Porto d’Ischia is the island’s capital, known to locals purely as ‘Ischia’. Situated on the eastern coast of Ischia, this town is the closest settlement to the mainland and so acts as the island’s premier port, with great transport links to Naples and Procida. Once an established spa town, Porto d’Ischia is now home to an increasing number of trendy restaurants and chic bars, mostly set along the popular seafront ‘Right Bank’ promenade. Further inland, visitors can find pine forest parks and thermal spas, but the main highlights are found by the coast. San Pietro Beach is the most popular, thanks to its impressive stretch of sand and handful of intimate beach bars. Ischia’s most popular attraction is also at the seafront – Aragonese Castle. Dating from 474 BC, this remarkable fortification can easily be reached via a dramatic causeway that juts from the mainland into the sea.
When it comes to food and drink, Porto d’Ischia truly excels. Visitors will find a diverse array of eateries spread between the seafront and the city’s main shopping street, with options ranging from modern haute cuisine to authentic home-made fare. Wine-making is a popular industry here too, and you’ll find plenty of opportunities to experience this nearby.
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The closest airport to Ischia is Naples (NAP), which is approximately 2 hours from Ischia via ferry (we recommend that flights into Naples arrive no later than 7pm and depart no earlier than 10am in order to catch the first/last ferry).
Direct flights to Naples airport (NAP) are available from Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle and take approximately 2 hours 45 minutes.
Ischia's season runs from April to October. The island is cooled by sea breezes so it's comfortable even in the height of summer, yet it enjoys warm temperatures for its whole season. June to August is the busiest time for the island but even during these months the evenings are relatively quiet as most people are only visiting for the day.
At the current time, British citizens do not require a visa to visit Italy.
Whilst tipping isn’t embedded into Italian culture it is always appreciated as an acknowledgement of good service. Nowadays people generally round up a bill in a bar or cafe and leave 5-10% extra on a restaurant bill. Taxi bills are usually also rounded up.
On guided tours/excursions, it is customary to leave a token of appreciation for the driver and guide.
On small group escorted tours, it is customary to leave a token of appreciation for the driver and guide at the end of the tour.
The official language of Italy is Italian. English is widely spoken too, so getting by is easy.