Guide to Sorrento: 4 night Iteneriary
Are you looking to visit Sorrento or the Amalfi coast but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, I was just as overwhelmed when I first started planning my Italy trip. I couldn’t decide what to do, see, and where to stay. I decided that Sorrento would be the best option to use as my “home base” for the area. It was a little more affordable accommodations than Amalfi or Positano and easier transportation options to the city from other cities. I am so glad I chose to do this! Amalfi and positano are much smaller, steeper towns and get CROWDED during the day. My husband and I both said we were so happy we chose to stay in Sorrento and explore from there. Below you’ll find my ultimate guide to Sorrento!
Day 1- Arrive in Naples
We flew in to the Naples airport from London. If you’re arriving from Rome, you can take a high speed train to Naples. From Naples, you can take the local train down the coast and it will end in Sorrento. This is the same train you’ll take when visiting Pompeii. Your other option is to hire a private driver. We hired a driver that picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. We used Rosato private tours and it cost 140 euros for the trip. Definitely not the cheapest option, but I was nervous using the local train station and since it was our first destination, I was happy to pay for it until we figured out public transport in Italy. I’ve read that the trains can be crowded coming from the airport so I was content with splurging. You can also arrive by ferry. We debated on doing this but the times didn’t align well with our arrival flight times
Use this day or evening to walk around Sorrento. The town is soo charming!
We decided to stay at Hotel Del Mare, which is located in a small fisherman’s village at the sea level beside Sorrento. This hotel was fabulous. We stayed 4 nights and paid $799. This was a great deal as any hotel in downtown Sorrento was nearly double. Hotel del Mare included free breakfast, had amazing rooftop views of the sea, friendly concierge and staff, and had great air conditioned rooms and an elevator (if you’ve been to Italy when its warm, you understand the prize that these two amenities are.) Because this hotel is located at ground level, it takes about 15 minutes to walk from the hotel, up the hill, and into town. If mobility is an issue for you, this may not be the best hotel for you, but my husband and I enjoyed the extra exercise. It was beautiful to watch the sunset on the hill as I walked into the main part of downtown.
Day 2- Pompeii
We booked a Pompeii tour in advance which is something I recommend. You can buy tours at the gate but I like to shop around before. From Sorrento, you’ll take the local train to Naples but get off at the Pompeii stop. You can only buy these tickets at the train station and not in advance on an app like Italo or Trenitalia since this is a local city train and not a big privately owned train. Tickets were cheap, I think around 5 euros.
Pompeii is HOT. We went in October, around a 10am tour, and I was glad we weren’t doing it during the summer. Bring water and maybe an umbrella if you’re going in warmer weather as there really isn’t any shaded spots.
We spent roughly 4 hours from leaving to arriving back to town. You could plan for another activity this day but I was glad we didn’t. We needed an afternoon nap after our tour before we went out for dinner.
Day 3- Boat tour to Amalfi and Positano
This was one of our favorite tours that we booked in Italy! We purchased tickets in advance which I highly recommend. The tour cost $270 for my husband and I, which really was fair for the day we had! They picked us up from our hotel at 9am and then went to a few other hotels to pick up other guests. We arrived to the docks around 10 am and then got on a bout with about 10 other passengers. I loved the small group of this tour, it made it feel so much more personal. Plus who wants to wait around for a larger group every time you’re loading, unloading, etc.? NOT me!
We spent about an hour in both Amalfi and Positano then went for a swim in the sea. Amalfi was adorable, busy and crowded, but still fun to walk around the narrow streets. In Amalfi, I HIGHLY recommend getting the lemon sorbet in a lemon. You will see a stand with crates of the largest lemons I’ve ever seen. You’ll pick your lemon, take it to the counter, where they will then scoop it out, and scoop the lemon sorbet in to the lemon bowl. So refreshing on a hot day!
Positano was a tiny town with LOTS of steep, narrow, stairs and tiny shops located off the stairs. We preferred Amalfi to Positano.
They stopped in the sea along the coast and let us jump in and swim. The water was SO salty. Odd to say because its the ocean, but I’ve been in the Atlantic, Pacific, Florida gulf, the Caribbean, and this was the saltiest by far! It was a little chilly in October but honestly, it was so refreshing!
Beach in Amalfi
Day 4- Explore Sorrento or Boat day to Capri
For the 4th day in Sorrento you can either do a boat day to the island of Capri or I recommend exploring Sorrento. We chose to stay in Sorrento and explore but I have heard Capri is a beautiful day trip. If you stay in Sorrento, walk through the shops, especially the sandal shops. Sorrento is known for Sandals and they can even handmake them to tailor to your foot. I recommend the shop Siniscalchi. They were recommended to me by the boat tour operator as a great and trustworthy shop. You can leave with sandals same day or if you require a special made shoe like me, they may need 24-48 hours. I have a size 9 foot but the straps were too big, so they custom made me a pair with a size 9 sole, and a size 8 strap across the foot. After I made my order, I found a buckle that was on another shoe that I wanted to incorporate on my shoe order, so I walked back by the shop and asked to add it on and they said of course! I recommend doing this your first or second night so that you have time to get them in case they need an extra day to make them.
There is a fisherman’s village right at sea level. I highly recommend walking over here and having an aperitivo while watching the boats dock or lounging on the beach. This is actually one of the only free beaches in the area. Jeff wanted to nap one day so I took my kindle and lounged in the sand while listening to the waves roll in. Such a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
For dinner, one of our favorite restaurants was Il Bufalito. The food, drink, and service was phenomenal!
Check out hotel Bellavista for cocktails. They have a rooftop bar with beautiful views of the city with fabulous craft cocktails. The bartenders were so kind and friendly, we came back several nights in a row, and each time they were great! We also enjoyed the cocktail bar, Cornelia. Small, dark ambiance, with great craft cocktails.
Marina Grande, the fisherman’s village located at sea level next to downtown
Day 5- Head off to your next Italian adventure and soak up every minute!
xoxo-Victoria