Sorrento & Capri Beaches Recommendations

I have been to the Naples area twice and never gone to the beach. There was too much to do with Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

I don't think there are really nice beaches in the area. I know there are some nice beaches farther south.

Beaches in Sorrento and (I think) Capri are rocky - unless you go to a private swimming area and pay for a spot. That doesn't mean the boys won't enjoy the very crowded free beaches.
Restaurants? My favorite in Sorrento is il Nido, which is a hotel above the city. 2nd choice (and a really good 2nd choice) would be Trattoria da Emilia on Marina Grande. For something very different and very interesting, try Bufalito Taverna.

I don’t recall seeing beaches in either rather some swimming platforms.
Restaurants:
Sorrento-
Pizzeria Tasso and Ristorante Bagni de Delfino
Capri-
da Giorgio, Ristorante il Genario,

Neither Capri nor Sorrento are famous for their beaches, except for the rich and famous who rent the beach chairs and umbrellas and are there to be seen, not to swim. Generally, the beaches are pebbly and not sandy. There are areas north of Naples with decent beaches, and the island of Ischia (and to a lesser extent, Procida) has pretty nice sandy beaches that kids would really enjoy. Those are a ferry ride away, however.

Thank you all for your responses I’m looking up the restaurants now. I guess I’m not looking for beaches as much as watering holes to swim in. I guess I should’ve been more clear. For instance, last year when we were there, passing on our tour boat, we saw people swimming in grottos, swimming holes and such. Just was wondering if anyone had found any of those hidden gems that you could recommend. I saw them, just don’t know where they are located or how to get there.

Hi Kath,
In Sorrento down by the Marina they had some very small sections that had sand. They actually use piers for a "beach club". Most will have lounge chairs, umbrellas changing rooms to rent all nicely packed in on the piers. They make nice little inlets to float/swim. Capri does have a few with sand too. But Beaches in Italy tend to be more rocky than sandy. We went in early April. Water was too cold to swim. My sister rented a boat and we went around the island. It stopped basically wherever we wanted. In warmer weather they take to places you can snorkel or just play in water.

It is not true that the Italian beaches are all, or even mostly, rocky, but the Sorrento Peninsula is basically cliffs, therefore that part of the coast is indeed rocky. Capri is just an insular extension of the Sorrento peninsula and shares the same geological characteristics.

Choose your favorite below:
https://www.enjoythecoast.it/en/beaches

Sorrento is built on a cliff. A few high-end hotels (like the Ambasciatori, where we stayed) have elevator access to private boardwalk swimming platforms in the Gulf of Naples. The marina has a small sand beach (with a 2 Euro elevator from the upper town, sometimes with a line ...) from which you can smell the ferry diesel fumes. This newsboard reports that less sophisticated towns next to Sorrento have nicer beaches. I don't know.

We didn't have any interest in swimming on our two (separate) days in Capri. But I will suggest that there are famously attractive beaches in California, Hawaii, USVI, and the East Coast. Not so much the Naples and Amalfi Coast. Every beach in Positano is dark pebbles and often has cold water. A beautiful town from-the-water-view is not correlated with a splendid beach.

Thank you! Roberto, that was just the information I was looking for. Grazie!

Kath, here's info on Capri's public beaches, beach clubs and swimming coves. Except for the ones which are inaccessible without a boat, you do not need a tour to reach them. :O)

https://www.capri.net/en/traveller-search?todo%5B%5D=beaches&all=1

Given the cost of ferries to-and-from-Capri from Sorrento, I don't know as I'd day-trip Capri mainly to swim? Then again, you may be staying on the island this time or had explored it on your trip last year?

Perfecto Kathy! Grazie!