Sorrento

Introduction

Sorrento bay

© KristenS

Sorrento sits on the cliffs overlooking the water towards Naples and Mount Vesuvius. Steep cliffs and blue water always makes for stunning scenery and Sorrento is no exception to that rule. Such stunning scenery, in combination with a picturesque Italian village of terraced houses, was not bound to go unnoticed for long. Very much the resort town, thousands flock to Sorrento each year making it rather crowded in the midst of summer. Nonetheless there are ample opportunities nearby to escape the crowds and enjoy the more peaceful surroundings and views.

Sights and Activities

• Hiking - There are plenty of marked trails around Sorrento and hiking is a popular past time for visitors. Information can be obtained at the Tourist Office.
• Beaches - The most popular beach is Puta de Capo.
• Hire a boat - A visit to Sorrento isn't complete without a boat trip. Take in the beautiful views of the coast, much of which is inaccessible on land.
• Day trips to Capri
• Cooking classes - A cooking class offers a unique opportunity to immerse in the flavours and lifestyle of the Sorrento Coast.

Weather

Sorrento has a typical Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers and mild but wet winters. Days in summer average around 30 °C and nights are mostly around 20 °C. In winters, days are around 15 °C with nights below 10 °C.

Getting there

Sorrento

© rosita

By Plane

The nearest airport is Capodichino near Naples. From here buses go to Sorrento several times a day.

By Train

Line 1 of the Circumvesuviana (the railway track runs around the base of the Vesuvius) railway, which connects cities and villages near Naples, stops in Sorrento (journey time about one hour). Half way is the station of Pompeii Scavi, right next to the entrance to the excavations. The railway is especially scenic on the Sorrento peninsula, where it passes over several bridges and through tunnels.

By Car

Drive south from Naples towards Costiera Sorrentina. Traffic can be slow so this is by no means the fastest way to get to Sorrento from Naples.

By Bus

Buses can be caught from Capodichino airport, Amalfi and Positano.

By Boat

Sorrento is accessible by boat from Capri, Ischia and Naples. It's a faster way to get to Sorrento than by road.

Eat

• Bocconci (via Vico 1 Fuoro, 21) - Tiny place with good local bread, salamies and cheeses.
• Da Gigino (Via degli Archi) - Good food with especially great pizzas and pastas.
• Parruchiano (Corso Italia)
• La Tavernetta Sorrento (Via Atigliana, 25) - Good cooking and great prices
• La Tavernetta Puolo (Via Marina di Puolo, 16 ) - On the sea with many seafood specialties cooked in the Sorrentine way

Sleep

Upscale

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Keep Connected

Internet

Almost all towns and cities in Italy have internet cafes. A growing number of budget hostels and nicer hotels have free Wifi. By law all public-access internet points must keep records of web sites viewed by customers, and even the customer's ID: expect to be refused access if you don't provide identification. Hotels providing Internet access are not required to record IDs if the connection is provided in the guest's room, although if the connection is offered in the main public hall then IDs are required. Publicly available wireless access without user identification is illegal, so open Wi-Fi hotspots (like the ones you might expect to find in a mall or cafée) all have some form of (generally one-time) registration.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The main networks are TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile, part of Telecom Italia, formerly state controlled), Vodafone, Wind, and 3 (only UMTS cellphones). Best advice is to buy a prepaid SIM card (from € 10 upwards) and a cheap mobile phone (€ 19 upwards) to put it in (if you don't have a cellphone already that you can use). It will be much more practical. All land line numbers start with 0. Mobile numbers start with 3. Numbers starting with 89 are high-fee services. In case of emergency call the appropriate number from the list below. Such calls are usually free and calls to 112, 113 (police), 115 (fire), 118 (health) can be made from payphones for free without the need of inserting coins. 112 (standard emergency number in GSM specification) can be dialed in any case for free from any mobile phone.

Post

Post Italiane is the national postal services of Italy and has quite an efficient network of postal offices and reliable postal services. Standard letters and postcards (up to 20 grams) cost €0.39 to send within Europe and the Mediterranean countries outside Europe and €0.41 to all other destinations throughout the country. Up to 50 grams, prices start at €0.52 for Europe, €0.62 for other areas. Packages start at €1.55 within Europe, and around €2.50 for other countries. Post office business hours in Italy are from 8:30am to 2:00pm from Monday to Friday, with closing times at Saturday and the last day of the month at 12 noon. In general, larger post offices in bigger cities and in tourist areas keep longer hours than those in local towns. Also note that business hours in the south might be different than the north, with longer hours at night, especially in summer! If you want to send packages you might try faster and more reliable/efficient private courier companies like TNT, UPS or DHL.