Where to Stay in Sorrento, Italy – 3 Best Areas & Hotel Picks
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Looking for where to stay in Sorrento?
I recently had the chance to go on a dream trip to Italy with my husband and spent some time in Sorrento.
I have previously visited Sorrento but it was my husband’s first time so I was excited to introduce him to the Sorrentine Peninsula.
We found Sorrento to be the perfect place to start our Italian vacation. It gave us time to relax by the pool, swim in the sea and soak up the stunning views of the Gulf of Naples.
Below are my top picks of where to stay in Sorrento – some of the hotels I recommend are experiences in themselves!
Where to Stay in Sorrento
Sorrento offers incredible views and easy access to a central bus and train station, which are connected to Naples and the Amalfi Coast.
If you are staying overnight, you need to decide if you want to be right in town amidst the hustle and bustle, or stay uphill to experience the amazing views overlooking the city and the Gulf of Naples?
Consider the season when choosing your hotel – summers are hot, so if a 20-minute uphill trek to your hotel in the Italian heat, it may influence where you stay (of course, you can also take a taxi, bus, or hotel shuttle).
Or, if you are taking a lot of day trips, you may want to stay in the center of town to be close to the ferry.
Whatever you choose, the hotels mentioned here offer value across a range of price points to suit your unique needs and style for savvy travel.
Where to Stay in Sorrento – At A Glance
3 Areas – City Center, Via Capo & Hillside
- Best splurge-worthy hotel: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria
- Best boutique hotel (my favorite pick): Grand Hotel Riviera
- Best hotel for families: Hilton Sorrento Palace
- Best view and room experience: La Mineravetta Maison
BEST EXCURSION: Capri With Optional Blue Grotto Visit
1. City Center
Staying in Sorrento’s city center has its advantages. It is near all the action, making it easy to pop out to shop, find a restaurant, visit a lemon grove garden (lemons are everywhere in Sorrento!), or hop on the ferry, all while on foot.
You don’t need a car if you are staying in town.
There is a bus, but honestly, we walked everywhere while staying in the city center and especially enjoyed taking in the sights and scenes of the city while walking back to our hotel at the end of the night.
Best overall place to stay in Sorrento (especially for first-timers)
📍Affordable – Hotel Eden
This family-run hotel is centrally located, steps from Corso Italia (the city’s main shopping street) and Piazza Tasso, the central square and a great place for people-watching at one of the many restaurants or cafes. Hotel Eden’s rooms are no-frills but clean and spacious by Italian standards.
The hotel offers family rooms that can accommodate up to 5 people, a rare find in Italy, making it a good option for families. The hotel has a swimming pool and offers on-site parking.
📍Mid-Range – Grand Hotel Riviera
One of my favorite hotels in Sorrento is the Grand Hotel Riviera. My husband has already asked if we can come back to Sorrento just to stay here.
The hotel is located on the east side of town, away from the noise of the city center but close enough that you can walk to all the action in 10 minutes.
What won us over was the combination of the reasonable price for our hotel stay in the height of summer (book a classic room early for the best pricing), warm and welcoming hotel staff and outstanding views from the rooms and breakfast on the terrace.
Plus, an impressive sundeck platform at their private beach to take a dip in the refreshing sea water, warm enough for me to swim (I don’t like cold water).
The Grand Hotel Riviera also has a pool and evening entertainment, with lots of terraces and lounges to enjoy an end-of-evening drink.
📍Luxury – Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria
Cliffside overlooking the Bay of Naples and Marina Piccola, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is the ultimate in hotel luxury in Sorrento.
Five-star service and unbelievable grounds, situated on five acres of tranquil park gardens, lemon trees everywhere, and a huge swimming pool, which is very rare for a hotel in an Italian city to have such a large property right in the center of town.
If you want luxury at every turn and to stay right in the center of the action, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is the place to stay.
Great location for those looking to catch the ferry for day trips, where the hotel’s own private elevator takes you directly down to Marina Piccola.
If you are celebrating a special occasion and looking to splurge for a dreamy experience, stay here.
Best places to stay in Sorrento with private beach/sea access
There are a limited number of hotels in Sorrento that offer private “beach” access—sunbed platforms built over the water—where you can bathe in the sun or swim in the sea.
For travelers visiting Sorrento during warmer weather, these hotels are right on the coast and offer sundecks and wonderful seaside experiences.
📍5-star – Grand Hotel Ambasciatori
Located next to the Grand Riviera Hotel, the 5-star, 100-room Grand Hotel Ambasciatori offers a serene, elegant atmosphere surrounded by picturesque gardens, with breathtaking views of the sea and Mt. Vesuvius.
Service here is top-notch, with very attentive staff in the restaurants and beachside. Guests can take advantage of amenities such as a private beach, a nice pool and a gym.
Located on the east side of town in a quiet neighborhood, it’s only a short walk to the town center.
📍Luxury – Hotel Bellevue Syrene
This 5-star luxury hotel is located in Marina Grande (ironically the smaller of the two marinas in Sorrento), the town’s fishing village/harbour that features an abundance of seafood restaurants.
Art and frescoes adorn Hotel Bellevue Syrene, where live music accompanies guests at breakfast and dinner. Take the scenic route down the winding cave path to the sun deck and private area for swimming in the sea.
Hotel Bellevue Syrene is under the Relais & Châteaux umbrella, so pricewise, a stay here may be out of reach, but you can enjoy the experience for a lot less by having drinks on their romantic outdoor terrace and taking in the sunset.
2. Via Capo
Take one of Sorrento’s main streets, Corso Italia, westbound, and it turns into Via Capo, a scenic, winding uphill road that runs along the coastline as it makes its way out of Sorrento.
