I had my first trip to Italy 5 years ago and I just love everything about the country.
Sorrento is a great place to visit, you can have the relaxation there but nearby you can visit Capri, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius and the amalfi drive is beautiful. We also did a weekend trip to Rome from sorrento which was fantastic.
2 years ago we holidayed in Limone on Lake Garda which is beautiful. From there you can take the ferry to all the towns on the lake, we also went to Venice and Verona and Milan is accessible though we didnt go there.
Hope that is a little help but I'm sure wherever you go you will love Italy.

Thanks for replying Judes

Sorrento looks lovely and it would be ideal with you saying there are nearly places to visit! is there excursions to these places as a hire car is not an option.

Can you recommend any places to stay in sorrento?

Thanks for taking time to reply

Emma x

Hi Tatty

Got to agree with Judes.I would definitely recommend Rome and Sorrento as a twin centre.You could do 3 nights in Rome ideal for seeing all the sites and 4 in Sorrento for relaxing and trip to Pompeii,which is easily done by train.
There are some great hotels in Sorrento to suit all budgets.Look on Trip Advisor at hotel reviews.
As regards the lakes beautiful area but the weather can be a little unsettled that early and may be a little quiet for you.
I can gaurantee one thing though, wherever you go you will be hooked on Italy.
Regards.

From Sorrento you can easily get to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples by train. There is a bus to Amalfi, but we got the boat there (it calls at Positano). You can also get a boat or hydrofoil to Capri, which is lovely.
Local taxis are extortionate, but public transport cheap and easy.

We loved it so much there we are going back to the same hotel we went to 3 years ago (and paying the same price thanks to a healthy discount from Thomas Cook). A few miles out of Sorrento up in the hills but glorious views, and in a little town so not isolated.

You could consider Rome & Florence/Pisa as a 2 city break, as you could quite easily spend 4 days in Rome doing the sights etc, with a couple of relaxation days in Florence to follow. Florence is a beautiful city and is about 3 hrs away from Rome on the train. a day trip from Florence to Pisa is also very easily done by train.

How about Florence or Venice .. or Ravenna (superb mosaics), with side trips to the beaches of the Adriatic or by train to Bologna. (Hint ... Ryanair fly to Forli ... calling it Bologna, but it's actually about 38 km away, and near to Ravenna).

Thank you to everyone who has replied, up to now i have took a liking to Sorrento.

Do you think a week would be enough time to visit all the places nearby?

Im getting so excited i want to go tomorrow.

Emma x

You will see a lot in a week. You may decide to skip some of the sights and just relax and enjoy the atmosphere!

If you want to go up Vesuvius- the easiest way is to get the minibus service from just outside Herculaneum station.

Some great shops in Sorrento in the narrow streets known as the "drains".
We enjoyed having lunch in the foreigners club (where the tourist info is) for the views. And don't forget to allow time sitting in the Piazza Tasso (the main square) just people watching.

Hi Kate

Thanks for your reply, do you have any suggetions on where to stay in Sorrento which are pretty reasonable, and knd of centre for everything.

Sorry to be a pain!

Emma x

Hi emma
When we went to Sorrento we stayed at the Grand Hotel flora which was excellent if you had a sea view as it was on the busy main road which was noisy and overlooking a garage I am taking my mum to Sorrento in May and I was going to book the Flora again but I see they are charging 5 Euros for the sunbeds!!

I have booked the Cesare Augustus Hotel which is just off Piazza Tasso the main square its had mixed reviews but more good than bad. The cheapest i have found was with Direct Holidays.

thanks a lot Judes, that is really helpful to know that, i have been on the Direct holidays website and they are coming up quite reasonable!

All your info has been much appreciated

Another question which may be a bit stupid, does anybody know if Manchester airport or Liverpool airport only fly to Italy airport on certain days? They dates i am looking for don't seem to be available was wondering if they don't fly them days its a Wednesday

thanks Emma x

Monarch have been flying schedule flight to Naples every day 7 days a week from Manchester, all summer.
Charter flights on Fridays with the main tour ops and one flight on Monday with Thomson.All from Manchester.

Friday seems to be the main day- I needed to get the day off specially. Not sure if Monarch are going to Naples next year? Or maybe they just weren't selling seats yet.
We are staying at the Jaccarino- booked with Thomas Cook online, but it's a bit outside for you if you want to be in the centre. Depends what you want really, but the best thing about the place are the views, so try to get one if you can.

If you're flying to Naples, & have to go to Sorrento via the main train station, make sure you keep a tight grip of all your bags & wallets, & get the first available train outta there!

If you spend more than an hour in that train station you'll probably arrive in Sorrento with only the clothes your standing in.

Thanks everyone that really has helped in my quest to find a perfect break for us

Emma x

Hi,
if you are still looking for a nice,comfortable accomodation near Pompei,Herculanum,Sorrento, the Vesuvius, Amalfi Coast, the temples of Paestum...
conact me and I will send you all info and photos

*Email removed for members protection from spam mail -Glynis*

Hi Emma

First time on this forum, but just had to reply to you! We got married in Italy earlier this year, and honeymooned in Sorrento. I would really recommend Hotel Il Nido. Its 4kms from the centre of Sorrento, but there is a free shuttle bus, so this presents no problem. Furthermore, they have a great restaurant with a terrace that looks over the bay of Naples and Mount Versuvius, excellent. It is cheap as well (for Sorrento) about £60 per room per night, including a decent buffet breakfast, and the rooms are very comfortable.
Regarding Monarch...I can tell you that they have rather annoyingly discontinued the Manchester to Naples route. It was really handy for us for the wedding, and we are returning to Southern Italy next spring and so wanted to book again, but it is not to be.
We have however, managed to get a reasonable flight with Alitalia (who fly to Naples daily). The only pain with this is that you have to change at Milan, and it adds on quite a bit to the journey time, not too much of a problem if you are going for 2 weeks like we are, but not ideal if you are only going for afew weeks.
Hope that helps
x

Redpanda

What a lovely little hotel. Does it have a pool ?

Sounds like you did a DIY booking. Did you have to book long in advance and how did you travel from the airport. Did you take the Bus as a Taxi would surely be quite expensive

Thanks Pete

Hi there

You are right, it is a loveley hotel, free internet access too, no complaints at all. Unfortunately it did not have a pool, that was the only drawback, but to be honest, we were so busy sightseeing etc that we probably would not have had much time for sunbathing/swimming anyway. We got the train from Piazza Garibaldi in Naples, it was very cheap. There is also a bus every hour from Naples airport to the centre of Sorrento, which is a better option really, as again it is cheap, and quite a pleasant and direct journey. Not sure of the times though, although I probably could dig them out, as have them at home. I think we booked about 4 months in advance and had no problem getting a room.
If there is anything else I can help with let me know!
Redpanda
xx