Three islands, one bay, and three completely different days. Choosing badly is the commonest mistake visitors make.
They are an hour or less from Naples by hydrofoil, and people routinely pick the famous one without asking whether it's the one they'd actually enjoy.
Choose it if you want the spectacular version: sheer cliffs, the Faraglioni rocks, Villa Jovis where the emperor Tiberius spent his last years, and the chairlift to Monte Solaro at Anacapri.
Be aware: it is expensive and, from June to September, extremely crowded. The Blue Grotto involves a queue of boats and a few minutes inside, and closes in any swell.
The trick, if you go in season, is to take the first hydrofoil and walk away from the Piazzetta. Anacapri and the paths above it are a different island.
Choose it if you want a real island rather than a day-trip stage set: it's the largest of the three, with towns, farmland, vineyards, a proper mountain in Monte Epomeo, and beaches.
Its speciality is thermal water. There are large thermal park complexes as well as free hot springs on the shore — the beach at Sorgeto, where hot water meets the sea, is the best known.
Aragonese Castle on its own islet, reached by a causeway, is the one unmissable sight.
Ischia rewards more than one day. It's also the least expensive of the three.
Choose it if you want the one that still feels lived in. It's tiny — walkable end to end — with the painted houses of Corricella harbour and almost no traffic.
It was Italian Capital of Culture in 2022, which raised its profile, but it remains far quieter than the other two.
It's the best of the three for a slow day: a swim, a long lunch, a walk up to Terra Murata.
Hydrofoils and ferries leave from Molo Beverello (next to Castel Nuovo, closest to the centre) and Mergellina. Larger car ferries run from Calata Porta di Massa.
Crossings are roughly 40 to 60 minutes depending on island and vessel. Buy the return leg as well, especially in summer: afternoon sailings sell out.
Sailings are cancelled in bad weather. In winter, check before travelling; if the sea is rough you may not get back the same day.
Capri doesn't allow visitor cars at all in season. On Ischia and Procida a car is more trouble than it's worth. Buses, taxis and scooters cover everything.
Procida for calm and photographs. Ischia for swimming and thermal water. Capri for the view everyone has seen — and go early.
This guide is written and maintained in Naples. The Italian version of the site has far more: hundreds of places, neighbourhood guides and long-form stories about the city. Read it in Italian.
