Visit to Sorrento

[Tino48]

I am planning a visit to Sorrento for 6 hours or so while on my cruise. I am travelling alone and have some mobility problems. Is it possible for me to get to the beach? What transport is available?

[lisiamc]

3 hours ago, Tino48 said:

I am planning a visit to Sorrento for 6 hours or so while on my cruise. I am travelling alone and have some mobility problems. Is it possible for me to get to the beach? What transport is available?

 

Sorrento isn’t really a great place for beaches.  There is a small one at Marina Piccola, a slightly larger one at Marina Grande, and some of the hotels have platforms for sunbathers, built over the rocks.  All of these things are either a bus ride, a lift ride, or a steep-ish walk from the top, where the town is.  Unless there is a particular restaurant or other attraction on the waterfront that you have your heart set on, there are better, more accessible beaches elsewhere.  

[euro cruiser]

What passes for a beach at Sorrento is laughable, there is one very tiny spot with sand, the rest of what they call beaches are either rocky coves or bathing platforms built over the water (flip through the pictures and descriptions here to see what I mean:  https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/e/beaches-sorrento-italy).

 

In several places people are in the water near the boats, with a lot of fuel and other nasty stuff, it amazes me.

 

There are also a few beaches along the Amalfi Coast, some with sand, but these are generally wildly overcrowded.

 

The place to go in the area for beaches is the island of Ischia.

[Tino48]

If I take the trip to Sorrento I have at least 6 hours on my own. How would you suggest I use this time. I wonder if I have too long to wander round the town?

[euro cruiser]

Is this something that is included in the price of your cruise or do you have to pay extra for this trip?  If you're paying extra, perhaps there's a better option for you?

 

Sorrento is a perfectly lovely resort area that has been a popular British outpost for more than a century.  It's a nice place to have a meal or a drink, or to wander around shopping in tourist stores but other than the cathedral and a couple of small (and not terribly interesting, in my opinion) museums there's not much "there" there, if you know what I mean.  Not that there's anything wrong with that in a resort, it is what it is.

 

If I were to be stuck in Sorrento for six hours and walking around isn't an option, I think I'd plan on a nice, long lunch and perhaps a stroll and sit down in the park (Villa Comunale) which has lovely views out over the water.  This park is also where you find the public elevator that takes you down to/up from the port area (Marina Piccola).

[BarbinMich]

Will you docking in Naples?  When we did that a few years ago, folks on our roll call arranged a small-group private tour which stopped at Herculaneum (it's on the coast but also suffered the same fate as Pompeii), Sorrento (lunch there), and the Amalfi Coast in the afternoon.  It was a wonderful trip!

[Tino48]

Thank you so much for your valuable advice everyone. I am not going to book the shorex as a result. I will also investigate roll calls. I assume all cruise lines have them?

[Tino48]

How could I get from Naples port to Sorrento?

[euro cruiser]

There are several ways to get to Sorrento from Naples.  The fastest and most comfortable, in my opinion, is the ferry.  Ferries to/from Sorrento use Molo Beverello, the pier adjacent to the cruise port so it's very easy for cruise passengers to do it on their own.

 

There is no need to purchase ferry tickets in advance.  One ferry company, Alilauro, has all but one of the crossings each day and they would be your only option.  All you have to do is show up to the port about 15 minutes before departure to buy your ticket.  Since they are the only option, I would also purchase the return ticket in the morning so you don't need to fuss with that in Sorrento.

 

There are also train options, the Campania Express tourist train or the local Circumvesuviana train.  

[holdon216]

13 hours ago, Tino48 said:

Thank you so much for your valuable advice everyone. I am not going to book the shorex as a result. I will also investigate roll calls. I assume all cruise lines have them?

Yes at the top of this page. "Find your roll call!" There most likely are others looking for people to book group tours with. Good luck!