Day trips from Sorrento

Bus down and ferry back. You can make stops in both directions, but you need specific tickets for each stop.

Start early, have lunch along the way. Plan on dessert in Minori, at the pasticceria near the ferry stop, exquisite!

Yes, you can take a bus tour from Sorrento to Positano/Amalfi/Rafello in one day. You could take the bus tour or hire a private driver to Positano, enjoy the town and then take a ferry back to Sorrento(make sure you get your return ferry ticket right away so you know what time you need to be ready for trip back to Sorrento; it's a lovely trip back by boat ) See Pompeii either on the way to Sorrento or back to wherever you are going next; if it is Rome or Naples. Sorrento is a wonderful home base.
On our trip there; we based ourselves in Sorrento for six nights. First day, we hired a private driver to take us to Positano and we took the ferry back. Absolutely gorgeous! Actually bought a picnic lunch and sat by the water and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely day; it was a bit pricey for two of us for private driver there; but it was well worth it. Bus or driver can only take you so far; then you walk down into the town. Second day; ferry to Capri. While there we took a bus to top of town and also did the ride up to the top on a ski lift type ride. We really enjoyed this too; riding over homes and looking out to the sea was interesting and beautiful. We did a bus tour from Sorrento that took us to Positano/Amalfi/Rafello. It was a very nice day; we enjoyed all three towns immensely. (Second visit to Positano during that visit and enjoyed it again)
The ride on the coast is gorgeous; be prepared for winding roads and riding along the cliffs. I would suggest taking Bonine for motion sickness for bus ride and boat trip if you are prone to this.
It is a breathtaking area and I'm sure you will love your visit.

Ravello... Don't know how I got Rafello!

Do you have a recommendation for a private driver?

Marcia,
What days will you be in Sorrento? I'll be there 13-17. I have been before and yes all is possible. Here is my itinerary and some things to think about

Day 7 Thursday 10/13: Naples and Sorrento.
If you stop in Naples don't stay too late. Both Naples and the CV train are a bit rough. Keep an eye on your purse and don't talk to strangers (gypsies).

Day 8 Friday 10/14: Positano/Amalfi/Ravello
Ferries are the best but often don't run in October. Plan on the bus. If you plan on the public bus I suggest taking the first and next to last of the day. Or book a private car which is Steves' recommendation. If we are in Sorrento at the same time I would be happy to pitch in $ and tag along :) A private car doesn't make sense for a solo traveler but it is the preferred method especially if you get motion sickness (buses are hot, crowded and sway over the cliffs).
My day: 6:30am Bus to Positano (45min), 11:30 bus to Amalfi (1hr), 2:30pm bus to Ravello, 7:15pm bus back to Amalfi, 8pm bus to Sorrento (2hrs, use the toilet). On Fridays, there is also a bus at 9:20 and 11pm. The bus schedule is more restricted (and crowded) on the weekends. I'll try to jump in with a group getting a taxi/car (a useful trick for solo travel) but will bus as a back up plan.

Day 9 Saturday 10/15: Paestum/Salerno
This is a bit tricky on public transport. I am an expert so will be taking a carefully planned combo of local and national trains. If you are traveling with another person consider a private car. This is also a beach day for me. All the beaches on the Amalfi coast are rocks/pebbles. The beach near Paestum is sand and less crowded.

Day 10 Sunday 10/16: Capri/Sorrento
A trip to Capri is pretty much a full day deal in my opinion. There are tours that do Capri and Pompeii in one day but those only allow for a couple hours in each and tons of time on the bus/ferry. I have a favorite tour company for Capri but you can also DIY on the ferry.

Day 10 Monday 10/17: Pompeii/Sorrento
Easily reachable by the local train. Plan on at least three hours at the site to see it all. Bring a water bottle, fountains are plentiful but bathrooms are hard to find. Bring cash for the gate ticket and snacks. If you go first thing in the morning (recommended) you can see it all by 1pm and leave the site for lunch. The restaurant by the gate is expensive and not great. You are better off packing a snack, getting back on the train and eating in Sorrento. Or you can walk into the town of Pompeii to try to find a restaurant...be warned you will have to walk back to the Scavi station at the archeological site, the Pompeii station is not on the same line...but will get you to Salerno if you want to fit that city into your trip. I highly recommend buying the lemon granita near the gate...sooo tasty and refreshing, if a bit expensive.

Here is my email if you want me to send you some more info including the bus and train schedules.

Thank you all so much for the great information! I am happy to know the day trip to see all three coastal towns is possible. Mandy, unfortunately we won't get to Sorrento until Oct 19. We will be in Venice first for a couple of days. Sharing a private driver with you would have been great :( Rick suggests trying to do that in his book but I am not sure how to connect with anyone other than this forum.

I would not recommend using public transportation to see the Amalfi Coast if you have another option. Way too hilly, crowded, and time consuming. We did the Rick Steves recommended Mondo shared tours "www.mondoguide.it" for 50 euros/person, and it was well worth the money. When you go to the website, you will see "shared tours- Rick Steves" on the top. You sign up for the day and tour you want, and a confirmation is sent to you when the small van fills up. Our tour van held 8 people, including the two of us, and that was the maximum. It was reasonably priced for the all day tour from 9a.m-6:00p.m., and our driver was informative with sites and restaurant recommendations. The van left from Sorrento, and we went to Positano, Amalfi, and up to Ravello, stopping at a ceramics store on the way, which had a clean restroom. After a full day of walking up and down steps and hills to tour these towns, the van dropped us off at our hotel door at the end of the day. We were very pleased and had an amazing time.

When I was in that area in 2014, I also took the Mondo Tour one day, a few weeks after those began. It was great, but spent very limited time in each of the three towns on the Amalfi Coast. Then, on a later day, I went back by bus and specifically spent quite a bit more time in each of Amalfi and Ravello. Traveling by bus is cheap, but you need to be ready for crowded buses (maybe not so bad in October) and for standing in line for a bus which gets filled, so then you need to wait another 30 minutes for the next bus. Slow going, often without being able to enjoy the views too much while on the bus. A private car and driver, especially if you can share the experience and expense with a couple more people, would be wonderful. Then you can decide how much time you want to spend in each town, at each viewpoint, and how and where you want to handle lunch. Traveling by ferry would be excellent too, if running on those days in October. Not sure what the schedule is, and I understand that if the water is rough, they do not operate.

The other times I have joined private tour groups I have met people at the hotel/hostel or even the bus stop or train station. Usually, I overhear them talking about their plans, politely interrupt and suggest I tag along. When I am not sure about the cost I ask them to suggest a contribution but, in most cases, I have already done the research and know what amount of money about right. I also clarify what they have planned. As you saw from my very long day using the public bus I want to spend more than an hour to two in each town so I would want to confirm we have similar intentions.

I find this trick especially helpful in having those surprisingly wonderful, unplanned side trip such as stopping in a small town to use the toilet and end up having dinner with a local family with their homemade limoncello on the menu.

When you get to Sorrento check with your hotel if the ferries are still running to Positano and Amalfi.

This is the Capri tour company I really liked. http://www.sorrentocapritours.com/en/