Day Trips from Sorrento: Excursions and Tours

Sorrento is one of the best bases in southern Italy for days out. Islands, the Amalfi Coast, ancient Roman cities and mountain trails are all within easy reach, and you can be back on your terrace by evening. Here are the day trips most worth making — and, for each, where to look for the details of getting there.

The islands: Capri and Ischia

Capri is the classic day out — the Faraglioni rock stacks, the Blue Grotto, the Gardens of Augustus and the people-watching of the Piazzetta. It’s a short ferry from Sorrento’s Marina Piccola, and many visitors go with an organised boat tour that loops the island with a swimming stop; see our boat tours and 2026 prices guide. Greener, quieter Ischia, famous for its thermal-spa gardens and beaches, is a longer hop across the bay and makes a relaxed full day.

The Amalfi Coast: Positano, Amalfi and Ravello

Over the ridge lies the Amalfi Coast. Positano tumbles to the sea in a cascade of pastel houses; Amalfi has its striped cathedral and centuries-old paper mills; and Ravello, high on the cliffs, is famous for the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone and for its summer festival of classical music. You can reach the coast by SITA bus or by ferry — the options are in our how to get around guide.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

The Roman towns buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD are an easy and unmissable trip: the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento stops right by both sites (Pompei Scavi and Ercolano Scavi). Pompeii is vast — allow at least half a day, and bring water and sun cover — while Herculaneum is smaller and astonishingly well preserved. Buy tickets and check opening times on the official Archaeological Park of Pompeii site.

Trails and the Path of the Gods

The peninsula and the Lattari mountains are laced with panoramic footpaths, including the celebrated Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) high above the Amalfi Coast. For routes, difficulty and free maps to download before you set off, see our hiking and trails guide.

A taste of Sorrento: cooking classes

For a hands-on half-day, a Sorrentine cooking class is hard to beat: you’ll roll fresh pasta or gnocchi, cook a few local dishes and, of course, finish with a glass of limoncello. One local option is Sorrento’s Tasty Garden cooking school.

Good to know: ferry and bus timetables change with the season, and Pompeii and Capri are busiest in the middle of the day — set off early and, where you can, book ahead.