Sorrento is a large, happening town in the middle of Campania, a large region in the South-West of Italy. It is situated between the Amalfi Coast and Naples, it’s easily accessible from many places. Sorrento does have some of the best connections to everywhere you’ll want to be. With everything that’s going on in there, it may be tough to navigate or difficult to choose where to go. But we’ll help you with that. Below, you can find out the best tips along with the most worthwhile and amazing restaurants, hotels, sights, and attractions that you have to visit. You can easily make Sorrento a base for exploring the Amalfi coast. Embrace the lemony culture, and see some sights which you’ll never see the like of again!
How to get there
The nearest airport to Sorrento is Naples. From there you can either get a taxi straight to Sorrento (1hr) or go into Naples Centre and get the train to Sorrento.
How long to stay there
The thing about the Amalfi Coast is, wherever you stay, you’ll find yourself making day trips to other towns. 3 days is an absolute minimum for anywhere on the Amalfi Coast because if you have any less, you won’t be able to see all the highlights of the Amalfi Coast like Capri and Positano. To thoroughly explore the entire area, more or less 7 days should be enough. To explore Sorrento, 1 or 2 days is a good amount of time but you will need more days to visit elsewhere.
Sorrento itineraries
1-day itinerary
4-day itinerary
5-day itinerary
7-day itinerary
The best time to visit Sorrento
The best time to be in Sorrento depends on what you want to do there. If you want to do some hikes, see the sights, and miss the crowds, pre and post peak season (April, May, and October) is the best time for you. But if you want to just chill in the sun and maybe do a little bit of sightseeing in Sorrento, Positano, and Capri regardless of the crowds, smack bang in the middle of peak season (June, July, August, September) is when you should go. Below we’ve listed all the pros and cons of each time so you can decide when to go.
Peak Season:
Pros:
- Really good weather. Only in peak season would you be able to swim in the sea or lounge on the beach, otherwise it would be like an ice bath.
- All the popular shops and restaurants are open. When we went to Capri in April there were barely any shops open at all and in Positano, most of the popular cafes, restaurants, and bars were either empty or closed.
Cons:
- Lots of crowds. The popular restaurants and cafes are open but overflowing, need to book quite early. Hard to enjoy all the wonders of this coast when everyone else is there at the same time.
- Too hot for any hiking. Or much of any moving around, to be honest.
- In peak season it will be less traditional Italian and more touristy to please the tourists.
Pre or post peak season:
Pros:
- Perfect weather for hiking, sightseeing, and a lot of other things
- You can get to popular gelaterias, cafes, restaurants, and bars by just booking a couple of days prior.
- If you get lucky you could get one or two days with enough heat for swimming in the sea and lounging around on the beach without half freezing to death (this isn’t expected, but with good luck, it can happen).
- All the good sights and hikes have barely any crowds. In peak season, despite the heat, the best paths and spots will be quite crowded.
- This time has a traditional vibe. Contrary to peak season the number of tourists will be similar to the number of local Italians. Feel the Amalfi Coast the way it actually is.
Cons:
- The shopping will be put to a minimum. Most of the big designer brands have their shops closed outside of peak season to save money.
- You can’t really sunbathe on the beach or have a swim in the sea or even in a pool (unless heated). It would be really windy and the water would be ice cold
Conclusion
The best time to visit Sorrento and the Amalfi coast is in April, May, and October because the main thing that is popular about the Amalfi coast is the beauty there, and it’s enjoyed best in the off-season, even if the weather isn’t exactly perfect. You can do all the amazing hikes like the Path of the Gods then, and it’ll be decent weather to do so. The lounging in the sun and swimming can be saved for other destinations where there are fewer must-do activities. We really do recommend that you don’t go to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast in the middle of the Summer and peak season so you can miss the crowds and be able to do more with less heat. Although the temperature won’t be as high as in peak season, the weather will still be pretty good.
Side note: Going in the complete off-season – winter, would essentially be the same as April, May, and October but colder with the chance of some good weather being very low.
Gelaterias, Bars, Cafes, Restaurants, and Food
The essential ingredient of a good holiday is good food. Below we’ve selected all the best places to eat and drink, during your time in Sorrento.
