Sorrento in September

[Beautifulsunflowers]

My partner and I are heading to sorrento in September for 10 days.
Thr plan is to integrate some pool days with days out.
so far I have Vesuvius and pompeii booked.
what else is worth pre-booking and what can I just turn up to? Ie: Herculium/capri
Also, do I need to book restaurants for the evening or will it be ok to turn up?
Im hoping the travellers of Mumsnet who have been to sorrento can advise! Thank you in advance.

Herculaneum, Capri and perhaps a tour of the Amalfi coast taking in Positano, Ravello etc? Its a beautiful place and I wouldn't think you would have too much trouble with reservations unless you are booking restaurants overlooking Vesuvius and the bay. If the little train is touring, its worth booking for an easy sight seeing day with some interesting stops

We’re also going there in September. There’s a wealth of posts on Instagram and YouTube about Sorrento. The only thing we’ve booked is Pompeii but have bookmarked lots of restaurants. We were advised not to book any boat trips in advance as we won’t know what the weather will be like, so will book those on the day.

I think the problem is that there’s too much information on instagram etc it’s overwhelming.
Thats interesting about not booking a boat trip until you’re there @Soontobe60

It’s really easy to go to the harbour and buy a ferry ticket to Capri. I’m envious, I love Sorrento.

We were there in mid September last year. It was very warm and much more crowded than we expected but I would suggest:

• ferry from Sorrento along the Amalfi coast to Positano and Amalfi, rather than the coastal bus. There's no ferry to Ravello because it's up in the hills, but you can get a bus or taxi there from Amalfi. If you go by bus you have to buy tickets from a tobacco shop or newspaper stand, as you can't buy them on the bus.
• ferry from Sorrento to Capri - interesting experience but Capri Town was absolutely heaving with people. Ana Capri was nicer - we went on the Monte Solaro Chairlift.
• pre-book Pompeii & Herculaneum - if possible see if you can go on a guided tour as more informative.
• look at GetYourGuide or similar to book a walking tour of Sorrento.
• if you go to Naples, go The National Archaeological Museum - it has all the finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum, including the Secret Cabinet room. Book your ticket in advance so you skip the queue. Visit after you've been to Pompeii etc so you have some context.

One tip that I read here a few years ago was to look up the port schedule for Naples and book Pompeii on a day when there are fewer cruise ships in port, as it makes it less crowded. Enjoy the holiday

We spent 3 days there last year, I didn't like it as a destination. We did the pompeii trip, a wine tasting on vesuvius and the best thing we did was getting the local bus up up up and then walked down to a cave where we could swim and then swim out into the sea with vesuvius in the background. The shop at the top of the hill did the best sandwiches we've ever had!
So my advice for sorrento is to do day trips where possible, the town itself is just tourist Central.

We’re back from Sorrento and I thought I’d update this thread in case it’s useful for anyone else going in the future.
we went for 10 days so we could spend some time relaxing by the pool as well as days out.
we pre booked, via Viator some trips.

1. a walking tour around sorrento at sunset - this was beautiful and really interesting and ended in a limoncello tasting so that was fun too!
2. day trip to Pompeii and Vesuvius which included a pizza lunch. Really great if you want an idea of Pompeii with a great guide - we felt the couple of hours there was enough for us. Lunch was in a great pizza restaurant then we had plenty of time to climb to the top of Vesuvius which had great views.
3. half day in Herculaneum - also with a guide included.

we then booked a day trip via our hotel to Amalfi and positano on a boat. Had a great day but it was busy.
didn’t go to capri mainly due to the fact that so many people had said it’s always so crowded we felt we had done a couple of very crowded places already!!

restaurants were all great - my favourite was down by marina grande and was run by 3 sisters - very authentic!

it was a great trip - thank you to those who posted with tips!

@Beautifulsunflowers Have 2 of the sisters died? We went there over 10 years ago and it was run by 5 sisters! Di Leve I think it was called

@MistyMountainTop ah yes!! Sorry my error - it’s 5 sisters but 3 generations of being family owned.

Thanks for your update @Beautifulsunflowers
We are heading off there on Saturday, staying at Sant’Agnello just outside of Sorrento.

I was wondering whether Pompei is one of those places you have to book, or if you want to DIY it, can you just turn up? I’m not particularly fussed myself but I think DH and DS would like to go .

You can just turn up but don’t listen to anyone at the station flogging tickets either buy in advance or head straight to the site to buy.

Thank you 👍

You must walk down to the sea front at Sant'Agnello.

This place has stunning views:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g194907-d2192015-Reviews-Terrazza_Mediterraneo_Italian_Bistrot-Sant_Agnello_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

You'll fall in love with 'Villa Crawford' when you see it!:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion_Crawford

Re: Pompeii. You can just 'turn up' but if you plan to go by train, watch out for pickpockets. We went on an organised coach trip there, so it was a half-day at Pompeii followed by a few hours at Mount Vesuvius.

I have so many happy memories of Sant'Agnello and Sorrento ❤️

Definitely go to 'Amalfi' and 'Ravello'. Both stunning. Take a boat trip along the coastline. I would book an organised trip if it's your first time there.

'Capri' is easy to get to yourself via the hydrofoil from Sorrento.

'Ischia' is a boat ride and a bus or taxi. I think this has the least appeal to most.

The 'Sorrento Musical' at 'Teatro Tasso' is a fun night.

'Villa Fiorentino Park' in Sorrento is beautiful. I was very much into photography at this time and every holiday to Sorrento, I came back with about 2000 photographs!

Go shopping in the 'lanes' in Sorrento ❤️

You do need to book at some restaurants - especially on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 'Dress to Impress' if you want the best restaurant table!

Honestly you can't really go wrong there! It's beautiful and I'm very jealous!

We had a rule about not going to the same place twice; that all changed when we went to Sorrento! We went there for the next 5 years! 😂

I've stayed at Villa Crawford! Great place - I booked it through Monastery Stays. It was the third and last location on my holiday to Italy, and very luxurious compared to the other monastery stays! There were a few cats who lived there with the nuns.

https://www.monasterystays.com/?d=Italy/Campania/Sorrento//CAS131-accommodation

Thank you @SaraHoliday
We have actually booked Terrazza Mediterraneo for dinner when we arrive on Saturday!

I’ll look out for Villa Crawford.

Regarding the train, it’s a shame that the Campania Express stops running in October as it appears that it was possible to book a seat on that train.

We did buy tickets in advance but then paid for a tour guide at the train station in Sorrento. It cost £45 for 2 adults, tour guide and return train tickets. The guide was excellent and I can highly recommend it. The train is mad!!!

My tips so far are:

The lift down to the port area in Sorrento. It’s about £1.20 but saves a lot of steps.

The Tuesday market in Sorrento is no longer operating so don’t go looking for it.

We just did a wine tasting experience from Get Your Guide and I thoroughly recommend.

Check out this activity on GetYourGuide! https://gyg.me/ETcf756w

Be careful when getting the ferry back from Capri as the different timings go from different piers and you can end up with a last minute dash.

Terrazza Mediterráneo in Sant’Agnello is lovely for a special dinner with amazing views. As is the bar opposite.