10 EPIC things to do in Sorrento Italy

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Are you planning a trip to Italy and want to know the best things to do in Sorrento?

We have been to Sorrento twice in the last three years, including as part of our honeymoon and have learned everything you need for the perfect itinerary in this beautiful gateway to the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento has all the ingredients for a Euro Summer getaway, great food, great weather and great activities.

This guide will take you through the best things to do in Sorrento including day trips, cooking classes, bars, shopping and sunbathing locations. We will also provide you with the best hotels in Sorrento to help you plan out your stay.

How to get to Sorrento from Naples Airport

The main airport you will use to get to Sorrento is in Naples. Naples is around 50-60km North and there are two main ways to get to the Sorrento from Naples airport depending on where you are staying – Bus or Ferry.

You can also get the train but we found the other two methods more enjoyable, particularly if you want to admire the view along the journey. In our experience, if you are staying in Sorrento, the bus is the better option and if you are staying further down the coast, the ferry is more practical.

Bus

The bus from Naples to Sorrento is run by Curreri Viaggi and is the easiest way to get to Sorrento from Naples Airport. The journey takes around 90 minutes total and costs €13pp for a return ticket. The bus can be a little bit tricky to find when you leave the terminal but you can get instructions here. This journey also has some stunning views of the coast, as well as phone charging ports on board. You can get tickets for this bus service here.

Ferry

Alternatively, a great way to get a first impression of the region is to travel to Sorrento by Ferry.

There are two main operators of ferries for this route, Lucibello, which has a high speed ferry that takes around an hour and NGL, whose options typically take 1.5 hours.

Prices for the ferries vary based on the demand and time of the year but usually cost around €30pp each way. The Positano Jet services numerous other options throughout the coast including ferries to Capri so you will likely use their ferries at some point on your trip.

Private Transfer

Naturally, a private transfer is more expensive but saves a lot of the hassle of navigating public transport etc. If you do want to arrange a transfer, we would suggest Welcome Pickups, who have really strong reviews for reliability online.

Where to stay in Sorrento

If you do decide to stay overnight and book a hotel in Sorrento, we have put together our top recommendations for you to enjoy a luxurious stay in the town. If you’re planning to visit other parts of the Amalfi Coast, check out our guide on where to stay in the Amalfi Coast, providing a breakdown of or favourite options.

We stayed at this hotel in Sorrento and would highly recommend it for your stay.

10 things to do in Sorrento

1. Spend a day at a beach club

There are few better ways to spend a day in Sorrento than to relax at a beach club and taking a dip in the water.

Make your way to the Marina area where there is an elevator that you can take down to the beach clubs that costs around €1.20 each way and saves you having to navigate a lot of stairs. The beach clubs can be quite expensive at times but they do have nice areas to swim and sunbathe if you would like to do that in the morning.

Our favourite beach clubs in Sorrento were Peter’s Beach Club, Leonelli’s and Bagni Salvatore, which were more reasonably priced than many of the other options on the Amalfi Coast. If you are spending more than a day in Sorrento, then we would ideally recommend that you make the most of the beach club and spend a full day here to justify the costs.

2. Take a day trip to Positano

One of the best things about Sorrento is that it is the perfect place to use as a base to explore the Amalfi Coast. There are few more popular destinations in Europe these days than Positano to visit. The winding roads, views from above and of course, the pastel houses lining the mountainside make this an unmissable location on the Amalfi Coast.

Our perfect day in Positano would start with breakfast at Casa e Bottega, a beautiful road side cafe that also has a ceramics and homeware store. This is a great place to pick up a souvenir and a great meal.

Afterwards, make your way through the narrow streets of the Old town before working your way down to Marina Grande for some sun bathing in the afternoon.

In the evening, it’s all about the sunset and there are few better places to see it in the World than sitting up high in Positano. We would recommend going for a drink at Franco’s to enjoy these spectacular views.

Guided Tour to Positano

Again, getting to Positano sing public transport or renting a car is definitely possible but to fully enjoy your trip, it is often best to take a guided tour of Positano. Depending on the time of year you visit, Positano, can be one of the most densely populated tourist areas in Europe.

This means the SITA buses going from Sorrento to Positano can get very crowded. If you are visiting with young children in particular, we would advise avoiding this approach as it can be quite stressful. It can also be easy to overlook some of the other towns in the region with Positano being so well renowned. The guided tour we would recommend takes in Amalfi as well and we would highly suggest exploring Amalfi, Ravello & Praiano if you have the time.

