Seeing Serene Sorrento

The view on the train ride from Naples to Sorrento...Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

Beautiful Sorrento is nestled in the hills overlooking the Bay of Naples, south of the city of Naples in southern Italy.  It has a steady stream of tourists since the town is known for its quaint charm and small streets.  There's approximately 16,000 citizens residing in Sorrento.  While staying in Sorrento, its easy to visit the ancient sites of Pompeii and Herculinum (Ercolano) as well as Naples, Capri, Amalfi, Positano, and Salerno.  At the end of this post, there is specific travel information how to get to Sorrento and nearby towns and sites. 

The main piazza in Sorrento.

 Some of the streets are just for foot traffic and cars can't enter.  The cruise ships drop off many visitors for shopping and they walk up to town or take the elevator from the Marina so it can get crowded in the day.  We went in April and there are fewer crowds but the businesses were gearing up for the tourist season.

 

One of the cruise ships in the background.

Left photos:  View from our Hotel; above right: view from the Marina to the mainland. 

We stayed at the Royal Sorrento Hotel a great location near the train station and just a short walk to the main piazza in town.  We were fortunate to have a balcony overlooking the crystal blue Tyrannean seas.

The Grand Royal Hotel below...

The Views

The Terrace

Back of the Hotel

The Grand Royal website

128 steps to the Marina!

The stairs (above left) heads from the main piazza to the Marina where you can take boats to Capri, Positano, or Naples.  My travel mates counted 128 steps from the main street down to the marina.  There's also an elevator that costs 1 euro to use one way. 

The Marina area, a short distance from the main piazetta, where you can catch the boats.

Oh yes, the shopping and dining!

If visiting Naples, be sure to visit Sorrento even if its for a day of shopping and dining.  The foods of the region are fresh vegetables, wines, seafood, lemon/orange citrus, limoncello liquers, pastas, Margherita pizza, mozzarella, tomatoes and of course the olive oil.  Its not all just about eating, there's also leather goods, lovely linens and silk scarves and fabrics to buy.

Lemon products include limon/orangecello liquors, lemon soaps, lotions, etc...

 Gargiulo and Bartomlomei were the main olive oils used for dining and cooking.

 Getting to and Around Sorrento Travel Information:

From Rome:  At Rome Termini Statzione,  you can purchase a ticket on the Rome Trenitalia regional train line to Naploli Centrale Girabaldi station which takes one hour and 10 minutes on the express train.  Once you reach the Napoli Centrale Girabaldi station in Naples, disembark the train and change to the local Circumvesuviana train.  Walk down the escalator and follow the signs where you can purchase a ticket to Sorrento at the ticket window.  


From Napoli Garibaldi Station to Sorrento:  55 minutes 
From Sorrento to Capri by Boat:  30 minutes (16 Euros each way)
From Sorrento to Positano by Boat:  35 minutes (26 Euros round trip per person)
There are no trains to Positano..one must take a bus, boat or other modes of transportation.  Note: You must pay for any luggage you take on the boats.  Be sure to pay at the time you purchase your boat ticket or they won't let you on the boat.
From Sorrento to Pompei Scavi:  35 minutes on the train
From Sorrento to Herculaneum (Ercolana station): 45 minutes on the train


The Sorrento train station is in the center of town.  Once you exit the train and walk down to the street, walk left towards the main piazetta.  We walked everywhere around the town of Sorrento.  The Royal Hotel is very near the station as well as many other hotels.


These websites have current train schedules:
Italy's Trenitalia Trains (Regional Italy Trains)
Circumvesuviana Trains (local southern Italy Train)
Boats:


See the nearby attractions:  
See my post  Pompeii, Vesuvius and Herculaneum.
See my Capri post here
See my Positano post here

Please let me know if this post was helpful if you plan to visit Sorrento.