Making the most of Sorrento
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships cannot dock at Sorrento, so passengers tender ashore to Marina Piccola.
A 5 min walk right of Marina Piccola brings you to mini buses for the city center, costing 1 Euro. Free shuttles to Piazza Tasso, the city's transport hub, often operate.
The mostly uphill marina-to-town walk takes around 20 minutes and includes some 200 steps.
Take a printable map with you.
Sightseeing options:
Despite progress and mass tourism, old-city lanes retain churches and ancient monasteries full of valuable memories. Centuries old palaces and Durazzo portals show Sorrento noble-family splendour. Lively Via S. Cesareo, the "decumanus", forms the town's beating heart, where tourists crowd its many-colored shops. The architectonic jewel is the fourteenth century Cloister of San Francesco, with crossed tuff arches of Arabian derivation, hosting traditional "Estate Musicale Sorrentina" concerts…
Sorrento Tourist office: Via Luigi De Maio, 35.
Getting around
Sorrento has hop-on, hop-off bus tours across the greater Sorrento area, alongside excursions to Ravello, Minori/Maiori and Positano.
Take the little white train for a full town view, accompanied by Neapolitan music and tourist information.
From Marina Piccola, use ferries or hydrofoils for Capri, Naples, Positano and other destinations. The ticket booth and departure point are steps from the tender drop-off, and Capri hydrofoils take about 25 minutes.
Nearby places
Pompeii and Herculanium: Downtown Sorrento is a short 30-minute train trip from Pompeii. Walk to the station, buy a Pompeii ticket and leave at Pompeii Scava Station.
Herculaneum is equally easy by train: any Sorrento train reaches it, using Ercolano Scavi station. Walk a fairly steep 6-8 blocks to the site, and ask to ensure you catch the correct train back to Sorrento.
Food and shopping
Via S. Cesareo, Sorrento's beating heart, is undoubtedly its shopping centre.
Sorrento is famous for its large lemons and for "Limoncello", the lemon based alcoholic beverage that is both very sweet and equally potent.
Money
Currency: Euro.
Staying connected
The local language is Italian.
At Corso Italia 200, halfway between the main square and train station, Il Leone Rosso Cafe serves free quality WiFi and even better cappuccino.
Emergency nr: call 112.
Opening Hours and
Italy's shops and businesses generally trade Monday to Saturday around 8am to 1pm and about 4pm to 7pm, though many shut Saturday afternoons and Monday mornings; southern hours can begin and end an hour later. Northern businesses may work 9am-5pm for international dealings. Traditionally, everything except bars and restaurants closes Sunday, although mornings may have a pasticceria and Sunday opening is increasingly common in large cities and tourist areas.