Wanna have a holiday?

There's a tourist office in the large yellow Circolo dei Forestieri building at Via Luigi de Maio 35, just off Piazza San Antonino (Mon– Sat 8.30am–6.30pm), which has maps, details on transport and information about excursions The travel offices on Piazza San Antonino can deal with bus and ferry enquiries and reserve tickets.

I Giardini di Cafaldo, Via Correale 27 in the centre of Sorrento (daily 9am-7pm), have an orange and lemon grove where you can taste and buy home-produced liqueurs.

It may be too cold for swimming, but if you want to brave the water, there is a small beach at the Marina Piccola lido, right below the Villa Comunale gardens and accessible by a lift or steps. Twenty minutes' walk from the centre of Sorrento along Via del Capo (the continuation of Corso Italia), or a short bus ride from Piazza Tasso, there are a couple of options. You can walk ten minutes or so from the bus stop down the Ruderi Villa Romana Pollio to some nice rocks, around the ruins of a Roman villa; or you could stroll 100m further west and take a path off to the right past the Hotel Dania, which shortcuts in ten minutes or so to Marina Puolo – a short stretch of beach lined by fishing boats and a handful of trattorias.

Day trips from Sorrento

Sorrento is a great place to explore the Bay of Naples. Some popular destinations:

Pompeii: The remains of the old Roman town, incredibly well preserved, are well worth a visit. It takes the best of the part of a day to visit, with lots of walking involved. From the Sorrento train station, the Naples-bound trains stop at Pompei Villa dei Misteri station, which is just opposite the western entrance. Trains are every half hour and the journey takes about half hour. The train costs €1.80 one-way and entry to the site is about €10 per person. Return trains run every 30 minutes until 11.20pm weekdays.

Walk up to the Vesuvius: you can get right up to the main crater, and on a clear day you get amazing views. From Ercolano train station (on the same Naples to Sorrento train line), there are buses, run by Trasporti Vesuviani (at 9.10am, 10.10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm & 2.10pm, last bus back 4.15pm, €4 return). They leave from the bar by the train station. There is a charge of €5 to walk up to the crater. Walking to the crater from the car park takes about half an hour, and it is steep!

Capri and Ischia: there are direct ferries or hydrofoils from the Sorrento port to both islands; boats depart throughout the day. The hydrofoil journey takes 25 minutes and costs €11.60 per return trip. Last boat back at 6.30pm.

The Amalfi Coast: this could make up several day trips! The SITA buses from outside the Sorrento train station go to Positano and Amalfi, from there you can get to Ravello or less known villages like Maiori and Minori. The bus journey is in itself an experience, sit on the right-hand side as you board the bus for the best views. Or be daring and hire a car and do the costal road yourself. There is also a boat service linking Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi (€8.50 to Amalfi and €7 to Positano, one-way, kids under 12 €2, free for under 4s). The boat takes half an hour to Positano and an hour to Amalfi and leave at 7:30am, 9:25, 1:30 and 3:10pm, Last boats back at 5pm from Amalfi and 5:30 from Positano.

You can also access Sorrento Tourist Office here

Off-the-beaten track, most options will require your own transport or a taxi, but are worth it!

Marina del Cantone: a tiny town down some very steep slopes with a lovely shingles beach and at least 3 Michelin-star restaurants, Quattro Passi, Don Alfonso and La Taverna del Capitano. 8 course tasting menus available, but be sure to have several hours and serious cash available.

Massa Lubrense: Just east of Sorrento, the tip of the peninsula has many walks through the national park "Punta Campanella" (a booklet is available from the Massa Lubrense tourism office) and agri-turismos, where you can buy local food and liquers. Many also offer B&B.

Walking: there are many paths along the whole peninsula. The best way to explore them is to get a guide like "Landscapes of Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri", available on Amazon.


Further afield

Paestum: An hour’s bus ride from Salerno, Paestum is an old Greek site with some of the best preserved Greek temples around. Located in an area where the best buffalo mozzarella is made!
Cilento: Further south from Paestum, and probably no longer a day trip, the Cilento area is a mountainous national park which includes some pretty seaside resorts like Palinuro.


Eating

There are many restaurants, but it pays to avoid the major tourist places. If you can’t afford to stay at the gorgeous hotels on the sea-front, you can still have a drink or coffee on their terraces or at the Circolo dei Forestieri. For ice-cream, Gelateria Bouganvilla on corso Italia has loads of home-made flavours. Some suggestions from the Rough guide:

Angelina Lauro: Piazza Angelina Lauro 39. A self-service place with a menù turistico for €9.50. No credit cards. Closed Tues.

Il Buco: Rampa Marina Piccola 11, off Piazza San Antonino. This former monastic wine cellar does good fish; mains €20 and menù degustazione €60. Closed Wed.

Da Gigino: Via degli Archi 15. A great, no-nonsense choice, with excellent pizzas and good pasta and main courses; pizza from €7. Closed Tues.

Giardiniello: Via Accademia 7. Pizzeria-ristorante with a small garden specializes in fish, shellfish and barbecued meats; try the gnocchi alla sorrentina at €5. Closed Thurs.

La Fenice: Via degli Aranci 11 A great place with a covered patio and lively atmosphere, specializing in fish; mains around €18. Closed Mon.

Parruchiano: Corso Italia 67 More of a conservatory than a restaurant, this vast place is very popular with locals and tour groups alike. The fine food is great value; try the cannelloni con ricotta at €6.