Sorrento or Venice with kids/teens

It would be very helpful if you filled out your Rick Steves personal Profile, so we could know if you live in a state far from the Ocean or not.

Although there are "remedies", the fact of the matter is that Sorrento has only one, very small, public sand beach. It is in between the large and small marinas, and has a significant diesel fuel aroma. The luxury hotels have zero beaches, because the city is on a cliff. Those hotels have (lovely) boardwalk platforms in the Gulf of Naples, many with a bar, and reached by the hotel elevators. The equally small (but more numerous) beaches that are actually on the Amalfi Coast, tend to be pebbles, and quite crowded. Some posters here stay in less prosperous towns around Sorrento (but NOT on the Amalfi Coast) and have been satisfied with their beach access.

August is vacation month in Europe, and you can expect everything, everywhere, to be very crowded. My personal opinion is that Italian beaches are inferior (for a "beach vacation". I'm not saying the food or fashion are inferior) to the best American and Caribbean beaches. You need to study photos of the beaches to determine whether your expectations are reasonable.

I prefer Venice, but it depends on your children's interest and inclinations to art, architecture, history, and culture. Can they view the vacation as a learning experience, as well as recreation? That said, Pompeii and Naples are very accessible from Sorrento. Air conditioning is very important for this vacation, in my opinion.

Thank you - yes I will fill that out. We live near Philadelphia and spend most of our summer at South Jersey beaches.

With that said, when I mentioned my kids like the beach, I will edit that that is not what we are looking for this trip. Just that that’s what we have always done and they enjoy being outside and near a coast. So even though the Sorrento area would be very different than what we are used to, i feel like it would be enjoyable. And we realize how busy Italy is in August, but coordinating a trip for 12 people, it’s the best time for us!

But I’m torn on “missing out” on Venice this trip. I would love to show them more Italian culture, but I also know they do not enjoy spending days inside at museums.

Sorrento is lovely, but it is not a "beach destination". It's also not quite as interesting to kids or teens as Venice would be, in my opinion as a parent of a younger teen and a tween. The above post describes Sorrento's beach situation quite well. It's a good place for seaside views, food, and there are good hikes if you go outside of town, or in the Amalfi coast. Also, Pompeii is a good side trip from Sorrento, if you or your kids are interested. I can see the wisdom in a slow first 4 nights, with one day to Pompeii, and some time wandering around Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. However, at least my kids would get a little bored with that for 4 nights.

Venice is more interesting to me and to my kids, so I would go with that. I don't thin you could really go wrong, though - both are good options.

Thank you Mira! That is very helpful!

I edited that I’m not expecting Sorrento to be a beach destination - just that it’s more like what we’ve usually done. And my oldest is interested in Pompeii.

I'm inclined to describe Venice as an outdoor museum! I see I can't change your mind, but I want to make sure you understand that you don't just walk a few extra blocks from your AirBnb to get to "a beach" from your stay in Sorrento or its adjacent towns. Those pebble beaches require a 40 minute car ride (to a place that has very close to ZERO parking), or at least as much time for a bus that is so full you have to wait for the second one to come after you arrive at the stop. Whatever beaches the other towns on the Gulf of Naples may have (I haven't seen them), they are quite far from the Circumvesuviana train stop. You need to learn more about this destination. I suggest a travel book at the library, because the (excellent) search box at top center is mostly about hotels and transportation. However, this board is helpful for reading about "car rental annoyances in Italy."

Sorrento is not unattractive, but it is a purpose-built, reinforced concrete, post-war resort town. It books up solidly six months in advance, as does much of Tuscany, if not Umbria.

Thanks again Tim. Yes, we are not expecting Sorrento to be a “beach” vacation. But interested in the coast and capri and Pompeii. I love your description of Venice as an outdoor museum. I didn’t mean to come off as having my mind made up - I don’t at all! Which is why I was hoping to get thoughts from people who have done both or one or the other with kids. As I sit here on a cold winter day thinking about summer 2023!

We already have a villa booked in Umbria for august 2023. It was amazing that so many were booked 18 months out!

No contest, especially with kids, Venice!!

Thank you so much Suki!

Pick Venice and give yourself an option of a beach day at Lido, a vaperetto ride away from the city. Sandy beaches, popular with the locals for time away from the city. I think Venice itself would be fascinating for the kids, a city with no cars but travel by boat. All sorts of things to do, a trip out to Murano to visit the glassworks - I think they would get a kick out of watching the glass blowers. The city’s gondola workshops, with its wooden, alpine style buildings. A lot of people have recommended the rowing school. Umpteen gelato outlets. RS Venice guide would be a good investment and source of ideas.

Awesome ideas - thank you Ianlubber

I've been to both but it was before I had kids, although I did both as a 19 year old traveling on my own with friends so I can probably answer a bit to the teen question! When we went to Sorrento (this was back in 2001 so things may have changed a bit!) it was a pretty busy, active few days. We went to Pompeii one day, another day at Capri and visited the Blue Grotto, and a day spent in Positano just wandering around. We didn't really go to the beach at all except for maybe an hour or two sunbathing on some rocks in Capri...maybe we sat on the beach a bit in Positano? I think I have a bathing suit on in pictures from there but I have no memory of a beach! Lol. So that might be a good choice if you like to have busy, active days. I've been to Venice 3 times now (and going again this summer!) and Venice would be a good choice if you want more relaxing days. There's sights to see in Venice but not so much that you feel like you have to have a checklist of things to do. I think a big part of the charm of Venice is just wandering around. I wouldn't hesitate to do either spot with my kids (they're coming with us to Venice this summer), I think it just depends on what type of vacation you're looking for and if either spot sounds more interesting to you.

Thank you star7781. This kind of comparison is what I was looking for - although it’s also the debate I’ve had going on in my head! I have plenty of time to plan, but found myself this week doing some research. I appreciate your response! I haven’t been to Europe since 2001 (backpacking after college) and I never thought it would be 22 years until I returned! So much I wish we could do in a week!

I hear ya! This will be the first time taking my kids to Europe, my husband and I haven't been since 2009. We had plans to go to the UK with the kids in fall 2020, but we know how that went! Hope you have a great time!

You might want to take the weather into consideration--it will be hot (and I am from SC so I don't often worry about heat), but it does make a difference when touring around in it. I would imagine how your family will take that--walking around Venice for example, or visiting Pompeii (where there is no shade and the heat radiates off the rocks). Both will be crowded. I am not really sure I would choose either in August, but the good news is that there are so many other choices in Italy.
Where are you staying in Umbria? Perhaps we could make other suggestions?
Have you scoped out flights yet? If you at least know what is likely or possible, that might help you decide.
Sorrento is not the only base to use for the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. You could stay in Minori, Maiori, or Vietri and have a wide sandy beach--I would not travel specifically for this beach of course, but I see nothing wrong with experiencing Italian beach culture during a long hot trip. SO, having access to some boat trips and water sports might be nice, since the other main outdoor activity, hiking, may be uncomfortable at this time of year.

Thank you valadelphia.

We are staying near Umbertide. I am definitely open to other ideas! We definitely want to do a few days in Rome with the kids.

A lifetime ago my husband and I backpacked and visited Rome, Florence, Lucca and Cinque Terre.

I’ve been looking at flights to get ideas, but I won’t be able to book anything until our dates are available in early September.

Thanks!

I'd include Rome too--for some reason, the prospect of heat and crowds in a city does not give me pause, as it is easier to spread out, there are indoor activities, etc.
Will you have a car for the Umbria portion? I have visited the Marche region, and it was lovely. If you can get a flight out of Ancona (Lufthansa is one option), that's an alternative. There are tons of pretty hill towns, and there is a gorgeous little slice of coast at Conero park. An hour from Umbertide is the amazing cave complex at Frasassi.
It'll be hot everywhere, but I just don't find it oppressive if I am not in a huge crowd. If you fly round trip to Rome, you could also start off with the city and finish with southern Tuscany. There is a rocky outcrop called Monte Argentario, it looks like the Amalfi coast in parts (without the villages, the two settlements are tiny). There are many Etruscan ruins in this area, I always plug it because I liked it so much.

If you do option 'one', I would make Pompeii a day trip from Sorrento, not a stop on the way to Rome. There is the hassle with luggage storage and the time constraint of having to 'get to Rome', if you do it 'on the way to Rome'

The other option has the simpler logistics and has Venice to boot.

No 'wrong' choice; like a situation where you have to pick one dessert- apple pie or cheesecake-- what are you in the mood for kind of choice

I have been to both Venice and Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. Venice visit was in August and Sorrento in July. I would go to Venice. Venice is unique. The kids will really like going to the islands on a vaporetto and the glass museum is really fascinating. My kids (twenty somethings) went to Lido beach for part of the afternoon. We had been there the day before when I accidentally got us on the wrong vaporetto! Anyway, my husband and I did not return to swim with them. The beach is the nicest I have been at in Italy, although not as nice as Florida where I am from. But it would be a nice break for the kids. Sorrento is nice enough and we used it to visit Pompeii. But I don’t think it is interesting as Venice.

You almost can't go wrong! We've done both areas with our kids (when they were 12 and 10) although I would say they were more interested in Venice. It's was more unique, even though they enjoyed Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius in the Sorrento area.

Things our kids enjoyed especially:
Sorrento: day trip to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, day trip by ferry to Capri (did a tour including a chairlift to the top of the island and a boat ride around the island), drove down the Almafi coast and visited a Paper Museum (they made their own paper to take home) in Almafi and put our feet in the sea in Positano.
Venice: Glass-blowing demonstration, gondola, riding the Vaporetto, eating Cicchetti (or at least other appetizers if your kids don't like weird food like ours!), if we had had more time we would have visited other islands, too.
Rome: they loved the Colosseum and we splurged on a morning of gladiator training. It helped make up for the long art tour at the Vatican!

The only thing I will add is that I've heard the Venice lagoon can smell in hot weather. We were there in April so maybe someone else can comment. And eat lots of gelato to stay cool!

Do Venice. Great place for kids. Just let them join with other kids kicking soccer balls around the campo. Let them explore on their own, catch water buses, whatever.

This might be fun in Venice.
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https://www.classicboatsvenice.com/bareboat-charter/

If Venice is on the agenda, get hold of the book Secret Venice by Jonglez. It lists about 150 “things” that escape the average tourist and guide book. Great for kids, has good maps etc. Maybe the Kindle version might be OK, but the hard copy is better.
That one book has drawn me all over Venice.

Another vote for Venice. Italy, and Rome in particular can be quite hot. Oppressively hot and we're from Texas! Amalfi in August is going to be very very crowded with all the Europeans on vacay. We didn't enjoy it as much as we thought. While beautiful, the crowds and high prices at that time kind of take some of the fun away. Venice is unique. We have been several times, and my kids have always enjoyed the winding streets, bridges, and history Venice offers. Their first time there, when we walked out of the train station, they compared it to a movie set at first. It was surreal for them, and the fact that they were actually there was a big wow factor. That's what Venice gives you. Go for the wow. The beaches of Amalfi will not impress as much as the wow of Venice. They may also enjoy a day trip to Verona. Hokie as it is, the Juliette balcony and all its schtick was fun for my kids. They had just seen the movie Letters to Juliette, so it was fun for them to see it all in person. Verona also offers a lot of history, a coliseum and is a lovely city.
It's just over an hour away from Venice by train.

I agree that Venice is a must. Pompeii will be way too hot since there’s no shade.

No one's mentioned Row Venice. If I were a kid and I liked water, this would be a deal-breaker. They'll learn what's special about gondolas and learn how to row one. It's also cheaper than a regular gondola ride. No matter how crowded Venice is, you can always walk 5 minutes away from the popular spots and have back canals to wander at your leisure. Also Venice is the best place to start a visit to Italy - it's laid back and quiet, you can get over jetlag while you just soak up the atmosphere.

The AC villages are small so about the only way to avoid the crowds is to hike high up on the paths. If you really must go to the AC, consider basing in Salerno instead of Sorrento. It's closer to the AC villages, has a well preserved historic center and a large (for Italy) sandy beach and lovely seaside promenade. It's also on the main train line from Rome so you can take a fast train there and back rather than the multiple transfers to get to Sorrento. Take the train to modern Pompeii city and then a short taxi ride (or longish walk - maybe a mile or so) to ancient Pompeii. You can also day trip by train or bus to Paestum to see the beautiful remains of 3 Greek temples.