Naples, Sorrento, Capri & Amalfi Coast Itinerary

Capri- stay in the area where Hotel Minerva is located. Pedestrian pathways. Beautiful views.

Pompeii is pretty much mid-way between Naples and Sorrento, so no particular (dis)advantage for either; do it from whichever works best into your schedule

Being as Positano and Amalfi are just 10 miles apart, I am not sure I would find it worth the bother of changing lodging. Others may offer some insight on the pros/cons of a single location vs. a split.

The Napoli P. Garibaldi station that’s located in the basement of the central train station is two stops from the Pompei Scavi station and takes 30m to get to. Pompei Scavi is 45m from Sorrento: https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/campania-express-train-schedule.
Why are you sleeping in four different spots when you can stay in Sorrento the whole time and take day trips to the places you want to visit?

Rather than Positano consider 2 nights in Salerno
Visit Paestum
Direct trains to Naples or Rome

Where are you departing from?

Positano is worth a few hours -visit from Amalfi
Don’t skip Ravello

@MaryPat In addition to seeing the sights, I like to walk around a lot in the towns and I also like to see them at night and this is hard with day trips. 

@ChristineH I like the Paestum idea, maybe from Amalfi. I considered staying one night in Salerno but I don't know how much there is to see there. After the Amalfi Coast, I'll go to Cinque Terre and I'll have to pass by Sarlerno on my way there... so maybe Salerno for one night makes sense and more so if I do go to Paestum.

I'm flying from Miami to Naples with a layover in Paris.

I think you’re good in general. I wouldn’t waive you off or onto anything particular itinerary-wise. Pompeii is a bit closer to Sorrento, and the ride on the Circumvesuviana is much less crowded/stressful than coming from Naples. I would stick with Amalfi rather than split it up. Ravello is close, and wonderful. I’d recommend a walk over to Atrani for dinner (this includes a nervy walk through a car tunnel, but you’ll be fine.)

I don’t recall the busses running very late. Basically, they all run to/from Sorrento or Salerno and by 4pm everyone is trying to get on them to get off the coast. Especially this early in the season, I expect this will be limited. A taxi would be your best bet on the few nights where you might stretch out the evening further afield.

We spent 11 days in Sorrento in April and the one thing we learned to count on is that transportation was going to be various combinations of chaotic, frustrating, cheap, expensive, and confusing. Because of that I'd recommend limiting your hotel and location changes when carrying luggage.

We did a daytrip to Capri and while I can't speak for Hotel Minerva, I do recommend its location. But overall I liked Anacapri more than Capri Town. The Isle of Capri is beautiful and we much preferred it to the Amalfi Coast.

The train ride to Pompeii is about 10 minutes shorter from Naples than Sorrento, but if you were to factor in that Naples is large and may take you longer to get to the train station, then Sorrento might be quicker. *check out Oplontis as an add-on to a visit to Pompeii.

What are your priorities for the Amalfi Coast, is that part for rest and relaxation? 5 days would be a long time for me if you like to go-go-go everyday. Each town is quite small and doesn't take long to see. I do agree they would be worth spending an evening, but Sorrento is nice too. If you're heart is set on it, I'd probably choose Amalfi because it's the largest, and the transportation hub for the AC. But don't expect transportation to be simple, especially at night...or during peak times....or early in the day....

**Update after the feedback**

I'll go to Pompeii from Sorrento... Leaning towards staying in Anacapri... I'll stay in Amalfi only (not Positano) but will reduce it from 5 nights to 4 nights... Will visit Ravello and Atrani.

One more question... If I go to Paestum, is it better to go from Naples, Sorrento or Amalfi?

Much easier to get to Paestum from Naples. Just an hour train ride, no transfers. From Amalfi the trip would require bus or ferry to Salerno then train to Paestum. . And the timing for the transfers isn’t great. If you do train to Paestum be sure to get a return ticket as I have heard it may not be possible to always buy a ticket at Paestum station. As strange as this may seem.

I would expect your low-budget travel options in Amalfi to be limited, with off-season public transportation schedules. All day-tripping (except Paestum) should be from Sorrento, but that will also have fewer ferries than in summer. Plan your flight home day carefully before booking the last hotel. You cannot fly home from Rome (if that's the case) after waking up in Amalfi.

I have only spent a few hours in Amalfi town, but my personal preference would not be to spend five nights there in April. It may not be a helpful comparison, but I certainly have spent seven nights in a remote place in the Caribbean in March and enjoyed it, with huge sandy beaches and quiet, warm water..