Day Trips from Sorrento

The best argument for basing yourself in Sorrento is everything you can reach from it. In under an hour by boat or train you can be on Capri, in Positano, walking Pompeii under Vesuvius, or eating pizza in Naples. This is my guide to the best day trips from Sorrento, with how to get to each, roughly how long it takes and what it costs. For the whole trip, start with my complete guide to Sorrento, and for the nuts and bolts of the trains and boats, see my guide to getting to Sorrento and getting around.

Capri

Capri is the easiest and most rewarding day out. Ferries leave Marina Piccola for the island roughly every half hour in season and take about twenty-five minutes, or fifteen by hydrofoil, running from around 7:15 in the morning until the evening. Go early to beat the crowds, take the funicular up to Capri town, ride the chairlift to Monte Solaro for the view, and if the sea is calm join a boat around the island to the Faraglioni and the grottoes. Book your return ferry ahead in high summer, when afternoon boats sell out. Capri is busy and expensive, but on a clear day it is unforgettable.

Positano and the Amalfi Coast

The most beautiful way to see the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento is by sea, which spares you the winding road and gives you the towns as they are meant to be seen, rising from the water. From April to October, ferries run to Positano in about thirty minutes, from around fifteen euros, with up to nine crossings a day in summer, and on to Amalfi in about an hour from around twenty euros. Spend the morning in one town and the afternoon in another, or pair Positano with a stop in between. Check the last boat back carefully, as the afternoon service thins out.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Pompeii is one of the great sights of the world, and from Sorrento it could not be simpler. The Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento reaches Pompeii in about thirty minutes for a few euros, and the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins is only fifty metres from the Pompei Scavi station platform. Go early with water, sun cover and comfortable shoes, and give it at least three or four hours. Herculaneum, smaller, better preserved and less crowded, sits on the same line and makes an excellent alternative or add-on, and the same railway can take you on to climb Vesuvius itself.

Naples

Naples is under an hour away on the Circumvesuviana and richly worth a day. It is loud, layered and thrilling, home to the pizza margherita, the Archaeological Museum where the finest finds from Pompeii are kept, and a warren of churches and streets unlike anywhere else in Italy. It rewards a little nerve and an early start; go for the museum and a pizza at the least, and you will understand the whole region better for having seen its capital.

The Sorrento Peninsula

The quietest and most underrated day out is the peninsula on Sorrento’s own doorstep. A short local bus reaches Massa Lubrense and the hilltop village of Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, which looks over both the Bay of Naples and the Bay of Salerno, and continues to the tiny cove of Marina del Cantone below Nerano, where beach restaurants serve the celebrated spaghetti alla Nerano, made with fried courgettes and the local provolone del Monaco. Out at the very tip, the Punta Campanella nature reserve faces Capri across a narrow strait and offers a beautiful, largely wild walk. This is the Sorrento coast without the crowds, and it needs nothing more than a bus ticket and a swimsuit.

Ischia and Procida

For something different from Capri, the larger island of Ischia is known for its thermal spa gardens, its castle and its greener, more local feel, while tiny Procida, all pastel houses and fishing boats, is one of the most photogenic corners of the whole bay. Both take longer to reach and are usually done via Naples or a seasonal connection rather than a single quick hop, so they suit a longer stay or a real island enthusiast, but they reward the effort with a quieter, more Neapolitan day than the famous names.

Planning Your Day Trips

A few rules make these days work. Start early, both to beat the heat and the crowds and to have the pick of the return times. Buy ferry tickets in advance in July and August, when boats sell out. Do not try to combine two big trips in one day; one island or one coast town, or one ancient site, is plenty. And keep an eye on the season, since the Positano, Amalfi and island ferries run only from about April to October, while Capri, Pompeii and Naples are reachable year-round.

Whether to go independently or on a tour depends on the trip. Capri, Positano, Pompeii and Naples are all easy to do yourself with a ferry or train ticket and a little planning, and you keep the freedom to linger or leave. A guided visit earns its keep at Pompeii, where a good guide brings the ruins to life, and for the Amalfi Coast by private boat, which lets you swim in coves and reach several towns in a day without the timetable. If you are short on time or nervous about the logistics, a small-group day tour takes the strain; if you have a base as easy as Sorrento and a few days, doing it under your own steam is cheaper and, to my mind, more fun.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best day trip from Sorrento?

Capri is the best all-round day trip, about twenty-five minutes by ferry from Marina Piccola with frequent boats. For history, Pompeii is thirty minutes by train with the ruins beside the station; for the Amalfi Coast, Positano and Amalfi are best reached by sea.

How do you get from Sorrento to Capri?

Ferries and hydrofoils leave from Marina Piccola in Sorrento roughly every half hour in season, taking about twenty-five minutes by ferry or fifteen by hydrofoil, running all year. Book your return ahead in high summer, when afternoon crossings fill.

Can you visit Pompeii from Sorrento?

Easily. The Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento reaches Pompeii in about thirty minutes for a few euros, and the ruins’ Porta Marina entrance is around fifty metres from the Pompei Scavi station. Go early and allow three to four hours.

Can you day trip to the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento?

Yes, and the sea is the loveliest way. From April to October ferries run to Positano in about thirty minutes and Amalfi in about an hour, avoiding the winding coast road. Check the last return boat, as the afternoon service is limited.

Read also: Getting to Sorrento and getting around | A Sorrento itinerary: 2 to 3 days | The Complete Guide to Sorrento