Sorrento at the end of October

[MNesc]

Hi all,

I've booked a 4 days trip for Sorrento for the October half term (leaving on the 29th). We will go with our 4 year old.
People have been discouraging me saying it's a bad idea to go because of all the stairs on the amalfi coast, and the weather at the end of October. Any advise please?
We will stay in Sorrento, and I have Pompei, Amalfi, Capri and potentially Positano on our list.

I can't comment on Sorrento, but we often go to Italy in Oct. Not in half term as no kids but to avoid the heat of summer an crowds. A work colleage went to Sorrento but said there were lots of taxis to help with all the steep hills. We stayed in Naples and went to Pompeii and I don't recall the weather being anything other than lovely and sunny. Warm enough for T-shirts/shorts and some people swimming in the day, but a but cooler at night. I think we went early Oct though.

Many years ago but stayed in Sorrento in October.

It was warm, but there were thunderstorms in the evening and the boat crossing to Capti may not run if the sea is rough

We went in November and Sorrento was pleasant enough but frankly underwhelming at that time - a LOT of rain. We were lucky with our trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius. Big positives were the slower, quieter vibe - the passeggiata was more like a small town should be, and Pompeii was almost empty.

October should be significantly better weather wise and I think as long as you think of Sorrento more as a base, you’ll have a good time.

We ate outside at lunch when we were in Rome in December. The weather in Sorrento should be around 20-22 degrees in the day. Rain is a risk but true anywhere. If you are unfit or have mobility issues there is a lift from the port up to the town, which is flat. Positano is much harder - the town is vertical!

As an adult, I found Pompeii incredible.
However, it is a huge amount of walking, to even cover 1/2 of it.
Part of the "incredibleness" of the place is the size, and understanding that a whole City could just be buried, as a Volcano erupted.
But I can't see a 4 year old getting anything out of it. Nor being able to walk the distances you need to walk, to get anything out of it. Nor being able to understand what they are looking at.

Other than that, the towns balanced on the rocky hillsides on the Amalfi coast do mean you are walking up steep slopes, or steps. The odd funicular railway helps. They wouldn't be my biggest concern as you can take a long time and take breaks etc. It is a beautiful coastline to see by boat, and for adults to relax, but there isn't much to 'see' or 'do' particularly that I think would engage a 4 yr old in the way that scenery doesn't usually 'grab' 4 yr olds.

I really wouldn’t try and do all that in four days.
sorrento is lovely, I can’t really remember there being loads of stairs! Down to the lido section and through a cave in Sant’Angelo but generally it’s just a load of pavements (narrow) and roads. It’s very pretty as a base. Pompeii was fabulous but I wouldn’t take a child, we even ditched our teenagers as Ercolano finished them off.

We went last year mid-October. Arrived with sun and low twenties and had downpour one day, mixed weather another and sun again on the last day.

Sorrento is ok-not bad but nothing really exciting. We had a good time wandering around and there are lovely restaurants. It was still very busy with groups.

It's a narrow road along the coast, you can easily be stuck behind plenty of other tourists. The towns are hilly, you walk up and down a lot and parking is expensive.

Pompeji - we spent 7 hours and didn't see everything. I think a small child is utterly bored after the 10th house even if they like the ancient Romans. Plenty of artifacts are in the museum in Naples so you need to have a good imagination as you basically see walls and some mosaics.

I already posted but as others have said, Pompeii is vast and cobbled so no good for a push chair. As the poster above said, all the mosaics and artifacts are in the museum in Naples, so you'd need to consider a trip there to actually see them. There is the circumvesuviana train which we caught from Naples to Pompeii and Herculaneum but it also goes to Sorrento, so that is an option.

We stayed in Sorento in mid November 3 years ago. We were there for a week and did Pompeii one day, Herculaneum another. We also did Positano and swam in the sea although the locals were walking around in duvet coats! Positano was very definitely out of season - we only found one restaurant open at lunchtime.

It was certainly warm enough to eat outside. I thought the weather was perfect. Low 20s every day.

Were restaurants opened in Sorrento please?

@MNesc I used to live in Sorrento. The weather in late October should be warm and pleasant during the day time. Locals take their last swim of the season around 1st November, but Brits are happy to push it later! Restaurants and most other things will be open. It definitely won't be a ghost town by any means. I used to take my young son with me everywhere on my own including Positano, Pompeii, Capri etc. I didn't have any problems but I wasn't a "precious" sort of mother. Amalfi and Positano are steeply graded, but you don't have to climb all the steps and you can explore gently or just stay down by the beach/harbour. Pompeii is massive but it is very flat and, again, you can take it at your leisure. At 4 years old my son found it fascinating. Have a wonderful time, I'm jealous!

@ginasevern

Thanks a lot! Feel more confident now with the choises I made, ha ha, and looking forward to it!

Yes, Sorrento was quite busy. It was just Positano that was very much out of season.

We went to sorrento last October, weather was warm enough. All restaurants open. Had an awful meal in the tourist trap at the port that was a terrible mistake but other than that amazing food, extremely expensive. Sorrento is dull as anything though, much preferred Naples.
Pompeii was fantastic but can't imagine doing it with a 4 year old.

It is dull isn’t it, I didn’t like to say. Just a small town with some lidos and mainly tourist shops. Everyone raves about the restaurant with all the vines though, and the one with a sea view.

That's a lot to see in 4 days! We were there in late September and there were a few thunderstorms.

I'm sure you'll have a terrific time OP, and it certainly will be a more pleasant experience than during the heat and crowds of Summer.

The only thing about that time of year is things are winding down in the tourist spots, but others have said that it's not a problem in Sorrento, so that's good. I'd urge you to be selective about the amount of trekking around you plan to do in four days with a young child. Pick the must sees, and spend a bit of time just wandering around Sorrento. I would leave Capri off the list, and concentrate on Pompeii and Herculaneum, a day for each then a day in Sorrento and maybe a day in some other accessible town on the coast.