Pompeii or Amalfi coast first?

Maybe Pompei in the morning to avoid afternoon heat. We did it in reverse on a cruise shore excursion because the driver wanted to avoid traffic and have a shorter drive from the last attraction to make sure we made it back to the ship on time.

Yes I was thinking that. That's definitely one pro for the Pompeii first plan! Thanks!

Pompeii 1st-- the heat and have the kids burn off some energy and not be so fidgety about sitting in the car.

Its a slow drive along the coast road

One day....skip Pompeii if you will have seen Herculaneum...

Herculaneum is better presevered and takes 1 1/2- 2 hours to see..then go to the Amalfi Coast...if you will have seen H. on a previous day then JUST go to the A/C for the day, which is already cutting it down a lot...

The kids will not be bored on the Amalfi Coast..

Thanks Joe-I think we will do Pompeii first. It makes more sense.
Jjtraveler--my kids wanted to see Pompeii so I can't skip it. It's the main reason we are in the Naples area on this trip! We may get in early enough the previous day to see Herculaneum but I'm not betting on it. Our hotel is in the Vesuvius park so we may get to climb around it. Do you have suggestions for a stop on the Amalfi coast?
Thanks for the replies!

It's interesting that you are staying in Ercolano, rather than Naples or Sorrento and environs. Would like to hear if the modern town is busy and attractive enough to warrant others staying there. Your choice also removes the opportunity to take a ferry home, for the water-view.

I agree that your day will be very full. Pompeii takes 2 to 4 hours minimum, and you can't see everything in 4 hours. As noted by others, roads will be busy at the end of May. IMHO Herculaneum is no substitute for Pompeii. Two high points, if open, are the site (replica in place) of the Alexander Mosaic, and the Villa Mysteri, extra walking required-have your driver pick you up at that exit, maybe. As our host Rick writes, just because you see the entire excavation does not mean that you saw "all" of Ercolano. Most of it is under the modern city and may never be seen.

You were right to book a car service, since the busses are full at that time of year. I found Positano to be iconically attractive, but the endless passages full of the same international boutiques as everywhere else were a disappointment. I also found the pebble beaches unattractive, and the main harbor quite busy. So while Positano remains a must, I suggest you select something different for your second stop, like Ravello (which is easier with a car service than taking the second bus up the hill and back down.) In the unlikely event you have time left over, you or your driver should be prepared with one of the smaller or more pastoral towns, probably also (like Ravello) with ZERO coastline. I'm not qualified to suggest such a place, but many posters here don't want to stay in Positano or Amalfi, that's the kind of quiet place I mean.

Thanks for the input Tim! I will do some research into Ravello. We did not choose the hotel in Ercolano, that was my travel agent. She knew we wanted to see Pompeii. I originally thought we'd be in Naples, but oh well. I have mentioned on other posts that I will be planning my own trip next time so I have more control. But I think the hotel will be ok, it's not exactly in Ercolano proper, it's up the hill in Vesuvius national park. Not exactly convenient but we're only there 2 nights and it's a good location for Pompeii, and maybe a walk around Vesuvius. I wish we had time to see Herculaneum or the museum in Naples, maybe next time! :)

I understand what the kids want to see..because they have never heard of Herculaneum...Pompeii got all the press LOL

Staying in Ercolano and not seeing the site is really, well, silly....it is so much better preserved than Pompeii and can be seen in 2 hours...maybe have the kids compare the two sites by website, books etc...Pompeii is very spread out and will incredibly hot in summertime. Herculaneum has shaded areas and is by the sea, a ten minute walk through the town...

Have fun either way...and bring lots of water no snack bars like in USA! LOL

I know Herculaneum is possibly even cooler than Pompeii, and I'd like to see it. We might be able to swing it. One option is our arrival day, we fly into Naples at 3:30. I wonder if we can go directly to Herculaneum after we get in, and check our bags somewhere, not waste time checking into the hotel until later...just an idea. I don't know, we will probably be really tired by then (flying from US previous overnight). They allow visitors to enter until 6pm and it's open until 7:30. We're not skipping Pompeii but if we could do both, I'm all for it! It's sad that Pompeii gets all the glory, but sounds like it's a nicely kept secret for now. :) Thanks for the water reminder, we'll go prepared!

First off, by all means do Pompeii first. In advance, see if you can jack up the kids with a couple of those stupid Pompeii movies--the one with Kiefer Sutherland comes to mind--completely idiotic but at worst it still accurately shows the strife between Rome and Pompeii at the time.

Then, as Tim says, the roads may be somewhat filled to the A.C. on a Saturday, but what do you care? You have a driver, great move BTW. And...as Tim accurately portrays, the scenery of places like Positano is the thing, which is undeniably beautiful & striking. 'Cute' areas to walk? You and hundreds of your closest friends, unfortunately, unless you venture up & down the cliff road just north of Positano. Having visited a few of the towns themselves, the little shops for souvenirs or chocolate or limoncello are somewhat overrated and seem to all kind of blend together after awhile.

Best thing to do, I think, is to do research and make a reservation at a place in upper or lower Positano for a late lunch/early dinner. Having local calamari fritti at an outdoor cafe with the beautiful vistas of the coast as a backdrop would be pretty sweet. That's what you'll remember.

Enjoy your planning!

Check the total costs, but the three-day, five-ancient-site ticket might be useful for just Pomp and Herc. And if you have a free hour, some of the three secondary sites might tempt those on your group most tickled by Pomp and Herc. We took the Circumvesuviana to the Torre Annunziata station, for Villa Poppea/Oplontis, close to the train station and quite different from the big "city" sites. There's a touring museum show currently at Smith College in Northampton MA about Oplontis.

Thanks Tim and Jay--I know Amalfi will be crowded, it's a Saturday after all :) I like idea of finding a place in positano for late lunch. I'm ok with a little touristy stuff, but I'm leaning towards Ravello as our other AC stop.
Definitely going to try to squeeze in Herc but it all depends on how tired and cranky we are on arrival. It's possible we could do it the evening after we get back from our Pompeii/AC tour (4pm ish) but I imagine we'll be totally wiped out by then.
I wish we had time for the archaeological museum in Naples...poor planning on my part!
Thank you kindly for your info and suggestions.