Amalfi Coast Day Trip from Sorrento with Lunch & Wine

4.74

(1149 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“Wait, is that lemon tree actually real?” I asked our driver, Marco, as we curved out of Sorrento and the first splash of yellow blurred past the window. He just grinned in the rearview mirror and said, “Here, everything grows.” The air was already thick with salt and something sweet—maybe those lemons. We’d barely left Piazza Tasso when I realized my phone camera couldn’t keep up with the views. Every corner was another postcard, but it’s noisier than you’d think: scooters buzzing by, locals waving at Marco like he’s their cousin.

Positano looked almost fake from above—like someone painted all the houses too bright and then forgot to blend them in. We wandered down narrow lanes where laundry flapped overhead (honestly almost smacked me in the face), and ended up by the marina. Gelato seemed mandatory; pistachio for me, melting faster than I could eat it. Marco pointed out a little church tucked behind flowerpots—I wouldn’t have noticed it otherwise—and told us about his aunt who got married there. He laughed when I tried to say “Positano” with an Italian accent. Still can’t get it right.

By the time we reached Ravello for lunch, my legs were jelly but my stomach was louder. Lunch was simple but somehow perfect: bruschetta that tasted like sunshine, mozzarella soft enough to spread on bread, pasta with tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes (I don’t know how else to say it). The wine was local—light and a little grassy—and paired weirdly well with lemon sorbet at the end. There was this moment when everyone at our table just went quiet for a second—not awkward silence, more like that happy pause when you realize you’re exactly where you want to be.

I still think about that view from Ravello—the sea stretched out forever under a sky that kept changing its mind between blue and silver. On the drive back to Sorrento, Marco played old Neapolitan songs and hummed along while we dozed off a bit. It wasn’t fancy or dramatic; just felt real and easygoing in a way I didn’t expect. If you’re thinking about an Amalfi Coast day tour from Sorrento… well, I get why people come back.