All you need to know to plan and love a stay in Sorrento with teens, based on our own experience. Discover the best teen-friendly things to do in Sorrento, where to stay, where to eat and why we love Sorrento for a family stay.
Sorrento is a one of the most family friendly towns in the Amalfi Coast area and my favorite destination for people visiting this area with teenagers.
Sorrento is beautiful and has the quintessential atmospheres of this area complete with lemon trees, rooftop terraces, sea views and mellow vibes.
However, it also offers infinite options for boat trips, places explore, and a lively town life, and many more things that make it attractive to teenage kids, who may need more than a nice view to enjoy a place!
Active teenagers can find in Sorrento opportunities to kayak, swim, SUP boarding, snorkel and hike.
Teens who love a classic Italian Instagram aesthetic will find plenty of cute corners to capture; teen foodies will be in heaven, Sorrento having one of the most delicious culinary traditions in Italy and everyone will enjoy the buzzy city center, full of shops, cafes, places to see and to be seen, street music and more.
If this wasn’t enough, Sorrento is also a fantastic base to visit Amalfi Coast, Capri, Procida, Pompeii and Vesuvius, just to name some of the most family friendly day trips from Sorrento.
I know this well: I have two teens and this summer, we went back to Sorrento for some family fun, to explore the city again not as little kids any more, but as highly opinionated teenagers!
The town gave all we were hoping for and more and I am happy to now recommend it not only as one of the best places to enjoy the Amalfi Coast with kids, but also the best place to enjoy the Amalfi Coast with teens, a much harder to place bunch than little kids!
In this guide, you’ll find all my personal recommendation of things we researched and personally enjoyed in Sorrento, during our trips to the area.
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Why go to Sorrento with teens
Sorrento is a beautiful, safe town with a buzzy city center with entertainment suitable for teens (live street music, outdoors cafes, family friendly restaurants etc)
The size of Sorrento is small enough to be manageable and safe for teens, without it being to small to feel too restrictive.
Sorrento offers opportunities for water sports and exploration, as well as easy ways to relax.
Sorrento has easy access to Pompeii and Vesuvius which are both fascinating and exciting.
Sorrento is very well equipped for international tourism so it is a very easy destination even for families on their first experience abroad.
Why not visiting Sorrento with teens
Sorrento has local local life all year round but truly comes to its own when you can enjoy the sea: tourism season starts around mid April and goes on until late October.
This is the season when ferries are in service, hotels and restaurants are open etc. It is of course possible to also visit at a different time; however, with teens, I feel without the good weather options, you may find it harder. So the reason to potentially skip Sorrento with teens is if you can only come when the sea if off limits due to the weather.
Sorrento is not a place of theme parks or water parks so if you have teens who love them, this may not be the best destination for you (for theme parks, the best area is Lake Garda).
Sorrento is also not a place of large beach expanses so if you are hoping for soft sand: this is not the place. Sorrento has sea access from swimming piers and small beaches/ coves and it is therefore best suited to teens who love swimming and boating rather than runs on the beach.
A quick intro about Sorrento
Sorrento is pretty, historic town near Naples, on the same promontory as the famous Amalfi Coast.
It develops upon and below a high cliff and is therefore a town built on two levels: at the bottom you find the port and sea access, while at the top you have the town center proper, main square shops etc.
Both areas have hotels and restaurants and they are connected by stairs, elevators and of course roads for taxis, cars, scooters etc.
The feel of the city is a delight and just as you imagine this area to be.
The city center is a mix of wider streets and smaller alleys and everywhere you find something to admire: it may be a historic church, a seaview framed by blossoming trees, a colourful home with flowers on the terrace, a historic palazzo or, often in the center, a buzzy alley with colourful flags, shops and people doing anything from rushing to work to enjoying the beautiful life of the holydaymaker!
The town is so pretty, it is very much a destination in itself and it is often chosen for conferences and wedding (hence the many fancy hotels) as well as summer vacations, due to its stunning views.
It is also however a great getaway to the area and a transport hub as her you have ferries, buses, but also the train, which connects it to Pompeii and Naples.
