Private Transfer from Naples to Sorrento with a stop In Pompeii

How would you save money hiring a driver? Arriving at Napoli Centrale you could go downstairs to Garibaldi, take the commuter train to Pompeii Scavi and store your bags. After a tour with one of the licensed guides, you would return to the station, retrieve your bags and proceed to Sorrento. Here's the train schedule:

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule

Private transfers in the area we use Sorrentocars.

Can't see how hiring a private driver to sit idle while you visit Pompeii would save money- it will cost you more! You will need a minimum of 2 hours to just scratch the surface at Pompeii- the site is huge and confusing.
We took train from Rome to Naples and had a driver pick us up there to take us to hotel in Sorrento (this was a splurge for us- there are certainly cheaper alternatives).
We used
https://www.topexcursionsorrento.com/?portal_referer_id=46
Our driver was waiting at the station, very nice Mercedes van, friendly safe driver and because of some traffic jam event along the way he took us a diff route along the water which was lovely- took a bit longer than it should have but he got us there! Cost was 95€

They do offer full day private drivers with touring stops as well. The full day Pompeii/Herculaneum/Vesuvuis tour is 320€

From Sorrento we took Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii the next day- very easy, very cheap and did a Shared Tour with Mondo Guides (RS recommended) it was excellent even if in the pouring rain. Tour took 2 hours then we were free to roam on our own.
https://www.sharedtours.com

You can check with the suggested transfer companies, but I suspect you'll find that the price of a transfer with the driver waiting several hours at Pompeii or 2 separate transfers several hours apart will be significantly more expensive than a direct transfer from Naples to Sorrento.

Cost of a Naples-Sorrento transfer by Sorrentocars is €80.

dk,

I believe this transfer service is still listed in the guidebook. You'll have to contact them for current prices.

Cost of a Naples-Sorrento transfer by Sorrentocars is €80.

But I would suspect that doesn't include a several-hour wait for you in Pompeii. Like the others, I'm wondering who told you that a private driver would "save money" as it's usually the most expensive way to go? How many of you are there?

Tickets for the Circumvesuviana or even the Campania Express train from Naples to Pompeii are very cheap, and the same for tickets from Pompeii to Sorrento. Luggage storage at the scavi itself is free.

Anyway, if you want a driver because cost doesn't matter and that's your preferred mode of transfer, that's fine but I wouldn't go that route expecting to save money. We also did Pompeii with our own materials (audioguides are available as well) versus booking a guided tour. Again, either way is fine - it's up to you which method you prefer - but if budget is important....

You were given the Circumvesuviana schedule; here's the Campania Express:

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/campania-express-train-schedule

I’ve been quoted from 180-220 euros for Naples transfer to sorrento with 3 hour Pompei stop. That’s without a guide at Pompeii. The driver waits with our luggage in the car. Several companies have this option on their sites that say this is a cheaper way because the driver goes by Pompeii on way to sorrento. This is why I was looking. We may just get the driver to take us straight to sorrento since so many believe this isn’t a good idea. We certainly aren’t looking to waste money.

Just a few examples of how inexpensive trains are from Naples to Pompeii or Sorrento:

Tickets for Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento: €3.60. pp. according to Sorrentoinsider.com.
Tickets for the Campania Express train from Naples to Sorrento: €8 pp. according to the same website.
Tickets for Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Pompeii: abt. €3.20 pp. according to seat61.com.

Tickets from Pompeii to Sorrento will be as inexpensive.
It's certainly OK if 180-220 euros for a driver is fine with you but getting back to "save money" and "cheaper way" comments, there is no more inexpensive way to go than by the trains noted above. The Naples>Sorrento line of the Circumvesuviana and Naples>Sorrento line of the Express both pass by and stop at Pompeii's main entrance.

The €80 transfer with Sorentocars I noted was direct to Sorrento.

As you can see, the cost to stop in Pompeii is at least double the cost of a direct transfer. It's so easy to reach Pompeii on the local train that you could check into your hotel and then use the train to visit Pompeii the same day. The train ride is about 30 minutes each way.

I was just trying to figure out this same issue. I came across this company that got great reviews on Trip Advisor. I have been in touch with them and they are very responsive. I booked this tour along with a private guide for Pompeii. Good luck!
italylimousine.com/mobile/en/tour/120/private-car-from-naples-to-sorrento-with-stop-in-pompeii

What was the additional price for the guide, Leslie, and for how many people?

