solo trip to sorrento

Yes flying in to Naples is best choice
Sorrento is very safe, anywhere near town center would be fine

There are dozens of threads here about travel to and around Sorrento and AC-a forum search will bring them up

Here is last 2 years search “Sorrento”

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Sorrento+

Welcome to this newsboard, clw11, with your first post. As noted, there are a LOT of posts about Sorrento available for easy research, with the Search box top center, blue type. Although little changes, there are filters for 6, 12, and 24 months after you see the search results.

It is hard to tell you the best time, because we don't know if you are working, are sensitive to heat, have a rock-bottom budget, or what you like to do in the evening. Do you understand that Sorrento is a purpose-built, postwar resort town, but it is NOT a "beach town." It has the best low-cost and frequent transit for daytrips all over the area. But there are a LOT fewer ferries from November to April. OTOH, the inexpensive SITA busses are absolutely jammed from May to September. You often have to wait for the next bus (from Sorrento) because the line is so long. Sorrento tends to book up six to nine months in advance for peak season, May to September. But some hotels are closed off-season, so there can be fewer choices.

It is hard to tell if you are focused on imagined safety concerns. Pickpocketing aside, there is far less street crime in Europe than in any part of the United States. Have you been to Europe before? Where did you go? What was good about the trips?

Hi there
So peak season is May to September. I like to walk so activities will be fine for me. I do not have a rock bottom financial support system. I’m going by myself. I want to see the beautiful area. I understand about not being a beach town. That was not my. Intention. I want to plan day trips along the Positano/amalfi coast and sorry to bring my home base. Would a hotel or b&b be better for solo traveling. I’m thinking march or April before the peak season
Are there specific companies I should email regarding things to do and places to see being solo?
Thank you so much for your information
Christina W

Oh by the I have been to Europe. I went to Ireland last year. Solo trip. Dublin and Belfast in which I set up travel and day trips each day
It was fantastic!
Christina W

I’m thinking march or April before the peak season

Easter is April 5 and April 25 is an Italian holiday.
Ferries will be limited if running in March. Weather iffy.

Not much difference between hotels and B&B. Either works if you find something that suits you. (pr do you mean AirBnB?)
We prefer hotels for the front desk, amenities, bkft.

Use Booking.com to research- use their filters, read the reviews. Book there or on the hotel website.

Spend some time reading through all the Sorrento/AC threads here. They are full of info.
Ask specific questions as needed.

Recommendation for tours, etc
Mondo Guides
www.sharedtours.com

Get a good guide book- RS offers one
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/amalfi-coast-guidebook

Hello Christina. I’d recommend late April to early June or mid-September to early October. Also, you'd fly into Naples International Airport (NAP). From there, it’s about an hour to Sorrento by car or transfer, or a bit longer by train or ferry (which can be a fun scenic option if your schedule allows). For accommodation, I'd suggest looking for places in or near Sorrento’s historic center, close to Piazza Tasso. It’s lively but safe. Options: Hotel Plaza and Maison Il Conservatorio.

PS since you're thinking about exploring the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento, you might enjoy this article I came across https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/blog/featured/top-villages-amalfi-coast

hi there
thank you for all the info regarding flying into Naples. I did read most of the forums regarding amalfi coast. As I am going on a solo trip, would it be a wise choice to stay in naples for a night then transfer to pompeii for a day or so then go to Sorrento for a few days, do day trips to amalfi coast. Settle to a closer city before we leave to go home via Naples airport. I plan on making day trip daily. walking is fine with me. Which hotels would be best for a solo woman traveler? Thanks
Chris

As I am going on a solo trip, would it be a wise choice to stay in
naples for a night then transfer to pompeii for a day or so then go to
Sorrento for a few days, do day trips to amalfi coast.

Personally, if this is your first trip to Italy (?) , and south of Rome, I would stick with your original plan to stay in Sorrento, no need to stopover in Naples. If I were going to the area by myself, I'd ask my hotel to book a pick up from the Naples airport to my Sorrento hotel. And yes, I would stay in a hotel because of the amenities and just having that front desk to ask questions. You can always take a day trip to Naples if you want.

