Basing in Sorrento for Amalfi Coast - Question about late evening returns to Sorrento

In summer Yes the last bus leaves around 22:40 the one before than is 21:40 or take a Taxi
It may be up to only 20:00 on Sundays

You have to expect the bus to be crowded. Rick has suggested that those visiting Positano and Amalfi on the same day (not referring to sunset photos) should start in Positano because the bus "home" to Sorrento originates in Amalfi, and it sometimes fails to stop in Positano because it is FULL. (No personal experience, we hired a car and driver. But I did see over-filled busses leaving Sorrento for Positano in the morning. The line was longer than one bus full of people.) Obviously, you need to be prepared with emergency taxi money when you are aiming at the last two busses.

Check Circumvesuviana hours as well. See if you are interested in the view from Sant' Agata sui dui Golfi, which is easy to get to. Haze around Vesuvius is a common disappointment, BTW.

Thanks for the replies. I did see that suggestion re: heading back from Amalfi instead of Positano, so maybe that's a possibility if my husband isn't set on a Positano sunset. I was trying to avoid relocating hotels w/ luggage, etc, but maybe 1-2 nights on the coast would be worth considering. Or just plan for a taxi/private driver back to Sorrento on one of the days and pay the $$$.

You could also see Pompeii en route from the train to the coast, either with transit or a private driver waiting for you.

I'd like to affirm the part about the bus being overcrowded. If you can, you might want to hire a private car. This would make your movement around more flexible. The Bus has a specific time and route, it might not be easy to design your work schedule around this. A private care however solves this problem.

I am not advocating to spend the money, but the drivers "know" the viewpoints. And they can block you (for protection) with the cars while you shoot from a curb along the road - if there's a good view they know about. It's a project by public transportation, but Ravello has glorious views, esp. from the (paid admission) Gardens.

The more I look into it, the more a private driver may make sense if we aren't going to overnight in one of the cities. I'm assuming that I could book one for an 7:30pm pick up in Positano (or whichever town) and utilize them for the sunset views for an hour or so then head back to Sorrento? Ideas on what to expect, cost wise - $150 euro, more?

240 Euros for 8 consecutive hours, maybe.