icon in the top right, and if you’d like to see any specific hotel, click the arrow and square icon in the top left.
Map key:
- Green – Cheap hotels
- Red – Mid range hotels
- Blue – Luxury hotels
There are plenty more hotel options you can consider at in Capri, but the hotels we mentioned in this guide are the highest rated accommodations we can find within each price category. We hope they help you get off to a good start with your hotel hunt!
Our Top Tips
Here’s Mark hiking the awesome Sentiero dei Fortini on the west side of the island
Look, we won’t sugarcoat it – hotels in Capri are not cheap. Here’s a few quick tips we learned about booking accommodation that could save you a small fortune:
Avoid weekends – Hotel prices are significantly lower on weekdays compared to weekends in Capri. We recommend booking your stay anytime between Sunday night to Friday morning.
Beat the rush – Book as far in advance as you possibly can to get more hotel room availability and lower rates. Last minute deals don’t work like they used to, and especially not in a place as popular as Capri where hotel rooms book up earlier than usual.
Stay longer – Typically the more nights you stay, the cheaper the average nightly rate becomes. We’ve noticed this is especially true when booking midweek stays.
Seasonality – Hotels here are way cheaper in the off season and shoulder seasons versus summer, especially July and August when tourism peaks. May and October are excellent times to visit for good value, our hotel was very reasonably priced when we visited in May.
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 he hope our guide helps you figure out what to do when you visit Capri, but please let us know if you have any other questions in the comments box a little further below.
Still figuring out your plans for Italy?
Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.
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