See Pompeii/Vesuvius as pit stop from Naples to Positano?

Month and Year? How many stairs are you away from an auto road in Positano?

The only safe way to leave luggage in the car is with a responsible person present. If you are afraid the driver will steal your luggage, you have used the wrong Five-Guys-Named-Tyler Silicon-Valley Booking product! (I personally recommend calling your hotel for their land partner, because they will have a strong motivation to do good work. At the Ambasciatori in Sorrento, we could even charge that to our hotel bill.)

It is not possible to drive to the top (crater) of Vesuvius, I think. We felt it was a hot, dry hike of no value to us. The important thing is that Vesuvius towers in the distance near Pompeii. That view is "free". And we've been to Mt. St. Helens and Hawaii already.

You have to expect tying up a driver for two to four hours of touring Pompeii to cost as much as a second trip between Naples and Positano. As it is, you are paying for him to drive back empty, anyway. Because Positano is poorly situated for low cost daytrips, it's probably a good idea to do what you have planned, however. Positano is a high-end destination, and all drivers and taxis know what the traffic will bear. It would take over two hours each way to visit Pompeii from Positano by public transportation, for (nominally) 12 Euros. I don't know the taxi fare Positano-Pompeii and return, but I would guess it's over 125 Euros WITHOUT a 2-hour wait.

Also keep in mind that Pompeii is VERY hot and sun-exposed. Good shoes for uneven stone roads needed. But presumably your car service is air-conditioned. There is a hot-food cafeteria inside. No re-entry with same-day ticket. Free luggage check at the ticket office for travelers without a car service doing a similar plan.

It's very difficult moving around from Positano, (or anywhere in the AC, )due to the congestion and lack of infrastructure. I'd go to Pompeii to/from Naples.
We used Aldo Limos for a private driver, and I'd highly recommend them. Having your luggage in a car with a private driver IMHO is pretty safe. It will be expensive to have a driver wait for you at Pompeii, then to move on. (Or-You could store your luggage at Pompeii .)
Check the distance to Vesuvius. For me, I'd rather just view it from across the water. What were you going to do there?
Don't underestimate the traffic congestion and the amount of time it takes to get around, once you're south of Naples. Everything takes time and patience in the area. That being said, you can be prepared, and have a great trip. Safe travels!

The pit stop, as you are describing it, would certainly be possible if you have that kind of budget. But most people budget for a pickup at the airport or train station, then the drive to their AC accommodations. Usually a reasonable flat fee. But you are, in essence, hiring that car and driver for most of a day, since he would have to wait several hours while you toured Pompeii, then drive you to the Vesuvius area and wait while you did your thing there, before starting the drive to Positano. You're looking at at least an extra 5-6 hours that you would be charged for.

Alternatively, you could store your luggage at the Naples train station, take one of the day tours that includes both Pompeii and Vesuvius (several are listed that last about 5 hours), and then have a driver meet you back at the train station for the drive to the AC.

Thank you both! To clarify, I'm not so much worried about a driver stealing our luggage, more-so something happening to the car, or a robbery happening to the driver.

@Tim, Pompeii visit would be last week of August. Online it looks like you can drive to near the top of the crater and then walk from there I guess? I appreciate your opinion though. I personally just wanted to hike because I've never hiked on an active volcano before and thought it would be cool.

@Pat, I wanted to hike up to the crater, walk around it, take pictures of it and pictures of the view below. I've never been on an active volcano before and thought it would be a neat experience.

It is not possible to drive to the top (crater) of Vesuvius, I think.

Right; you can't reach the crater via vehicle; only on foot on a steep (in places) unpaved path of loose pumice and ash; sturdy shoes with a good tread are a must. Also, you now have to have advance, timed-entry tickets, and they can only be purchased online. Whatever you do, do NOT try to buy them from your device AT the entrance to the park as wifi service there is notoriously weak. Parking also requires a paid reservation.

https://www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it/en/visit-the-park/the-paths/the-great-cono-2-2/
https://www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it/en/visit-the-park/
https://parkingsuvio.it

Expect the climb to take you 30 minutes or so; shorter if a conditioned hiker; longer if not. It will be hot (I see your trip is within the next couple of weeks).

Here is a useful review of their climb from some travelers who used a driver from Naples to their hotel in Pompei (the town; not the scavi) with a stop at Vesuvius along the way. I see they mentioned using Mydaytrip (now just Daytrip) for booking a driver; that service has been mentioned favorably by other posters to the RS forums.

My take? We skipped this activity and settled for eyeing the cone (or what's left of it, anyway) from umpty places around the region. It was its most poignant when seen looming over the excavated ruin of a city it destroyed. The scavi is essentially shadeless and I think getting there as early as possible will be preferable for avoiding some of the hotter hours of the day. As it is, the excavation is vast and you may very likely be wiped out at the end of ____ hours of exploration (we spent 5 and didn't cover it all.) and ready to head off to Positano and your air-conditioned (I hope!!!) accommodation.

cdal06, I wonder if this is your first trip to Europe? I ask because street crime and robbery (except, perhaps, pickpocketing ... ) is MUCH lower in Europe than it is in the USA. Gun ownership is microscopic compared with the USA, too. But, I go to NYC about once a week, and read the NY Times. I have never heard of a Hedge Fund Duuude's black-car driver getting robbed while he is waiting for his master to come out of the Metropolitan Museum where he is on the Board!

