3 days in Sorrento itineraryAsh, Stone & Blue Water

6 stops · 11:30 to 19:30 · about 1.1 km between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: Pompeii — Streets & Forum and Villa of the Mysteries.

1. 1

   11:30about 45 min

   Arrive in Sorrento & Check In

   Drop your bags, get your bearings in the old town, then head for the station: in the winter months Pompeii's last entry is mid-afternoon, so an early start pays off.

2. 2

   12:15about 45 min

   Train to Pompei Scavi

   Take the EAV Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento station to Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri. The ride takes about half an hour and trains run frequently.

3. 3

   13:00about 120 minSight

   Pompeii — Streets & Forum

   Pompeii's scale surprises first-time visitors: whole city blocks, wheel ruts worn into the paving stones, painted election notices on the walls. Work from the Forum outward and finish at Porta Ercolano (the Herculaneum Gate), where the route to the Villa of the Mysteries starts. The Pompeii Express ticket (€20) covers only the ancient city; for the villa buy Pompeii Plus (€25) or pay an €8 card-only supplement at Porta Ercolano. From 15 October to 15 March the site closes at 17:00 and the last entry, at Porta Ercolano too, is 15:30.

   

   About 1.1 km to the next stop

4. 4

   15:00about 60 minSight

   Villa of the Mysteries

   About 400 m northwest of the town walls, this suburban villa is reached on the route from Porta Ercolano along the Street of the Tombs. Its best-known room is painted with 29 almost life-size figures on a Pompeian red background, usually read as an initiation linked to the cult of Dionysus. Entry needs Pompeii Plus or the €8 supplement, and in winter you must start the Porta Ercolano route by 15:30.

   
5. 5

   16:00about 60 min

   Train back to Sorrento

   Walk back to Pompei Scavi station and take the train back to Sorrento for the evening.

6. 6

   19:30about 90 minDinner

   Dinner at Porta Marina

   Back in Sorrento, walk down to the old fishing harbour of Marina Grande for dinner at Porta Marina, a seafood restaurant on Via Marina Grande. The menu is built around fresh fish, and reviewers recommend the catch of the day.

10 stops · 08:30 to 21:30

Highlights: Blue Grotto and Stabiae — Clifftop Villas Above the Bay.

1. 1

   08:30about 30 min

   Early Ferry to Capri

   Take a morning ferry or hydrofoil from Sorrento's port to Marina Grande, Capri's harbour on the north side of the island. Several companies run the crossing daily, and it takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

2. 2

   09:30about 60 minSight

   Blue Grotto

   From Capri's Marina Grande, boats run to the Blue Grotto. There you switch to a small rowboat for up to four people and lie back in the bottom of the boat to pass through the entrance, which is only about a metre high. Inside, the water glows blue. The grotto opens only in calm seas: from 16 October to 31 March the hours are 9:00-14:00, and in winter it is often closed, so check at the harbour first.

   
3. 3

   10:30about 60 min

   Free time on Capri

   Spend the hour that's left around Marina Grande, or ride the funicular railway up to the Piazzetta in Capri town. If the Blue Grotto is shut, this becomes your Capri visit.

4. 4

   11:30about 30 min

   Ferry back to Sorrento

   Take a late-morning ferry from Marina Grande back to Sorrento. The crossing takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

5. 5

   12:30about 75 minLunch

   Lunch at Soul & Fish

   Back in Sorrento, walk down to Marina Grande for lunch at Soul & Fish, a seafood restaurant facing the water in the old fishing village. The Michelin Guide lists it for its fish and seafood, with traditional dishes alongside more creative ones, and there is a terrace for eating outdoors.

6. 6

   13:45about 60 min

   Train to Castellammare di Stabia

   Walk up from Marina Grande to Sorrento station and take the EAV train to Castellammare di Stabia (about 22 minutes, trains every 20 minutes). Then allow time to get from the station up to the villas on the Varano plateau.

7. 7

   14:45about 75 minSight

   Stabiae — Clifftop Villas Above the Bay

   The villas of ancient Stabiae stand on the Varano plateau, a headland about 50 m above the Gulf of Naples at the edge of Castellammare di Stabia. Villa San Marco has a long peristyle with spiral columns, and Villa Arianna is named after its fresco of Dionysus and Ariadne. Both are closed on Tuesdays, and from 15 October to 15 March the last entry is 16:00.

