This Blog post is a Quick Reference Travel Guide to Sorrento, Italy. Learn to visit Sorrento, Italy. Read how to reach it, places to stay in the heart of the city, sightseeing attractions to see in Sorrento, and above all, what to eat and drink in Sorrento.
That’s the image of Sorrento on the Bay of Naples. The mountain you see in the distance the world-famous volcano ‘Vesuvius’.
Only a seasoned traveller knows Italy is the ultimate country to tour. Italy offers everything that a tourist would expect.
If you like beaches, Italy’s 7600 km long coastline assures you some of the world’s stunning beaches, many of which have a mountainous backdrop.
And if you like a vacation destination where you can only go on a boat, there is Venice.
If you linger around historical monuments, there is no other country that is better than Italy.
Let us get on with touring Sorrento, Italy.
Overview of Sorrento.
Sorrento is located on the lengthy Italian seaside, facing the Bay of Naples on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Like several Italian coastal paradises, Sorrento too is a hilly town, perched atop a stiff cliff.
The view from the Lattari Mountain’s cliff is breathtaking. The Tyrrhenian Sea would entice you to jump from the cliff, ready to embrace you in her arms.
Sorrento is on the South Western coast of Italy. The much-visited Amalfi Coast and the island of Capri are near to the Sorrento peninsula.
People who visit Amalfi Coast are mainly for the sweeping and panoramic view of the Tyrrhenian Sea below.
The view is a typical Italian coastal side and is a favourite scenic locale for the filmmakers.
The residential area of the Sorrento resembles an old Italian small town built around narrow lanes and sleepy taverns and cafeterias.
How to reach Sorrento, Italy?
Sorrento is well connected by flights and train. If you wish to see the Italian countryside and many other small towns, you should book a train ticket from Rome.
If you are touring various other destinations in Italy such as Naples, Amalfi Coast, or Capri, you will choose a quick way to reach Sorrento.
Naples is the ideal base for your tour of various cities and town located on the lengthy Italian coast.
Also, a bus can serve you better as a dependable form of travel from Naples to it.
Is there a way to go by sea from Naples to Sorrento?
Yes, of course! To enjoy a sea passage to it, you need to reach Naples’s Molo Beverello harbour from where ferries operated throughout the year.
The name of the Sorrento’s harbour is Marina Piccola.
If your wallet is thick and your preference for a private journey by taxi from your hotel in Rome to Sorrento beach resort, you can hire a cab easily from your hotel reception. The journey time will be approximately 4 hours.
Ferries ply from Capri and Amalfi coast also to Marian Picola.
Travel time by ferry to Marina Piccola:
From Naples, it will be around an hour only to reach Marina Piccola.
And from Capri Island, the sea passage takes just 30 minutes.
From Amalfi Coast, you will reach it by a fast ferry in slightly more than an hour.
Staying options in Sorrento:
Hotels in all the famous town and cities are expensive. I believe Sorrento accommodation costs are slightly less than Capri Island and Amalfi Coast hotels.
If you are a solo traveller, the B&B option would be the best. You can find several homestays where bed and breakfast offered on some of the hotel websites. Additionally, use a good search engine to find Bed and Breakfast type accommodations.
If you choose this option, you will be staying in any of the townhomes located in the cobbled lanes of the town where the food availability will be plenty and much less expensive than the restaurants inside the big hotels.
Sea facing hotels are expensive, even in Sorrento.
Agritourism is catching up in Europe of late. For a much comfortable and relaxed stay, there are farms in and around Sorrento that have guesthouses and can take in two or three families at a time. Homely food will be added in your booking amount.
Visit Reids Italy or wotif to book your dream Italian farm stay in options.
Food in Sorrento:
What can you eat in Sorrento? What is the local speciality?
Being a seaside city, Sorrento is famous for freshly caught seafood that includes
- Shrimp (Sauteed shrimp)
- Shellfish
- Clams (Served raw)
- Soup of Octopus
- Crab stew
Of course, the ever-present Spaghetti and different shaped pasta salads accompany the plates of seafood.
Italians eat well and possess fine taste like the Texans.
In the cafeterias of Sorrento, you would be pleased to eat pure cheese and risottos.
For a change, skip the original Italian Pizza and opt for potato pasta that is mentioned as ‘Gnocchi’ on the menu cards.
Treccia Cheese is a must-try in Sorrento. It is a delicious Mozzarella cheese.
Best drink of Sorrento.
Without a sip of the local speciality drink Limoncello, if you return to the United States, your relatives and friends will doubt you of your claim that you just returned from Italy.
