Sorrento Lift offers a convenient alternative to climbing up and down the steep walkways that link the Sorrento city center and coastline. The Sorrento Lift is perfect when you can’t wait to get to the city’s stylish beach clubs or port. Alternatively, use it for quick access to your hotel after arriving at the harbor by ferry. Take time to enjoy the sublime views from a clifftop balcony.
Two elevators operate simultaneously, which means that waiting times are reduced even during the peak summer season. Constructed into rock walls, the lifts are remarkable feats of engineering. Expect to take about half a minute to travel between the top and bottom stations.
The upper station stands in the pretty Villa Comunale Park adjacent to the 14th-century St. Francis Church and Convent. A terrace balcony runs along the edge of the park and offers an uninterrupted view of the coastline and the Gulf of Naples. Look down on the beaches and bars, some of which are set on breakwaters and piers. Watch as yachts and passenger ferries come and go from Marina Piccola.
Leave the elevator from the lower station to access the public beach area and private clubs. Rent a deckchair and sun umbrella and indulge in hours of waterside relaxation. The water offers safe and refreshing swimming. Kayaks and paddleboats are available to rent. The clubs have changing facilities and restaurants, which are perfect for enjoying open-air dinners in the balmy Mediterranean climate.
If you are feeling energetic, take the lift one way and return via the serpentine paths, as people did for centuries before the elevator opened. You can also continue to the marina. Boats depart from here for Capri, Ischia and Naples.
Sorrento Lift is just a 5-minute walk from Sorrento’s main square, Piazza Torquato Tasso. Walk to the top entrance from many city center hotels. The elevator operates year round, with late-night hours during warmer months. Pay the one-way fee or get a discount paying in advance for a round-trip. Visitors shorter than 3 feet (1 meter) tall ride for free.
