Naples or Sorrento for final two nights in Italy?

One of the BIG pros of Naples is being close to the airport. If you have a connecting flight out early (which many are), it's not fun to be worried about traffic or not making it on time from farther away.

One of your cons for Naples basically describes the area right around the train station. That's not a place anyone really "hangs out" in, especially if you're on vacation, you would want to stay in a better and "neater" neighborhood. I am sure that the lovely folks here can help you find a great place.

I would probably think my question would be which "vibe" do you want at the end of your trip? Will you have had enough of slow and relaxing and want something exciting, or will you want something even more "unaccomplished" and not straying far from your hotel and doing nothing huge in particular? My vote would possibly be Naples in a well located hotel (especially if you want to see Herculaneum-I know you don't want to go, but the archaeological museum pairs nicely with the ruins!), you might have all the seaside coastal resorts you care do deal with anyway!

Also my thoughts would be affected depending on the times of your flights, as every time I have flown out of Naples it has been like 7am.....that is a RIDICULOUSLY early pickup if you're leaving from Sorrento (I used to catch a 4am bus from Salerno YEESH HAHAH).

It would be good to know when your flight is out of Naples, I think. And time of year. And do you have a car, or are you relying on public transportation?

Asking because transportation in that area is not...efficient. You'll need to plan for and expect that there will be delays, and if you are going during busy tourist season, even more so. I would strongly advise, as will others, to at least be in Naples the night before your flight, no matter when it departs.

You might consider taking a day from the Amalfi portion of your trip (7 days seems like a lot of days dedicated to Salerno-Positano, imo), and hit Sorrento and Naples both. We were in Sorrento spring 2023, and really loved it. Touristy, but not annoyingly so. We did a food tour, which was excellent and fun. Took a ferry to Capri. Walked all over, down to both harbors, lots of little residential and shopping side streets.

If your Mom is from the Midwest and never been to Europe, Naples may be a bit of a shock to her. Personally, I would stay in Sorrento and take the ferry to Capri but I’m sure there are others on here that will differ and offer more positive insights.

Ditto--we need airport departure time. If it is early morning, it is only Naples for me.
Where are you staying? You can fairly easily get to airport from Salerno as well.
I am a tiny village kind of traveler, but I do like impressive cities, and Naples is in that category. Love it or hate it, you can't say it does not have amazing sights.

his mom is from the Midwest and likes quaint and cute towns

Then it's Sorrento unless you have an early flight. The bus schedule is at https://www.curreriviaggi.it/en/naples-airport-shuttle and buy a ticket ahead of time downstairs at the Sorrento train station. You don't say when you are going but they have more times available in the main season (June thru early Sept)

We've been to both Herculaneum and Pompeii. Herculaneum looks more like a buried city that's been uncovered than Pompeii does because they were buried by different mechanisms. That said we liked our visit to Pompeii more because we took a guided tour. I don't think there are many guided tours of Herculaneum and we got a lot out of having a guide explain what we were seeing in a way that reading from a guidebook doesn't do. We booked thru Mondo at https://www.sharedtrips.com/shared-city-tour/pompeii/51/0900am-pompeii#tour-details The earlier tour helps beat the heat, they have another one mid-day.

Sorrento has good hotels and restaurants and is a nice to visit the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Carpri, but it is not quaint or cute. The extra time it will take you to get there will eat up a good chunk of one day. Even though the Mom doesn't like big cities, Naples is a more efficient use of your time. Also, there is no way I'd trust transportation in that region to get me to here I have to be on the day of a flight.

Thank you! These are all helpful replies.

-Our flight leaves at 9am.
-We are traveling in late June.

It sounds like many of you are recommending Naples just for the sheer convenience of transportation.

Is the city offensive? I laugh because some of the comments I've read seem off-putting. I'm trying to find out what is charming or beautiful about Naples so that we can enjoy our final moments.