One reason I asked for the Month of the year is crowding, as well as heat level. You did not propose taking a bus and a train to Pompeii from Positano. But from May to September, it is common for the busses along the AC to be so full that you cannot board the first one to come along after you get in line. That raises the "average latency" (50% of the service interval) from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. But you didn't propose a public transport trip from Positano, anyway.

I trust you understood that the reason to go ahead with the pit stop is that you are sleeping in Positano. Someone with a budget in mind might actually compare the cost of the 2 (?) hour stop in Pompeii to the cost of a second car service trip. You didn't actually say that Naples was directly from Rome. Maybe you are staying in Naples for a few days, and you could take a train or a bus to Pompeii, put your luggage in the free luggage check, and meet a NO WAIT car service that picks you up at the time you know you will finish your Pompeii visit. (Not telling you what to do, just offering another idea.) However, the Circumvesuviana is incredibly hot and crowded, probably unacceptable to someone who was planning on a car service in the first place!

Hi @Tim, no, we have been to Europe before. But online, I've heard not great things about Naples regarding crime, my family who lived there for years also told me the same thing. We've also never left our luggage out of our site before (except if we arrive to a hotel prior to check-in and store our luggage there). So I just wasn't sure if it was advisable or not to leave our luggage with our driver, and if that was something many people do.

I think I have our itinerary narrowed down, I appreciate everyone's help!

8am train from Rome to Naples
Driver pick up from Naples, drive to Pompeii
Tour Pompeii for around 2 hours
Lunch, either at local winery or restaurant
Drive up Vesuvius, take the shuttle as far as we can, walk up it -- IF we are feeling up to it!
Then continue to Positano

I believe it is a poor idea to have a 2-hour-plus (normal in Italy) lunch just before a rigorous, dusty, hot-weather uphill hike in the blazing sun. You likely will have to be driven to a restaurant, taking valuable time. Have you found any reviews describing the Vesuvius visit? I have not done it,

Oh gosh, I forgot to include the link to that previous visitor's experience. Apologies; here it is!

https://www.makethemalltripsofalifetime.com/post/hiking-to-the-crater-of-mount-vesuvius-in-naples-italy

You have already received some excellent advice. I will reiterate HOW HOT Pompeii will likely be. It was a decade or more ago, in early April, and the sun/heat was already intense for our visit......I can only imagine how HOT August will be. Others have mentioned, not much shade in Pompeii.

I also will suggest (plan ahead) to hire an INCREDIBLE guide (your hotel may be able to advise) to take you thru Pompeii (guide would typically meet you at the entrance). In a couple of hours, there is no way you can begin to see it all. The guide we had (part of a Tauck trip, but a local guide they arranged) was incredible, as she efficiently showed us key examples of different things while also talking about what life was like and how "advanced of a society" Pompeii was at the time...fascinating, adding along the way that there is much more to see, but she wanted us to get some basic highlights. It was, indeed, fascinating...not only the ruins of the structures but how each was "used" and how the people lived (then died). My husband commented he would like to someday go back and spend an entire day there (me, nada...the highlights were enough). Sun hats/bottled water/sunscreen, even an umbrella for sun protection. Cannot comment re: Mt.Vesuvius...we only saw it from afar.

Re: private driver. When we have traveled on our own (not part of a tour), we have found (for certain locations) private drivers can really made a HUGE difference in efficiency and comfort level. Re: safety of your belongings: If you book your driver thru your hotel, it would be highly unlikely you would need to worry about the driver getting into or making off with your luggage (I still would have the bags locked, though, as I think that is good practice in general). Do not worry about the driver getting robbed. It will be busy there, and fellow drivers typically know each other and watch out for each other, too.

Re: when to go to Pompeii.......directly from Naples or after settling in Positano.....just do it FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, when it is cooler, unless, of course, there is a thunder storm or other weird weather going on during your stay.

I would also suggest taking a (I can't recall what they are called), but a boat along the Amalfi coast to see the coastal communities from the water, too (entirely different, lovely views). Lunch in Ravello would be a nice treat. The views from Ravello (on land) are the "travel photo" one "always sees." What I do not remember is if the boat that goes along the coast could dock in Ravello or if we were transported from elsewhere. I loved the short visit we had there. We stayed in at a quiet hotel with incredible views right outside Positano (each room had a lovely large terrace), and the one time we went into Positano, it was amazingly crowded. I also recall traffic on the main road in from Naples was very heavy. If the hotel recommends a driver, and you can talk with the person ahead of your trip, he/she may be able to also advise re: what might be most efficient....and the likely the hotel can provide the same advice. I often ask from multiple sources (as you are with the RSForum) and see if I get the same answers each time. Often it is not just the answer, but the "why" behind the answer that is also helpful.

Enjoy your trip and do what is right for you. Safe travels!

All of (small) Ravello is 1,100 feet above sea level. Bus or car from Amalfi.

In 2022, we used "Day Trip" to get from Salerno to FCO, with a pit stop at Montecassino. We also made a stop for lunch. Our driver chose a a place that looked like an average highway rest stop, but we had one of the best meals of our trip. It worked out great for us, and I would gladly repeat the entire day.

https://daytrip.com

I did a dummy booking for a trip from Naples to Positano. They included possible stops at Villa Poppea (Oplontis) and Stabiae, in addition to Pompeii and Vesuvius. These two might work out better for you than Pompeii - no crowds, and three fascinating villas (there are two villas at Stabiae).