5 fantastic day trips from Sorrento that are great for families

Discover 5 of the best day trips from Sorrento you can take with the kids for a fun day out with or without a tour.

Sorrento is a beautiful coastal town, a place where you can settle, relax and enjoy stunning views, outstanding food and a the unique type of hospitality you get in the bubbly region of Campania.

Sorrento is also a fantastic base for day trips to the area.

Thanks to rail, road and water connections to its surrounding area, options for day trips from Sorrento to surrounding areas abound, including many that are suitable for families with kids!

Due to this abundance of options, the issue you may encounter in Sorrento is picking the best day trips out of the infinite, tempting offers at your fingertips!

Today, I share my top picks and the best day trips from Sorrento for families with kids.

Please note: this post contains affiliate links, marked with *. Should you make a purchase through them, we might make a small commission.

Day trip from Sorrento to Pompeii with kids (3 ways!)

I open this list of the best day trips from Sorrento with the most requested destination by families with children: Pompeii!

The ancient city of Pompeii, with its incredible fate, is usually very high up on the list of must-see places as it fascinated kids and adults alike and it is very easy to visit from Sorrento.

This is a fantastic day trip from Sorrento for families interested in a unique Unesco work heritage site and kids fascinated by the story of the Vesuvius eruption.

There are three main ways to plan a day trip from Sorrento to Pompeii with kids:

1. Go with a guided tour that includes transport (recommended for comfort)
2. Make your own way to Pompeii and meet a guide at the ruins (recommended as a mid-way budget option)
3. Make your own way to Pompeii and visit the ruins by yourself (not recommended)

If budget allows, the best way to visit Pompeii as a day trip from Sorrento is by booking a tour that includes transport and a guide.

The reason why I recommend private transport is comfort.

Sorrento and Pompeii are connected by a local commuter train that has no reserved seatings and no air conditioning/ while this is not an issue at low affluence times and in the winter season, in the hot and busy season, it gets very tiring very fast.

This, added to the huge size of Pompeii and the fact that the site is mostly under the sun, makes it my least favorite way to get to Pompeii from Sorrento with kids, unless I am on a tight budget.

The reason why I recommend a guide is the fact that Pompeii is huge (it’s a whole city, and not a small one!) and the fact that it is not easy to know what you are looking at, unless you have a guide with you who can help you make sense of what you are seeing.

Option 1: day trip to Pompeii from Sorrento with private transport

For me, the best day tour from Sorrento to Pompeii with transport is this >>>> Pompeii highlights tour by LivTours* <<<< a fantastic, private Pompeii tour that allows you to visit the best of the ancient city with an expert guide.

The tour includes the option of adding private transport in a vehicle with air conditioning and car seats for the kids.

Good to know: this your also allows to add a trou up Vesuvius and lunch in a local winery, covering three of the most sought-after destinations in the area in one day, in full comfort.

This Tour is not for kids as such: however, the private nature of it, the quality of the guides and the overall comfort of the experience make it suitable for families with young kids (the guide can adapt the pace to you) and tweens and teens especially.

Option 2: day trip to Pompeii from Sorrento, making your own way to Pompeii

If you are happy to make your way to Pompeii from Sorrento, you can save a significant amount of transport money yet still enjoy a top-quality tour with an expert and family-friendly guide.

In this case, I recommend the two following tours:

>>> Guided tour of Pompeii for kids by MariaclaudiaTours: this is a lovely tour for kids with an engaging and competent local guide. This tour is game-based and it is perfect for kids aged 6 to 11, who are at the center of the experience.

MariaclaudiaTours can be contacted on Facebook (their website is under construction) or by email mariaclaudiatours @ gmail.com tell them you found them on MamaLovesItaly and ask for Roberta as your Pompeii guide!

>>> Private Tour of Pompeii by LivTours: the same tour I recommended above, perfect for families who don’t need a game approach for the kids but want a family-friendly guide able to adapt to the needs of families with young kids and teens. Find info and prices here*.

Option 3: make your own way and visit without a guide

The most budget-friendly way to visit Pompeii with kids from Sorrento is by taking the train and buying entry tickets without the aid of a guide.

The reason why I do not recommend this approach is that the site of Pompeii is huge and rather difficult to navigate on your own as there is limited information available about what it is you are seeing.

