Rome, Sorrento, Pompeii, Amalfi

We did a 5 night stay in Sorrento with a day trips to Pompeii, Capri, and the rest visiting the Amalfi coast towns. Did not visit Naples. Trained directly from FCO to Sorrento, then back to Rome and home. Used Rick's Italy book, with the section on Sorrento & Amalfi Coast. Very accurate and easy to plan by following the book. No issues at all. You will enjoy this trip, as we found it so much more relaxing than Rome.

Sorrento is an excellent choice. We love it there and can never get enough of it. It's very easy to do by train and I agree with Jeff to use Rick's Italy guide. You just take a train from Rome to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento. Sorrento is extremely walkable (they also have a great bus system) and very, very charming. Lots of fun things to do there. Day trips by train or ferry to anywhere is easy and fun. I highly recommend La Tonnarella Hotel which is listed in Rick's Italy guide.

Hi Linda - Train from Rome to Naples works very well. In Napoli I would take the hydrofoil for about 8euro's per person to Sorrento and Stay there for a few days as a base of Operations. The old section is fantastic for shopping, etc, the views are amazing, the cafes in the central square are great. And from the central square you can take the Sita bus on a fun 25 minute trip to Positano - Breathtaking! Have lunch - back to Sorrento perhaps by hyrofoil or to Amalfi by Hydrofoil then back to Sorrento. Quite inexpensive and fabulous. You will have a wonderful time!! The Grand Ecelcior Vittoria is an excellent Hotel with truly amazing views AND, if time allows, you might enjoy a short trip to Villa Massa , the largest producer of Limoncello in Italy with 16,000 lemon trees - very close to Sorrento.

Ciao, Greg

You might want to see what Naples is like if you have some extra time to kill. It's very gritty and different, also dirty and crime ridden, but you may want to experience it anyway. There are some interesting things there to see if you do your research. You can arrive in Naples by train and transfer to the train to Sorrento or go further to Salerno and come back up the coast. I have taken the train to Salerno and rented a car from there. I'm the ballsy type who can handle driving in Italy, especially on the Amalfi Coast road, so no problemo. Others might prefer to take the bus or hire a driver. There is no train service along the coast between Sorrento and Salerno. A good base is Sorrento where you can hire a car, take the bus, or ferry along the coast. Pompeii is not far away either and Capri is just across the water. We are planning our next trip back to the Amalfi region and may rent a car again in Salerno, but will use Sorrento as a base instead of Amalfi. The ferry is a quick way to get from Sorrento to Positano, and Amalfi without having to figure out the bus system or wait in traffic. Just be sure to spend more than a couple of days there or you will not have time to experience it all. We plan on staying a week this time.

Our first time to Sorrento we took a train to Naples, then a taxi to the port, then waited 2 hrs for the hydrofoil, rode the hydrofoil which was jammed with people, filthy dirty and all the curtains were closed so we couldn't even see out the windows, then we had to take another taxi from the port in Sorrento up to the town. It was more expensive than the train from Naples, took a lot longer, was exhausting and was definitely not enjoyable.

Susan, thanks for your insight. I'm planning a trip to Sorrento, and so many people seem to feel that arriving by sea is the most dramatic and romantic route. I was leery of having to negotiate a cab from the station to the port instead of just proceeding directly to the Circumvesuviana train, so you've helped me make up my mind.

Linda, my upcoming trip will be similar to yours. I hope to have some good ideas for you a couple of months from now--including remarks on a day in Naples.

If you decide you want to visit Naples, it's only an hour by train from Sorrento. Naples can be combined with a trip from Sorrento to Pompeii or Herculaneum. The museum in Naples is well worth a visit and the walk in Rick's guidebook is interesting. Be sure to time your walk so that you finish while the recommended pizza shops are open.

Donna, I thought it would be dramatic and romantic too! It definitely was not, it was the exact opposite. And I only gave the very short, edited version of our experience :) You will have lots of opportunities to ride on wonderful boats to and from Sorrento while you're there. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are beyond wonderful!!