Sorrento - Italy - Top Tips

[scorcio5]

Ahoy there MNs, has anyone any experience of holidaying in Sorrento and have any top tips? off there in August for 2 weeks for first time and would appreciate any insider knowledge, TIA

Went a few years ago with teenagers. Lovely holiday! You can get the train (very cheaply) from Sorrento to Pompeii. But go early in the day, there's no shade and it was very hot. We were there late July and saw an amazing firework display over the bay, don't know if it was in aid of something or they just have them in the summer but it was best I've ever seen. Food good everywhere. Enjoy!

Do the red bus that goes from outside train station along the coast to Positano and Amalfi. We got bus all the way to Amalfi then a ferry to Positano then picked up the red bus back to Sorrento.

And no need to hire car at all, public transport is great. In fact driving in that area is bonkers! Scary roads and mad Italian drivers! And def. Do Pompeii, but be prepared for heat in summer.

Definitely agree with the above: the train goes around the coast stopping in Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum etc - don't drive! (Think it's called the circumvesuviana - something like that) Get to Pompeii super early - we had the forum all to ourselves for 15 mins - it was glorious.

There's a lift that goes from sorrento down to the beach - worth it if you don't want to walk up after a swim!

Be prepared for hot hot hot weather and I thought the food was quite expensive

Thank you guys, I was wandering about about the Pompeii thing, we are deco wanting to go, however holiday company trying to get us to book with them b4 we travel, they wanting approx £45pp per day trip (must think we millionaires )

We going AL for that reason Glen, have heard that, going with two teen ds and until my lotto win comes in can't afford to fill there hollow legs, ha ha, ooh the lift thing sounds good, must remember to have a go at that.

Sorry to hijack OP, but has anyone been late Oct? Considering half term but concerned about weather. Don’t need sun, just not rain.

Capri is very busy and touristy but still worth a trip IMO, Cable cars there were good.

If you like history you can get a pass that gives you access to pompeii and 4 other sites including Herculaneum, and if you have time I would recommend the villa at oplontis, it's massive and so preserved and you'll have the whole place to yourself

Herculanum is worth a visit too, not as busy as Pompei and accessible by train.

I would agree with the trip along the coast road to Amalfi - it was featured in a Michael Caine film, The Italian Job.

You can easily do Pompeii and Herculaneum independently , take the train and buy a good guide book or download the audio tour. Many tours use the train anyway, but be prepared for standing in very hot conditions on the way. Pompeii is great to just wander around, dodging the tour parties an popping into whichever properties are open. Herculaneum is more compact and has more of a predetermined route. It feels as if the city above is about to drop into the site!

Sorrento is large town and it can take up to 30 minutes to walk from one end to the station, but there is a cheap bus. Capri is a pleasant trip, although heaving with tourists and the boat expensive, so might be worth an organised trip. Not a lot to do there really. Marina Piccolo is a nice retreat with restaurants and bars by the sea.

As others have said do the train from Sorrento to Pompeii.
So much cheaper. Also a fab ice cream parlour near the station 😋
I love popping into the Foreigners' club too. Lovely views x

Definitely no need to pay £45pp to go to pompeii. Easy to do on train, will just be hot. TSSDNCCOP we went in October half term and it was a perfect time to go. Weather was sunny, around 18 degrees and meant we could do the sightseeing without getting to hot. I've been to Pompeii in August and October - the latter definitely less hot! We had some rain, but most of the time weather was perfect. It wasn't sunbathing weather but we easily filled half term with loads to see. We combined it with Rome but you could easily spend a week just around Sorrento.

I went for a few days in late October last year (stayed in Pompei), had a fantastic time, and the weather was great - it got chilly by late evening but I can't remember any rain and the days were largely very sunny with temps in the mid 20s. I did Pompeii, Herculaneum and went to Capri - and I definitely wouldn't have wanted it any hotter when I was trekking up to Villa Jovis!

I love ancient ruins so unsurprisingly I recommend Pompeii, Herculaneum, Villa Oplontis etc- they all have a different feel to them (IMHO). Pompei is very exposed and busy, and also massive, so coming early is a must if you want to see lots of it. Guidebooks are only at the main entrance, but if you hate Guidebooks the queue at the Ampitheatre entrance is usually much shorter, and has a big display of casts outside. Herculaneum was less busy but no less fascinating.

The full price ticket for Pompeii is around €15 from memory and the Circumvesuviana is cheap and frequent so don't pay £45pp!

I loved Capri - it was very busy in Capri and Anacapri themselves, but I took the chairlift up Mt Solaro and walked back down - and I had the path completely to myself all the way! Stunning views, very warm but not hot, combined with absolute peace and quiet, it was bliss! I walked to Villa Jovis (one of Tiberius Villas) and did the audioguide tour, walked back and again there were barely any other people there, the views were incredible and I largely had peace and quiet.

Take comfortable shoes for Pompeii. The ground is very uneven. Don't wear flip flops. Sorrento is very busy wth nowhere nice and quiet to walk as it is built up right to the cliff edge. The beaches are tiny and I think you have to pay to use them. We stayed in St Agnello and took the train in as it as too hot to walk, and the narrow pavement next to the very busy main road did not make for a pleasant walk.