210 euros for 4ppl includes pickup at train station in Naples, 2h stop in Pompeii and then drive to our hotel in Sorrento. To add the guide for Pompeii tour made it 355 euros (doesn’t include admission which is 15 euros each). So all in all, very reasonable, I think. And solves the luggage problem.

There is not a luggage problem when visiting Pompeii. You can store it at the Pompeii train station (literally across the street from the Pompeii entrance), or you can use Pompeii's storage located at the entrance. I used Pompeii's storage when I did this myself and it was very quick and easy.

As you've essentially noted that money is a factor and you're looking for a Rick Steves recommendation, while private txfr is the right way to go for some people for many reasons, I'd like to recommend going without the private txfr because A) Rick recommends it, B) I think you'll find that it's just as easy -- and possibly easier -- without it, and C) you'll save gobs of money. ~3 euros per person vs 210 euros (+ tip?) for the txfr. If you're not too price sensitive, you might still consider saving the money there and splurging on a fancy dinner instead. :)

How it would work without the txfr: When you're coming in to the Naples train station from Rome, it'll be easier for you to find the circumvesuviana train (well marked and you basically just head south in the station to get there) than to find your driver. When you arrive, the luggage situation is as straight forward as noted above. No long distances to haul things. You can stay in Pompeii as long as you'd like without a set meeting time with your driver. You also again won't have to go looking for your driver on the way out. Just pick up your bags and catch the next train. Then you're in Sorrento. While Sorrento is walkable for many, there are short-ride inexpensive taxis at the Sorrento station... this is probably the one place where I'd personally consider having a car so that I'm not lugging my luggage across town.

Possible cons to that plan... the circumvesuviana train could be crowded depending on the time of day, though it wasn't for me. A private txfr may be better with AC on hot days or if you have a lot of luggage. It's up to you if ~200 euros is worth that.

My husband and I are planning a similar trip this Summer. We are looking at private transfer options from Naples to Positano with a stop for sight seeing in Pompeii. One company (my day trip) said it would be around 160 euros including a 2 hour stop. This seems great to me. We have heard the public transportation can be problematic since there are frequent strikes... is that something anyone else has experienced? We have never been to Italy, so we are try to make this as smooth as possible.

There is not a luggage problem when visiting Pompeii. You can store it
at the Pompeii train station (literally across the street from the
Pompeii entrance), or you can use Pompeii's storage located at the
entrance. I used Pompeii's storage when I did this myself and it was
very quick and easy.

Right.. There is not a luggage problem. The problem with this thread is comparing the most economical way to get from Naples/Pompeii to Sorrento versus the way to do it without using public transit, if that suits one's preferred type of travel.

No, there are not necessarily "frequent" strikes but some which affect different regions/lines at different times are possible.

There are fewer strikes in Campagnia than there are overhead wiring failures on the Philadelphia-Newark-New York northeast corridor. Really.

There is no sin to choosing a private car if you can afford it. But it’s not “cheaper” That is a comparative adjective. To what ... are we comparing?

I know we can take the trains and it be a lot cheaper. I wanted a recommendation(s) on a private transfer since we haven’t been to Italy before. We were already going to do a private transfer anyway from Naples to Sorrento and then we seen that you could combine that with a stop in Pompeii and possibly save money by doing it this way INSTEAD of doing a totally separate excursion to Pompeii (no trains). So that’s what I was looking for. We are doing trains from each place we are visiting so this time we wanted a private transfer. Has anyone ever used APTours?

Don’t happen to know that company. We asked our hotel, which we figured had a big incentive to refer us to a good provider. Our choice is in this thread:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-day-trip

You might also think about time of day. We don’t know the month of your trip, but it can be sunny and sweltering (hot stone everywhere) at Pompeii on an August afternoon. We were almost lucky we had to dodge some light showers! That’s a reason to consider going first thing in the morning, as a daytrip from your hotel.

It’s easy to spend four hours at Pompeii, especially if you have lunch. Some guests spend a whole day. It’s a huge place. We were lucky enough to find the very special Villa of the Mysteries open for visits, and it’s out of the way.

Edit: We saw Monetti all over Sorrento, and Rick has recommended them. We saw posted rates in one of their vans that were near the market, but not the lowest. (We're not strictly price-shoppers. I only noticed because Rick sweared/swares? by them!) We were able to charge our two car service trips (the second was back to the Naples rail station, instead of a second cram into the Circumvesuviana with luggage) to our hotel bill. We tipped in cash.

