When I studied abroad in Rome, our class had the option of going on a trip to Sorrento. I’ve dreamed of going to Capri, so of course I signed up.
An important thing to note is Sorrento is on the opposite side as Positano and Amalfi. Whereas Capri is the actual island off the coast (Wish I knew before I signed up).
Getting There:
We took a double decker bus from Rome to Naples, and from Naples to Sorrento. Which was fine until the air conditioning stopped working in the bus. Luckily, I brought one of those portable mini fans that plug into the charging port of your phone to run. Even the mini fan wasn’t enough to save me from the Italian mid-June summer heat, mixed with being packed on the top part of the double decker bus. If that wasn’t bad enough, the immense feeling of vertigo kicked in the closer we go to our destination. As I looked out the window and realized our huge bus barely fit on the two-way mountain side road. The long, winding road up the mountain overlooked an incredible view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Which, kind of made up for the non-stop honking from other trucks trying to get past our bus at every curve in the road?
Other ways of transportation:
- Ferry from Naples (35 minutes)
- Bus from Naples to Sorrento (two hours)
- Taxi (two hours)
- Train (fastest, only 30 minutes)
Hotel recommendations for Sorrento:
Once we arrived at the hotel we all got assigned rooms and parted our ways. After getting settled we changed into our bathing suits and collectively decided to have a pool party at our hotel’s pool. The margs were unreal. Something else to mention is how it wasn’t just our particular group of 30 that went on this trip. It was any student from the American University of Rome that wanted to go. We had a lot of people our age from different schools across the U.S. and even some native Italian students. Wrapping up the day, I took it upon myself to get hammered and take cute pictures on the vacant restaurant rooftop in our hotel. Then, we went into town Piazza Tasso. It was super lively at night, everyone was out either eating, drinking, or dancing.
Nightlife:
We went to English Inn as a huge group. It was a little less than a mile walk from our hotel but my platform sandals could thankfully bare it. The fun vibe was worth the walk there, DEFINITELY NOT on the way back. The bar we went to was outside and had an area for chilling and another area for the bar, dj, and dancefloor. The vodka soda tasted exactly like how a college bar vodka soda does, which made me feel right at home. The crowd was young, from locals, to tourists like us. The dj has major throwback 2000’s vibes (I wasn’t complaining). Overall, one of the best bars to come to in downtown Sorrento.
Unfortunately, Sorrento wasn’t home to really any nightclubs. So if you’re more into that kind of nightlife, I recommend staying in Positano or Amalfi where it’s at.
Capri:
The next morning, we got up entirely too early for being so hungover. We rushed to get breakfast at the hotel and tried to keep up with the rest of our group walking to the docks where the ferries are. Quickly, and without approval, we stopped in a liquor store to acquire some basic needs. AKA water, liquor, and chasers. Then we ran to catch up with our group. When we got to the dock we boarded the ferry that was taking us to the island of capri. It was early and foggy out this morning, and the water was entirely too choppy for my liking. A mini bottle of Prosecco took the edge off during our 25 minute ferry ride to the island.
Upon arriving around 10am, the skies cleared and our group parted ways. Our group of 7 girls went to “Da Gemma” restaurant and beach club to get drinks and a late breakfast. Although, it’s a little bit pricey because of the location and access to their private beach/lounge. The drinks were huge and out of this world. My pina colada was a breakfast within itself. A perfect way to spend our time waiting for our private boat tour to come. We sat out and lounged until noon, making our way into the tiny downtown area to grab some more necessities for our boat ride.
Boat Tour:
We finally found our private boat on the docks at 1pm. I personally didn’t plan our private boat tour but this capri boat guide can help you. We rented a smaller boat with a skipper (nice Italian man driving it). We chose to do the 3 hour boat tour. In my opinion, that’s a perfect amount of time out on sea.
Things to do on the boat:
- See the famous “Faraglioni” rocks. Ask your skipper to take you under the archway of these iconic rocks. If you’re lucky enough to be here with your significant other kissing under the arch means good luck ;). If you’re like me and going with a group of friends, a fun picture is just as amazing.
- Blue Grotto. Respectively one of the most famous aspects of Capri. It’s a tiny sea cave on the coast of the island. The sunlight passing through an underwater cavity and shining through the seawater creates a bright blue reflection that illuminates the cavern. When your boat pulls up to the area you’ll notice smaller canoe-like boats approaching yours filled with men who work there. You’ll pay the men 14 euros for a ticket and then load into a tiny boat to go inside. It’s honestly kind of scary because of how small the boat is and the water can get kind of choppy. A big shock was getting into the cave, you have to duck… and go at the right time with the water current. Once you’re in it’s anything but scary, and the oarsmen singing makes it feel like you’re in a movie. 10/10 recommend.
- DRINK and have fun: Most likely you’re with your friends or even if you’re with strangers this is something everyone can do. Don’t forget to bring a portable speaker, liquor, chasers, and snacks! These make all the difference, we were truly living our best life drunk on the isle of capri. Our skipper was amazing and he showed us some really cool caves and stopped at parts where we could jump in.
I would definitely suggest putting Sorrento/Amalfi Coast/Capri, at the top of your “places to-go” list when visiting Italy. This place is so breathtaking and fun, you won’t regret it.
