Exploring the best of Toronto and Southern Ontario.

Happy Sunday, all! I hope you’re having a wonderful long weekend. Mine has been great: we celebrated my mom’s 70th birthday on Friday, and yesterday we went to Tania’s aunt and uncle’s house for their annual Canada Day barbecue. So far, it’s been everything a long weekend should be: filled with family, fun and way too much food. I hope yours has been just as nice!

If you’ve been following along with my Italy trip, you know I’ve been taking you through the trip in order of our itinerary: starting in Venice, working our way down to Florence, and then to Rome. I’ve been loving writing these posts because they’re giving me a chance to relive our trip all over again! These next few posts will be a little bittersweet, because they’re taking me to the end (and my favourite part) of our trip: the time we spent on the Amalfi Coast.

The Amalfi Coast refers to the 30-mile stretch of coastline located on the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Coast includes 16 different towns within the province of Salerno: most notably, Amalfi, Positano and Ravello – although Praiano, Maiori and Minori are also gaining popularity among tourists. With its colourful cliffside villages, sparkling blue waters and postcard-perfect views, it’s easy to see why the Amalfi Coast is one of the most popular travel destinations – not only in Italy, but in the whole world! The Amalfi Coast has been on my travel bucket list for years, and I knew a trip to Italy wouldn’t be complete without it.

When we were planning our trip to the Amalfi Coast, the one thing that took a while to figure out was which town to stay in. Positano and Amalfi are popular choices (understandably, as they’re gorgeous!) but accommodations there tend to be on the pricier side. Some of the lesser known towns, like Praiano and Maiori, are equally beautiful with more affordable accommodations – but since they’re not major hubs, getting to and from these towns is more challenging. That’s fine if your plan is to ‘set up camp’ and stay put for the week, but it presents some hurdles if you want to explore different parts of the coast. We finally landed on staying in Sorrento, and I’m honestly so glad we did – I wouldn’t have wanted to stay anywhere else! Sorrento isn’t technically part of the Amalfi Coast, but many consider it the unofficial gateway to the area. Here’s why I highly recommend staying in Sorrento when you visit the Amalfi Coast:

• It’s the easiest town to get to, and its central location makes it the perfect ‘home base’. Getting to the Amalfi Coast is a bit of a trek. First, you’ll need to get to Naples, which is the closest city to the coast that has both an airport and a major train station. From Naples, you’ll take a Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento. (This is a local train that takes about an hour and a half each way, and don’t expect anything glamorous: the Circumvesuviana is basically an above-ground version of a Toronto subway car.) Then to get to any of the coastal towns from Sorrento, you’ll need to take either a bus, ferry or taxi. Not only was Sorrento the quickest journey from Naples, but because we wanted to visit several different towns on the coast, making Sorrento our home base just made sense.
• While it still has a small coastal town vibe, Sorrento has all the amenities of a city. Positano and Amalfi are gorgeous, but they’re truly resort towns and what they offer in terms of chic hotels and restaurants, they lack in terms of more basic necessities. If you’re staying in Positano and need to make a late-night drugstore run or visit an ATM, you might be out of luck. But Sorrento has all the conveniences you’d need and expect from a city.
• Sorrento is more accessible, with wide, paved and level roads. Because most Amalfi Coast towns are built into the cliffs, you can expect to do lots of walking – and not just regular old walking, but uphill walking on passageways that are steep, narrow and rocky. And that’s the catch-22 with most accommodations in places like Positano, Amalfi and Capri: the views from your Airbnb may be gorgeous, but getting to and from it can be a bit of a hike. When Tania and I were in Positano, Amalfi and Capri and saw other travelers struggling to transport luggage up and down the steep and rocky paths, we knew we’d made the right choice by staying in Sorrento.
• Sorrento is budget-friendly. The Amalfi Coast is a luxury travel hotspot and is considered a “jet-set” destination, so you won’t find many Holiday Inns around! Although you can find some more reasonably priced Airbnbs in places like Positano if you do your research, in general, you’re going to be paying a premium on accommodations. But fear not: you can still have an amazing trip to the Amalfi Coast even if you’re not a Kardashian! Sorrento offers a much wider range of pricing when it comes to places to stay. Our Airbnb was just under $300 a night – although if you want something fancier, Sorrento has several luxury options as well! The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria and Hotel Bellevue Syrene are two especially glamorous ones.
• Sorrento is a swoon-worthy destination in its own right, and everything the Amalfi Coast is known for – stunning architecture, pristine natural beauty, delicious food and great shopping – you’ll also find here. In fact, one of our only regrets about the Amalfi Coast is that we didn’t budget for more time in Sorrento itself! Another benefit that sets Sorrento apart from the other coastal towns: it’s bigger, places stay open later, and there’s simply more to do here. From restaurants to bars to shopping, we really felt Sorrento had the most options to offer.

Where We Stayed In Sorrento

We booked Les Suites des Tout le Monde for our Sorrento accommodations. The suites are located on the third floor of an apartment building, which I think is exclusively used for Airbnb-style rentals, as each floor seemed to be home to a different ‘hotel’. We booked the queen room with a pool view. Here’s my honest review of the room, starting with the pros:

• The suite was very spacious, with a large bathroom and a kitchenette. There’s also a balcony!
• It’s affordable: we paid just under $300 CAD a night.
• The location can’t be beat! It’s within a 10-minute walk of the Sorrento train station, as well as the city’s downtown core.