We were already going to do a private transfer anyway from Naples to
Sorrento and then we seen that you could combine that with a stop in
Pompeii and possibly save money by doing it this way INSTEAD of
doing a totally separate excursion to Pompeii (no trains).

Ah. You left that last part out of your original post. That's why the cost-saving claim didn't make sense (although it still doesn't make sense to me to pay a driver to wait).

One other question? You mentioned that you were coming from Rome to Naples. Are you doing this after spending some time in Rome? In other words, you aren't doing this on your arrival day in Italy, right?

Regarding drivers, you've been given a couple of recommendations. Monetti Taxi - per Ken's post - is the one I've seen recommended most often: a search of "Monetti Taxi" the forums for the past year turns up quite a few mentions like this one I remember posting to myself:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/contacting-monetti-taxi

Why not just take the transfer to Sorrento, check in to your hotel, relax, have a nice evening, then take the Circumvesuviana to Pompei the next morning and spend as much time as you like amongst the ruins. I’d hate to be in Pompei wondering how much more time do we have left, will the driver charge us more if we’re late, etc. It’s not a place you want to rush through.

If taking richpark's advice and using the train JUST for a day trip, from Sorrento to Pompeii and back via Circumvesuviana train (slightly under 30 minutes each way) should be under 7 euro per person RT. Weigh that against paying a driver to wait several hours for you to explore the excavation: I'm sure it's considerably more! It seems like the issue here is a reluctance to use the local trains at all?

If it makes you feel less intimidated, it doesn't matter if you haven't been to Italy before: many thousands of tourists make the Sorrento> Pompeii or Naples>Pompeii train run every year and I'll bet the majority have never been to Italy before and/or used this particular train line. It's easy to buy RT tickets at the Sorrento station; they are well used to dealing with visitors from all over the world.

Still, it's your trip so if spending considerably more euros to pay a driver to wait is OK with you, then it's all good! :O)

It just can be useful to offer alternatives for others doing forum research who may not be able to budget that amount. Pompeii is also not a trip I'd try to do right off an international flight into Rome, not that you are (I hope?)

dkauffm1, I'm sorry you've had a tough time here, including from me. We really want to give kind, useful, accurate advice. But it's hard when you don't have all the data. You are still hoarding details, like the month of the year, as if you are going to be abducted by Russian hackers over the internet. It matters because of massive crowding in this area in high season, May-September. If you want a premium experience, we're trying to help you get it!

We (my wife and I) are not, in fact, "budget travelers" ourselves. I'm glad we learned first-hand about the "gritty" Circumvesuviana service, and as noted, after we paid an extortionate 15 Euros taxi from the train to our nearby Sorrento hotel, it was easy to spring 90 Euros for a transfer in luxury back to the Naples rail station for the Frecciarossa to Rome.

In fairness to us, it's really hard to work with phrases like "we were told" and "save money" in a vacuum. It turns out that it was the sellers of what you were buying who said it would save money. Even before the internet, that's a booby trap! We don't know if you want to have lunch during (any) Pompeii outing, and whether you are young or old, fit or tired.

Kathy— We will have spent 4 nights in Rome.

Tim—we are in our early 50’s so not young but not old. Middle of the road, lol.

I guess I should have worded my questions a little different to begin with. It seems that you feel that I have been hoarding information from you. Sorry that wasn’t my plan to begin with. We will be in Italy in September. Spending 15 days. Starting in Rome and finishing up in Venice. We are spending several nights in each location (Rome, Sorrento, Florence, Venice). We are first time travelers to Italy.

We are actually going to have lunch after we arrive in Naples but before we go to Pompeii. We want to have Naples pizza!

dk, then I'll warn you that Neapolitan pizza can be time consuming! It cooks fast, and the tables turn over at lunch, but we had to wait 45 minutes in a good-natured scrum outside Sorbillo (downtown, he may have one at the port, too) until they called our name over the loudspeaker and seated us. I'm sure there is good pizza not listed online in "Ten best ... in Naples."

I was glad to have pizza in Naples, but the Neapolitan-style pizza is still not my favorite. I will say that American places with certified, approved Neapolitan ovens do achieve a good approximation of it.

We used Sorrento First Choice (https://www.sorrentofirstchoice.com/) for that exact route. We flew into Naples in the morning, they met us at the airport, drove the four of us to Pompeii, arranged for a private tour guide in Pompeii then drove us to our hotel in Sorrento. For less than 100 Euro each, it was worth it. So glad we did it too.