If you are planning your Amalfi coast adventure you may be undecided as to where to make your base. Two options that keep coming up are Positano and Sorrento, both about an hour away from the Naples airport. A quick technicality, Sorrento is on the Sorrento coast, but close enough to the Amalfi coast to explore its perks. For me deciding where to stay, Positano or Sorrento, was a no-brainer when taking into consideration my travel style.
We resided in both Sorrento and Positano on our last trip to Italy and explored both extensively. When asking where to stay Positano or Sorrento there is no question as to my choice...The quick answer is Sorrento; an area which I liked (well enough). If one factors in all the reasons to make an area their base, Positano just does not stack up. Whether it is food, things to do, or just areas to explore, Sorrento is superior to Positano. If you think I am being too decisive about this, you haven’t read my Positano post here.
If we look at each condition more carefully, you will agree that Sorrento is the better place to stay. Whether you stay in Sorrento or Positano, you should not stay in either too long. I disliked Positano, I (somewhat) appreciated Sorrento, but was not overjoyed with the area. Either place may get boring if you stay too long, and neither are a good representation of Italy.
Sorrento or Positano: Things to Do
Sorrento just has more to occupy your time than Positano. Let me not beat around the bush, Positano was boring. Unless you love shopping for overprice clothes and art, the town has little to do. There was an interesting church and a tour of the ruins underneath. They barely advertised it, and it was only an hour, but given how much I like history it was worth it. Other than that, there are a handful of small art galleries, you could see in 20-minutes.
The nightlife in Positano was also terrible. A couple of tourist traps open late near the overpriced, underwhelming beach was all Positano could muster. Sorrento had slightly more churches, better beaches, and was bigger. The shopping was more interesting than Positano and seemed cheaper. There were certainly more bars that stayed open much later.
Since neither offers a ton to do, you will be taking day trips. We found that the train in Sorrento was extremely easy to navigate and allowed easy access to Pompeii (a must visit when in the area) and Naples. Both Sorrento and Positano offer a ferry to Capri, it is slightly quicker from Positano.
Overall, Positano was just not easy to get around due to the hills. I like to spend my Italy days strolling from one wine bar or café to the next. The hills made this extremely unenjoyable. Add to this that Positano had very few small ( and cheap) wine bars. Positano was also ridiculously small, with little to explore. We walked the same path over and over, never finding anything new. On the other hand, Sorrento was a more pleasant area to explore…not too many hills, but enough to annoy you at times… A nice square and more nooks and crannies to get lost in. If you are asking where to stay Sorrento or Positano for entertainment, Sorrento wins for me.
Positano vs. Sorrento: Food
Eating well is important to me and neither place delivered a home run in terms of things to eat. Having said this, Sorrento had much better food than Positano. I touched on this in the last section, but the idea of strolling someplace, grabbing a drink and small bite was foreign in Positano. There was one stand out restaurant that I think you should visit if spending a half day at Positano, La Tagliata. I did a more comprehensive guide to eating in Positano here. Even La Tagilata, which was great was not really in Positano. They picked us up from our hotel, I think it took nearly a half an hour by bus. We would have gone there more often if it were closer. Every other restaurant was at best forgettable, at worst you felt like you were being robbed.
There are several better inexpensive restaurants in Sorrento. Even though most were touristy, we had many good meals. Walk down the road a bit and you hear more Italian (as opposed to Janice from Long Island), and the tourist traps start to grow fewer. There was one stand out meal we had in Sorrento, Porta Marina Seafood. It is a bit tricky to get to, even with GPS, but it is well worth it. You can easily walk there and once you arrive you will enjoy an outstanding meal, with a beautiful view. If I were staying in Sorrento for any decent amount of time, I would hit this daily. On a whole, Sorrento just had better food with better prices than Positano.
When deciding between Positano or Sorrento for foodies, Sorrento is the best choice. If you are out all-day touring Capri or exploring Pompeii and want something when you get back, there are plenty of options. Neither has consistently excellent Italian food, but Sorrento has many more bright spots.
Positano vs. Sorrento: Views
I will give Positano this much, it is genuinely nice to look at. It may have the second best coastline I have visited, next to Santorini (read my post here). One benefit to all those hills was that it created a great backdrop. Our nightly drink at the hotel Poseidon was probably the highlight of our stay in Positano. Old homes and beautiful churches stacked up next to each other overlooking the sun coming down on the Mediterranean sea; it is something to be seen.
Sorrento is nice also, but you have to travel a little way to get to the coast (a small walk). The view from our hotel was of the square, nice, but nothing compared to Positano. When you get to the Sorrento coast, you do see how beautiful the area is. Sorrento has some very picturesque areas, but Positano is more beautiful. Unfortunately, Positano is like seeing a gorgeous model, then realizing she can’t put a sentence together. As in dating, looks are not everything, they can get old fast!
In terms of pure beauty, Sorrento vs. Positano…Positano wins.
To Recap…
| Stay in Sorrento if You Like…. | Stay in Positano if You Like… |
| More things to do | Better Views |
| Better Food | Slightly closer to other towns |
| Easier to Walk Around/Explore | To turn your calves into watermelons from walking uphill |
Where to Stay Positano or Sorrento: Similarities
Even though I find Sorrento to be superior to Positano in terms of where to stay, both have more similarities than differences. Both Positano and Sorrento are tourist traps hubs…they did not give a full representation of Italy. Walking down the streets of Sorrento, hearing a drunk American girl streak ITAALLLY with her friends, reminded me this was not Palermo, Sicily (read my Review here).
Positano was worse in terms of tourists. Locals refuse to even entertain speaking to us in Italian. Whenever we ate, I made a note, I did not see one local at any restaurant we visited (staff excluded). You will be around mostly Americans and Brits, not Italians in both places. I would say more so in Positano than Sorrento, but both are bad.
Both are equally good for exploring the rest of the Amalfi coast, although Positano might be a bit easier to get to some of the smaller towns. Sorrento is a bit closer to Pompeii and Naples. Either way it will not be difficult to get to other areas from which ever location you pick.
What is lacking in both is the history, ruins, and beautiful churches that make Italy so great (not to mention the food). Personally, I may never see either area again, I like a little adventure in my trips…or at least to feel uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts: Where to Stay Sorrento or Positano
If you are hell bent on seeing the area, stay in Sorrento. It has better food, a better nightlife, and just an easier environment to walk around. If I had to, I would not spend more than a day in Positano…and that is pushing it. Maybe get there via ferry at 10 AM, walk up the obnoxious hills until you are tired. Browse some overpriced shops, then maybe grab the bus to La Taglita for lunch (or an early dinner). Then get the hell out. There is truly little to do in Positano, certainly not enough to keep you entertained for a week. Personally, I would combined both into a larger trip, that fits my travel style more..