Restaurants popular for local cuisine
Our aim while travelling is to stay away from restaurants which are tourist traps. If you are looking for traditional and local cuisine, you won’t go wrong with our pick of the following restaurants:
- 🏆Torna a Surriento Trattoria: In our opinion this is The Best restaurant in Sorrento, if you are not looking to fine dine in Sorrento. Definitely, one you should not miss if you are in Sorrento. Try it on your visit and you will thank us for tip about this restaurant. Little away from the historic centre, around 5-10 mins walk from Piazza Tasso. It’s family run, friendly, cheap and very delicious food. You will pay less and eat well. If there is only one restaurant you want to visit while staying in Sorrento then its this one. Address: Via Santa Lucia 1-3, 80067, Sorrrento
- Trattoria dei Mori : Lovely local restaurant with good options on menu for everyone. Deserts are made in-house by chef. Only few minutes away from Piazza Tasso, it is close to historic centre. Amazing food at very good price. Address: Via San Nicola, 20, 80067 Sorrento
- La Locanda Del Gusto : Speciality: Homemade pasta, meatballs, and fish. It is little away from historic centre but closer to train station. Chef at restaurant also run cooking classes. Address: Corso Italia 319, 80067, Sorrento
- La Cantinaccia del Popolo: Very reasonable priced and nice local Italian dishes. It is closer to train station so away form historic centre. Address: Vico Terzo Rota 3, 80067, Sorrento
Fine dining restaurants
Terraza Bosquet: A Michelin star restaurant with a fine dining experience. Its got a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea with amazing sunset views.
L’Antica Trattoria: Located right in middle of Sorrento’s historic centre. Beautiful garden setting. Offers you a beautiful courtyard with a leafy pergola to dine under. You can try anything from tasty pasta and seafood.
Gelaterias, Bars, Cafes
Fresco Sorrento Gelato & Smoothies Gelateria: Best place to have Gelato in Sorrento.
Gelateria Primavera: If you are a football fan and want to try Gelato then you must visit this place. The walls are decorated with football memorabilia. Its located on Corso Italia street and not far from Piazza Tasso. You can get gelato, crepes and much more here.
Sorrento Limoncello : For lemony liquor
I Giardini di Cataldo: Walk through the lemon grove. Offers factory tours and limoncello tastings.
Bar del Carmine: Perfect place for drinks. The kind of please you will go to for Cappuccini and cornetti. Just sit back and enjoy the hustle bustle of the Piazza Tasso
Bar Ercolano: Right in Piazza Tasso. Perfect place to meet up and have a drink with friends an family.
Best Hotels in Sorrento – Where to stay in Sorrento?
We don’t recommend staying in Sorrento because for us the best place to stay in or around the Amalfi coast is Vico Equense, which is a more traditional Italian town, which has an authentic vibe rather than being completely made for tourists. Vico Equense is in the middle of the Amalfi coast and Naples also being really close to Sorrento. Click here to know more about Vico Equense.
If you do want to stay in Sorrento we’ve listed a few places to stay below.
Grand Hotel La Favorita: Luxury 5 Star hotel , right in centre of Sorrento. It’s got roof pool top with breathtaking views all around. Roof top terrace is perfect place to enjoy drinks or food and watch sunset. Everything is within 5 minutes walk from it.
Palazzo Jannuzzi Relais: Located right in heart of Sorrento, next to Piazza Tasso. This 3-4 star hotel is for you if you want to stay right in the busy heart of the Sorrento and enjoy the hustle and bustle. There is no pool at this hotel. You won’t find any other place more central than this.
Best Western Hotel La Solara: If you are looking for a decent hotel with pool, clean facilities and room and don’t to spend over the top, then this is right hotel for you. It is around 3 km outside Sorrento, but hotel got its own shuttle every hour to and from the Sorrento town.
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria: A truly 5 Star resort in every aspect. Another well situated hotel with great reputation. It has breathtaking views of the bay of Naples. Hotel has very well maintained gardens. In evening you can simply enjoy sunset with drinks from the bar on Terrace. It is one of most expensive hotels in Sorrento.
Grand Hotel Ambasciatori: Exlcusive private seaside decking area reserved for only hotel guests, located in a quiet street just outside the centre of town. It is around 10 minutes walk to centre. Hotel got amazing views of the bay. It is expensive hotel but well worth it. Go spoil yourself at this wonderful 5 Star hotel. This is second most expensive hotel in Sorrento after Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria.
Top 7 Things to do in Sorrento – Must see in Sorrento
There are lots of things to do in and around Sorrento and we’ve sorted out the best ones for you to do on your trip to the Amalfi coast.
Bagni Della Regina Giovanna – Best Swimming spot in Sorrento
This place is one of the best things you can find in Sorrento with coastal views and historic ruins of an old aristocrat’s Roman villa, looking down upon a small rocky cove with a small secluded pebble beach and a small sheltered area to swim. It is, undoubtedly, one of the most amazing and scenic things in the area but there are some tips and secrets you should know before setting off for Bagni Della Regina Giovanna. All your questions about Bagni Regina Giovanna like How to get there, history etc are answered here.
