This geological limestone arch, which rises out of the sea on Capri’s southeastern shore, is best seen from a boat. If you do take the scenic walk from town, about twenty to thirty minutes on Via Matermania, be sure to have lunch at Le Grottelle, a restaurant with gorgeous views right by the arch. On the way back, if you’re up for a longer hike, head to Via Pizzolungo. It snakes along the southern shore past spectacular vistas and villas, and you’ll end up on Via Tragara, where the terrace of the Hotel Tragara makes a perfect spot for a sunset cocktail.

Like many of the world’s memorable sights, the Via Krupp was built to convenience a wealthy man: German steel magnate Friedrich Krupp financed it so that he could have a direct connection between the Marina Piccola and the Quisisana, where he lived on and off in the early 1900s. The resulting zigzagging road, designed by architect Emilio Mayer, is a work of art—a fantastic series of long paths built into a rock face and hairpin turns. The brilliant design is best seen from the nearby peaceful Augustus Gardens, a must visit for nature lovers. After a multimillion-dollar restoration, the Via Krupp reopened in the summer of 2008 (it had been closed since a landslide in the 1976).

Those who love expansive sand beaches will be disappointed on Capri, which has a rocky coastline. There is a small stretch of beach right by J.K. Place, the only hotel on the island with direct beach access. There are also a few private lidos, where visitors can rent umbrellas and chaises to while the day away. The most popular ones are at La Fontelina, near the Faraglioni rocks, which also has a recommended restaurant, and Lido del Faro, at the foot of the lighthouse in Anacapri. The beaches at the Marina Grande and Piccola are usually overrun in summer (if you must choose between the two, go for Piccola). Of course, your best bet for dipping into the azure of the Bay of Naples is from the deck of a private yacht.

At nearly 11,000 square feet, the spa at the Capri Palace, famous for its so-called Leg School, is the island’s largest. It offers a huge variety of treatments, ranging from facials and thalassotherapy to chemical peels and Ayurvedic and Shiatsu massages. Vascular problems in the lower limbs, including venous and lymphatic return, are addressed at the Leg School through medicated mud and bandages as well as with Kneipp water treatments. Part serious old-world medi-spa, the Beauty Farm is headed by Dr. Francesco Canonaco, who pioneered many of the leg therapies and also offers checkups, blood tests, electrocardiograms and nutrition consultations.

Older children will love the chairlift that swoops visitors up to the 1,900-foot-plus Monte Solaro, the highest point on Capri. The single-seat chairlift takes about twelve minutes and affords incredible views of the Bay of Naples and the rest of the island. Those with vertigo might have trouble approaching the steep drop on the viewing platform, but there’s a nice terrace with sun chairs and loungers (reminiscent of those found at European ski resorts). Instead of taking the chairlift back down, you can also embark on a scenic forty-five-minute hike.

Unless your timing is impeccable, Capri’s most-visited tourist attraction can make for a frustrating afternoon as you sit in a bobbing boat in front of the Blue Grotto, sometimes for up to an hour, waiting your turn for a quick tour of this natural wonder. Worse for claustrophobes: if you hit the wrong (i.e., high) tide, you have to lie down in the boat in order to squeeze through the narrow opening to enter. However, if you cannot imagine a trip to Capri without seeing the grotto’s sparkling blues—it’s lit from the sun entering through a tunnel beneath the water, making for an ethereal effect—Andrea Kuba of Tour Italy suggests going in the late afternoon, after the day-trippers have left for the ferries. Adventurers have also been known to swim into the grotto early in the morning or late in the afternoon for the ultimate private viewing (a practice that is, of course, officially banned).

The stylish spa at the Grand Hotel Quisisana, which was added to the property in 2003, has nine treatment rooms, plus an old-school beauty salon, for hair, makeup and mani- and pedicures, where you could imagine running into Jackie O. Treatments include Carita facials, mineral and aromatherapy wraps and lymphatic massages; there are also two hammams (for men and women) and a serene relaxation area. Guests of the hotel, as well as of sister properties La Scalinatella and Casa Morgano, get preferred appointments, so book early.

If you’re visiting Anacapri, don’t miss this Baroque gem. Its huge ceramic-tile mosaic, completed in 1761, covers the entire floor and depicts the expulsion of Adam and Eve from a fantastical Garden of Eden (kids will love discovering the many animals represented, including elephants, horses, cats, and even a crocodile).

Designer Liz Lange recommends: “This hike requires taking a taxi and then hiking for about an hour and half, but there is a great lunch spot at the end. Take a taxi from town and asked to be dropped at the second fort by the lighthouse for the Quattro Fortini. You will get dropped by the side of the road and there will be two paths separated by a fence. Take the one on the left and it will lead you down to the trailhead. From there, follow the red dots of the trail. You will end at a restaurant called Il Riccio, which has the best lobster pasta on the island. After lunch walk down the steps to the water and get a boat to take you to the Blue Grotto and then back to town.”

Fearing assassination, Emperor Tiberius left Rome for Capri and ruled from this magnificent—and secluded—spot on Monte Tiberio on the northeast side of the island from A.D. 27 to A.D. 37. Named after Jupiter (Jove), the villa was conceived as a fortress, and the well-preserved complex includes terraces, chambers and cisterns, along with an incredible viewing platform, the Salto di Tiberio, complete with a nearly 1,000-foot drop. Local lure claims that Tiberius pushed several of his enemies, as well as some unfortunate mistresses, to their deaths from this balcony. The villa can be reached via a thirty-minute walk on a path that snakes through town and past some beautiful villas, most with elaborate gardens. Come early in the morning to beat the crowds and the heat.

If you have time to see only one sight on Capri, visit the art-filled Villa San Michele, in Anacapri. Built in the late 1800s by the eccentric and brilliant doctor and philanthropist Axel Munthe and surrounded by beautiful gardens, the villa boasts relics, art and antiques, including the famous Sphinx Parapet, which overlooks the Bay of Naples from one of the property’s many balconies. Munthe, who hailed from Sweden and loved nature, art and literature (his circle of friends included Henry James and Rainer Maria Rilke), was also the physician to the Swedish court, and it was rumored that he was the lover of Crown Princess Victoria, herself a frequent visitor to San Michele. Today the grounds are immaculately kept, and the villa and gardens still speak of one man’s vision of beauty. Munthe’s 1929 book, The Story of San Michele (Henry James reportedly urged Munthe to write it), has been translated into forty-five languages and is still in print.