Naples has thousands of years of history to back it up--you needn't worry. The old town and the sea views are charming. See the Blue Guide or the website Napoli Unplugged to choose things you think your party would be interested in seeing.
There is nothing wrong with choosing smaller places for one's vacation--you could tack on another night to your previous stays and just have a night there, but for a 9am departure, I would choose Naples.
But you didn't say where you are staying -- Salerno is an hour from the airport, so doable if you don't mind paying for a driver or taking a bus.

Yes, the old town is neat! I mean, if it is daunting to you, you could take a walking tour in the morning of your last day and then wander around to explore with your newfound knowledge!

Really your departure time hinders having a lot of options......I don't doubt you will get great recommendations from the folks here for hotels and "neat" neighborhoods to stay in....

As someone already mentioned, Salerno could be an option, but I would be investing in a private driver as its farther and would take longer to get there and more things could go wrong if relying on public transportation. It is definitely more calm than Naples, but still easier than Sorrento.

Is the city offensive? I laugh because some of the comments I've read seem off-putting. I'm trying to find out what is charming or beautiful about Naples so that we can enjoy our final moments.

It's a mixed bag. Have you ever seen those black-and-white 1910-era pictures of NYC with pushcarts, laundry hanging out windows, etc? Naples is like that today in living color, if that's something you'd enjoy seeing. And if you do stay there I highly recommend lunch at Pizzeria Trianon which isn't far from the train station. Best pizza we've ever had! You could do a guided tour or follow one from a guidebook. But that brings up safety. While we weren't frightened to be walking around, neither did we feel particularly safe. More like getting glances, a feeling that something bad could happen even if it wasn't particularly likely. So I wonder how your boyfriend's mom is going to feel walking around. I know two people that had things stolen (a camera, a cellphone) and I don't know that many people that have been to Naples.

Given a 9am flight if you stay in Sorrento you'd probably need to book a ride and get up pretty early. Or you could stay in Sorrento the first nite, leave your bags at the hotel front desk, spend a 2nd day in Sorrento, have dinner, then go to a hotel in Naples (Circumvesuviana and then a cab, perhaps).

As to whether Naples/Sorrento (or anywhere else) is charming enough, these days you can find walking tours and drone footage people have uploaded to YouTube. So take a look, ask mom to look, see if it's what you have in mind.

oooooo John! Trianon is my favorite pizza too, but the one in Salerno! Wurstel e patatine all the way, they do it to perfection, I can get a decent diavola anywhere :)

A 9AM flight out of Naples negates being in Sorrento the night before ( unless you want to get up at 4AM to be in a prearranged taxi by 5. If the flight from Naples goes to a non-Schengen destination, leaving a bit earlier might be worth considering.)

You can try to stay near the harbor in Naples since it’s more calm there. It is also close to the San Carlo Opera House, the Royal Palace, and the Galleria. You could also go up to the Vomero neighborhood for upscale and more relaxed environment.

Is the city offensive?

No, but it is uniquely unique like no other city I've ever been to. You may love it, you may hate it, but it is an experience.

Ah thanks for all of these suggestions and pizzeria recommendations. My mouth is already watering.
I am thinking we should stay in Naples now since many of you share that it is an "experience" and whether we like it or not, at least we tried it.

I loved Naples! I never felt unsafe there for even a second, and in fact, we were saved by a gracious bar owner when we were hopelessly lost. He got on his phone and ordered us a taxi.
Near the train station is a little sketchy, but the train station area in my town is a little sketchy too, lol.

Naples is an “experience.” Rick Steves refers to it as gritty. Our RS guide kept telling us to embrace the difference from Rome and enjoy the earthiness. Lots of cars, lots of motorcycles so crossing the street can take guts at times. We took the funicular up to the top part of the city and found it more enjoyable to walk around than the crowded narrow lanes in the older section of town although walking along the seafront was also nice. Best pizza in Italy! Enjoy!