3. Go for a drink at a rooftop bar

Sorrento is blessed with lots of great rooftop bars and while they can be more expensive, they are worth visiting on special occasions or a nice way to start your evening.

If you would like to visit a rooftop bar, we would recommend the Vista Sky Bar, which has beautiful views over the Bay of Naples. Equally, we would also recommend the Bellavista Cocktail Bar at the top of the Grand Hotel La Favorita, which has equally spectacular views and a stylish lounge area.

4. Take a day trip to Capri

Day trip option number two is to the luxury isle of Capri. You can take a direct ferry from Sorrento to Capri that only takes around 30 minutes or less and cost around €25 each way.

Our perfect way to spend a day in Capri would start off with exploring the luxury boutiques of Camarelle before relaxing with a coffee at Piazzetta di Capri.

Afterwards, we would take a walk around Anacapri before taking the chair lift to Monte Solaro to get the best views of the island below.

Finally, we would make our wayback don to the port to get on a sunset tour of Capri, including a stop at the Blue Grotto.

Guided Tour of Capri

If you want to really maximise your day in Capri, we would also recommend taking a guided tour, to remove all the stress involved. This is what we did on our second visit and it honestly made things a lot easier. You can still do all of the things we include in the itinerary below, without having to worry about how to get between each place.

On our second visit, we did this tour, which included a trip to the famous Blue Grotto, as well as lots of free time in Capri itself and stops at some amazing photo spots so we would highly recommend it if you want a less stressful day in Capri.

5. Go shopping at the boutiques in Sorrento

Sorrento is full of great boutique shops throughout the cobbled streets of the town. The main street in Sorrento is Corso Italia which has a wide range of shops and restaurants.

There are lots of great local products to shop for in Sorrento. The boutiques here specialise in ceramics, often decorated in bright colours and lemon based designs. They also produce lots of great engraved woods, as well as having a wide range of linens and handbags as well. Of course the specialty product of Sorrento is Limoncello so make sure to pick up a bottle for yourself or as a gift.

6. Take a day trip to Pompeii

Our final day trip recommendation would be a trip to Pompeii. One of the great things about Sorrento as we mentioned is that you can visit great attractions both North and South.

Pompeii is a great option for anyone interested in history in particular, with the town being perfectly preserved since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79CE effectively buried the city. Pompeii is unlike anywhere else you will likely visit in the region so it is well worth adding to your Sorrento itinerary.

7. Pizza, Wine and Limoncello tasting class

Describe a more idyllic night in the sunshine than this one – pizza and wine in Italy! This Pizza making class is set on a picturesque country side farm where you will get to learn about the inner workings of an Italian farm.

The experience includes transfers from the centre of Sorrento and getting to taste items produced directly on the farm like Olive Oil before heading into the farmhouse for dinner. Here, you will enjoy some wine tasting and limoncello before baking your own pizza using seasonal ingredients sourced locally.

This is a great way to spend an evening in Sorrento and will no doubt leave a lasting memory from your stay.

8. Have dinner at O’Parruchiano

O’Parruchiano is one of the most renowned restaurants in Sorrento – known for its beautiful interior lined with the lemon trees of the region. We have visited this restaurant on both of our trips to Sorrento and have really enjoyed the experience on both occasions.

Admittedly, I wouldn’t say I was blown away by the food overall but it is still really good and the setting alone is worth the visit at least once if you are spending several days in Sorrento. We have lots of other great restaurant recommendations in our 3 day Sorrento itinerary.

9. Bagni Giovanni Regina

Next up, we’re taking you to a lesser known place in Sorrento – Bagni Regina Giovanna. This is a secluded swimming hole a little bit outside of Sorrento centre. To get there you can take the bus to Capo Sorrento and then it is a short walk from there down to the swimming area. Even if you would prefer not to swim, there are some nice walking trails in the area too so its a nice place to spend the afternoon.

One thing to consider with this swimming spot is that there is no lifeguard and there can be a fairly strong current at times so we would not recommend unless you are a comfortable swimmer. Other than that it is quite rocky so make sure to wear good sandals but it is a really beautiful place if you want something a little different do in Sorrento.

10. Pasta Making & Drinks

We have already suggested one staple food making class in Italy and it would be hard not to consider a pasta making class as well. No matter which option you choose, we would highly recommend doing a cooking class and where better than in Italy.

This class lasts for 3 hours and lets you enjoy 3 Italian classics, Pasta, Tiramisu and Wine – food heaven. This is a great way to finish up your day in Sorrento with a great meal and a great memory, as well as a new skill to take home and show off straight from the masters.