Limoncello Tours & Lemon Grove Tastings
Limoncello is made from the rind of the coast’s own lemons and nothing else that matters, and the tours take you into the groves and the factories where it is done, then teach you to make your own. Compare the top-rated limoncello tours and tastings below, then read our notes on lemons, groves and what is worth buying.
Limoncello tours and tastings in Sorrento
Formats: lemon-grove walks and limoncello factory tours in Sorrento and Piano di Sorrento with tasting; limoncello-making classes where you take a bottle home; lemon tours along the Amalfi terraces with tasting; combined lemon, olive oil and wine tastings with lunch.
What you taste: limoncello at cellar temperature and frozen, crema di limoncello, lemon marmalade and delizia al limone, and the lemon itself, eaten with its sweet pith.
Price and time: 50 to 70 euros for a factory tour and tasting, similar for a making class; half-day grove tours with lunch more.
The lemons
Two protected lemons grow here. The sfusato amalfitano, the Limone Costa d’Amalfi IGP, is long and pale with a thick rind rich in oil, grown on stone terraces under chestnut pergolas from Amalfi to Vietri. The ovale di Sorrento is rounder and grows on the peninsula. Both make limoncello, which is simply rind steeped in alcohol, then mixed with sugar syrup; the rind is everything, which is why the coast’s version tastes different from the supermarket’s.
Factory tours and grove walks
Around Sorrento and Piano di Sorrento, family limoncello factories, some more than a century old, run tours through the grove and the production room with a tasting of limoncello, crema and liqueurs. Along the Amalfi side, lemon tours walk the terraces with a grower, explain the pergola system and end with a tasting and often a lemon lunch. Both take one to two hours; the Amalfi terraces are steeper.
Making your own
Limoncello classes teach the peeling, the infusion and the syrup, and send you home with a bottle; the infusion takes days, so you finish one that was started earlier. A good hour’s activity for families and a better souvenir than a bought bottle.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Limoncello Tours & Lemon Grove Tastings
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best limoncello made?
Sorrento and Amalfi both claim it; the difference is the lemon. Buy from a producer that names its grove, not from the shops on the main street.
Can I visit a lemon grove on my own?
Some groves in Sorrento are open to visitors; the Amalfi terraces are private and the tours are the way in.
When are the lemons ripe?
The main harvest is spring to early summer, but the trees carry fruit for much of the year, and tours run March to October.