   
8. 8

   16:00about 60 min

   Train back to Sorrento

   Head back down to Castellammare station and take the train back to Sorrento, about 22 minutes.

9. 9

   19:30about 90 minDinner

   Dinner at Trattoria da Emilia

   Back in Sorrento, Trattoria da Emilia is a long-standing local fixture — the kind of place where the menu follows the market and the portions follow a generous instinct. A good antidote to a day of archaeological walking.

10. 10

    21:30about 60 min

    Evening drink in the old town

    Finish the day with a drink at one of the bars in Sorrento's old town before heading back.

12 stops · 07:35 to 21:30 · about 800 m between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: Herculaneum Archaeological Park, Vesuvius National Park — Crater Rim and Oplontis — Villa Poppaea.

1. 1

   07:35about 55 min

   Early train to Ercolano Scavi

   Take an early EAV train from Sorrento towards Naples and get off at Ercolano Scavi. The ride is just under an hour.

2. 2

   08:30about 120 minSight

   Herculaneum Archaeological Park

   The eruption of 79 AD buried Herculaneum under deep volcanic material that preserved wood and other organic remains, and the excavated town has streets of houses, shops and baths. The Villa of the Papyri, where more than 1,800 charred scrolls were found, is closed for excavation and maintenance with no reopening date, so it is not part of the visit. From 15 October to 15 March the park is open 8:30-17:00, last entry 15:30, and a full ticket costs €16.

   
3. 3

   10:30about 45 min

   Shuttle up Vesuvius

   From Ercolano Scavi station, the Vesuvio Express shuttle runs up to the crater car park. Buses leave about every 40 minutes from 09:30, and the ride takes around 20 to 30 minutes.

4. 4

   11:15about 120 minSight

   Vesuvius National Park — Crater Rim

   From the car park at Quota 1000, trail 5, the Gran Cono, climbs a steep gravel path to the rim of the crater, with views over the Bay of Naples on a clear day. This is the volcano whose eruption in 79 AD buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. Tickets for the trail are sold only online for a timed slot, and there is no ticket office on the mountain, so book before you go. From November to February the trail is open 9:00-15:00, and it can close without notice in bad weather.

   
5. 5

   13:15about 30 min

   Shuttle back down to Ercolano

   Ride the Vesuvio Express back down to Ercolano Scavi station.

6. 6

   13:45about 60 min

   Lunch in Ercolano

   Back down in Ercolano, have lunch near the station before the short train ride to Oplontis.

7. 7

   14:45about 30 min

   Train to Torre Annunziata - Oplonti

   From Ercolano Scavi, the EAV train to Torre Annunziata - Oplonti takes about 14 minutes.

8. 8

   15:15about 75 minSight

   Oplontis — Villa Poppaea

   In Torre Annunziata, the excavated villa at Oplontis shows how far Roman luxury went on this coast: around 13 gardens, marble columns where most local houses used stuccoed brick, wall paintings in several Pompeian styles including the 'Peacock Hall', and a swimming pool 60 metres long. Closed on Tuesdays. From 15 October to 15 March the last entry is 16:00 and the site closes at 17:00.

   
9. 9

   16:30about 60 min

   Train back to Sorrento

   From Torre Annunziata - Oplonti, the train back to Sorrento takes about 40 minutes.

10. 10

    17:30about 90 min

    Free time in Sorrento

    Back in Sorrento, take some time for yourself: wander the lanes of the old town, pick up ceramics or limoncello for the journey home, or find a bench above Marina Grande and watch the fishing boats.

11. 11

    19:30about 100 minDinner

    Farewell dinner at O'Puledrone

    For the last dinner, head down to the fishing harbour once more for O'Puledrone on Via Marina Grande. It serves Campanian cooking at mid-range prices and is open daily until 23:00.

    About 800 m to the next stop

12. 12

    21:30about 60 minDrinks

    Last drink at Fauno

    Sorrento's social life has revolved around Fauno for generations. Order something cold, claim a table, and let the piazza do what Italian piazzas do best — make time slow down just when you need it most.