La Fontelina
Best for. One celebration day in a setting few places can match, and value minded swimmers who would rather take the same dazzling water for free off the public rocks alongside.
Best spot. A lounger on the seaward terrace for the full Faraglioni view if you book, or the free public rocks a few metres away if you are here for the swim alone.
Know this. This is one of the priciest beach days in Italy and books out in summer, so reserve far ahead for the splurge, or come early and swim free instead.
La Fontelina is the most famous beach club on Capri and one of the most photographed in Italy, a terrace of cream loungers laid over the rocks directly beneath the Faraglioni, where the sea is an almost unreal blue and the towering stacks rise out of the water beside you. It is genuinely one of the loveliest places to spend a day by the sea anywhere in the Mediterranean, and it is also one of the most expensive. Both things are completely true, and the whole point of an honest guide is to hold them together rather than pretend the price away.
The value savvy read is the same here as everywhere on this island, only sharper. A sunbed at La Fontelina comes with a minimum and the restaurant is a full price occasion, so a relaxed day adds up fast, and in summer you must book well ahead or you will not get in at all. What that money buys you is the terrace, the service and the lunch, a scene worth one splurge for a honeymoon or a birthday if the budget allows. What it does not buy you is a better swim, because a few metres along the same shore there are free public rocks where you slip into the identical dazzling water beneath the identical arch for nothing. Swim there in the morning, then walk into La Fontelina for a single spritz to enjoy the terrace without the minimum, and you have had the best of it for a fraction of the cost.
Who should book the full day? Couples and small groups marking an occasion who will use every hour and want the lunch. Who should skip it? Anyone counting euros, families with small children, who need a gentle sandy shore rather than ladders into deep water, and anyone unsteady on their feet, because access is only by boat or by the long staircase from Punta Tragara. Reserve early, decide before you go whether you are here for the swim, which is free next door, or the experience, which is anything but, and you will not be caught out by the bill.
Clubs near this beach
Two celebrated clubs share this stretch under the Faraglioni a few rocks apart, so the choice is which splurge you prefer, or whether to skip both for the free rocks between them.
Photo: Debra Powell via GoogleLa Fontelina
The glamour name on the island, a terrace of loungers on the rocks at the foot of the Faraglioni with a famous restaurant and dazzling deep water. It is a genuine splurge with a high minimum that books out in summer, worth one occasion if the budget allows. We never invent prices, so treat rates as to be confirmed.
Photo: Zoe Barton via GoogleDa Luigi ai Faraglioni
The slightly gentler, more family run neighbour a few rocks away, with the same deep water, its own celebrated restaurant and an equally serious 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 Faraglioni, by boat or steps
La Fontelina sits on the rocks beneath the Faraglioni on the southeast side of the island, with no road to it at all. Most guests arrive on the club's own boat shuttle from Marina Piccola, the easy and scenic way in. The alternative is the long staircase from Punta Tragara, around three hundred steps down through gardens and rock, beautiful on the way down and a serious climb back in the heat.
Reserve well ahead in summer, bring shoes for the rocks, and decide your plan before you go. For the full day, book the lounger and the table. For the value option, swim the free public rocks early, then walk in for a single drink to enjoy the terrace without the minimum. Either way it is the dazzling water beneath the sea stacks that you came for.
Photo: Debra Powell via GoogleNot ready to book?
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Common questions about La Fontelina
How do you get to La Fontelina?
You reach La Fontelina by the club's boat shuttle from Marina Piccola, which most guests use, or on foot down the long staircase from Punta Tragara, around three hundred steps that are lovely going down and a real climb back up. The club sits on the rocks at the foot of the Faraglioni, so there is no road access at all.
How much does La Fontelina cost?
It is one of the most expensive beach days in Italy. A sunbed comes with a minimum and the celebrated restaurant is a full price lunch, so a relaxed day adds up quickly, and we never invent a figure, so treat exact rates as to be confirmed. It is a genuine splurge for the setting, and the honest value alternative is to swim the same water for free off the public rocks nearby.
Is La Fontelina worth it?
For the right traveller, once. The setting on the rocks beneath the Faraglioni is one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, the water is dazzling and the lunch is memorable, so for a special occasion it earns its splurge. For everyone else the smart move is to swim the same sea for nothing off the free rocks and visit only for a drink, because you pay for the scene, not a better swim.
Do you need to book La Fontelina in advance?
Yes, in summer it is essential. The club is small and famous, so sunbeds and restaurant tables fill well ahead in July and August, and walk ins are unlikely in peak season. Reserve as early as you can if you want the day, and have a free swim off the public rocks as your backup if it is full.
Can you swim near La Fontelina for free?
Yes. There are free public rocks and platforms along the same shore beneath the Faraglioni where you can swim in the identical deep blue water without paying the club. There is no sunbed, shade or service, so bring your own kit, but the swim and the view cost nothing, which is the value savvy way to enjoy this stretch.