I Giardini Di Cataldo
This is a lemon grove full of beauty. Perfect spot to have a coffee and try homemade lemon gelato, limoncello, sweets, and a lot of other lemony delights. It has a really nice orchard mostly of lemons but some oranges as well, in the orchard, there are nice places to take pictures and sit down for a drink. A nice traditional vibe here and you can try one of the popular local drinks, limoncello. Also offers factory and tasting tours. Address: Via Correale, 27, Sorrento.
Piazza Tasso, Corso Italia & Via S. Cesareo
The buzzing hub of Sorrento, Piazza Tasso is one of the busiest and most popular parts of town. Streets leading west like Corso Italia have some of the best gelaterias you can find while Via Fuoro, Via San Cesareo, and other nearby small winding streets have a more authentic Mediterranean and Italian vibe with buskers singing love songs and the smell of Pizza on the air. The heart of Sorrento never fails to please. Perfect people watching spot. From Piazza Tasso follow either one of Corso Italia or Via S. Cesareo and you won’t be disappointed.
Corso Italia & Via S. Cesareo
Two of the streets in the historic centre. from Piazza Tasso you can walk along Corso Italia (towards west) and then come back through Via S. Cesareo. Both streets are great to do shopping. Ideal place to get local souvenirs, you can find everything from lemony vibe socks to all sorts things.
Duomo
The ancient Duomo, also known as Sorrento Cathedral, dates back to the 11th century and was rebuilt in the 1400s and remodeled several times. The facade was reconstructed in the early 20th century. Even after all these changes, the Duomo has retained its religious and historical beauty.
Villa Comunale & Chiostro di San Francesco
Villa Comunale is a small garden, it is overlooking Marian Piccola with beautiful views of the Bay of Naples. In busy times, you might struggle to get a seat in these gardens. If possible, visit here for sunset, you will be amazed by the stunning views. You can enjoy drinks at one of bars around Villa Comunale. From here you can also take steps down to sea if you want to visit Marina. Or from Villa Comunale, catch a lift from one corner of gardens and you can go down to Marina Piccola.
Next to Villa Comunale is church of San Francesco. Its got beautiful 14th century cloisters with bougainvillaea. Its definitely worth a visit as its next to Villa Comunale. You can visit the courtyard free of charge to have a look at beautiful cloisters. If bougainvillaea is in flower at the time of your visit then you have to call yourself lucky.
Marina Grande
Marina Grande has a small stretch of beach with pastel colour houses around it. Fishing boats You can rent sun loungers here to enjoy the beach area. Best way to get here is to walk from Piazza Tasso to Villa Comunale. Its about 15-20 minutes walk. Marina Grande is peaceful as compared to the Marina Piccola(which is close to centre of Sorrento) . If you walk from Villa Comunale through Via Marina Grande, you will love narrow stone streets with some very old houses around it. There is small family run bar on the steps narrow street that leads to Marina Grande, perfect spot to sit for a coffee and enjoy beautiful views.
Museo Correale di Terranova
Opened in 1924, this is a place rich in history and heritage. You will find paintings, furniture, archaeology, porcelain and other art-related exhibitions located in several rooms. It’s got beautiful gardens and a terrace with breathtaking views. The Correale Museum is located in a villa which was the summer residence of the Correale family.
Travelling to Amalfi coast from Sorrento
We got a very detailed article about all things transport from Sorrento to all the places you will like to visit (Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi, Naples or even Rome). Here is our details article about the best way to travel from Sorrento to Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi & Naples
Everything else you may like to know about Sorrento?
Why is Sorrento famous?
Sorrento is famous for its lemons and as a town which most of the people make a base while visiting the Amalfi coast.
Are Naples or Sorrento as a base, good options for exploring the Amalfi Coast?
To explore the Amalfi Coast, you can base yourself in either Naples or Sorrento. We recommend spending 1-2 nights in Naples for sightseeing before moving to a place closer to the Amalfi coast. Our personal favourite is Vico Equense! Read here why it is worth visiting Vico Equense?
What should I not miss in Sorrento?
If you are visiting Sorrento and wondering if there is one place you should not miss while you are there. Then it has to be Bagni Della Regina Giovanna. On a sunny day, the views from here are breathtaking plus this is the best place to swim while you are in Sorrento. Read here the complete guide about Bagni Della Regina Giovanna.
How to travel from Sorrento to Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi & Naples
Here is our details article about the best way to travel from Sorrento to Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi & Naples.
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