All this means Sorrento is very well equipped for tourism and receives a lot of it: you have people from all over the world here but it seems particularly loved by British tourism which abounds.
Of course, you also have Italian tourism here however, don’t be surprised if the dominant language you hear on the streets of the center in high season is English and if restaurant and hotel staff talks to you in English first – they just adapted to demand, it is not necessarily a sign you are in a tourist trap.
Where to stay in Sorrento with teenagers
Sorrento is a lovely and safe town so the main challenges when it comes to family accommodation is not picking an area but finding a room of a suitable size. Especially if traveling with a family of 4 or more, finding rooms is not easy, but we have identified some great options I am happy to share!
All these hotels are modern, clean, safe and they are in Sorrento city center, in the upper part of town, close to restaurants etc.
Hotel Antiche Mura – a great family hotel just steps away from Piazza Tasso, the heart of Sorrento city center, it has lovely rooms, a great breakfast and a pool
Hilton Sorrento Palace – a fabulous hotel for families, with an excellent pool and kid friendly atmosphere super close to Sorrento city center
Grand Hotel Cesare Augusto – a few steps after Hotel Antiche Mura, this is a large, modern hotel with spacious common spaces, interconnecting rooms, rooftop pool and a fantastic buffet breakfast
Hotel Conca Park – wonderful modern 4 star hotel with family for up to 4 people, in a great location in Sorrento city center.
The best things to do in Sorrento with teens
There are many fun things to do in Sorrento with teenagers – these are our favorites.
Take a boat tour with swimming stops along the Sorrento coast
Sorrento, like all this area, is stunning seen from the water and there is no better way to enjoy both views and a swim than taking a boat tour!
One we took this summer and loved is this one: the tour is not overly long (and the price reflects this) and we loved the duration as it was perfect for the activity itself yet also left us time to do others things – it didn’t require an all day commitment. You can choose to do it at several times, including at sunset. They offer limoncello to the adults which is a lovely touch. Find >>> info and price here <<<
Take a kayaking tour to Bagni Regina Giovanna
If you have active, adventurous teens, this is a super cool activity we LOVED : a kayaking or SUP tour along the Sorrento Coast with swimming in famous Bagni Regina Giovanna – see it here.
The tour doesn’t require any previous experience and comes with a full safety and info brief and life jackets: each participant gets either a single or a two-people kayak (or a SUP each, if you choose that option) and you go with your group and guide, so you are safe at all times.
The tour requires some physical effort but it is not strenuous. It is fantastic fun and they also take pictures for you, so you don’t have to run the risk of getting your phone wet.
Go swimming
Sorrento has some beaches but it is not really a beach destination. It is however a swimming destination!
What I mean with this is that Sorrento makes the most of its high coastline and limited beach area with piers and beach clubs on the water: these are wonderful for swimming and suitable for teens who don’t need super shallow waters.
A great place where you can have a bit of both is Leonelli’s Beach which has a beach area popular also with families with small kids and a pier easier for older kids and adults (both kid friendly in atmosphere).
If you prefer sand, Marina Grande also has a small beach, overlooked by many restaurants – a good option if you want an easy beach moment before dinner.
Enjoy evening aperitivo and street music in the center
One of the reasons why I love Sorrento with teens is that the town is lively and buzzy in the evening. As the sun goes down, people pour into the streets of the center for pre-dinner aperitivo (plenty of non alcoholic options for teens), a walk around the shops, dinner and listening to the many street artists performing.
If they are fond of the ‘Sara’ perche’ ti amo’ trend, they’ll be happy to hear you may well hear it in Sorrento – I cannot guarantee they sing it every night, but they definitely did when we were there!
Catch a sunset over Marina Grande
Sorrento is a great place for sunsets and the stairs of Marina Grande are a fab sunset photo spot for envy inducing photos.
Take a day trip to Capri
Sorrento is the ideal starting point for discovering Capri, which you can reach by ferry or boat tour (private or group). I adore Capri and I believe it is always worth going, despite the crowds.
