Sorrento

Here’s the deal, do not take a taxi from Naples airport to Sorrento. As tired as you are, don't do it. First and foremost, the taxi drivers are crazy. As soon as you leave the airport, the taxi companies are trying to bamboozle you with the story of how hard the train station is to maneuver. Where it's true, it would be easier to take a car to Sorrento from the airport, where is the adventure in that, other than a cacophony of honking and yelling by the driver, it will take at least 30 minutes longer by car versus train (yes, the train is crowded and sometimes standing room only but use that time to meet new people because mostly everyone will speak English). By comparison, the taxi will cost you approximately 140€ whereas the train will cost you roughly 4€. Now that I have completely bashed the Italian taxi drivers, I will gladly admit that when we got to Sorrento, we tried to catch a taxi to our hotel, and the driver told us “It's only a 10-minute walk” but if he drove us it would cost us 40€ and we would still have to walk another 5 minutes to get to our hotel. The moral of this story is not all taxi drivers are charlatans but probably most are.

Sorrento is a very beautiful city to meander through with its narrow cobblestone streets surrounded by shops and restaurants. This is the city to stay in if you want to visit major sights on the Amalfi Coast because it’s cheaper by comparison and more centrally located. The downside of staying here is all the tourists. OMG - the tourist. Sometimes, I felt like I was in America or England. I’m not saying being a tourist is bad, heck, I’m a tourist, but you don’t feel like you are in Italy. The restaurants cater to the United Kingdom population with all the fish and chips restaurants and pubs. And every single restaurant had fries on the menu. I kid you not, people ordered pizza, pasta, and fries.

We took day trips to Positano, a beach town with expensive shops to spend your money in (approximately a 40-minute bus ride). Two other day trips we visited were Pompeii, an hour train ride (if you choose to do this on your own, buy tickets online), and Mount Vesuvius (get off at the Pompeii train exit) and then a bus ride to the summit of the volcano before you trek up a steep hill to the mountain (buying tickets is hard, they only let you buy them online an hour before, so lots of people trying to get a spot to enter. You will need to scan a QR code to access the limited internet that they provide). As much as I hate going with a tour group, this might be the better move to avoid the headache of having to wait around to get one of the coveted spots.

I always wanted to visit the Amalfi Coast, and I’m happy I did, but the overall impression is it’s too touristy. If I had to pick a coast to visit in Italy, I would choose Cinque Terre, hands down.

Sorrento

Positano

Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius