Sorrento & Amalfi Coast Shore Excursion

This full-day shore excursion from Amalfi focuses on the scenery of the Amalfi Coast and the resort town of Sorrento.

After meeting your driver-guide, you have time to explore Amalfi before setting out along the coast. The town's cathedral, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, sits at the top of a long staircase overlooking the main square, its bronze doors cast in Constantinople in 1057 and donated by a wealthy Amalfi merchant trading there. Below the cathedral, a crypt built in 1203 holds relics of Saint Andrew himself, brought to Amalfi from Constantinople in 1208 during the Fourth Crusade. Look also for the Oriental influences in the town's architecture, striped stonework and interlacing arches that reflect Amalfi's centuries of trade across the Mediterranean.

From Amalfi, you follow the coast road toward Positano, one of dozens of hairpin turns along a route carved into cliffs that plunge dramatically to the sea. In Positano, you have free time among the shop and cafe lined stairways leading down to the beach, with views out to the Li Galli islands. The Church of Santa Maria Assunta here holds the Black Virgin, a Byzantine icon dated to the 13th century.

In the afternoon, you continue to Sorrento, a resort town on the Gulf of Naples. Though not technically part of the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento is the traditional gateway to the region for most visitors. You have free time to wander the pedestrian lanes of the old town, lined with cafes and shops selling limoncello, the lemon liqueur made from citrus grown in the area's mild climate, along with lemon flavored ice creams and candies.

Afterward, you return to Amalfi.