Limoncello is lemon-based alcohol and is a digestive drink.
Places to see in Sorrento:
I expect the following places to see in Sorrento located on the Bay of Naples in Italy will keep you busy for two days.
Marina Piccola
Most of the tourists who go with an organized, guided tour of Sorrento will be taken first to this ferry port of Sorrento. It is called Mariana Piccolo. Even otherwise, you will go to the port if you plan to take a ferry to Capri Island. The ferry port is a busy one due to ferries moving in and out of Sorrento to Amalfi Coast, Capri Island, and Ischia Island where the natural hot springs attract a large number of tourists.
Churches on Sorrento
When you tour Italy, there are several churches and cathedrals where the tourists throng, pray, and take selfies and photos of the places of historical and religious importance. Additionally, the churches anywhere in Italy are a beautiful specimen of Roman architecture.
I think Italy has the maximum number of churches than any other country in the world.
Some of the Basilicas and cathedrals in Sorrento are:
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Basilica of Saint Antony
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Santi Filippo e Giacomo Cathedral
It is the shrine for Saints Philip and James.
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Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine
Piazzas of Sorrento:
Piazzas are places of public gathering and called ‘Squares’ colloquially. The squares lined with restaurants, cafeterias, bars, shopping centres, and places to sit and socialize. Piazzas generally located at the heart of cities and towns.
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Piazza Tasso
Usually, these public squares are visited more by tourists than the local residents. The Piazza Tasso is no exception. All the special foods and drinks of Sorrento that you read above can be tried here without any inhibition.
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Piazza Sant’Antonino
This is the hub of the city throbbing with life and happiness. Moreover, most of the highly recommended hotels to stay in are found surrounding the piazza of Saint Antony.
The celebrated Saint Antony’s statue occupies a vantage place in the square.
I remember reading there are three statues of Saint Antony in the Piazza of St.Antonio.
From here, you can walk down to other places of attractions in Sorrento such as Piazza Tasso, Marian Piccola, and the sacred Basilica of Saint Antony.
The important local Government building “Townhall’ is in located in the piazza.
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Piazza Della Vittoria
Piazza Della Vittoria is another busy public square in Sorrento. The Bay of Naples and the Mariana Piccola are within walking distance from the piazza.
That’s the view of the Bay of Naples.
An aesthetically landscaped garden in the middle of Piazza Della Vittoria is the main attraction for the tourists.
Where to do shopping in Sorrento?
Via San Cesareo is where the tourists are taken in the evening for buying souvenirs, eating local seafood and visiting a bar.
You can buy Italian leather belts, taste fluffy pastries and buy yourself expensive pure leather footwear that is famous in Italy.
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Corso Italia Road
The main thoroughfare in Sorrento, it is an important landmark in this small city.
The street is lined with hundreds of big and small shops.
Tourists linger lazily on the street, doing window shopping.
Which are the islands located near Sorrento?
The ferry ride on the Tyrrhenian Sea is an enjoyable one when the weather is friendly and so too the waves. There are a few islands of Italy that located on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
- Capri Island
- Ischia Island
- Procida Island
All of them can be visited easily from the city. You can cover two islands in a day from your hotel.
Museums:
European cities mean one or two museums will certainly be there as tourist attractions. Of late, their interest is waning for museums.
Sorrento in Italy also has its share museums that include:
- Museum of Correale
- Museo Bottega della Tarsia Lignea
Towns, villages, and beaches in and near Sorrento, Italy:
Italian small towns have a laid back atmosphere. The people don’t seem to in a hurry for anything. They lead an enviable relaxed and contented life.
Since Sorrento itself perched atop a cliff, all its neighbouring towns also offer a spectacular view of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
When you tour Sorrento, try to find time to visit some of the following small towns, villages, community centres, and beaches.
- Sant’Agnello.
- Piano di Sorrento
- Massa Lubrense
- Villa Comunale Park
- Nerano Beach
Did you notice the small beach area in the above image? All the beaches in Amalfi Coast are relatively tiny because of the rugged backdrop.
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Marina di Equa Beach
- Marameo Beach
Blue Grotto, Capri
I have reserved the most important and prime attraction of your Sorrento tour for the last in my list of places to see in Amalfi Coast.
Blue Grotto is a mysterious sea cave where you have to lay low on your boat as you enter the sea cave off the coast of Capri Island.
Did you see the dramatic change in the color of the water before and after the boat entered the sea cave?
You have come to the end of the tour of Sorrento. I have covered all I can, such as how to reach Sorrento, where to stay, what to eat and drink in Sorrento and all the essential places to see in Amalfi Coast.
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