Rome to Naples and Pompeii with Amalfi Coast drive in one day with family

That is really tight. Ideally, you'd use Naples or Sorrento as your base to see Pompeii and stay there overnight...is that a possibility? A day trip from Rome would be a long day and I doubt you can squeeze in Naples and Amalfi Coast and Pompeii into that one day (I hope your kids are very mellow and can deal with that kind of pace, that would be a bit much even for me and I tend to overdo it). And that would still give you only 3 days for Rome, which is fine for the major sites. I'd look into the most efficient approach (maybe a day tour is the best approach) if you're using Rome as your only base.

Train to Naples is going to be just over an hour each way, then if you have a driver take you to Pompeii, rush through Pompeii, back in the car, drive up the Amalfi Coast to....Positano? Ravello?...hopefully stop to wander for a bit. Then back to Naples for a train ride back to Rome?

I don't think it'd be very fun with a 9 year old and 11 year old. You've only got 4 nights in Rome....I'd spend my time there. It would be helpful to know the other locations on your trip and the total length of your trip, but I think it will be an exhausting day with kids.

However, if you're intent on doing it, here's company you can use: http://www.aldolimos.com/en/from-naples/pompeii-sorrento-and-positano. I used them last month and liked them. It looks like they can do a 9 hour day for you - but that would start from when you arrive at the Naples train station, so more like a 12 or 13 hour day total.

Walks of Italy offers an all-day tour leaving Rome at 7:30 am, returning in the evening. No stop in Napoli, goes straight to Pompeii for guided tour and then down the AC to tour of Positano. Somebody posted on this Forum how great it was.

Agnes and Valerie,
Those are really helpful insights, thank you.

Our itinerary - 4 nights/3.5 days in Rome. I've booked Colosseum tour for one day, and have left complete down time for our arrival day. I've booked a Vatican tour for the other day, leaving me with this day for the possibly crazy long day. We also have 4 nights in Florence, 2 in Lucca and 4 in Venice. The kids tend to adapt well...we've travelled quite a lot in Asia, not in Europe. I know we'll go back to the Amalfi coast eventually another year, but just want a peak/taste I suppose.

Thanks again!

If you decide in the end not to try to head south for a day, you can spend part of that day in Ostia Antica for an ancient-Rome fix.