Sorrento - what to do

[karenbeanpole]

Our ship is in Sorrento in June. Can anyone suggest what we can do there for the day? We were in Naples before and did Pompeii and Mt V. Heard that Sorrento is quite nice for a potter round. Or should we venture further afield? Welcome any suggestions really.

[p_mori7]

Sorrento is very pittoresque, there is a pedestrian only street full of all kinds of shops...some that specialize in limoncello and other fruit flavored...ahem...beverages ! They allow free sample sipping...Mmmm... Strong stuff !

 

There are some very nice beaches...need to pay for access I think.

 

A short drive from Sorrento is Positano...spectacular place to visit !

 

:)

[I object 2]

Hi Karen: we cruised the Med last October and Sorrento was one of our favorite stops. Very quaint and charming. We were on tour so only had an hour to explore. We're planning to go back to Europe next year and will visit Sorrento and definitely spend more time there. If you're a shopper, there are some terrific shops to explore. I picked up several beautiful Italian leather handbags and a few cashmere scarves as souvenirs for myself and family.

 

Jan

[euro cruiser]

I'm not a shopper so Sorrento doesn't do much for me, but it's easy to get a boat from there to Capri.

[karenbeanpole]

We don't want to shop. Love to potter around nice places though. Anyone done the Amalfi coast from Sorrento? If we did a tour there, it would mean not really seeing Sorrento itself.

[euro cruiser]

There's really no need for a tour if you want to see the Amalfi coast. You can get a boat from Marina Piccola in Sorrento that will take you to Positano or Amalfi.

[cruisemom42]

I'm not a shopper so Sorrento doesn't do much for me, but it's easy to get a boat from there to Capri.

 

I'd also recommend Capri by hydrofoil from Sorrento. There's much more to do and see on Capri if you just like to wander.

 

I stayed in Sorrento for a week and didn't find it particularly charming or memorable.

[starwhite3]

If you do spend time wandering around in Sorrento itself, I can recommend two restaurants: Bufalito (best tomatoes I ever ate; my pal ate artichokes, squisito, as the Italians say) and Ristorante da Gigino (very good spaghetti carbonara). There is a restaurant where you can see ruins through the glass floor - La Lanterna. Food and service below average, but the ruins underneath our table were the best. Gelato was 7Euros on the main drag (Corso Italia).

[Cornishpastyman1]

We don't want to shop. Love to potter around nice places though. Anyone done the Amalfi coast from Sorrento? If we did a tour there, it would mean not really seeing Sorrento itself.

Hi Karen, we were supposed to be at Sorrento in October but swells meant it was not certain that the tenders would be able to run so we diverted to Naples and did this Amalfi Coast tour :

Positano

Amalfi

Ravello

 

If you are able to get ashore from Sorrento you will be able to see more and/or do it in a more leisurely fashion, as driving to the area from Naples probably added about an hour of travel to each end of the day.

 

On the second day we went to Capri

where we spent about 30 minutes (would have liked longer) at Villa San Michele

From what others are saying it doesn't look like I missed that much not going to Sorrento :) All the best, Tony Edited March 20, 2014 by Cornishpastyman1

[neilridd]

We don't want to shop. Love to potter around nice places though. Anyone done the Amalfi coast from Sorrento? If we did a tour there, it would mean not really seeing Sorrento itself.

 

Hi Karen

We stopped at Sorrento in september 2013 on a cruise.

1st day we did a private tour from Sorrento going to Positano,Amalfi & Ravello, the scenery is spectacular & Positano & Amalfi well worth a visit.

2nd. Day the swells didn't allow the tenders to run so ship re-located to Naples

[acruisergirl]

Hi Karen, we were supposed to be at Sorrento in October but swells meant it was not certain that the tenders would be able to run so we diverted to Naples and did this Amalfi Coast tour :

Positano

Amalfi

Ravello

 

If you are able to get ashore from Sorrento you will be able to see more and/or do it in a more leisurely fashion, as driving to the area from Naples probably added about an hour of travel to each end of the day.

 

On the second day we went to Capri

where we spent about 30 minutes (would have liked longer) at Villa San Michele

From what others are saying it doesn't look like I missed that much not going to Sorrento :) All the best, Tony

 

Tony,

 

My husband and I will be on the same cruise as Karen which stops in Sorrento in June. Our ship is in port from 7:30am to 7:00pm and I am trying to judge how much time is needed for touring. I have been to the town of Sorrento and Pompeii and are interested in visiting other areas.

 

I loved the youtube pictures of the Amalfi coast. It appears you had a lovely time. I'm not one for using local transportation that would cover such a large area of travel. Did you use a private tour guide and do you remember the name of the company? Was it a full day, 8 hour tour?

 

The pictures from Capri were also beautiful. How much time did you spend touring there and was it easy to find your way using the many different methods of transportation?(bus, cable car, etc.)

 

 

Thanks,

Pat

[Cornishpastyman1]

Tony,

 

My husband and I will be on the same cruise as Karen which stops in Sorrento in June. Our ship is in port from 7:30am to 7:00pm and I am trying to judge how much time is needed for touring. I have been to the town of Sorrento and Pompeii and are interested in visiting other areas.

 

I loved the youtube pictures of the Amalfi coast. It appears you had a lovely time. I'm not one for using local transportation that would cover such a large area of travel. Did you use a private tour guide and do you remember the name of the company? Was it a full day, 8 hour tour?

 

The pictures from Capri were also beautiful. How much time did you spend touring there and was it easy to find your way using the many different methods of transportation?(bus, cable car, etc.)