If you are happy to visit by yourself, you can get tickets here >>> Official Pompeii ticket site

How to get to Pompeii from Sorrento: the best way to get to Pompeii from Sorrento by publish transport is by taking the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento station to Pompeii Scavi, then take the shuttle to the park entrance. Find transport info here (Italian only).

You can find here >>> all my tips for visiting Pompeii with kids

Herculaneum

Another fantastic day trip from Sorrento for families is a trip to Herculaneum, another stunning archaeological site on par with Poepii with beauty and significance.

Herculaneum is smaller than Pompeii and, in many ways, easier and better to visit with kids.

The city shares with the Poempeii the fateful location at the bottom of Mount Vesuvius and, just like its bigger neighbor, saw life coming to an abrupt end when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.

When the eruption happened, Herculaneum got covered in hot ashes, which brought life in the city to a halt but also created a cocoon that helped preserve the building in such an intact way, we can still see them today!

Due to its smaller size, you can visit Herculaneum with kids without a structured tour: audioguides are available that are a good and budget-friendly option to learn about the site.

Good to know: if you want to see both Pompeii and Herculaneum, there are tours that allow you to do so, such as this one*. I recommend this option to families with older kids with a special interest in history.

Day trip from Sorrento to Capri with kids

Capri is one of the most beautiful islands in Italy and the Mediterranean in general and a fantastic day trip from Sorrento with kids.

Despite its fame as honeymoon and glamorous destination, enjoying Capri with kids is easy and there are several ways to go about it.

The most budget-friendly way to visit Capri is by going independently by ferry/hydrofoil and then explore on your own.

You can also easily add to this a boat tour around the islands with and/or the blue grotto.

Find here >>> sample hydrofoil schedule and here >> an example of a local boat tour*.

The best way to enjoy a day trip from Sorrento to Capri in comfort is by booking a private or shared boat tour. Tours can be shared or private and some include swimming stops (summer only).

A couple of good ones to look into are:

>>> Salboat day trip from Sorrento to Capri with swimming stop – this is a great boat tour to Capri that includes a stop on the island, lunch and snorkeling stop.

>>> Semi-private day trip from Sorrento to Capri by LivTours*

>>> Private day tour to Capri by LivTours*

Day trip from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi coast by boat (summer)

Boat tours are the very best way to see the Amalfi coast: the tall coastline is breathtaking from the water, and you’ll quickly see why they call Costiera Amalfitana ‘La Divina’, the Divine!

In summer, you can easily take a boat tour from Sorrento to Amalfi coast and see highlights such as the famous Positano and Amalfi itself.

Tries and tested yours that are great for families are:

>>> Amalfi Coast tour from Sorrento by LivTours*, complete with bilingual guides, swimming stops, towels, snorkeling equipment, snack and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) on board.

>>> Amalfi Coast Tour from Sorrento* (ask for Captain Luigi)

>>> Salboat Sorrento Tour to Amalfi Coast

Good to know: if going outside of boating season, it is still possible to tour the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento, by car. In this case, we recommend this family-friendly Amalfi Coast tour by LivTour*, which offer car seats as well as comfortable cars and English-speaking chauffeurs.

Day trip to Procida

Procida is a delightful small island in front of Sorrento, not far from famous neighbors Capri and Ischia.

The island is less known than its bigger sisters, yet it gained international fame after starring as the stunning backdrop of the movie ‘The Postman’ (Il Postino) and for being the Capital of Culture in 2022.

Procida doesn’t offer as many organized activities and tours as others and it is fantastic if you want a quiet day on a colorful and photo-friendly fishing island where to have a wander and lunch.

Due to its quieter vibe, Procida is a lovely place to visit with kids.

You can easily reach Procida from Sorrento in the good season. See a sample passage schedule here.

Read here >>> what you need to know about Procida Island.

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of the best day trips from Sorrento for families and it helped you make plans for your visit to the Amalfi Coast with kids. Safe travels!

See also:

• How many days on Amalfi Coast
• How to get to Amalfi Coast from Rome
• How to get to Sorrento from Naples’ airport
• Amalfi coast towns you’ll love

Best day trips from Sorrento for families with kids – pin this!

All the experiences and tours recommended on this page come from the recommendation of real parents. Meet us all in your Italy with kids Facebook group!