However, I also believe that to enjoy it, it is best to limit crowd exposure and the way to achieve this, is get a tour around the island, as well as planning time on land.
My favorite Capri Tours, budget permitting, are by LivTours: they offer both a semi-private option (such a small group, it feels almost like a private one) and a fully private option. An absolute treat with a price to match, but once you see their boat and experience their hospitality, you’ll see why!
At a lower price point, a good boat tour to Capri is also this one (shared) which also allows time on Capri itself.
Of course, it is also possible to go to Capri without a guide: in this case, you can just take the ferry and explore in your own time. If useful, this is my guide to Capri to help you plan your time there.
Fun fact! The mom of a very close friend of mine is from Anacapri, so I used to vacation in Capri every summer when I was little! I had no idea how lucky I was and now that I do know, I am just so grateful I had that option and I want to make sure people see how magical this island is – see beyond the crowds and give Capri a chance: it is a magical, stunning place once you look beyond the designer stores!
Go on a food tour
Sorrento has a wonderful food tradition and a fun way to experience it with teens is by joining a food tour. Great ones are this one by Gourmet Girls Sorrento (lovely people, lovely food!) and this one. A food tour is a fabulous thing to do on your first day especially if you want to get a shortlist of great place you may then want to go back to!
Learn to make pizza
As well as tasting food, Sorrento is a fabulous place to learn how to cook pizza (Neapolitan Pizza is work famous!) and there is one place in particular we loved for small which also turned out to be amazing for teens: Agriturismo Primaluce. Primaluce is a local farm, it is super welcoming and family friendly place, their pizza is amazing and is a fabulous place to have a day out in glorious surroundings, have a meal and a personal connection with locals. Top!
Take a day trip to Pompeii or Herculaneum (or both)
Sorrento is an ideal base to visit the archaeological parks of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which you can reach by train or tour.
The train ride not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination (it’s the local commuter train), but it is cheap, easy and doesn’t need advance booking.
Once Pompeii, you can opt to visit with an audioguide or, my recommended way, with a guided tour: I recommend this one or, at a lower price point, this one, also excellent but in a bigger group.
These tours are not ‘for kids’ as teenagers are usually above the age kids’ tours are designed for, but they are teen friendly and well within a teens’ grasp in terms of delivery and content. If you have special requirements for your teen (for instance, if you want to avoid areas with the most explicit frescoes or the casts) the private one is the way to go as they can tailor it to your specific requests
The reason why I recommend a guide here, unlike in most of the rest of Italy, is that Pompeii really is not user friendly: it is massive, it is not easy to know what you are looking at, and its magic is very much in the details (the delicate frescoes, but also the hidden clued that tell archaeologists if a building was a house or a shop) which are not easy without someone literally pointing them out to you
Very similar suggestions apply to Herculaneum: smaller than Pompeii, it has stunning ruins with an incredible state of conservation and can be visited on its own, or combined with Pompeii with a tour – the two together make sense as the two towns were affected by the Vesuvius eruption quite differently, and the two together paint a more complete picture of what life there must have been like in Roman times.
Good to know: the local train is notoriously temperamental. If planning to meet your guide in Pompeii or Herculaneum, give you yourself plenty of time to get there.
Hike Vesuvius
Sorrento is close to Vesuvius, a majestic view you can catch from Sorrento city center and the sea on clear days.
The hike up Vesuvius is not strenuous but it is uphill and exposed, so it is best done outside of summer (too hot! Too much sun exposure! Spring and early autumn is better) and with skinners / runner – it is easily done by small kids and poses no problems to a healthy teen.
There are several ways to go about hiking Vesuvius: this bus group tour from Sorrento that also included Pompeii is a nice, reasonably priced option to see both and not have to worry about transport. Of course, you can also go independently: in that case, I highly recommend you book your Vesuvius tickets ahead of time as there is no ticket booth up there!
