Cinque Terrre vs Sorrento

We had the same dilemma last September when we visited Italy for the first time. We chose Sorrento/Amalfi and hope to get back to visit Cinque Terre in the future. Our reasons for choosing Sorrento/Amalfi were in part because we couldn't imagine going to Italy and not visiting Pompeii (although we ended up enjoying Herculaneum more). We loved Sorrento, and the day trips to Capri and Positano were heavenly. We aren't huge hikers any longer and had already been in Italy for over 2 weeks so relaxing and drinking wine and Limoncello on the Amalfi Coast was perfect for us. Have a great trip and I'm sure you will have a wonderful time whichever you choose!

We did not spend time on the Amalfi Coast and I'm sure it's beautiful (what isn't in Italy?), but we did spend time in the CT - and stayed in Vernazza. We LOVED it. You can hike between the other cities, take a boat or jump on the train. The views are GORGEOUS! Grab a cappuccino and just sit and watch the people go by. Vernazza is built right into the mountains so just wandering the narrow streets up and down stairways, etc. is fascinating. The sea comes right up to the main street and a wonderful restaurant is located right there! There are no hotels there, but many rooms rented out by the residents (book now, though....I booked for May in January). Just google bed and breakfasts in Vernazza - most are done by email. We paid about 90 euro for a room. Food is reasonable.

I have to second the recommendation for CT. I know there are many on this board that think Rick oversells CT, but my wife and I loved our trip there and are headed back in May. We did the exact trip you are outlining two years ago and it was wonderful, best of luck.

Both places are equally beautiful in my mind but they each have their own unique characteristics. As for expense, I would say that the CT might be a little more expensive but I don't think there was too much difference if I recall correctly.........we went to both places last Sept/Oct. We flew into Rome then immediately traveled south to the Sorrento area and explored the sights around there before returning to Rome to explore that area, before travelling further North to see even more of Italy.
Both places really are wonderful so whichever you choose I am sure you will have lots to explore and many wonderful sights/scenery to see. There are definitely more actual touristy "sights" to see in the Sorrento area whereas in CT there are few "sights"
but tons of breath-taking scenery with a much more relaxed atmosphere to do get some R&R in.
Happy travels!

Thanks for the replies. Actually leaning more towards to C.T cos it seems the Sorrento / Amalfi coast is more touristy and the C.T is more laid back. Also, had the same feeling as Barb cos i can't imagine going to Italy and not seeing Pompeii .. and i have an extra day that i need to slot some where into my itinerary, so was thinking maybe to add it into my rome days and take a day trip to Naples/Pompeii (if i am not too tired by then)