Salerno or Sorrento ? Pros and cons

Month and year, number of travelers, age group, activities (beach? hiking? eating without budget limit? ... ) planned? Going to Pompeii, Naples, Capri, or Paestum? Next destination and how long you have to get there?

Ciao! Giangilberto from Milan here — I've done that coast more times than I can count, so let me try to untangle this for you, because Sorrento and Salerno are two genuinely different animals.
Transit first, since you asked: here Salerno actually wins on paper. It has direct high-speed trains from Rome (Frecciarossa/Italo, about 2 hours, no changes) and it's a quick 35–40 minute hop from Naples. Sorrento has no mainline station: you take the train to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana, a crowded local commuter line (about 70 minutes — keep your bag in front of you), or in the warmer months a ferry across the bay, which is the scenic way to do it. So if painless logistics are your top priority, Salerno is the honest answer.
Atmosphere is where they completely diverge. Sorrento is the postcard: a resort town perched on cliffs above the bay, lemon gardens, the evening passeggiata, sunset over Vesuvius, everything polished and easy — yes it's touristy, but it's touristy because it's genuinely lovely, and it puts Capri, Pompeii and the Amalfi towns all within easy reach. Salerno is a real, working Italian city: a pleasant seafront promenade, a nice little historic center, excellent food at local prices — but it's everyday Italy, not the dream. You'd stay there for value and convenience, not for magic.
Accommodations follow the same logic: Sorrento is pricier, with classic view-and-pool hotels that book out early; Salerno is noticeably cheaper, more B&Bs and apartments.
My honest take: if it's your first trip and you're dreaming of THE Amalfi Coast experience, go with Sorrento, and honestly it's not even close. If you're on a tight budget, or crowds drive you crazy, then Salerno makes a lot of sense — and in season the ferries from its port down to Amalfi and Positano are wonderful, you get the whole coast from the water.
Which month are you going? The ferry situation changes the math quite a bit.

Connections between Sorrento and Naples and generally the creaky Circumvesuviana train which is also the train that connects to Pompeii and Herculaneum. The train between Naples and Salerno is a regular regionale local train with occasional InterCity or fast trains. You can get a fast train directly to Rome from Salerno or if the timing isn't right a regular train to Naples and fast train to Rome.

Sorrento is very much a upscale, resorty town on the cliff above the ocean while Salerno is a more work-a-day actual with city beachfronts, marina, harbors and a long pedestrian shopping street that runs from the train station into the old town.
Salerno will give you a hint of the southern Italy chaos but in a microdose as opposed to Naples.

I'm sure accommodations in Salerno will be cheaper and more readily available than Sorrento.

My $.02US,
=Tod

Excellent explanations of the difference above.
I suggest you also use the search function on this forum- there are dozens of discussions on pros/coms of each location
Filter your search by Type and Date.

Giangilberto,
Thanks -that is one of the best comparisons I've seen here on the Forum. I'm going to bookmark it.
Thanks again for taking the time to share such helpful info.

Hiredman,
Thanks for your additions. Your information was very practical, accurate, and obviously helpful.

I've stayed in both on separate visits. It depends on what you want to see and do while you're there. Each suited my plans very well.

Transit is a few hours of your visit, presumably of multiple days.

Transport from Rome and Naples is not a factor, what you want out of the experience, what day trips you will do, how many days, and time of year are all important deciding factors though.

Excellent descriptions given. If you choose Salerno, there’s also the amazing Greek temple ruins a 30-minute train ride at Paestum.

My daughter & I stayed two nights in Salerno & three in Amalfi. We were very happy with that decision. If you’re staying 4+ nights, staying the entire time in Salerno would be inconvenient in my opinion.

Here’s a bit from my trip report in 2022:
I highly recommend Casa Santangelo, the former summer home of marquis Santangelo from Naples. I booked the family suite, so we could stretch out a bit at this location. Our two-room suite was perfect for our daughter to see the grand elegant past (my room is on their website - spectacular original gold walls & painted ceiling of pre-eruption Pompeii!) Our host commented that we chose wisely to be able to experience “authentic South Italy”, not just “tourist South Italy” on the Amalfi Coast. We walked down to the boardwalk and caught the end of a windsurfing competition in the bay, meandered along the old town lanes and dressed up for the Saturday night passeggiata that didn’t disappoint! Our last evening, we had reservations at the Osteria dei Mercanti restaurant in the old center and enjoyed both the food and the family running the restaurant. The owner told us a couple of times to be sure to go up to Ravello.