And the cons:

• The suite is nothing fancy. If you’re just looking for a clean and comfortable place to sleep, like we were, then you’ll be fine! But if you’re planning to spend more time relaxing in your room and are hoping for a cuter space, you may want to look elsewhere.
• The shower is very tiny and cramped. During our Italy trip, we stayed in a few places with small showers, but this was the smallest by far. I’m a petite person and even I found myself bumping into the walls!
• The “pool view” we paid extra for was a bit misleading. Yes, technically the balcony had a view of a pool (on another property) but the main view was of the parking lot.
• This is an Airbnb-style accommodation, so it’s self check-in, and there’s no front desk or anyone on site you can speak with. We’ve stayed in lots of Airbnbs before so this didn’t bother us personally, but just something to be aware of!

Getting Around Sorrento

The good news is that Sorrento itself is very easy to get around! Its train station is centrally located in the city – just a five-minute walk from Piazza Tasso – and the city centre itself is pretty small, so most sights and attractions are within a short walk of one another. We didn’t need to take a single cab within Sorrento. Now, when it comes to getting from Sorrento to the other towns of the Amalfi Coast, that presented a few more challenges… but that’s a story for another post!

Things To See & Do In Sorrento

Taste limoncello in a real lemon grove. Tania and I had wanted to do the Insta-famous lemon grove tour in Amalfi, but didn’t have time. Luckily, we found another lemon grove only a ten-minute walk from our Airbnb in Sorrento – and it’s completely free to visit! I Giardini di Cataldo is a family-run shop that sells all things lemon, from liqueurs to candy to homemade marmalades. After tasting some of their delicious limoncello, you can take a peaceful stroll through their idyllic lemon garden and admire the beautiful trees and flowers. There’s also an outdoor patio where visitors can sit and enjoy coffee, drinks and gelato under the citrus trees.

Explore downtown Sorrento. The city’s downtown core is quaint and charming, yet lively and bustling all at once. Head to Piazza Tasso, Sorrento’s main square, to get to the center of the action. From there, you can lose yourself down any one of the narrow side streets, exploring shops, galleries, restaurants, art and architecture. The bright yellow Santuario del Carmine church is a must-see – unfortunately it was partially under construction when we visited, but beautiful nonetheless! You’ll also find historic statues and monuments all over the city: from the statue of poet Torquato Tasso in Piazza Tasso (which is named in his honour) to the Mors Immortalis monument in Piazza Della Vittoria, a memorial tribute to Sorrento’s fallen soldiers in WWI.

Admire ancient ruins at the Vallone dei Mulini. This valley contains the ruins of 13th century flour and saw mills, which have been abandoned since the 1940s. They’ve since been overtaken by an abundance of ferns and other lush, leafy greenery which gives them a wild, overgrown look. I have always been fascinated by abandoned buildings, so this was an incredible sight to see! You can’t actually enter the area to explore the ruins themselves, but you can get an amazing overhead view from the viewpoint behind Piazza Tasso.

Indulge in some retail therapy. If you’re looking for a unique souvenir to commemorate your time on the Amalfi Coast, there’s no shortage of options in downtown Sorrento. From colourful clothing and artistic jewelry to gourmet food products and one-of-a-kind housewares, you’ll definitely find everything you were (and weren’t!) looking for. The Amalfi Coast is world-famous for its handmade pottery – instantly recognizable for its vibrant colours and whimsical patterns – so if you’re looking to buy something that’s truly unique to the area, you can’t go wrong with ceramics. Tania and I aren’t big shoppers in general, but we did pick up a couple of stunning art prints while here, and Tania found a beautiful necklace. If you have a sweet tooth, be sure to get some Perle Di Sole candies – they sell these all over Sorrento, so you won’t have trouble finding them. I highly recommend either the lemon-almond or pistachio chocolate candies. We bought a couple of bags to take home, and let’s just say they didn’t last long!

Enjoy art, nature and panoramic sea views at Villa Comunale. This small, charming city park was built between 1877 and 1879, and originally contained the vegetable gardens of Franciscan monks. Today, the park boasts colourful, fragrant flowers and stately trees, from tropical palms to ancient pines. Villa Comunale is also home to various pieces of art, from sculptures to murals to statues of historical figures. At the edge of the park, there’s a terrace featuring beautiful views of the water. Which leads me to the next thing you should do in Sorrento…

Soak up the views. Sorrento is one of those magical places where there are pretty much no bad views, but if you’re looking for an especially wow-worthy one, here are some of my favourite spots:

Veniva Dal Mare – This viewpoint on Via Marina Grande gives tourists a lovely view of Sorrento’s Marina Grande. This historic fishing village is home to several charming restaurants, and is especially magical at night.

Caro Amico Ti Scrivo – Like Veniva Dal Mare, this is one of a series of viewpoints named after the songs of Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla. It’s located close to Villa Comunale, and provides a stunning view of Marina Piccola, Sorrento’s main harbour.

Piazza Della Vittoria – This is where the Hotel Bellevue Syrene – one of Sorrento’s most luxurious hotels – is located, so it makes sense that the views from the lookout point would be five stars as well. If you’re looking for a splurge-worthy meal to accompany that five-star view, book a reservation at the hotel’s La Pergola restaurant, which is known for its picturesque terrace as much as for its gourmet dishes.

Via Luigi De Maio from Piazza Tasso – This spot provides a particularly artistic view of the sea, with the sparkling blue water framed by the towering cliffs on either side. If you walk down to Via Luigi De Maio itself (which you’ll do on your way to the Marina Piccola port), you’ll get a majestic view of the pretty-in-pink Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria.

Well, there you have it: my guide to the city of Sorrento! I hope it’s helpful for those of you planning your own trip to the Amalfi Coast – and for those of you who are, I hope it’s inspired you to consider making Sorrento your ‘home base’. (I promise you won’t regret it!) If you have any questions about our trip, please feel free to drop me a line. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend!