Need help on a leg of our trip... Sorrento or Positano

Actually... there are many very lovely places, but they are $700+ per night. It is quite a spendy area.

When are you going and how many is 'we'?

Sorrento or Positano (?)

Depends on what you want to do. If seeing Pompeii or Herculaneum is on the agenda then Sorrento is the better choice.
Sorrento is a better transportation hub.

We stayed in Sorrento, right on Piazza Tasso area. It was convenient to the bus/train station. We stayed at an inexpensive BnB, La Magnolia. I thought Amalfi town was lovely and more low key than Positano. I'm guessing that accommodations are cheaper there than Positano.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/stay-in-sorrento-or-positano-830576f1-f684-4147-a75b-d7e26a0c4285

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/stay-in-sorrento-or-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/alternatives-to-sorrento-open-to-ideas

When is this trip? If this year chances of finding availability are slim and even slimmer for lower priced hotels.

Try looking on booking.com. use the filters

You might consider spending the 2 nights in Salerno. Less touristy, more affordable accomodations, a lovely town with good transportation to AC towns, Paestum, Positano, Rome, etc

It is my husband and I and we'll be in this area mid-October. We were planning to get a private driver to explore the Amalfi Coast area. Also possibly interested in Pompeii or Paestum. With just 2 days in the area, we'll pick one excursion. Salerno is sounding intriguing! We had landed on Sorrento because we'll be coming form Capri and then leaving the area for Rome... and it seemed accessible and efficient for our short stay here. But I also want to love where we stay. :)

It sounds like Sorrento is a bit better as a hub for exploring the area.

Sorrento is good hub for Pompeii or Herculaneum, but is a bad hub for the Amalfi Coast because of long commutes to the Amalfi Coast towns which take away from your sightseeing time.

If Pompeii or Herculaneum are your priority, stay in Sorrento. If the Amalfi Coast is you priority, stay in Amalfi (town) or Positano. I prefer Amalfi because it's the transportation hub of the Amalfi Coast.

In Capri, I would stay in Capri (town) over Anacapri. There are more things to do in Capri than Anacapri and Anacapri is dead in the evenings after the daytrippers leave.

2 nights is just 1 full day so you will need to choose
Pompeii from Sorrento
Or AC from Sorrento ( w/driver more expensive and time consuming )

Getting to Rome from Sorrento is a 2 step process—commuter train to Naples then fast train to Rome

Or
Paestum from Salerno-Easy train ride
AC from Salerno DIY ferry ride along the coast with stops in Amalfi, Positano
Salerno to Rome super easy direct fast train

TBH since you have the 3 nights in Capri which will give you lots of great scenery both land and sea I would choose Pompeii or Paestum for my one full day
Both are amazing
Pompeii can be a brutal day
Paestum much easier

Any way you can add a day so you can do both?
Or maybe do Pompeii on your way to Rome-this could be good use of private driver either from Sorrento or Salerno ( they will hold your luggage while you visit then take you to Napoli Centrale)

The ferry from Capri to Salerno gives you all the views of the AC towns from the water-the best views

Do a search on forum for Salerno
Be sure to filter by Type and Date

I apologize for putting words in Chrstine's mouth, but I think it's important to point out that she's saying that you can only realistically visit Paestum (on your schedule...) from Salerno, not from Sorrento. Pompeii is much, much larger than Paestum, so it can be brutal from sun and heat. However, Pompeii has an air conditioned hot food cafe inside. Herculaneum and Paestum do not. It is expensive or tedious to visit Pompeii from Positano.

Yes Tim
That’s what I was saying
Sorry if not clear
Typing on phone is a pain!

It’s definitely a hard choice between Paestum and Pompeii

The temples are gorgeous and make for some great photos
But Pompeii is well…Pompeii
We were there in the pouring down rain but still found it fascinating
I’d like to go back sometime when the sun is out but on a “cooler” sunny day
Not a lick of shade there

This is all so helpful. Thank you all for taking the time to provide these tips and ideas.

Would this work? Or is this cramming too much in? When looking at Rome2Rio, the drive times from Sorrento to Amalfi don't look very long...I imagine with exploring and stopping along the way, this would be a full day.

Day 1 - We'll ferry from Capri to Sorrento. Enjoy the afternoon / evening in Sorrento.
Day 2 - Get a private driver to explore the route from Sorrento to Amalfi. (Then back to Sorrento)
Day 3 - Go to Pompei then head to Rome for that leg of our trip.
Only issue is finding a good place to stay for a reasonable price in Sorrento. Which I am having a very hard time with... but at least with this input and tips, I am going to focus on staying in Sorrento.

Rome2rio is a handy tool by don’t rely on it for accuracy

The drive will be windy and then more windy
It’s a 2 lane narrow road and often buses have to work out how to pass another bus
I would expect heavy traffic even in October
It’s an experience for sure!

Your plan is fine.
Costs for the full day driver -I would expect in the $500-700 range?

We used this one for transfers in the area
They also do transfers with stops at Pompeii and all day tours
www.topexcursionsorrento.com

There are many others

Also check Mondo Guides they offer an affordable all day tour of AC from Sorrento
www.sharedtours.com

Your proposed plan sounds reasonable. I haven't been there lately, but I think an 8 hour car and driver (which did 3 towns for us) from Sorrento is going to be well under 500 Euros, but over 300. You have a lot more research to do, because the Circumvesuviana ride with luggage can be so unpleasant. But the same line continues on from Pompeii to Naples.

This newsboard has a VAST number of discussions of all these issues, so you need to use the search box top center to learn about transportation, the very reliable luggage check at Pompeii, and the "fast" train service available from Naples to Rome.

Do not think I am slamming Sorrento, where we happily slept five nights in the Ambasciatori Grande. But simply as a neutral, tour book description, it is a purpose-built, reinforced concrete, postwar resort town, ideally located for daytripping. It is NOT a "beach town", it's built on a cliff.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/getting-around-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/naples-to-sorrento-train-or-private-driver

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-day-trip

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento

We stayed here -- https://ilnido.it/

Fabulous view and great breakfast.

It is showing rooms at under $200 per night in mid October