Itinerary help

Looks busy, but good to me. If you're flying home from Florence, then great. But if you're flying home from Rome, I'd switch the order so you end in Rome. I always prefer to be in my departure city the night before I have to leave. One less thing to be concerned about.

I’m flying home from Florence. Made that mistake a year ago when I flew into Vienna but took a train to start in Prague and ended in Vienna. Learning from my past mistakes.
Thanks. It seems like most of the coast areas are not too far from Sorento so I thought I’d see if it’s ok. In the past I planned to many things in a day. Being careful this time. I know something is gonna go wrong, part of traveling, so minimizing the opportunities.

Looks fine, only 3 hotels. Get a quote from Sorrentocars to be driven from NAP to your Sorrento hotel. Visiting Naples, these are the trains you take to Garibaldi, which is downstairs at Napoli Centrale:

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/campania-express-train-schedule [less uncomfortable, mid-March to mid-Oct]

And here are the ferries:

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/ferry-schedule

Personally I'd stay in Naples.

I’m going to look into staying and see how that works also. Thanks.

Looks nice, well planned. Easy transits.
Are you traveling alone?

Sorrento 5
Rome 4
Florence 5

I’d stay in Naples first night, see Naples next day then go to Sorrento late afternoon.
Yes, that’s a 1 night stay but it eliminates a couple of train/ferry trips.

Sorrento is a great base for your day trips- each needs a day of its own. You’ll still have time to enjoy Sorrento in the evenings.
We used Mondo Guides www.sharedtours.com for Pompeii and Capri- both excellent and money well spent. Capri tour/boat ride was especially fun.

What does “see Amalfi coast” mean to you? You’ve got bus, ferry, private driver options.

I’d probably give another night to Rome. 4 nights is just 3.5 days.
Florence needs 2 nights at least, add another night for each day trip. Could combine 2 hill towns in 1 day trip.

Naples 1
Sorrento 4
Rome 5
Florence 4

It’s 2 of us. I thought it would be better to just stay in Naples the first day. Flight will be landing around 4:40pm May 2nd. Would be better than trying to rush to Sorrento and making my way back for a day trip the next day. As far as seeing the Amalfi Coast, would that be to complicated alone or would a guide be better at first?

Look into arranging a private transfer from the airport to Sorrento. That's the simplest and not terribly expensive. You'd want a taxi to your Naples hotel and then maybe another to the train to Sorrento anyway. Then you can relax in Sorrento, which is the best base for your itinerary. Naples is "Rome on steroids" (not recommended for a first trip to Italy) and not convenient for the Amalfi Coast (AC).

Use the local Circumvesuviana train (think of it as a metro) for a day in Pompeii and a day in Naples. Take a ferry to Capri. There are buses and ferries to the AC. Many like to go one way by bus and the other by ferry. You can also use either to get from town to town along the coast.

Your plan sounds fine.

Flight will be landing around 4:40pm May 2nd.

Ah! Given this- I'd head to Sorrento on arrival, I was assuming you would have more time on arrival day.
Most recommend seeing the Archaeological museum in Naples AFTER you have seen Pompeii. You could combine Pompeii and Naples on same day- to Pompeii in am then continue on for your visit to Naples. It would be a long day- don't know how much time you want in Naples.
Museum is closed on Tues- so May 5 is out for that.

I wouldn't want to head back to Naples on the first day- if you combine with Pompeii do that on May 4 or just rearrange your day trips and put Pompeii/Naples on 5/6?

For Amalfi coast- you can DIY- bus 1 way, ferry back or vice versa. The buses are quite crowded so get going early!
Or consider a private driver for the day
We used Top Sorrento Excursions for a couple of transfers and were very pleased with their service.
https://www.topexcursionsorrento.com/?portal_referer_id=46

Mondo Guides also offer a very affordable Amalfi day trip- 55 euros- really not bad at all.

With the amount of time you have, I'm going to suggest a slightly different path.

