If you’re planning a family getaway to the Mornington Peninsula, you might be looking for some fun, family friendly activities to do in and around Sorrento. We recently spent a few days in Sorrento and have come up with our ultimate list of things to do when you visit Sorrento, Victoria.
Sorrento is a cute little seaside town so obviously no trip to Sorrento would be complete without a trip to the beach.
Being on a peninsula, Sorrento has the advantage of offering two types of beach – the front or bay beach is perfect for a paddle with young children or, if you’ve got older kids who want some wave action, head for the back beach for a bit of surf.
The Sorrento back beach is also a great place to explore rock pools when the tide is out. The whole family, young children included, will have a great time at the Sorrento back beach at low tide where you can even swim in some of the gorgeous, naturally occuring pools of water, or look out for pretty shells, fish and other marine life.
The front beach or bay beach is great for sitting beside with some fish and chips and also a shallow, safe place for young kids to paddle and splash about.
Our pick, however, for the beaches in this area, is to make the short drive further along to Portsea where you’ll find picturesque little bay beaches with adorable beach boxes as well as great surf at the Portsea back beach perfect for swimming for older kids and adults.
Holidays often mean walking, or at least pottering around on foot. Young children will enjoy a meander through the Sorrento Historic Park which also happens to include an adventure playground as well as plenty of shady spots to sit and enjoy a drink or a picnic.
For a longer walk (but not too arduous), you definitely want to check out ‘Millionaire’s Walk’. This walk takes you on a stretch of coastline from Sorrento on towards Portsea. You’ll see breathtaking water views on one side and amazing houses capturing these views on your other side.
A word of warning though, don’t be shy, you are allowed to walk along this trail despite the gates you will encounter along the way. Just follow the directions, if a sign says to please shut the gate, then shut the gate again as you walk through.
Don’t worry, any gates leading to private property are clearly marked so you won’t accidentally find yourself in someone’s backyard (although it does feel like it sometimes!).
Walking and swimming are exhausting so you’ll need to refuel from time to time and, the best way to do this on a family beach holiday is with ice cream! Mubble Ice Cream in the main shopping strip of Sorrento has got you covered with heaps of delicious flavours to choose from.
On the subject of refueling and food, my family and I checked out three of the pubs in the area on our short stay. You’ll find beautiful views and great food at Hotel Sorrento.
But our favourite place for a meal has to be the Portsea Hotel, where you’ll also get great food, a terrific ambience and a beautiful view.
If you’re staying in Sorrento over summer, you’ll definitely want to head back into Rye on one of your nights. You could get a meal at the Rye Hotel or maybe enjoy some takeaway on the beach but, the biggest attraction in Rye over summer for the kids is the Rye Summer Carnival.
Overpriced rides, games and attractions but hey, it’s a summer family holiday and these sorts of things are what memories are made from.
Our little trip was just before Christmas so they were still setting up the carnival but over January you’ll find the place in full swing.
A short drive in the opposite direction, through Portsea, you’ll find Point Nepean. This is a great place to explore on foot, you can check out the old buildings from the quarantine facility or just have a picnic on the lawns under some big trees.
We were even lucky enough to spot some dolphins swimming just offshore while we were there!
A family holiday in a small seaside town doesn’t need a lot of planning and organising. Our few days were easily filled with beach trips, swimming, walking and plenty of eating!
Sorrento also happens to be very well equipped with shops. You can easily spend half a day pottering in and out of the shops along the main street.
Having a car on this type of holiday is useful as part of the fun of Sorrento is enjoying the nearby areas such as Portsea and Rye, but really, just having the family together enjoying new and familiar places together is what makes a holiday special.
Top Places You Should Visit While Staying In (Or Near) Sorrento:
- Sorrento back beach to explore the rock pools
- Portsea back beach for a fun swim in the waves
- Porsea front/bay beach for swimming with younger kids
- Sorrento foreshore for fish and chips or a picnic under the trees overlooking the bay
- Millionaire’s walk to see how the other half live
- Portsea Hotel for great meals and ambience
- Mubble Ice Cream for, well, ice cream!
- Sorrento Hotel – sit outside to enjoy great views while you eat
- Point Nepean for a walk and a history lesson
If you make it to Sorrento and check out some of our favourite places, let us know what you think and/or if you think there are some places we should add to our list – we’d be happy to go back and check them out!
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