Explore the Amalfi Coast by ferry or boat tour
Sorrento is very close to the Amalfi Coast and a great base for a day trip to see Positano, Amalfi and more via boat, which is often more fun for teens (and adults) than being stuck in a car on a trafficked bendy road for hours – traffic here can be bumper to bumper. There are many ways to go about it, depending on travel style and budget.
Budget travelers can easily take the ferry and have a full day enjoying whatever towns they wish to see in their own time. This is easy with teens who like to be spontaneous and the freedom of a day of exploration.
A more comfortable way is of course by boat tour. You can choose between several excellent ones: this shared one is lovely as the boat is not too big, so it still feels personal, and it includes a swimming stop; or this private one if you prefer an experience just for your family.
Good to know: when comparing prices of the different options, pay attention to the type of boat (of course), but also what fees are included. When we looked for tours, we noticed many seemed remarkably cheaper than others but we then saw that the small print specified fuel and docking cost was not included, and that cost amounted for hundreds of Euro! So, if comparing options, make sure you are comparing like for like!
Hop into Naples for the day
Naples is an exciting city for teens, a place like no others where incredible art mixes with street art, the most amazing street food options and a weird and wonderful chaotic mess of colors, noises and people everywhere.
Naples is not to everyone’s taste and a hard place with small kids but a great one to explore with teens with an interest about the world: they may like it or not, but will definitely open up an interesting conversation over dinner!
Getting to Naples from Sorrento is super easy by train or ferry and once in the city you can explore by yourself (you can follow my Naples itienerary here – just skip the intro about getting there from Rome) or mix free exploration with a tour. One I really like this one which is not too long and gives a great introduction to Naples historic center; to I can also recommend this one, which if a food tour but it is also in Naples center, so it doubles up as a way to experience the city with a guide.
Where to eat in Sorrento with teens
We have several lovely meals in Sorrento!
Ristorante Bagni Delfino – more upscale than the others, just to the side of Marina Grande
How to get to Sorrento with teens
You can reach Sorrento by:
Car – I do not recommend driving in this area, but you can reach Sorrento by car. If renting, I recommend you compare options on DiscoverCars to get the best quality/ price agency and reserve a parking spot with your hotel, if they give this option. If you prefer chaffeur service, my go-to service is Welcome Pickups.
Train – Sorrento is served by local trains connecting it to Naples.
There are currently two trains: Circumvesuviana, which is the local, commuter train. Cheap, unreliable and busy, it is a train many describe as an ‘experience’ and while it is definitely not luxurious, it does the job in most cases! If budget is as the essence, it’s a popular option.
A step up in terms of comfort is the tourist train ‘Campania Express‘ also on the budget side but with a/c and the option of booking seats, lacking on the local one. Tickets for both can be purchased at the station there and then.
Ferry – Sorrento is connected to Naples by an excellent ferry service. Advance booking is usually not necessary but possible direct with the ferry company Alilauro
Tips for a successful Sorrento stay with teens
Book accommodation early especially if you are a family of 4 ore more as family rooms go fast
Come late May / June or September/ October for the best weather and somewhat contained crowds. July and August get super busy and very hot so while definitely an option for a summer break, they are more work than quieter months.
Set expectations – Sorrento is a lovely buzzy town but it is not a Ferris wheels, crazy golf and arcade type of place so I feel depending on what your teens are used to, it is important for them to know what it can offer and what it can’t.
Avoid driving -I recommend not to drive in Sorrento.
The town itself is small and doesn’t require a car and the traffic and mountain roads of the area are no joke for drivers not used to them. Instead, I recommend to make the most of the local train, the excellent ferry system and, occasionally, private transfers, that can be handy if you have dinner late out of town, or you want to visit places up on the mountains or anyway not served by a ferry port.
Mix and match sightseeing with active pursuits: this is very much my go-to advice too all families traveling with teens and it stands strong in Sorrento, since it offers to many easy options. For instance, you can spend a day in Sorrento with a food tour and local swimming, one in Capri, one it Pompeii and Vesuvius, one ferry hopping on the Amalfi Coast src
I hope you enjoyed this quick guide and gave you ideas and tips to plan your very own stay in Sorrento with teens! Safe travels!