We are flying into Naples and are hiring a car service to drive us to Positano.
We are planning to stop and visit Pompeii and Herculean.
Would you plan to visit both after a twelve hour flight for a couple of hours each?
Is there a winery in the region that you recommend visiting?
I would absolutely not do that after a 12 hour flight. It will take you 2 hours to drive to Positano. Leave that for another time.
If you decide to follow through with a plan to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum (note spelling) on the day you arrive in Italy, you will regret it. First, I would never visit both in one day and, second, and most importantly, never in a jet-lagged fog.
To me walking around either Pompeii OR Herculaneum would be the perfect way to combat jet lag. I would not attempt both. Visiting a winery with jet lag would be as good as giving me sleeping pills.
There's no way I'd do either after a 12-hour flight. Walking around in the fresh air to stay awake until bedtime is a good idea but having to pay attention to many details of these historic sites should be saved until you're wide awake. And I'd agree that a winery isn't a great idea either. I'd go directly to Positano, settle in and go for a leisurely stroll.
Would you plan to visit both after a twelve hour flight for a couple of hours each?
NO !!!!!!!---- not even one
No way. This would be a real waste.
Go to a park, take a walk, light sightseeing - that does not demand much of you, certainly not any mental engagement? Sure.
Go to what's essentially an open-air museum, with lots of signs and reading to understand what you're seeing...no way.
I'll just join the chorus. There are few people I hate enough to put through this torture.
Please, please, on your first day just go from Naples airport to Positano and walk around Positano (very very hilly, so that will get the blood going). The next day, when you are possibly somewhat less wiped out, you can consider going to Pompeii or Herculaneum. But remember that from Positano, these take some time and effort to reach, so don't overdo it - don't even THINK of seeing both of these in one day, or you'll be sorry.
From one of your previous posts:
My husband and I will be going to the Amalfi Coast and plan to stay in
Sorrento for three nights and in Positano three nights.
It's going to be easier to do both Pompeii and/or Herculaneum (Ercolano Scavi) from Sorrento as it's closer and has train service (local Circumvesuviana) so cuts the time it would take from Positano.
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule?timetable_route=sorrento_napoli
This thread does not give the month of the trip. Heat, Sun, and Crowding are factors at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Is this your first trip to Europe? It makes no sense to visit (and taste at) a winery while already short on sleep!
You would be right if you think that Positano is not a good location for daytrips. It is a very different environment than Sorrento, so your desire to stay there may (or may not, I for one don't care for smaller, pebbled beaches) be justified.
Assuming you can easily afford the car service, you might think about the amount of money you'll be paying for the car to sit and wait for you. Could you use the same dollars in a better way by using a second car service another day? BTW, if you are going to your next destination from Positano, you need to plan the extensive travel and time necessary for your departure day. That may clarify your total transportation needs.
Previous thread states that they plan to travel in mid-April unless that part of the plan has changed (which it apparently did for # of nights in Positano over several posts).
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-fly-in-car-train-bus
It would be nice to know what the complete itinerary looks like currently. OP, engage please?
Thank you - we plan to revise our ambitious idea!
