NYC_05

I am planning on traveling to Italy for the first time with two friends in July for 9-10 days. I would love to see Rome, Florence and Sorrento, but my friends would prefer to stay in one location, Sorrento, and use it as a home base. I've gone through a lot of the posts which have been very helpful, but I didn't come across one staying as long as we're planning on staying. Any suggestions on what to do in/from Sorrento or if you think it may be too long would be greatly appreciated!!

LoveItaly

Hi NYC-05, to be honest with you if it was me and I was going to Italy for the first time there is no way that I would spend 9 to 10 days staying in Sorrento. That does not mean I do not like Sorrento I do, although personally I love a small town about 6 klm south of there by the name of Massa Lubrense even better.

But to be in Italy for the first time and spend the time the entire in Sorrento, which I assume is the entire length of your trip. No thank you.

Are you flying into Rome? I think I would tell your friends to go ahead and go down to Sorrento and you will meet up with them about 6 days later. I would get acquainted with Rome.

Not sure of course because you do not indicate where you are flying into and out of but will assume that the airport is Rome.

May I gently suggest that you sit down with your friends and you all have a conversation about what your ideas, wants and expecations are regarding this trip. Going to Europe is to expensive to just "give in" to a couple of friends that may not have anything in common with you as to what you would expect from going to Italy.

worldinabag

Hi

I think your friends are a little tentative about travelling from place to place. There's no need to be. It's very easy and cheap in Italy. They have an excellent rail service. You do not want to miss Rome - that would be a BIG mistake. I would spend at least 3 or 4 days there (taking into account air travel issues). I think all 3 destinations are possible but a little rushed. You may have to cut out Florence unfortunately. From Rome to Sorrento is very easy and cheap - simply take a train to Naples then Sorrento.

Buon viaggio

Jenni_P

I agree. While Sorrento is fun to stay for a couple of nights, 9-10 days would be way to long and you will miss out on much of Italy. A couple of things it does make a good base for. Going to Pompei or Hericulum from Sorrento is only a 20 minute train ride - so that is a good base for that. And if you want to explore the Almafi coast, its good for that too. As well as going to the island of Capri (total tourist trap). But I would definitely stay in other places, otherwise you will spend all of your time going back and forth and not enough time just soaking in the atmosphere. In Sorrento, stay at Hotel Minerva for a splerge - it has incredible ocean view rooms up above the city. We loved it.

ira

Hi NYC,

Good advice above.

>I would love to see Rome, Florence and Sorrento,...<

Good idea. Rome, Florence and Venice would be even better.

Spending your whole visit in Sorrento is sort of like visiting the US, staying in Virginia Beach and making daytrips to Norfolk, Richmond and Washington.

It's a nice place in which to relax, but you are missing a whole lot.

adrienne

I agree with the above posters. I usually like to stay in one place for several days but 10 days in Sorrento is way too long.

Day trips to Rome from Sorrento would be 3+ hours each way so even if you wanted to take off and see Rome w/o your friends you'd spend the greater part of the day traveling to and from Sorrento.

Why do they want to base themselves in Sorrento (ask them that) and what do they want to see from there.

I've been to all the places you mention and, for my money, I'd spend the 10 days in Rome. The diversity of sightseeing and night life is greater than in Sorrento. You could do day trips to Florence from Rome (1.5 hours each way on the train).

What I find works well when traveling with others is that everyone chooses their top 5 sights to see/things to do and then agree that everyone gets to do what is most important to them. That way everyone goes home happy.

Changing hotels once in a 10-day trip isn't a hardship. If you do 6 days in Rome and 4 in Sorrento you'll get a flavor of 2 different aspects of Italy -a city and a suburban/seaside area.

From Sorrento you could see Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast (Amalfi/Positano/Ravello). You could day trip into Naples since it's only an hour on the train.

I wouldn't miss Rome or Florence on my first trip to Italy.

suec1

Maybe the frineds have already "seen" Italy or is this their first trip as well? I could understand that if they have already traveled alot in Italy they might want an extended stay on the Amalfi coast. But I agree with the others, for your first trip you would probably want to see more - the idea of several days in Rome and then joining them could be a good compromise. A day trip to Orivieto from Rome would be easy and give a glimpse of another region of Italy. But if you don't want to be on your own, 10 days on the Amalfi coast is certainly not an unpleasant thought now is it? There are quite a few day trips easily done from there so you could have things to do in the morning and just relax in the sun in the afternoons.

NYC_05

Thank you all for your advice! I'm actually supposed to fly into Naples on Eurofly (supposed to be a charter plane?) Should I then take the train to Rome and then return to Sorrento to meet my friends? or start off in Sorrento and then go to Rome and then train back to Sorrento and then fly out of Naples? I wish I researched more before saying yes to my friends!

SeaUrchin

I think if your friends want to spend the time in Sorrento that is great. I know many many people who spend two weeks sitting on an Carib. island and think nothing of it.

