Afternoon visit to Vesuvius/Naples/Pompeii

Personally I would skip Naples with children and a car. I'd just be too nervous the whole time. The Archaeological Museum in Naples is justifiably famous, but you can see a lot of the artifacts on the website or in art history books.

It takes a fair amount of time to see & appreciate the "scavi" at Pompeii because it is an entire city, so I'd plan plenty of time there. If you wanted an intermediate stop for pizza, Herculaneum (Ercolani) is on the way, affords a great view of Vesuvius, and makes an interesting contrast to Pompeii.

Honestly, you cannot accomplish all three of these "in one afternoon" even as a solo traveler or with a private driver, let alone someone traveling with three kids in a car. You're have to factor in travel time and traffic from Orvieto (it's ~ 319 km from Naples), some time allocated to eat something mid-day, and also the sheer time it would take to see all three sites unless you want to literally breeze through, which I'm not even sure would be possible. I think it's better to be realistic. I would space these sites out on separate days - it took me 4-5 hours to see Pompeii alone (for a really rushed visit, it would take 2 hours). I would rethink trying to drive in Naples proper...you'll want to pull your hair out unless you're a very experienced driver and can navigate through that mess. There's no way to tell whether your kids will enjoy the Archeological Museum because it really depends on the kids, their interests, and their maturity level (I wouldn't have appreciated it even at age 16 or 20, but now I'd love it). Be sure to check the hours before you go for all three sites...if the closing time is 5 pm, then that will give you a better picture of how much time you really have.

I don't think there's any reason to be afraid of Naples, only driving in Naples. It may be a bit of sensory overload for kids and adults alike, but there's no reason to freak out over Naples. Just come mentally prepared that it's a busy city with lots of traffic, it's not an idyllic Tuscan village. Unless you have a lot of patience and your kids are flexible and easy going, it may turn into an unhappy, stressful trip. Naples requires patience and flexibility, or you'll likely hate it (like many others on this forum). I also wouldn't drive around with a trunk full of luggage..it's best to drop off at the hotel and return to Naples without the car, and give yourself enough time to see the museum. There are lots of treasures in Naples - have a great trip!

You didn't say how many nights in Sorrento. But it happens that Sorrento is the IDEAL location for daytrips without a car. I hope you don't have the dream of driving around the Amalfi Coast in your mighty steel steed - it's a drag, and parking is hopeless. Anyway, Pompeii is right at the appropriate commuter train (Circumvesuviana) stop Pompeii Scavi. You can "see" the volcano from Sorrento or Pompeii, and if you want to waste time climbing it, you can get a van excursion from many places, including the Pompeii Scavi train station. Every night (last week in May) we were in Sorrento, we saw forty cars lined up, stationary, to enter the underground parking garage well on the outside of town (I mean, near our Ambasciatori hotel.) Don't keep the car in Sorrento.

We waited in line almost an hour for pizza in Naples. Pleasant, well-organized mob, but a wait, nonetheless. Unless your kids love real art, you can skip the Archaeology museum. And you'd have to decide about the erotic frescoes in the special room there. (You'll have to explain the building in Pompeii, anyway.) Be sure to bring sun protection and water for Pompeii or Vesuvius. We skipped Vesuvius. A volcano is a volcano.

" you can see a lot of the artifacts on the website or in art history books. " -
By that measure there's no reason to go to Italy at all.

I have indeed seen many of the items in the Naples Archeological Museum in books and it does not compare to seeing them in person. I hadn't realized how tiny some of the mosaics are nor how well crafted was some of the glassware. Looking up at the Farnese Bull, walking around it, and seeing it from different angles is something no book can convey.

The drive from Orvieto to Naples is three hours.

Your best bet is to park at Naples Capodichino airport.
You don't want to drive in Naples proper. My daughter lives a half hour away, has lived there 13 years, and this is where she parks if going into Naples. Edit: cost is 13E per hour.

Park in the P 3 lot. Short walk to where the Alibus picks up for a short ride (15m) into town.
Tickets, 3 E if purchased at the booth. 4E on the bus.

Get off at the train station, cross the street and enter the metro Garibaldi. Tickets 1,50.
Take line 2 to metro Museo.

The archeological museum will be to your right as you exit the underground.

For pizza, cross the street in front of the museum, there's an alley way which takes you thru the Galleria into piazza Bellini.
On the left side of the street is restaurant Bellini. Great pizza.

Reverse back to the airport, then drive to Pompei.
Parking by the train station.
There are guides at the gate, cost is 12-15E per person. The kids will get much more out of the site with a guide. Tour is around 2 hours.

From Pompei , head to Sorrento. I'll look up the driving directions and post later.

Edit. Driving directions.

Take the A 3 south to Angri exit, then the Sp 122 to the coast road. This is much shorter in high season when the coast road is bumper to bumper. It's also a pretty drive.

Only you will be able to decide if you want to drive along the coast once you get there.

Thank you all for your input. It was very helpful. There is no way to see everything we want, but this helps us narrow down and make informed decisions. Thanks again!