 

 

Thanks,

Pat

Hi Pat

Thanks for your kind words. We did the Amalfi Coast day with Joe Banana Limos, and had a wonderful day. Our driver was not a guide but was cheery and knowledgeable. You don't need a guide for these towns, as a decent book or even the stuff the cruise line gives you the night before would do, as it's really all about the scenery and enjoying the quaint towns.

 

It cost €400 for the 8 of us. I didn't arrange it, but am sure that it was a full 8 hour day, and we would have had perhaps a couple more hours seeing the towns had we been able to start from Sorrento. However we were diverted to Naples, and didn't get there until noon. By the time we had disembarked it must have been 12.30 and as it was getting dark by 6.30 (mid October) we had to start back to Naples by then. If all goes well for you (i.e. you stop at Sorrento) you will be able to do a better job than we could, but if you are unlucky JBL will be at Naples and do their best for you. Obviously we were disappointed to be in Naples but it you can't control the weather and JBL ensured we saw all 3 towns. We got back at 8.15 pm so it was the full 8 hours. Whatever time you have you will use, as there will always be another shop to see or a bar to visit.

 

Or you could go to Capri, in which case it won't matter where you end up as it's a hydrofoil to the island. From Sorrento it's a bit quicker but that won't make much difference as you have long port hours, which is good.

 

We spent only 4 hours touring - our fault because we got the 10 am hydrofoil instead of the 8 am, which was stupid, and as our all-aboard was 6 pm we had to get the 3.25 hydrofoil back. So you can have at least 7 hours there if you play your cards right.

 

Getting around is very simple - either go up by the funicular when you get off the hydrofoil at Marina Grande and catch a bus to Anacapri and walk onto the chairlift, or (as we did) catch a bus to Anacapri, then the chairlift up and down (€10 return), then a bus to Capri town and the funicular back down (or walk down). But with your extra time you can do so much than we could. All the best, Tony

Edited March 22, 2014 by Cornishpastyman1

[Antonintassie]

Hi you can catch the hydrofoil from Sorrento to Capris and back to Naples also

[karenbeanpole]

Thanks everyone for suggestions. I don't think we'll book a tour anymore as we like being adventurous. Now we have the option of Capri as well! Might take a bus to Amalfi/Positano.... or might go to Capri. Won't want to miss out on the breathtaking scenery around there.

[acruisergirl]

Hi Pat

Thanks for your kind words. We did the Amalfi Coast day with Joe Banana Limos, and had a wonderful day. Our driver was not a guide but was cheery and knowledgeable. You don't need a guide for these towns, as a decent book or even the stuff the cruise line gives you the night before would do, as it's really all about the scenery and enjoying the quaint towns.

 

It cost €400 for the 8 of us. I didn't arrange it, but am sure that it was a full 8 hour day, and we would have had perhaps a couple more hours seeing the towns had we been able to start from Sorrento. However we were diverted to Naples, and didn't get there until noon. By the time we had disembarked it must have been 12.30 and as it was getting dark by 6.30 (mid October) we had to start back to Naples by then. If all goes well for you (i.e. you stop at Sorrento) you will be able to do a better job than we could, but if you are unlucky JBL will be at Naples and do their best for you. Obviously we were disappointed to be in Naples but it you can't control the weather and JBL ensured we saw all 3 towns. We got back at 8.15 pm so it was the full 8 hours. Whatever time you have you will use, as there will always be another shop to see or a bar to visit.

 

Or you could go to Capri, in which case it won't matter where you end up as it's a hydrofoil to the island. From Sorrento it's a bit quicker but that won't make much difference as you have long port hours, which is good.

 

We spent only 4 hours touring - our fault because we got the 10 am hydrofoil instead of the 8 am, which was stupid, and as our all-aboard was 6 pm we had to get the 3.25 hydrofoil back. So you can have at least 7 hours there if you play your cards right.

 

Getting around is very simple - either go up by the funicular when you get off the hydrofoil at Marina Grande and catch a bus to Anacapri and walk onto the chairlift, or (as we did) catch a bus to Anacapri, then the chairlift up and down (€10 return), then a bus to Capri town and the funicular back down (or walk down). But with your extra time you can do so much than we could. All the best, Tony

 

Thanks Tony for all the great information. I tend to be the more adventurous one in my family and your encouraging words will help me convince my husband that we can do Capri on our own. I'm going to do a little more research and then decide.

 

Thanks again and happy traveling.

Pat:)

[Cornishpastyman1]

Thanks Tony for all the great information. I tend to be the more adventurous one in my family and your encouraging words will help me convince my husband that we can do Capri on our own. I'm going to do a little more research and then decide.

 

Thanks again and happy traveling.

Pat:)

Hi Pat. Thanks and the same to you (and everyone, of course). If you decide to go to Capri, when you buy your hydrofoil ticket at Molo Beverello get one for the return trip too. This fool didn't do that. I knew all along we wanted the 3.25 and strolled back to Marina Grande at about 3.05 to discover it was full. The man behind the counter gave me a ticket for the 3.35 ferry. Nothing wrong with that at all, very comfortable and a couple of euros cheaper, but it takes at least 20 minutes longer and finishes over half a mile from the ship (the hydrofoil drops you almost next to it). We had allowed plenty of time, using the rule of 'take the penultimate service that works' but tragically arrived 5 minutes late for afternoon tea which was obviously a grievous blow :mad:

Edited March 27, 2014 by Cornishpastyman1

[euro cruiser]

If you decide to go to Capri, when you buy your hydrofoil ticket at Molo Beverello get one for the return trip too

There's a better solution. If you buy the return when you buy the outgoing ticket you are limited to the return times of that one operator. However, if you wait until the end of the day, as Tony points out, your options can be even more limited.

 

The solution is to stop and purchase your return ticket as soon as you arrive on Capri. That way you don't get shut out, but you have the full range of options for return times.