Sorrento: top attractions & road trip guide
Sorrento is a resort town perched on tall volcanic cliffs at the northern tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula, overlooking the Bay of Naples with views across to Vesuvius and Naples itself. It has drawn travelers since the Grand Tour era for its mild climate, lemon groves, and old-town lanes built on the layout of the original Greek and Roman settlement, and it remains famous for limoncello and inlaid wood craftsmanship.
On a road trip, Sorrento functions as the natural gateway to the Amalfi Coast, sitting where the coastal road SS145 meets the start of the SS163, the narrow, cliffside route that continues to Positano and Amalfi. Many drivers base themselves in Sorrento and either continue along the SS163 in the early morning to avoid the worst of the season's traffic, or leave the car and take a boat or bus for the more congested Amalfi stretch.
Top attractions
Piazza Tasso
The lively main square of Sorrento, ringed by cafés and named for the Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso, who was born in the town.
Sorrento Cathedral
The town's cathedral, rebuilt over centuries and notable for its marble bishop's throne and wooden choir stalls made using the local inlaid-wood tradition known as intarsia.
Marina Grande
A working fishing harbor below the cliffs, distinct from the ferry port, with pastel houses, small trattorias, and boats pulled up on a narrow pebble beach.
Villa Comunale Gardens
A small clifftop public park next to the historic center offering wide views over the bay to Vesuvius and connecting by lift to Marina Piccola below.
Museo Correale di Terranova
An 18th-century villa turned museum, housing Neapolitan paintings, porcelain, and antique furniture set within gardens overlooking the bay.
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