A valley view of the sea in Sorrento, yellow buildings on the left line the valley and on the right a cliff with restaurants on the top. In the valley there is a road.

Nothing like an Italian summer. The water, the sun, the history, the food, all of it combined for a memorable summer holiday. Sorrento made it onto my list after seeing an Instagram feed full of photos of the Amalfi Coast. It was one of those moments seeing the hotels and houses built into the dramatic cliffside and saying, "I want to go there." The Amalfi Coast seed was planted a few years back when seeing Rachel Zoe share snaps from Positano. I didn’t even know a place like that could exist. Anyways, fast-forward a few years later, and we sat down and planned an Italian coastal summer vacation.

Why Visit Sorrento

Positano receives the majority of the limelight when it comes to the Amalfi Coast. Don’t get me wrong; it was on our shortlist, but we decided on Sorrento for a variety of reasons. One, out of necessity. We didn’t book until April or May which is later into the season than I’d recommend. So choices for places to stay were limited up and down the coast. At that time, Sorrento had more options within our price range. Second, location. It’s situated at the end of the Sorrento Coast and the top of the Amalfi Coast. It’s a good middle distance between the airport and a doorway to the smaller cliffside villages south. It’s also closer to sights like Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius than the smaller cities more south. Third, it’s relatively flat in the city. Of course, part of the magic of Positano or Praiano is that it’s built into a cliff, but that also means climbing steep hills and stairs just to get to dinner or the beach and back. We opted for Sorrento because although it’s on top of a cliff, the whole city itself is roughly on the same level. The only incline is getting from the water and back. The city offers a pay-to-use elevator and some hotels have an elevator down to the beach as well.

Busy cobble streets in Sorrento. Its dusk and there are tall black cast iron lamps lining the right side of the street. There is a bell tower with red brick and white buildings.

Why Not Visit Sorrento

The only downside to staying in Sorrento is that it’s one of the bigger cities along the coast, and for the reasons noted above, it gets busy. In the height of summer, it’s very tourist focused. I don’t know if that sentiment changes as you move more south and stop in the smaller cities, but it was really apparent in the town that it was a tourist destination. I usually prefer something that feels smaller, and more authentic, so it threw me off at first. Once I knew what to expect, we adjusted and found the restaurants, and did the activities we wanted to do. Overall, it’s a great city, but it’s helpful to know what to expect.

How To Get To Sorrento

As I mentioned above, Sorrento topped our list because of the location. It’s about an hour’s drive south of Naples Airport. Naples is the closest international airport so it’s perfect if you’re solely focused on this part of Italy like we were. If you’re planning to see other parts of Italy, flying into other airports in the country could be a good option as well. That said, let’s say you’re flying into Naples as we did, you have a few options for arriving in Sorrento.

1. Taxi — The quickest, most direct, but the most expensive. We were honestly surprised by how expensive taxis were throughout the Sorrento and Amalfi Coasts. We were quoted something like $100+ to go from the airport to Sorrento town center, more if there is traffic.

2. Train — Probably the longest journey in terms of time and the most movement out of these options. The benefit is that it has more frequent times than other public transit. The challenge is that it requires taking the train into Naples, switching trains, and then catching the train to Sorrento town.

3. Train to the ferry — I was intrigued by the idea of arriving by water, but the steps of the train to the ferry port, then the ferry to Sorrento lowered it on my list. The moving around with bags and timing the schedule of the two turned me off.

4. Bus — The most affordable of all of these options and slightly easier than the train, we decided to take the bus from the airport to Sorrento. The biggest hurdle was finding the bus pick-up point. You have to leave the main terminal and walk past the taxis. It was in a small parking lot area off on its own. The other confusing part was that we were traveling on a Sunday and the times are different, so we had to wait a little longer than planned. We were uncertain so we asked the others waiting to confirm they were waiting for the same thing, and we also asked another bus or two that stopped there for other routes. When in doubt, ask! Eventually, the bus arrived. It stops at smaller towns along the way, and Sorrento is the last stop. It drops at the main train station nicely located within the city. Our walk from the train station to the hotel gave us a quick glimpse of the shops, restaurants, and overall layout of the city.

When To Visit Sorrento

The high season for Sorrento is the summer months. The busiest is most likely July and August with the bookend season months of June and September being a little quieter. It’s the high season because the weather is hot and sunny. My approach has always been making the compromise of putting up with the increased number of people in return for experiencing perfect hot summer weather. If sunny days by the water aren’t high on your list, opt for spring or fall months like March and April or October and November. This blog post talks about visiting in October and how the weather is still warm enough for swimming, so it’s worth a shot! Also, if visiting the historical and natural sights like Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius are on your list, cooler months are recommended. We visited Pompeii in July, and it was just too hot to fully appreciate it. Ultimately, know what you want to do, and pick the time of year that works best for you!

A small beach at the base of the Sorrento cliffs, the tall cliffs have hotels on top and at the base are pavilions into the sea with green sun umbrellas.

Where To Eat And Drink In Sorrento

Sorrento is full of great food at all price points. On our 5 day visit we had a tasting menu at a Michelin star restaurant and another night we brought pizza back to the hotel room. Find the recommendations of specific places here: Where to Eat and Drink in Sorrento: the food travel guide.

Overall, the city is full of amazing restaurants and great food at all price points.

The hotel window view in Sorrento, of the sea, and mount Vesuvius in the distance, the picture includes the window frame.

What To Do In Sorrento

There is so much to do around Sorrento that we easily filled our 5 days. One day we went on a boat tour around the coast and Capri. Another day we toured Pompeii. A couple of days were spent lounging by the water and exploring the town. I would have loved to explore Mount Vesuvius and some lemon groves but we ran out of time. Check out this blog post where I detail 5 Dreamy Things to Do in Sorrento.

Rachel wearing a swimsuit and a hat drinking champagne on the front of a boat, with Capri island in the background and a white super yacht at anchor.

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Sorrento Travel Guide

The best starting place for planning your vacation to Sorrento. Why visit Sorrento? Why not visit Sorrento? How to get to Sorrento, when to visit, what to do, and where to eat. All of those questions are answered in this food, stay, and activity travel guide to Sorrento.