May 2. Arrive Naples take the Curreri Viaggi bus to Sorrento. You should be able to make the 18:00 bus. 1H15m. Cost 10€/pp.

https://www.curreriviaggi.it/airport-shuttle/times-download

May 3. Amalfi Coast. Ferry to Amalfi, bus to Ravello. Then head to Positano via Amalfi. Bus back to Sorrento. This should give you a full 8-10 hours on the Coast.

May 4. early ferry to Capri. Spend the night.

May 5. Afternoon Ferry Capri-Naples. Taxi to lodging (Fixed fare from port). Explore Naples. Stay Naples.

https://www.napoliunplugged.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tariffe_taxi_2017.pdf

Map https://www.unicocampania.it/files/mappe/Napoli2016.pdf

Hotel
http://www.hotelpiazzabellini.com/en
Centrally located in the old center. Near 2 metro stops.

May 6. Naples to Pompeii Scavi. Stay Naples.

May 7. Afternoon train. Naples-Rome. Taxi or metro to station.

Edit to add links.

I see. Thanks for that information, I don’t think I want to go to Naples on my first full day after what I’m hearing.(first visit in that busy of an location). I think I’m going to continue to Sorrento after arriving on the 2nd, and on the 3rd start with Capri, 4th Amalfi Coast, 5th Pompeii, then 6th Naples. Would i be missing much in Sorrento spending only evenings. I have really thought about the Mondo tours as prescribed in the book for all of the day trips. As far as Positano, and Ravello would i be missing something there if I didn’t make it to them? As far as Paestum, would that require its own day trip?

The Curreri Viaggi bus leaves from the Naples airport. You won't go anywhere near the city of Naples. Sorry for the confusion.

Spending your time in Sorrento in the evenings, you'll not miss a thing. Great restaurants are abundant.

There is a day trip to Paestum from Sorrento available on both Tuesday and Thursday which will fit your schedule.

https://traveletc.it/en_GB/tours/61438?referral=CAPRI_ONLINE

I do recommend the Mondo tours, but, these are small towns and easy to see on your own.

Capri is one of those places that are sometimes overwhelming crowded during the day and delightful in the evenings. Which is why I recommend an overnight stay. Try to visit on a sunny day, not a great place to be in the rain. Heading to Naples from there puts you closer to the train station for your transit to Rome the next day.

One more question. Is it wise to purchase tickets for May 1-16 this early, or should i wait?

Tickets for which items?

To Italy. (Naples)

Since you are less than 4 months out- yes- it is probably time to buy your tix! Once you see price you can live with book- as long as you are completely set on your itinerary.

Glad you checked those open/closed times- I know when we went I had to almost make a spreadsheet to figure it out- we were in Florence S, M, T which made things difficult.

I'd say we spent about an hour each in Bargello, Galileo and San Marco. We thought all were worthwhile and none were crowded- don't know that free Sunday might be but it never hurts to get there at opening.

Palazzo Vecchio- if i remember right- has late pm hours, we visited after dinner so it was quite late- probably about 10 pm?- there was nobody there but us.

Would i be missing much in Sorrento spending only evenings Not in the least. There's very little to see/do there. Use the evenings to visit the shops, wander a bit, and eat at excellent restaurants.

Finalized my itinerary after arriving in Naples May 2nd based on information you guys provided me with.
Sorrento is going to be our Nest.
May 3rd: Decided to hire a private guide from the Monetti Family for Vesuvius, Herculaneum, and Pompeii.
May 4th: Naples Archaeology Museum, and see some sites after(on our own)
May 5th: Private guide from the Monetti Family for Positano, Amalfi Coast, and Paestum
May 6th: Capri Island(on our own)
I know those days have busy itineraries, thought it was best to hire a guide for a few places. I have to see all those places, probably wont be back.
May 7th: To Rome. Just get familiar with the area
May 8th: Tour guide(The Roman Guy) for the Vatican in a day tour with Sistine Chapel
May 9th: Tour guide(The Roman Guy) for the Colosseum Underground plus Belvedere Top Level Tour
May 10th: Tivoli, or Ostia Antica
May 11th: Enjoy Last day in Rome
May 12th: To Florence, Just get familiar with the area
May 13th: Tour Florence(on our own)
May 14th: Pisa and Lucca
May 15-16: Take it slow in Florence