pompeii, herculaneum and mt vesuvius

There are a number of ways to get to Pompeii from Amalfi. Probably the one most people choose is to take a ferry or SITA bus from Amalfi to Sorrento, then the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Pompeii. The stop is called "Pompeii Scavi" and is right at the main entrance. The trip will take 2 - 2 1/2 hours each way. You could also go via Salerno. Ferry or bus to Salerno, then train to Pompeii. But trains from Salerno are much less frequent than the Circumvesuviana, which has a train every 20 minutes or so. Or, you could hire a private driver to take you door-to-door. Private drivers are abundant in the Amalfi coast area, particularly in summer. But not cheap.

It partially depends on when you'll be there and, if in high summer, your tolerance for heat and sun exposure.

We will be there next week. Sept 14-19th.

I agree that the weather plays a factor. I wouldn't like to do any of them during the summer months because the heat is so intense. My favorite site out of the 3 is Herculaneum. It's much smaller than Pompeii and can be seen in 3 hours or so. Pompeii is great but will take a good part of the day to see it and even then you won't see the majority of the site. I would pass on visiting Vesuvius but that's just my personal opinion. Donna

We visited Pompeii and Herculaneum in March. The way to get there is by the Circumvesuviana train which stops at both locations among their other stops. We spent 5 or 6 hours at Pompeii and the next day we spent about 4 hours at Herculaneum, which is smaller but has more buildings you can enter. Hard to pick between the two. Pompeii is larger and more grand, Herculaenum seemed more personal.