Sorrento is a great base for day trips to Capri, Ischia, Positano and Pompeii. However, you can also enjoy a perfect relaxing family day in Sorrento itself. We stayed in Sorrento for 4 days in October 2024 with our boys, then aged 10 and 12. After a few busy days of excursions, we decided to devote our last day to relaxing in Sorrento itself.
Feed the fish!
Start your day by ambling down to the small beach at Marina Grande. Despite its name, Marina Grande is a small but charming harbour. Colourful fishing boats are moored in the shallow waters. Enticing bars and restaurants curve round the bay. The descent from the town is quite steep but has some excellent photo opportunities.
The sea here is filled with huge shoals of tiny fish. Kids can spot the fish easily in the clear turquoise waters. A prime spot for feeding the fish is along the promenade in front of Bar Da Giniello. To find it, just turn right as you come down the steps from town.
For those with a hotel breakfast, save a couple of bread rolls. Otherwise, there is a mini convenience store down at the harbour where you could pick up a loaf. Our boys loved feeding the fish and could have spent far longer doing it!
Swim in the sea
If you are visiting Sorrento outside of the main summer season, the sheltered bay of Marina Grande is in the sun for most of the morning / early afternoon. As such, it is a nicer spot for a swim than the beach clubs closer to town.
Its also free to swim here, bonus! Further, the water is calm and shallow and so better for kids who may not be such strong swimmers. A word of warning – with the beach clubs, you often jump straight into deeper water from the swimming platforms. The icing on the cake? If your kids are not too little, parents can enjoy a drink at one of the café / bars that line the beach while the kids splash around in the water.
Lunch
I would recommend eating at one of the cafes / restaurants at Marina Grande. Everywhere in Sorrento is touristy to a greater or lesser degree. However, the walk from town makes Marina Grande quieter than the centre of Sorrento. Tourists coming off cruise ships will spend less time in Sorrento and are unlikely to venture down to this harbour. We found it much easier to get a table and prices seemed more reasonable.
Our standout place to eat was Il Gozzo. It is a little set back from the beach, meaning the view isn’t quite as good. However, the food was amazing and the service warm and friendly. We also enjoyed the fritto misto on another day at Trattoria Da Emilia (although this did feel more touristy).
Stroll the streets and enjoy a gelato
Walk off your lunch by climbing back up the narrow streets to the town centre. Browse through the souvenir shops with colourful pottery and copious variations on Limoncello! Vendors will incite you with samples of oils, jams and liquors, and there is no real hard sell.
Our boys enjoyed a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice from one of the stalls lining the streets, followed by orange ice-cream from another!
Pizza making workshop
After a relax at your hotel or apartment, work up an appetite for dinner by making your own pizza at this amazing workshop in the hills above Sorrento.
Primaluce Farm is very much a family affair. Dad will pick you up in a minibus from a parking garage in the centre of Sorrento (clearly signposted and not at all grim!). Upon arrival, you are given a glass of their homemade lemonade and the chance to enjoy the views down over the bay of Sorrento.
The class then kicks off in earnest with an explanation of the pizza making process. Following this, you will roll your sleeves up and make your own batch of pizza dough, Don’t worry if you end up with a sticky mess – the family feed their guests’ efforts to their pigs. Your will make your dinner from dough they prepared the day before! Perfectly smooth and stretchy!
The real fun starts with the stretching and tossing. Two at a time, the teachers will take you through the process of stretching out your own dough and adding their home-made tomato sauce and cheese. Then its into their woodfired oven for only a minute or so before you get to enjoy your creation with unlimited wine!
If you still have space, homemade dessert follows and a chance to taste some of the other products produced on their farm, such as meats and cheeses. There is an opportunity to purchase if you wish but no pressure to do so.
Full, slightly tipsy and tired, the owners will ferry you back down to the parking lot in Sorrento, the end to a great evening!
If you enjoy hands-on activities with your kids, check out this amazing strudel-making workshop in Salzburg or graffiti art on the Berlin Wall!
