Pompeii from Sorrento by car/driver or train?

Pretty straightforward to take a train and set up a guide to meet you at the Entrance to Pompeii for however long you agree upon. What are you going to with your luggage is probably the biggest issue as I am not sure that there are luggage lockers at the site.

Easy train ride from Sorrento. There is a baggage storage right at the Pompeii Scaavi train station

As above it is super easy just watch your luggage and personal items carefully on this train and be sure to get off at the correct Pompeii station as there are two of them I remember..enjoy.

See the RS Guide book, which recommends the Mondo shared tours of Pompeii. Mondo has a website outlining all their services. We used them May, 2023, and it was a great tour and inexpensive. There is luggage storage at Pompeii. If the Mondo times don't work for you, there are dozens of guides outside of the Pompeii gates selling their services.

The train between Sorrento and Pompeii, and then Pompeii to Naples, is a gritty commuter train. There are no seat reservations, and it's often SRO, no air conditioning, so prepare yourself mentally. For us in May, it was ok in the mornings, but jam- packed in the afternoons. It sort of runs on a schedule.

We used Aldo Limos for some transportation. Christina, in the front office, is a Brit, so email communication in English is easy and prompt.

Have a wonderful trip. Safe travels!

I think Mondo Tours also offers a tour of the Archaeological Museum. You'd have to be very lucky for the timing to align with your schedule, but it's worth checking.

The Archaeological Museum is quite large. I'd recommend taking a look at the website to decide what your priorities are. You cannot see everything in 2 hours--probably not even in 4 hours.

You can take the Naples Metro (subway) from the train station up to the museum, though I'd guess a taxi wouldn't be terribly costly.

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

Hello gina, and welcome to the forum!

Whether you get a private driver or decide to use public transportation the thing that jumps out at me with your plan is that you are choosing to do a lot with your luggage in tow. You arrive in Naples with your luggage and want to tour the museum before heading to Sorrento and then want to tour Pompeii with your luggage and then get a city tour with your luggage before heading to Rome.

Instead I might suggest you get to Naples and then immediately head to Sorrento and gain an extra afternoon's time there. Pompeii is easily done as day trip from Sorrento by train with no luggage and you can choose to get a guide or not. You can then return to Sorrento and relax from a tiring day at Pompeii.

Then return to Naples and do a city tour that includes the museum. You will still have your luggage for this section but I think the museum and city tour are a much more manageable combination then Pompeii and a Naples tour in one day. Pompeii is very large and when I first visited I planned to do Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day, but seeing half of Pompeii took all day and wiped me out. I can't imagine that even a half day at Pompeii and then tackling the chaos that is Naples with the deadline of then still heading to Rome is going to be a great experience. The museum is a shorter and easier visit than Pompeii and the pieces may have more significance to after seeing where they came from.

Also if love pastry check out Antico Forno delle Sfogliatelle Calde Fratelli Attanasio about 5 minutes from the Naples train station at Vico Ferrovia 1/2/3/4. Show up, grab a number immediately and then wait your turn for the best sfogliatelle in Naples hot from the fire oven. Seriously, not to be missed - both pastry and Italian experience - and very convenient to the train station.

My $.02, have a great trip,
=Tod

Thank you all. After much deliberation and thanks to all of your recommendations, the 3 of us have decided.
We have hired Geatano Manfredi to take us by private car between Naples and Sorrento (both ways). We have divided up the tours into Naples Archeological Museum on one way and Pompeii & Naples city tour the other way (more hours on that transfer).
If we were much younger than our 69 years, we would have been more likely to be adventurous with our transfers. But alas, that is not the case.
Again, thanks.

We took the train from Sorrento to Pompeii and it was packed, crowded. Be prepared to stand the whole way

If you can face the Circumvesuviana, I endorse a daytrip to Pompeii. This also enables an opening-time visit with less SUN and HEAT. Doesn't Gaetano have to stay with the car and luggage? Hope you have time for the Farnese Marbles at the Archaeology Museum.