Sorrento Home Base & Amalfi Coast for 2 Weeks

Sorrento is a great base for the Amalfi Coast, Capri and Pompeii.
Two weeks is a bit much, what else do you plan to see?

Take time to walk, see and absorb the local culture.

So do you have specific questions about Sorrento/Amalfi Coast we can help you with?

Any suggestions for a boat tour around the Amalfi peninsula?

Two weeks is a bit much,

I disagree. We were there for 11 days in April and had a full schedule.

j.berlingieri, here's my Trip Report if you care to read it. Maybe you'll find some useful nuggets.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento

Any suggestions for a boat tour around the Amalfi peninsula

It's more accurately the Sorrentine Peninsula, and Amalfi Coast. :O)
A little more info would be helpful?

What time of year will you be staying in Sorrento, and what are you looking for in a boat tour? With a group? By yourselves? Are you looking only to view the coast from the water or wanting to get off the boat here and there? How long of a tour are you looking for? A couple of hours? All day?

The more you can tell us, the better people can help you. For instance, time of year is a factor as a lot of visitors simply use the ferries to self-tour the coastal towns that have ferry piers, so they can use their time as they wish to, but they only run during the warmer months. That said, I don't know as even private tours operate along the coast off season.

You might browse these prior forum posts for more ideas while waiting for more replies?
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Boat+tours%2C+Amalfi+Coast%2C+Sorrento&utf8=✓

(Apologies for the multiple edits)

By all means, read Allan's (and others') trip reports and just do a general "Amalfi Coast" search on the forum. Read a few different guidebooks to get an idea of what interests and appeals to you.

My husband and I spent 5 days based in Sorrento, visiting Naples, Pompeii, Capri and Amalfi Coast towns (both with the mentioned Mondo Shared Tours). With only 5 days, the Sorrento base made sense and we would do it the same way again with only that amount of time. But...if we had two weeks dedicated to the area, I don't think we'd even visit Sorrento for a few hours. It was a pleasant enough place to stay...we liked our lodging and had some nice dinners, but we weren't enchanted with it...a perfectly fine base. Maybe our so-so weather had something to do with it, maybe we would have felt differently if we had sea views from our lodging, who knows?

If I had 2 weeks dedicated to the area, this would be what I'd do:

• Naples - 4 nights - It's a gritty, crowded city and not everyone's cup of tea, but we really liked it....talk about taking in the culture! Plenty of it there!

• Ischia - 4 nights - haven't been, but think I'd like the fact that fewer Americans visit it...nothing against Americans, I am one, but I do like to hear the native language of the country I'm visiting more than my own! Plus beaches, a castle, hot springs, hikes, etc.

• Capri - 2 nights - Touristy, of course, and we had a great time on the tour, but would have liked to have stayed overnight when the crowds die down and to visit places like Villa Jovus which we didn't have time for

• Salerno - 4 nights - to visit the Amalfi Coast towns and Paestum from...or maybe 4 nights in an actual Amalfi Coast town to enjoy less crowded evenings, a leisurely dinner with a view of sunset over the sea

Different strokes for different folks, as they say. That's why it would be helpful for you to research a bit more, then come back with specific questions.

This discussion might be useful to you:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento

As noted, you have not shared enough information (not even the month of the year, and the year) to get particularly good advice. No one is asking you for enough information for hackers to track you down and steal your credit card numbers!

I personally would not stay two weeks in Sorrento, but it's question of personal travel style. We slept at the Ambasciatori Grande for five nights in late May, and that worked well for us. While smaller towns, on the Amalfi Coast (i.e. not Sorrento) are more authentic and "local", Sorrento is mostly a purpose-built, postwar, resort town. It's mostly reinforced concrete low-rise buildings. They do have special traffic restrictions for the Passeggiata, and nice views from the cliff. But Sorrento only has one, tiny public beach, which is located between two marinas, and has a distinct diesel fuel aroma.

Note that I'm NOT slamming Sorrento. It has the best transportation, in an area that has limited transport options, compared to anywhere north of there in Italy. A few posters here found Salerno a more "authentic" place to stay, but it's not exactly a remote part of italy, with widows in black clothing and stone streets that are silent at night. What are YOU looking for?

Info update: we're traveling to the Amalfi coast this Sept. and staying in a Sorrento condo.

Also, would appreciate suggestions for day trips and advice (based on your experience) of where not to go or not to do.

So, Amalfi Bound, have you been to Italy before? Is this your first trip?

Where are you flying into Italy, and where are you departing from? I am asking as you don't necessarily want to be in Sorrento the night before a flight, say, out of Rome the next morning. The sloooooow Sorrentine/Amalfi coast experience might be fine for you but that might also depend on your sightseeing preferences. It's possible that you might want to spend one of your two weeks in Sorrento, and another in Salerno, to be closer to the Amalfi Coast experience. Not that you can't also have that from Sorrento but the coast is a little closer from Salerno, if that makes sense?

So I guess I'd ask: What do you already know that you want to do/see around the region? Have you already booked a hotel in Sorrento, and could you share with us which one that is?

I don't know as there is anywhere at all I would NOT want to go but what you DO want is very much a personal choice. If you are into archeology, then Pompeii is a must. Herculaneum and the National Archeological Museum in Naples are also very high on the list. Even if not interested in the museum, I'd take a trip into Naples to explore this old and high-energy city. Do some research in advance!

I'd also suggest a day trip to Capri, although spending a night or two ON the island is highly suggested. I personally don't see the need for a tour - with some advance reading it's not a difficult place to sightsee on your own - but this Mondo "Capri in a Private Boat" tour (endorsed by Mr. Steves) has been highly rated by any number of posters who've taken it.

https://www.sharedtours.com

So Is there a specific reason you've booked two weeks in Sorrento? I am asking as there must be something which strongly appealed to you that might give us some insight into how you prefer to travel, and what you personally enjoy? There is no wrong answer unless it's wrong for YOU. :O)

Thank you to everyone for your comments, suggestions and advice.