Meta di Sorrento
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Meta di Sorrento

Meta di Sorrento

Quieter Sorrentine Peninsula town with rail links to Sorrento and one of the area's few sandy beaches.

Meta di Sorrento is the easternmost town of the Sorrentine Peninsula, connected to Sorrento by the Circumvesuviana railway and the main coast road. It is quieter and less touristic than Sorrento itself, with a small sandy beach — one of the few on the peninsula — that makes it popular with Neapolitan families in summer. The beach is accessible on foot from the train station.

If you are using Sorrento as a base and want a quieter alternative, Meta is worth considering — accommodation is somewhat cheaper and it is only 10 minutes by train from Sorrento. The neighbouring village of Sant'Agnello sits between Meta and Sorrento on the clifftop, with excellent views and no tourist infrastructure. From Meta, Pompeii is 30 minutes by train and Naples under an hour — it is an excellent base for the entire Gulf of Naples.

Guide

Day Trips

Meta's position on the Circumvesuviana railway makes it an excellent base for day trips along the entire Gulf of Naples coastline. Sorrento is 10 minutes by train; Pompeii is 30 minutes; Naples is under an hour. The ferry connection to Capri runs from Sorrento rather than Meta, a short train ride away.

Sorrento is the obvious first stop — the town centre, the clifftop gardens, the views over the Faraglioni of Capri. Go early morning before the cruise tours arrive.

Pompeii is one of the great historical sites in Europe, and the Circumvesuviana drops you at the entrance. Allow a full day. The neighbouring site of Herculaneum (closer to Naples) is less visited and better preserved in some respects.

Capri — ferries from Sorrento take about 20 minutes. The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni, the Piazzetta. Expensive and crowded in high season; worth it out of season.

Positano and the Amalfi Coast are accessible by bus from Sorrento — the SITA bus runs the spectacular coastal road. Positano is the most photogenic; Ravello, further east, is quieter and has the garden of the Villa Cimbrone.

Guide

Eating Out

Meta di Sorrento has an advantage over Sorrento for eating: the restaurants here serve local families rather than tourists, which generally means better food at lower prices. The waterfront area near the beach has several seafood restaurants, and the town centre has the usual mix of pizzerias and trattorias that characterise this part of Campania.

The local catch from the Gulf of Naples — spaghetti alle vongole (with clams), frittura di paranza (mixed fried seafood), and fresh anchovies — appears on most menus. Lemon products are unavoidable and often good: the peninsula's sfusato amalfitano lemon is famous, and limoncello appears everywhere. Prices are noticeably lower than the equivalent in Sorrento.

Guide

Things to Do

Meta di Sorrento is a quiet town rather than a sightseeing destination. The main draw is the beach — one of the few sandy beaches on the Sorrentine Peninsula — and the calm waterfront, which gives it a more local feel than the tourist-focused Sorrento a few kilometres west. The Circumvesuviana railway makes Sorrento, Pompeii, and Naples all easily accessible as day trips.