I think also that it is wise for you to add Rome for yourself. I would go directly to Rome from Naples and then finish up your trip in Sorrento with your friends.

BTW if you are into hiking and exploring two weeks isn't enough to be in the Amalfi Coast area. I find so many things to do there that I have to leave alot out when I stay there for a longer time.

Have fun, that is what a vacation is for!

ira

Hi NY,

I suggest going to Rome directly from Naples.

Your friends, if they are on the same flight, can take the bus to Sorrento.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

Return to Sorrento, relax for a few days, fly home from Naples.

NYC_05

I spoke to my friends and this is what they were thinking...Stay in Sorrento, then from there travel to: Naples, Capri, Pompei, Passatano, Rivelo, Ishchia, Posidon, Blue Grotto (forgive the spellings). I'm unsure of traveling to Rome by myself and it would probably be more expensive to stay over as a single? Thanks!

Surfergirl

You can do day trips from Sorrento to Rome (two trains), but from Sorrento to Florence in one day? Too long. Why not base yourselves in Rome? It will also be really HOT then, so get a place with a/c. Would they consider breaking it up into two places to base yourselves?

NYC_05

I wanted to say the destinations were not in that particular order...not sure yet..

ira

Hi NY,

>Stay in Sorrento, then from there travel to:

Naples 1 day,

Capri 1 day, includes Blue Grotto

Pompei 1 day

Positano 1/2 day

Ravello 1/2 day combine with above

Ishchia this is a spa.

Posidon ??

What to do for the next 5 days?

NYC_05

Thanks Ira! Very helpful info/ideas...I might have spelled Ischia wrong..it's the island...There was another place they mentioned, Paestum? Posidon is supposed to be a place with Greek architecture that is different from the rest?

fellan12

We leave for Italy in less then a week. We are staying 6 nights in Rome (we fly into Rome). We will probably do 1 day trip outside of Rome, but mostly explore there.
Then we are going to stay in Sorrento for 2 nights, 1 night on Capri, and then 1 night back in Sorrento (I used hotel points, so we actually have the Sorrento hotel for 4 nights, so we will just take an overnight bag to Capri). From Sorrento we will go to Pompei as well. We don't want to cram too much into our trip. But I think they way we are dividing things up, we will definitely not get bored, but shouldn't feel overwhelmed.
I've been to each of these places before (backpacked in college with my sister), but we just passed through Sorrento for dinner.
I definitely agree that you have to get Rome in there. But we decided against Florence and Venice b/c getting to them is a lot more time consuming, and we couldn't have seen as much.

Eloise

NYC_05: Paestum is what you also spell as Posidon. Yes, the architecture there is different: three Greek temples, better preserved than many in Greece, predating the Roman ruins by six or seven centuries. No town around them, only the temples. And a modest little restaurant that makes a wonderful insalata caprese.

But I vote with all the others who have said that 10 days in Sorrento is at least five or six days too many.

Do persuade your friends to spend time in Rome.

SeaUrchin

Ira, I am surprised at your statement. *There is Caserta (www.initaly.com/regions/campania/caserta.htm)
*Herculaneum
*Pozzuoli
*Vesuvius
*2 days visiting Naples
*Exploring and walking the mountain trails which connect the towns on the coast.
*Hiring a boat to secret coves
*Relaxing and strolling
*Ceramic making demonstrations in Vietri area
*sun and sea bathing in Nerano

and many more things to do for the "extra" five days.

ira

Hi,

Add one day for Paestum (Posidon)
A nice way is to take the ferry to Salerno, train to Paestum, train back to Salerno and bus to Sorrento.

That leaves 4 days.

Herculaneum can be done with Pompeii.

Vesuvius can be done with Naples.

One can always vegetate for the rest of the time - that is a perfectly good thing to do on vacation - but why go all of the way to Italy to do that?

If I were going to Italy for the first time, I would visit Venice (3) Florence (4 with a daytrip to Siena) and Rome (3), flying into Venice and out of Rome.

Actually, I would skip Rome, but that's just me.

cw

Hi NYC,

Six of us, three couples, spent 4 days in Rome, rented two cars, and drove to Sorrento, where we rented the first floor of a huge villa for a week. We were there at the end of June, beginning of July.

We went to Tivoli on our way out of Rome to Sorrento. From Sorrento, we went to Capri, Pompeii, Naples, Paestum, and explored towns on the Amalfi coast. We could have spent another week exploring, having leisurely meals, shopping, and just walking around. Easy to sit for hours and enjoy the magnificent views.

We flew into Rome, and out of Naples. Having a car in Sorrento suited us, and worked quite well, since our villa was a mile or two up into the hills from the town.

It wasn't our first trip to Italy, and we hope it won't be our last. Try to get to Rome, but even if you can't, you'll probably have a wonderful time.

CW