Amalfi coast small towns stay vs. Sorrento?

With kids 8 and 10 I don't think I'd stay in Conca dei Marini. While it's probably one of the cutest towns with good bus service and fabulous views, it's also difficult to get around. Check out this blog for more info.

https://www.sugarandsoul.co/conca-dei-marini-amalfi-coast-italy/

Atrani would be much easier to reach the places you want to see. It has a nice beach. It's a 15 minute walk from Amalfi, the transportation hub of the coast, with bus and ferry connections. There used to be a tour from Amalfi to Pompeii Scavi.

Hope this helps.

Edit: tour to Pompeii.

https://www.positano.com/en/c/sunland-travel/i/SJPY8

Staying in Sorrento makes the most sense of you’re primary goals include Pompeii, Vesuvius and Capri. You do not want to be day tripping from any AC town to these places. This is part of what makes Sorrento such an attractive base, but it’s also just a nice place to stay. Especially with kids, it makes a fine choice.

However, it’s a much different experience from staying in one of those small towns. So, if what you really want is that loungy beach experience then sign up for these and go for it. With six nights, it would make sense to split your stay between Sorrento and somewhere else. Of those towns, Atrani is the only one I would call “easily accessible” and it includes a walk ON the coast road to Amalfi’s transportation options. I don’t think ferries stop in Conca, so that and Ravello you’re pretty much stuck with the bus. The bus works, but it can also be hot, crowded, and you might get stuck waiting for the next one. That stuff wasn’t fun for me as an adult, if I was 8 or 10 years old, I might have thrown down my tools. On that note, it seems I’m in the minority as a Path of the Gods hater, but I’m gonna hate on it a little. Just be aware that getting there and back takes some bus-work (see above,) and that the trail can be harder than it sounds. There’s zero shade and it can be HOT. Might be a bit much for kids, unless you are avid hikers used to those conditions.

Ditto--Atrani only works well from those on that list, due to its proximity to Amalfi. If chosen, it would work better to visit Pompeii en route rather than a very (too) long day trip.
If you pass on path of the gods, there are some nice hikes out of Amalfi that have shade. I liked walking from Minori/Maiori to Ravello and then down to Atrani/Amalfi. It was long but not taxing.

Thank you for this information. Is Capri worth a day trip or even and overnight? I'm assuming the lodging is very pricey to spend the night but do you think we should go to Capri and it's worth seeing despite the tourism and heavy prices? Trying to figure out how to split our time having approximately 6 nights on the Amalfi and that would include a day trip to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius another day. If we stayed a few nights in Sorrento, where should we spend the other few nights?

With six nights, I would split it equally: Sorrento to allow for the Pompeii day trip, then you could either stay on Capri for three nights or on the Amalfi coast for three nights. Both are just about the pretty nature, so really either would work.
There was a great article in the NYT about Capri a few months back. It was mostly about overtourism, but it actually made the case to me for why staying ON the island is more valuable than doing a day trip--which can be disappointing due to crowds, lack of time to let is all sink in.

Now that I think about it, I actually did an even split 3/3 in Sorrento & Atrani myself. That gave two full days out of Sorrento for Pompeii/Naples (Vesuvius in your case.) I really enjoyed Atrani btw, and would definitely recommend it. It has a very local feel to it, especially in the evenings, lots of families. End of April is a little early for swimming season, but the beach is sand there and will be public. It’s not pristine, but I loved walking down for a swim each morning.

I think Capri is definitely worth a day trip. Go early, skip past Capri Town (glitzy touristy BS) and you will have the island much to yourselves. You’re in shoulder season too, so while it is always crowded it won’t be insane. The 1 hour boat tour around the island was fun and a decent value. Personally, I thought a day was plenty, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the place. You could also see Capri en route to Amalfi via ferry. It works. See RS for details on this.

Don’t know your plans post this area, but getting from Amalfi to Salerno via ferry couldn’t be easier. Salerno has easy train connections back to Naples and Rome.

I don't think you have a clear idea yet of the difference (and distances and travel modes) between the actual Amalfi Coast, and Sorrento and Capri, which are not technically on the Amalfi Coast. You haven't even looked at Google Maps, or you would know that Ravello is way up in the hills, and has no beach acess as a result. I imagine the plushest resorts there have a shuttle to Amalfi. Do you know that the beaches on the AC are pebbles, and not very large, especially compared to the USA ocean beaches. April is quite early to go into the water, BTW.

The whole reason for staying in Sorrento is for quick, cheap access to Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and as a jumping off point to the relatively hard to get to Amalfi Coast. The SITA bus is cheap, but it's crowded and slow. Wealthier tourists hire a car and driver if they don't sleep on the AC, for 8 hours of picturesque stops.

I personally think Capri has too much walking for kids 8 and 10 who are taken in an SUV to everywhere they go (!) It is a unique place, but no, it's not as much of an absolute must-see as is Pompeii. Are you sure you want to waste time getting sweaty and gritty climbing an ash cone of a volcano? I felt that the whole point was SEEING Vesuvius from everywhere around it. (However, I have been to Mt. St. Helens and to Hawaii.)

Another factor is the end of your stay. Even if you are in Sorrento, it's almost impossible to sleep there and fly home from ROME the next day. Only if your flight is after 3PM. If you're on the AC, you MUST sleep in Rome the night before your departure.

Tim, I have Rick Steve's Italy 2020 and have been reading about all these towns since it came out. I am aware the Ravello is in the hills. Just trying to figure out where to spend our time, My kids are avid hikers as they have been hiking since very young. They handled many 5-6 mile hikes in the Great Smokey Mountains that were difficult with elevation gains for the past two years. They love it! We are an outdoor family and in good shape. I like the idea of hiking Vesuvius as I have only seen one other Volcano in Hawaii. I like Capri idea for the beautiful hikes there as well. I understand Sorrento is basically a home base to go to other areas. We were just contemplating if we wanted to stay put for a few days somewhere other than Sorrento and if we wanted some time on Capri or not. So much to consider. Our kids are troopers and do well with travel. They are used to spending loads of time outside, don't play video games or watch T.V. We are actually flying out of Nalples, not Rome.

Just to make it clear, Capri is very pretty, but it is mainly asphalt pedestrian paths. There certainly are some scrambles and hikes on open ground available (particularly steep areas, because the island is very steep at the water). But I only meant to explain that everything is VERY far apart on Capri, and there are relatively few places you can take a cab or a bus. All the paved walks seemed to be "uphill both ways", but you're clearly not worried about that!!! Usually people go to Capri for a)The Blue Grotto, which we skipped b)The Roman and other relics c)Not as old historic places d)Rocky beach bathing e)crowded town beaches near the marina, with perhaps some diesel odor like the ONLY beach in Sorrento (!)

I am not slamming Capri, we actually have been there twice, once by ferry and once by cruise-ship-day. But it's more of a man-made wonder than a pastoral paradise. That's the message I'm trying to send.

How sturdy of hikers are your kids? We did Path of the Gods and enjoyed it very much but my sons would not have done it at your kids’ ages.

Atrani is walking distance from Amalfi and Ravello is a bus ride from Amalfi. Positano is mostly shops and a nice but stony beach area which I can’t imagine will be pleasant in April. I liked AMalfi better than Positano.