Via Capo hotels are well known for their spectacular room views high up on the coastal cliffs and for the tranquil atmosphere.
That’s why people who stay on Via Capo aren’t bothered by the 20-minute walk uphill from town.
You can easily get to Sorrento’s city center by foot downhill or catch one of the many buses on Via Capo (or take a taxi).
Best Hotels with A View
📍Affordable – Hotel Desiree
This simple hotel offers comfortable rooms combined with warm and friendly service, especially at breakfast.
Book the Heritage Suite if available, which even in the height of tourist season is very reasonably priced for a room with its own seating area and private terrace overlooking the water.
Or if you are traveling with kids, Hotel Desiree offers a Family Room apartment with two separate rooms, which I find helpful when kids are napping or if you are traveling with teens who stay up later than you!
📍Mid-range – La Tonnerella
Family-run, most rooms in this former villa-turned-hotel have sea views and are decorated with colourful Italian tile floors.
Guests boast about the panoramic views and delicious food served while dining on La Tonnerella’s outdoor terrace.
The hotel offers access to a small pebbly private beach, so make sure to bring your water shoes.
📍Boutique – Maison La Minervetta
The room! The room! The room! In the 12 rooms at this stylish boutique hotel, you are surrounded by windows and unbelievable views of the sea and Vesuvius.
Each room at Maison La Minervetta is decorated with a nautical theme, and you truly feel like you are floating on water.
Interior design enthusiasts will appreciate how the hotel’s bright and colourful yet modern and Mediterranean design blends with family collectibles and artwork to make you feel at home.
Breakfast at Maison La Minervetta is a highlight, served in the kitchen or the “heart of the home,” as the hotel likes to say, with a plentiful selection and made-to-order eggs for those who desire.
A private staircase offers easy access to Marina Grande, where you can frequent the beach and many restaurants in the fishermen’s harbour.
3. Hillside – Overlooking Sorrento’s Historic Centre
If you venture 10–15 minutes on foot outside of the city center, to the south of Via degli Aranci, you will notice expansive hotel properties nestled in the hillside, offering beautiful views of the town and bay.
The quiet hillside location features hotels with spacious grounds to relax in while only being a short walk or hotel shuttle ride to the shops and restaurants in town.
Best Hotels with Swimming Pools
📍4-star – Hotel Conca Park
Hotel Conca Park is a contemporary hotel that offers the best of both worlds – close enough to the city’s main attractions but far enough that you don’t hear the noise as you relax in the hotel’s garden, by the pool, or in one of the many lounge spaces.
The hotel creates a welcoming atmosphere, offering great live evening entertainment as you order cocktails from the hotel bar’s well-known and extensive list.
And it is certainly a hotel entrance you won’t forget, as a tunnel housing the hotel’s art collection takes you from the street to the hotel lobby.
📍4-star – Hilton Sorrento Palace
Some compare the Hilton Sorrento Palace to a resort -it has six outdoor pools, tennis courts, lemon groves, and several dining options, including a rooftop bar with a pool.
Rooms live up to the Hilton brand, offering modern amenities with magnificent views of Mt. Vesuvius. Families of four will appreciate the spacious 2-bedroom quadruple rooms (1 king and two twins).
And the price is right if you can take advantage of Hilton promotions or book with hotel points.
Sorrento Hotel Map
The location of all the hotels listed is on this map.
FAQs
Sorrento is a popular destination as it is just over an hour’s drive south of Naples and serves as a central hub for visitors wanting to explore Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, and the Amalfi coast.
It also has a large ferry port system, which means you can ditch the car, avoid the impossible summer traffic on the Amalfi coast and take day trips to Positano and other Amalfi destinations.
How do you get to Sorrento?
Getting to Sorrento is very easy for travelers. You can take an express train right from the Rome airport directly to the Naples train station in under 2 hours and easily save an extra hour that you would have spent driving there in a rental car.
From Naples, you can take a car transfer or local train to Sorrento, which takes just over an hour.
Is it better to stay in Amalfi Coast or Sorrento?
Sorrento is an excellent home base for exploring the region. It is also larger than most towns along the Amalfi Coast, which means a wider selection of restaurants, shops and conveniences, which can be a pro or con depending on your travel preferences.
Hotel prices tend to be a lot cheaper in Sorrento.
If you want to spend more time on the Amalfi coast, which is just east of Sorrento, you may prefer to stay in one of the Amalfi towns to experience the Amalfi vibe and avoid the commute.
Or better yet, experience a bit of each by staying in both Sorrento and in Positano (on the Amalfi coast), like we did.
Is Sorrento a walkable town?
Yes, very much so! In fact, walking is the best way to explore Sorrento. Distances between key areas are short and walking allows you to discover charming spots like lemon groves and pedestrian-only sections of Corso Italia.
I’d only recommend using a taxi or bus if you are staying hillside or cliffside on Via Capo.
What day trips can you take from Sorrento?
Sorrento makes it easy to take day trips as it is the main port for ferry trips to Capri, Ischia and other towns on the Amalfi Coast. In fact, ferries depart several times an hour, making it easy to maximize your time at your destination.
It is also a short 30-minute drive to Positano. Many people will also stop at Pompeii on their drive back to Naples or Rome.
Savvy Summary
I’ve listed what I think are some of the best hotel options for where to stay in Sorrento that have amazing views, seaside experiences and boutique stays in three areas of Sorrento: City center, Via Capo, and Hillside.
Stay overnight for at least two evenings to explore everything the town has to offer before moving on to other towns such as Positano.