I did notice you added Pompeii as a destination - Do you prefer to move hotels or stay in one place? If you wanted to stay near the ruins a few days, there's a well recommended hotel just across from the entrance to Pompeii, in the town of Pompei (note one i). https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/staying-in-pompei. Good luck!

yes i am a first time traveler to Italy. Last year I went to Ireland by myself (dublin and belfast). I would rather not hotel hop. I appreciate the info. I think i would fly into Naples and transfer to Sorrento for home base. Then do daytrips to pompeii, capri, amalfi etc. I feel like Ireland was easier to set up travel plans as alot of signs etc are in English. Do you think I will have a difficult time navigating through Italy solo? No I do not speak italian. Also Do you recommend any fair priced hotels that do airport transfer?
Thank you Sandancisco
chris W

Hi Chris,
I think you are on the right track to stay in Sorrento and do day trips from there. We’ve stayed there twice and did the exact same thing. We took the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii, the bus to Positano and Amalfi, and the ferry to Capri. I believe Mondo tours offers shared day trips from Sorrento and you might want to explore what they have to offer. We did our day trips on our own. I would highly recommend that you seek options other than the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento. If your timing is bad you could end up on a very packed, stressful train ride (been there.) I think there may even be a bus that goes directly from the Naples airport to Sorrento, along with many (more expensive) transfer services. I know many people on the forum enjoy Naples. I found it very chaotic as a first time visitor to Italy and I love Italy.

clw11, as far as transport from Naples airport to Sorrento (and back) there is coach service between the two: a good solution if one is watching the pennies (private transfers are not inexpensive). Looks like tickets run around € 13 one way: beats a transfer costing around €100 one way or thereabouts, if it works for you.

https://www.curreriviaggi.it

The schedule is here:
https://www.curreriviaggi.it/en/naples-airport-shuttle

This is a comfy, touring-coach type bus versus a bare-bones city type. You would need to walk to your hotel from the bus stop in Sorrento, or take a cab or local Sorrento bus if the distance isn't walkable on foot but really, many accommodations are in the town center (where you want to be anyway) and not difficult to manage on foot unless overloaded with luggage. Anyway, this bus has been reviewed positively by some prior posters who've used it.

Do you think I will have a difficult time navigating through Italy
solo? No I do not speak italian. Also Do you recommend any fair priced
hotels that do airport transfer?

No, navigating is easy and younger people often speak English. Do your research as you're doing ahead of time, it will be easy!! Pick your hotel, then ask them to arrange a transfer, or as another poster said, look into timing to take a direct coach. You will do GREAT!!!

Sorrento is a major tourism center, including for Europeans and especially the U.K. It books up six months in advance from May to September. Do not expect to get your first hotel choice. As others noted, there are hundreds of posts about Sorrento already on this newsboard. (Search box top left, blue type.) You are not going to a rural, undiscovered village that looks like it did before World War II. In fact, Sorrento is mostly a postwar, purpose-built resort town. I consider air conditioning essential there, at least May-September. It is busy enough that no one is going to notice that you are a solo female. Some of the cheaper hotels are far enough to require a shuttle service to downtown, I'd avoid those, plus they accept bus tour guests.

We spent five nights at the high-end Ambasciatori Grande, right on the cliffside, and paid extra for a balcony and a view of Vesuvius. Daytripped almost every day. This worked very well for us, and it was a nice, longer walk, to downtown for a different restaurant every night. Hotel elevator goes to a swimming platform (not "floats") in the Gulf of Naples. We used their land-partner for a car service, but I would guess 8 hours to and from the Amalfi Coast (we had free time in Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello) must be near 300 Euros by now.

Edit: Because of the helpful, next post, I'll add that we were there in the last week of May, and everything was jammed already, and Pompeii was a sun-baked desert. One reason we took a high-end hotel was to get a room at all.

We were in Positano in late March-early April 2023, and I agree that you should wait until later in April or even early May for the best experience. We had a lovely time but there were some shops and restaurants not open, the flora and fauna were not yet in full display, and it was a little cool and rained a day or two. I would go any later than early May though, to avoid the worst of the tourist crush.

We based in Sorrento for 2 weeks in 2023 in late April and loved it. I'd recommend getting to Sorrento and then backtracking to do daytrips to Pompeii and even Naples.

It's quite long, but here's my Trip Report if you're interested:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento