Sorrento, Positano, or Amalfi with a teen

We loved Sorrento and Amalfi- lots of things to see and do, walkable, great restaurants andviews, etc. Positano was a 3 hour visit for us- a bit boring actually although beautiful.
From Sorrento you can take bus or ferry to a lot of places. Amalfi is the transportation hub on the coast- Positano ferries are iffy and the bus can be already full when it stops there.

(I'd like Italy to open up by July as well but don't really think that is happening)

2nd vote for Sorrento. For adults and teens there are several opportunities for shared experiences and plenty to do if/when you need some time apart. It is a very touristy town but there is also a lively teen scene that might be interesting for your son. Ferries to the Amalfi Coast and Capri and Naples are frequent and fun. As you get closer to travel dates check the ferry options - some include (or at least they did a couple years ago) a stop off of Capri for swimming before heading onto to Positano and Amalfi.

Do you guys have any recommendations for places to stay in Sorrento? Sounds like that’s a good spot. And ya, I know I’m being overly optimistic about plans for July. But hope is good.

We splurged and stayed at Grand Hotel de Ville
It was fantastic

Pretty sure Robert has his favorite place and will respond
Or do a search here on forum

Hi ctripp2,
I will add another vote for Grand Hotel De La Ville! We were there a few years ago on a Culinary Tour. As already mentioned up thread it was fantastic. It’s a 10 min walk from the centre. There are two pools, and a terrace with stunning views of the Gulf of Naples & Mt. Vesuvius. The cuisine is exceptional. It was one of our favorite hotels on our tour. We would stay there again!
https://www.delavillesorrento.com

I highly recommend Sorrento too. We absolutely love it. We’ve stayed at Hotel La Tonnarella many times. It has a private beach which we really enjoyed, swimming in the Mediterranean was wonderful. The hotel has several terraces, flowers everywhere, amazing views, and a really good restaurant. Their breakfast buffet is amazing. It’s listed in RS guidebook. I’m not a fan of Capri but twice we’ve rented a small motor boat there (Company name: Banana Boats) and spent the day driving around the island, stopping wherever we wanted to swim. The boat rental was very affordable and super fun. Don’t miss seeing Pompeii and Herculaneum... very easy to get to from Sorrento on the commuter train. We enjoyed taking a ferry to Positano and back one day, Positano is lovely but I wouldn’t want to base there. Sorrento is perfect for easy day trips and the town itself is charming.

We stayed a few years ago in Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi. I would not stay in Positano, especially with teens. We actually liked Amalfi the best but it depends what you are looking for. Sorrento was a good base to explore Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius (we did on different days). The town reminded us a bit of Disney land, which I suppose is its charm as well. Amalfi is better location to see Amalfi coast and we liked the character of the town as well. But then we had better accommodations in amalfi than sorrento which was actually pricier. So that may have influenced our opinion as well. We did the Path of the Gods hike and hiked down from Ravello while in Amalfi.

Another vote for Sorrento with your teen. Personally, I think Positano is a better choice for adults who are there mostly to hang out and enjoy the view. It's small, doesn't offer a lot of activities, and ferries don't operate when the sea is too rough, although it does have SITA bus service around the Sorrentine/Almalfi Coasts.

In addition to ferries + bus, there is cheap commuter train service between Naples and Sorrento, with stops along the way to Ecolano (Herculaneum), Pompei and some other locations. Sorrento will also offer a wide variety of places to eat. Stay near-ish the center (Piazza Tasso) and you can walk to the many of them plus just have some fun rambles about town.

There's some love on this forum for Salerno as well.

The region in July will potentially be heaving with tourists, and it will be hot.

LOL, I see you've posted this question in TA as well? Ignore the individual going on about your teen needing a "solid intellectual component of readiness." He'll be fine, although more versus less research in advance is recommended. You'll find lots of help here too. 😉

OMG Kathy, I had to laugh at the TA poster spouting nonsense like the teen needs a "solid intellectual component of readiness." We on TA think it's a bot (and if not, it's an anti-helpful human) and have been complaining to TA about it for years to no avail.

To answer the question, I would choose Sorrento if I was going to visit Pompeii, Ercolano, or Naples (anyone with "solid intellect" would have an interest in those, lol). If traveling among the Amalfi coast village by ferry or on foot is more of interest, then I'd choose Amalfi or tiny neighboring Atrani. If you are interested in a sandy beach, then I'd look at Minori/Maiaori.

valadelphia, I'm not a TA contributor but have been observing that individual for awhile. HOW many different posting names has he/she gone under?!!!! No idea why The Powers That Be won't bizbag the bot (or whatever it is.) 🙄

I did post on TA plus also on a Facebook travel page. I love getting so many different opinions. I have read the messages yet from TA but there are definitely some bored people sometimes. I had a post about Ireland a couple years ago where someone actually told me I was an evil person and I was going to kill innocent children because I was an American and didn’t know how to drive on the opposite side of the road. The funny thing is I had just spent an entire month in Australia driving on the opposite side of the road. Surprisingly, I didn’t ever get into an accident. Lol. Absolutely crazy. And I told the admin and had it flagged but it continued for days before they did anything about it. It was sooooo upsetting. So I’m not too worried this time. Some people are legitimately crazy.

So thanks for the heads up. And I appreciate everyone’s input on here. You guys have been extremely helpful.

Do you guys have any recommendations for places to stay in Sorrento?

We stayed here and would do so again -- https://ilnido.it/

Check out their webcam; the actual view is even better

We loved this one, although it could be a bit beyond your budget in July. No sea views but a lovely garden, breakfast room and pool, and superb service, Just a couple of blocks from Piazza Tasso, and not a difficult walk from the train station.

https://hotelantichemura.com

We have been to all the places and I recommend staying in Sorrento. From there you can visit Pompeii, Capri and Amalfi.

I am adding to my previous posting up thread. On our tour this is the route we followed: Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Positano, Anacapri, Capri, Almalfi, Paestum, stopped at Tenuta Vannulo Buffalo Farm for lunch & tour. They were all worthwhile stops if you have time. Again, Sorrento is a great base.

I stayed in Sorrento to commute to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples on the local Circumvesuviana (it's called a train but it's really a subway train at ground level). To explore the AC I stayed in Salerno.

What does your son want to do on the AC? There's gorgeous scenery and hiking and lots of tourist-oriented shops. Sorrento was built as a resort town so there's not much in the way of history or sights. Salerno has a well-preserved medieval center, a large sandy beach, good restaurants. Both food and lodging are cheaper than Sorrento and much cheaper than the AC villages. The bus and ferry lines along the AC end in Salerno. There's also a pedestrian mall with lots of big name shops.

One reason to choose the expensive cliff-front hotels is the fierce modern air conditioning-vital in July. Another is the (non-beach) swimming boardwalk with elevator access, reserved for hotel guests only. We liked the Ambasciatori. Note that Sorrento is not ON the Amalfi Coast-but the AC is an inferior location for daytripping.

It might be useful to give your home location and his beach going experience, if that is a factor in his destination choice.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

I am very nervous about the extreme heat. I know how awful this is probably going to be. I grew up in Fl. I live in NY now and my son hasn’t experienced this level of heat. In fact today on April 22, we got snow last night. But he wants the beautiful town on the water concept. He loves water activities. I don’t know anything about Solerno but I will definitely look into it.

The three times, over a span of 4 yrs, that we spent a week in Sorrento in July the heat was not bad at all. I live in San Francisco and I do not tolerate heat well at all (it makes me sick) but for me, Sorrento was very comfortable. No guarantee of course what it will be like when you’re there, but it is not a given that it will be miserably hot.

Susan, that’s sooooo encouraging. Thank you. Sounds like you love it there. Where do you stay and any suggestions on certain things to do? Thanks.

ctripp2, I posted above 😊 that we’ve stayed at Hotel La Tonnarella each time.
It’s an easy walk (5 min?) down an easy hill to town. We love walking around town, hanging out at cafés, taking the Circumvesuviana (commuter train) to Herculaneum, Pompeii, Mt Vesuvius (we take a taxi from the train to Mt Vesuvius, or there’s a shuttle I believe) and hiking up to the rim, ferry rides to Positano, Amalfi and Capri. Sorrento is super relaxing, clean, upscale yet authentic, incredible views, mostly flat so easy walking, with a charming older section. The whole town is charming. We also enjoy hanging out at the beach at La Tonnarella. We buy big inner tubes and float around in the Med and relax. We’ve also taken the SITA bus (don’t love it - prefer boats), and the Hop On Hop Off bus which is fun if you sit up top at the back. This sounds crazy, but we also love shopping at the Coop store in town. My son and his gf, and 2 best friends, will be there this summer. They don’t have much time, and 3 of them have never been to Italy, but of all the great choices in Italy my son chose to take them to Sorrento for their 4 days in Italy, he loves Sorrento that much. Don’t forget the Banana Boats I mentioned above, super fun.

Hey ChristineH - you know I have a favorite so here it is. il Nido (ilnido.it) is reasonably priced, comfortable rooms (balcony or at least rooms with a view would be my choice), fantastic restaurant with the most amazing view, unbelievably good breakfast (machine that squeezes the oranges for you) and good air conditioning in the rooms. All of that is, IMHO, second to Gianni and Dino who own the place. These 2 brothers have created an environment that is welcoming and comfortable and personable for all of their guests. I've lost track, but I think I've stayed there about 12 times. Now the down side, because of the teenager. The hotel is above the city. It has an excellent shuttle service to the city (stops during the usual riposo time in the afternoon). From early morning until almost midnight you can easily get back and forth. The hotel doesn't have a pool. Your son might enjoy some of the public beaches or the more private beach clubs where he'll meet lots of local, and non-local, teens. Sniff, sniff. I miss Sorrento. Thanks for giving me a chance to sing il Nido's praises!

Thanks Robert- I'll have to check it out- I did know you'd been there many many times.

We also fell in love with Sorrento- so much so that we have decided we will probably start or end every trip to Italy there. We've already added it to our next itinerary- which will be April 2022 OR Sept 2021 if we are allowed.

ctripp2- We had 9 nights in the region and split our time between
Sorrento- 4 nights- visited Pompeii and Capri (skipped Naples which we now regret)
Amalfi 2 nights- loved this town- visited Positano from here- bus to/ferry home
Ravello- another splurge just for 1 night but it was so worth it for the views

Then we took ferry to Salerno for 2 nights so we could visit Paestum- another really amazing sight.
We did like Salerno too- much less touristy, less expensive, really fun passegiatta, lovely waterfront. We had 2 of our best meals on that trip there. Not sure I would want to spend ALL of my Amalfi time there though.
The ferry and train station are just steps apart so we grabbed a fast train to Venice when we left Salerno.

Check out Mondo Guides- RS recommended and very good
www.sharedtours.com.
We used for Pompeii and Capri. The Capri day was fabulous- mostly for the boat ride around the island. The guides were so much fun. We didn't bother with Blue Grotto and it was closed that day anyway.