We are taking our kids, ages 9 and 12, to Italy this summer. We have 3-4 days we'd like to spend on the coast -- either Cinque Terre or Sorrento. All things considered (cost, activities, enjoyment, etc.), which would you recommend more for travel with kids?
Posted by
1229 posts
I think it depends on what you like to do and what kind of experience you want to have. Sorrento is bigger and resorty. The Cinque Terre is a Unesco heritage area; lots of trails, more isolated (despite hoards of tourists), smaller scale. What kind of travelers are you? What are you seeking in your coastal experience? Once you know this, I think the choice will be clearer
best,
Jessica
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
You might consider more than just the Cinque Terre (which I love) in the Italian Riviera. There are lovely places all long the riviera - e.g. Santa Margherita Ligure, which is more of a conventional town than the five villages of the Cineque Terre. Might be more "kids options" there as I recall. The frequent trains make it very easy to train up and down the riviera exploring various places. You could take the kids for a day trip up to Genoa too to the aquarium for example.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15269 posts
Sorrento doesn’t have much of a beach, if you are looking for one, but there are some nice spots nearby. Both areas are mountainous, so the beaches are not sandy, but rather small pebbly or rocky coves in between cliffs. The sea floor drops quickly and gets very deep within very few feet from shore, so be careful if your kids aren’t expert swimmers (and even if they are).
The choice between the two should be driven by the overall itinerary of your trip. If the focus of your trip is Tuscany for example, then Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast might be an out of the way detour. So tell us where else you are going and we can suggest better.
As mentioned above, Cinque Terre and Sorrento/Amalfi Coast are not the only pieces of Coast in Italy (although Rick Steves followers may think so). The Italian coastline is over 5,000 miles long, and frankly, most Italians wouldn’t rate either place among the top 10 seaside destinations.