should we stay in Sorrento or Positano?

Me, personally, I'd rather stay in Sorrento. We love spending the day in Positano, but as a base, I prefer Sorrento. The Circumvesuviana train ends in Sorrento which takes you to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples. The hub for the ferries is in Sorrento. The town itself is charming and fun, with lots more choices of things to do, including the Hop-on Hop-off bus which makes a 1 hr circuit including a bit of the Amalfi coast drive, along with other charming towns. We've been to Sorrento 3 times so far, for a week each times, because we absolutely love it there.

I will be coming from Rome to Sorrento. Would you recommend the train the whole journey or train plus ferry? Do you have any idea about the train fares from Rome? or the train choices?

cris: most people, here, take the train(s) from Rome to Sorrento, it's two of them.

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Basically, it's a train from Rome to Naples and then another train (a private train) from Naples to Sorrento.

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I would have to agree with Susan. We stayed in Sorrento for 4 nights and loved it. We did daytrips from here very easily--Pompeii, Capri, etc. Had a car but parked it at our hotel and took the bus to Positano for the day and the ferry back. Positano is lovely but Sorrento has lots more going on. We loved the energy in Sorrento! We were here when Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and that was amazing!! We will never forget the celebration after the game--parades, fireworks!!

Chris, we've gotten to Sorrento both ways. First time, we took train from Rome to Naples, then a taxi to the port, then a ferry to Sorrento. Second time, we took train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. The two trains were a lot easier and a lot quicker. I would follow Kent's excellent advice. The third time, we had a private driver pick us up at the airport in Naples and drive us to our hotel. Expensive but the easiest, especially since we had just flown in from San Francisco...a long journey. We stayed at Hotel La Tonnarella each time and loved it. It's in Rick's book.

Sorrento, no debate.
Positano is beautiful but after a few hours, you have pretty much exhausted everything there; and Sorrento has been transportation connections to other locales.

Yes I would agree as well. We stayed at the Hotel Desiree about 10 years ago - it was a Rick recommendation, not sure if it still is - but it was absolutely wonderful and provided someof the best memories of the trip. Our room looked straight out over the Bay of Naples and the hotel had a sundeck on the roof. It was next door to a much more posh hotel - the Hotel Tonnarella - but they shared the same beach and if you wanted, you just walked next door for dinner. I would see if Hotel Desiree is still recommended (a lot may have changed in 10 years) but when we were there, it was really affordable, and lovely. Positano was nice but I think too small to stay and be occupied for more than a day (unless you plan to lie in the sun). Enjoy your trip - Amalfi Coast rates as my favorite place in the world (and I've been to 11 countries so far)

I would stay in Sorrento too... the shops were open until 10 and it was always bustling. Positano is nice but smaller. All those places you listed are easily reached from Sorrento.

I agree with most who say Sorrento is the better choice. Sorrento offers lots of restaurants, shopping and a nightlife -- and we found it more reasonably priced. We took an easy round-trip excursion to Positano (bus there and ferry back), and Capri (hydrofoil roundtrip). There were plenty of convenient options from Sorrento.

I have never been to Positano, but we loved Sorrento. We stayed at La Tonnarella (great place, plus it has a private beach, which we enjoyed for a bit each day). As others have said, Sorrento is a great base for Pompeii, Amalfi Drive, Naples, the islands, etc.

We stayed in Sorrento at Hotel Minerva. We had the most beautiful views of the town and Mt. Vesuvius. A little more pricey but it was our one hotel splurge. Take the earliest bus to Positano. We did and the practically had the beach to ourselves before the lunch and afternoon tourists showed up. In Sorrento, hang out and eat down by the Marina Grande. Its as if your in a completely different town with a more local feel. We just sat on the beach and dock and watched the local fisherman and had a great time.

Visit all but stay in Sorrento you will not regret it.

chris,

SORRENTO, absolutely!!! It's a perfect "home base" for exploring that area. I don't believe the "connections" are as good in Positano, as there's no rail access. At least Sorrento has the Circumvesuviana.

If you have a "generous budget", you might treat yourselves to a dinner at This Restaurant. I found the food and service were both incredible!

Happy travels!

At this point you probably don't need yet another voice, but nonetheless....

Sorrento. I can't say enough about the place. You won't be disappointed.

Ken, great restaurant tip, thanks!

many thanks to all of you that responded, we will be in Sorrento. This is the 1st time I have used this sight & it is great!

After spending many years in Italy I would suggest staying in Sorrento - better pricing and many things to do - shopping in the Historical section, perhaps visiting Villa Massa -m largest producer of Limoncello in the world with it's 16,000 lemon trees, better hydrofoil connections to Capri or Positano , BUT I would suggest taking The Cita Bus from Sorrento's main square along the coast for 20 minutes to Positano - An incredible ride!!

I agree with Greg to take the bus to Positano (be sure to sit on the right) but I would recommend taking a boat back from Positano to Sorrento. A great combination.

Susan,

You're certainly welcome! Did you get a chance to dine there? If so, I'm sure Aldo and the boys provided an excellent meal!

Cheers!

No Ken, sadly, haven't been there since a year ago, but when we go again we will definitely have dinner there. I clicked on your link and it looks great! Thanks again :)