Alternatives to Sorrento

Sorrento is convenient for travelers relying on public transit to visit Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, or the isle of Capri. With a rental car, you have far more options for where you stay. If you’re going to Puglia, some of Italy’s best beaches are in that region.

I guess my question is, is Sorrento worth visiting knowing we don’t like really busy touristy places. I know we can’t avoid it in Italy but Sorrento sounds particularly busy etc.

If you’re not visiting the ruins of Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast, you’d be better off concentrating on Puglia and beaches in towns like Polignano a Mare, Torre Sant’ Andrea and the beaches of Baia dei Turchi north of Otranto, Punta Prosciutto, and Baia della Zagare which is accessed through a hotel or by boat. Travelers are fond of the city of Lecce to base themselves for a few days. To see one of the oldest towns on earth where people lived in caves as far back as 9,000 years ago, check into Matera in the nearby region of Basilicata.
Have a great trip!

Sorrento is not really a place where you can swim. There are some lidos, but no beaches, IIRC they're mostly docks with ladders into the sea.

The Amalfi does interest us. Just curious if it’s one of those must see destinations.

Before renting a car in IT, research ZTL zone laws to avoid hefty fines that can be incurred if you mistakenly get into a bus lane or park in an undesignated area.
After spending three nights in Sorrento which is a fantastic transportation hub, it’s touristy. The two meals I ate there were lousy which is not uncommon when catering to the tourist crowd. However, I enjoyed the early evening passeggiata when the locals take a leisurely stroll.
Sorrento is not on the Amalfi coast and if you want to swim do not stay in Sorrento. I also suggest seeing the coast from both land and sea. I wouldn’t want to drive on the Amalfi Coast Road because it would inhibit you from enjoying the view.

It might be a must see to other people but not you.....I would say of the towns on the coast, Amalfi might be better, but even any of the tiny towns along the Amalfi Coast might be better for you than Sorrento....they all have a lot of tourists, but not as overrun like Sorrento (I don't like Sorrento AT ALL and I don't ever need to go back). Atrani, a walk from Amalfi is more "normal" and you are close enough to Amalfi to take advantage of the bus and ferry hub. That would be MY pick if you decided you MUST go to the Amalfi Coast. But I also agree with the folks that say if you are looking for beaches away from the tourist hordes (though the best beaches always attract tourists, right?) I would stick to the south. Another option is that the beaches at Paestum are generally popular for locals, so you could stay in Salerno, take a day to do the Paestum beaches AND the amazing Greek temples, and then take day trips from Salerno TO the coast. Salerno has trains, buses, and ferries you can use to access the area.

But I fear what you are looking for might not be on the Amalfi Coast.

We stayed a couple nights in Sorrento a few years ago to see Pompeii. We had just been in Naples which we liked much more. Sorrento seemed sanitized in comparison-a bit like visiting Epoch Center. We liked Amalfi much better, although I would go to Atrani if I was going back.

But be aware, the beaches on Amalfi are rocky. If I were looking for beaches, it is not where I would go.

Umbria and Puglia may be an unusual choice for a first visit to Italy. You can't say Venice, Florence, and Rome are unimportant just because they're crowded! I suspect that Australia has far superior beaches to Italy, and I've been to Surfer's Paradise.

It is true that a car is useful for those two locations, but it will also be a burden.

Thank you for the replies. Sorry I should have clarified that we will not have a car if we go to Sorrento. We are also not going to Italy solely for the beaches as we live on a beautiful beach in Australia. We have been to Rome, Florence and Venice before and whilst I can appreciate the history etc it’s not somewhere we want to return to. We would love to really experience Italian culture in the south as well as beautiful scenery. We have a 14 yr old so he will want to be swimming a bit as well.

If you will have a car, then forget Sorrento or the Amalfi coast the traffic and parking issues will be enough to swear off traveling ever again. If there are things in the area you want to see, then look at the Salerno area. Probably easier to find a place with parking, you have Paestum and the Greek temples nearby, if you want a quick look at the Amalfi coast, you can take a ferry (depending on time of year), along the coast, get off if you wish, even go all the way to Sorrento. You have decent beaches stretching to the South, I imagine some decent beachside hotels. Naples is an easy train ride away, with the Archeological museum, Pompeii, and Herculaneum.

Sorrento isn't a tourist destination in itself, it is a base to see the tourist sites such as Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Capri. We spent 11 days there in April and loved it for it's convenience as a transportation and hotel hub, and if you get off the main street, there are some outstanding family owned restaurants.