History · Sorrento · Italy
8 historic sites to see in Sorrento
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Mentnafunangann, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Vallone dei Mulini, Cloister of San Francesco and Sorrento Cathedral. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 6–7 hours across 3 areas; 6 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 6
- Time to see them all
- 6–7 hours
- Areas
- Centro storico and Piazza Tasso, Marina Piccola and the port and Via Capo
Historic sites in Sorrento
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Nature · Centro storico and Piazza Tasso
1.Vallone dei Mulini
It cannot be entered, but the railing on Via Fuorimura gives a clear view down.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
- History
Religious site · Centro storico and Piazza Tasso
2.Cloister of San Francesco
It is a popular wedding venue and hosts summer concerts.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Couples
Religious site · Centro storico and Piazza Tasso
3.Sorrento Cathedral
The cathedral of Saints Philip and James on Corso Italia has a 20th-century neo-Gothic façade on a much older church, a separate bell tower standing on an open arch, and inside, wooden choir stalls and stations of the cross in the local inlaid-wood craft.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Marina Piccola and the port
4.Museo Correale di Terranova
Its garden ends at a belvedere over the bay.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Views
Museum · Centro storico and Piazza Tasso
5.Museobottega della Tarsia Lignea
Sorrento's inlaid-wood tradition, intarsia, is shown in the 18th-century Palazzo Pomarici Santomasi, with 19th-century furniture, boxes and panels made in local workshops alongside paintings and prints of the old town.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Via Capo
6.Bagni della Regina Giovanna
It is a favourite local swimming spot, reached by a path of about 20 minutes from Via Capo.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
- Views
Historic site · Centro storico and Piazza Tasso
7.Sedile Dominova
Today it is home to a workers' society, and old men often play cards inside.
- Time needed
- 10 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Centro storico and Piazza Tasso
8.Basilica of Sant'Antonino
Legend says Antonino rescued a child from a whale, and whale bones hang near the entrance.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
- Kids
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Centro storico and Piazza Tasso | Vallone dei Mulini, Cloister of San Francesco, Sorrento Cathedral, Museobottega della Tarsia Lignea, Sedile Dominova and Basilica of Sant'Antonino | 15 minutes + 20 minutes + 30 minutes + 1 hour + 10 minutes + 20 minutes |
| Marina Piccola and the port | Museo Correale di Terranova | 1.5 hours |
| Via Capo | Bagni della Regina Giovanna | 2–3 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 6 free, 2 low cost. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Bagni della Regina Giovanna; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 2 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Centro storico and Piazza Tasso and Marina Piccola and the port): Vallone dei Mulini → Cloister of San Francesco → Sorrento Cathedral → Museobottega della Tarsia Lignea → Sedile Dominova → Basilica of Sant'Antonino → Museo Correale di Terranova, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Via Capo): Bagni della Regina Giovanna, at least 2 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 14°C (57°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Quiet low season with mild sunny spells; ferries to Capri run a reduced timetable.
- January: highs of 13°C (55°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cool and often wet, with many hotels and restaurants closed; good for Pompeii and Herculaneum without crowds.
- November: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 11 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Wettest season begins and many hotels close for the winter; quiet and mild for archaeological sites.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Centro storico and Piazza Tasso — Old-town lanes, Corso Italia shops and the main square above the gorge
- Marina Piccola and the port — The ferry harbour beneath the cliffs, with lido platforms and a lift to town
- Via Capo — Hotels and villas along the clifftop road west of town towards Capo di Sorrento
More of Sorrento
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Sorrento?
Vallone dei Mulini. Just off Piazza Tasso, a deep ravine drops below street level, its floor overgrown with ferns around the ruins of a flour mill and a sawmill that worked here until the 19th century.
+Which of these are free in Sorrento?
Vallone dei Mulini, Cloister of San Francesco, Sorrento Cathedral, Bagni della Regina Giovanna, Sedile Dominova and Basilica of Sant'Antonino.