Da Luigi ai Faraglioni
Best for. Travellers who want one memorable splurge at the foot of the Faraglioni, and value minded swimmers who would rather take the same water for free off the rocks next door.
Best spot. A platform on the seaward side for the clearest deep water, or the free public rocks just along the shore if you are here for the swim and not the service.
Know this. The sunbed carries a minimum and the restaurant is a full price lunch, so book ahead if you want the day, or come early, swim free, and visit only for a drink.
Da Luigi ai Faraglioni is one of the most beautiful places to swim on Capri and one of the most expensive, and both things are true at once. It is not a beach in the sandy sense but a club of sun platforms laid over the rocks directly beneath the Faraglioni arch, where the water is the deep electric blue the island is famous for and the sea stacks rise straight out of it beside you. The restaurant has been here since 1936 and lunch is a genuine occasion. Spend the day and you will remember it, and you will also feel it on the bill.
The value savvy read is to be honest about what you are paying for. The sunbed minimum and the full price restaurant buy you comfort, service and a table in one of the great settings in the Mediterranean, not a better swim. A few rocks along the same shore there are free public platforms where you can slip into exactly the same water beneath the same arch for nothing. If your budget is tight, swim there in the morning, then walk into Da Luigi for a single drink to enjoy the terrace without committing to the day. That is the whole island in miniature, the same sea sold at two very different prices.
Who should book the full day? Couples and small groups marking something, who want the lunch and the loungers and will use every hour. Who should skip it? Anyone counting euros, families with small children who need a gentle sandy shore, and anyone unsure on their feet, because access is by boat or by a long staircase from Punta Tragara. Reserve ahead in summer, because the club fills, and decide before you arrive whether you are here for the swim, which is free next door, or the experience, which is not.
Clubs near this beach
This stretch under the Faraglioni is club territory, with two famous names a few metres apart, so the only real choice is which splurge you prefer or whether to skip both for the free rocks.
Photo: Zoe Barton via GoogleDa Luigi ai Faraglioni
The historic club itself, a little gentler and more family run than its neighbour, with sun platforms over the rocks and a restaurant celebrated since 1936. A sunbed comes with a minimum and lunch is a full occasion, so it is a day to commit to rather than a casual stop. Prices to be confirmed.
Photo: Debra Powell via GoogleLa Fontelina
The more famous neighbour a few rocks away, the glamour name on the island with the same deep water and an equally high bill. Read our full guide to weigh the two, but for the swim alone the free public rocks between them do the same job for nothing.
Under the arch, by boat or steps
Da Luigi sits on the rocks beneath the Faraglioni on the southeast side of the island. Most guests arrive on the club's own boat shuttle from Marina Piccola, which is the easy and scenic way in. The alternative is the long staircase from Punta Tragara, around three hundred steps down through gardens and rock, lovely on the descent and a serious climb back up in the heat.
Reserve ahead in summer, bring something for your feet on the rocks, and decide your plan before you go. For a full day, book the sunbed and the restaurant. For the value option, swim the free public rocks early, then walk in for a drink to enjoy the terrace and the view without the minimum. Either way the water beneath the sea stacks is the reason you came.
Photo: Zoe Barton via GoogleNot ready to book?
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Common questions about Da Luigi ai Faraglioni
How do you get to Da Luigi ai Faraglioni?
Two ways. You can walk down from Punta Tragara on a long staircase of around three hundred steps, which is beautiful going down and a real climb coming back, or you take the club's own boat shuttle from Marina Piccola, which most guests prefer in the heat. Either way you arrive at the rocks directly beneath the Faraglioni arch.
Is Da Luigi a beach or a beach club?
It is a beach club on the rocks rather than a sandy beach. There is no real sand at all, just sunbeds and platforms laid over the flat rocks at the foot of the Faraglioni, with steps and ladders into deep clear water. You come for the swimming, the setting and the restaurant, not for a stretch of sand.
Is Da Luigi ai Faraglioni expensive?
Yes, it is one of the pricier days on Capri. A sunbed comes with a minimum and the celebrated restaurant is a full price lunch, so a relaxed day here adds up quickly. It is worth one splurge for the setting if the budget stretches, but the honest value alternative is to swim the same sea for free off the public rocks nearby and just visit for a drink.
Can you swim near the Faraglioni for free?
Yes. There are free public rocks and platforms along this stretch of shore where you can swim in the same deep blue water beneath the Faraglioni without paying a club. You get no sunbed, shade or service, so bring your own kit, but the swim and the view cost nothing, which is the smart move for value minded visitors.
Is Da Luigi good for families?
It suits older children and confident swimmers more than toddlers. The water is deep straight off the rocks and you enter by ladder, with no shallow sandy shore to paddle on, and the staircase access is demanding. Families wanting an easy, gentle beach day will be happier at Bagni di Tiberio or the free section of Marina Grande.
