Metro del Mare – There are metro systems on land, why not one on the water? Sadly, this sea-going “subway” isn’t made up of submarines, or it would officially be the coolest metro system on earth. Instead, it’s a series of ferries which stop at most of the ports along the coast as if they’re stops on a subway route.
The Metro del Mare route starts further up the coast from Naples and stretches all the way down the Amalfi Coast to Sapri, so your first task is to make sure the boat you’re getting on in Naples goes to Sorrento and doesn’t bypass it for the Amalfi or go straight to
With any of these, you’ll have to either hike up the hill to Sorrento’s city center, pay for a taxi (they’re plentiful around the pier but can be overly expensive), or take the bus. Buses don’t run as frequently as you think they should, and the short ride one-way will cost you €2. If you’re both lazy and a penny-pincher, I recommend taking the bus on the way up and walking back down!
If you’re flying into the Naples Airport, bypassing Naples entirely, and want to get directly to Sorrento, there’s a coach service that goes from the airport to Sorrento. It’s provided by Curreri, and it’s €10 one-way. It’s about a 1.25-hour trip, and runs every day (though the frequency and departure times vary with the season). The Curreri website is here.
If you’re not flying into Naples, however, getting from Naples to Sorrento by bus is kind of impossible. I mean, you could do something like take a bus from Naples to Amalfi or Positano and then catch a bus from there to Sorrento, but that’s no way to spend a day. So unless you’re close to the airport and can get one of the Curreri coaches straight to Sorrento, scroll back up the page and catch the train or a boat instead.
You might think that driving along a coastline like the Bay of Naples would be fun and picturesque, and in some places that’s true. But the roughly 50km (30mi) trip is primarily on highways that are further inland (so you’re not really winding along coastal roads) and notoriously busy (so you’re likely to be stuck in traffic). It doesn’t look like a long trip on paper, but it’s a little unpredictable how long it’ll take – especially on weekends in the summer when it’s not just the tourists who are headed for the beaches but the locals as well.
To drive to Sorrento from Naples you’ll take the A3 motorway (a toll road) in the direction of “Salerno-Reggio Calabria” until you get to the exit for “Castellammare di Stabia.” This is when the drive will start to get pretty and potentially very frustrating, because you’ll be winding your way along the “Statale 145″ peninsula road (also known as “La Sorrentina”) following signs to Sorrento.
There are several parking areas in Sorrento, all of which will cost you varying amounts, so you might not want to pull into the first one you see. If you’re staying the night in Sorrento, ask the folks at your hotel whether they have a recommendation of a parking area to use (and if they’ve got a dedicated parking area, even better). And don’t forget to read up on how to drive in Italy before you hit the road.
You might find this information helpful for your Sorrento visit.
photos: top photo, Alilauro boat photo, & Sorrento bus
