transportation from Amalfi Coast (Praiano/Positano) to Pompeii and Herculaneum

Based on what I've read on this forum, you need to consider the possibility that your group may not get on the first bus that comes along, which would blow your 2-hour time estimate out of the water.

Praiano is just not a convenient base from which to make a day trip to Pompeii or Herculaneum. I doubt that you'd have time to see both excavations on the same day even if you had no bus issues.

Where will you be before and after Praiano? It would probably be a lot easier to see the excavations before you get to the Amalfi Coast or after you leave.

Thank you @acraven. There is also a train that leaves hourly, so that may be what we do. We are in Praiano for a week and then going to a wedding near Siena. Wedding = more luggage than ideal.

There is no train in Praiano
(Or anywhere else in AC)

My tour guide has told me I can get train from Pompeii to Herculaneum. If you read closely I was not talking about transportation to and from Praiano. If you know otherwise for Pompeii/Herculaneum regarding train, please do let me know.

Tour guide is Rick Steves recommended guide.

We were a group of five and opted to take private transport, but only you can make the call as to whether it's "worth it." We used Joe Banana and they were great. Picked us up at Naples train station, drove us to as close as he could get to our apartment in Positano, then four days later, they picked us up in Positano, we stopped in Pompeii (they arranged a local guide for a 2 hour tour while the driver waited with our luggage), we went to Naples and had pizza at a very local place in an off-the-beaten track neighborhood, then dropped us back at the train station. There is no way we could have done all that on our own with luggage in tow.
I'm still working so I'm of a "more money than time" mindset, and it's worth it to me for the convenience sometimes. We economize in other areas (we don't stay in fancy hotels), but private guides and sometimes private transportation can make a huge difference in the enjoyment of the trip.

The reason others brought up your travel to Priano was not to tell you to travel by a different means, they were pointing out that the AC is a poor location for daytripping to Pompeii or Herculaneum. Many visitors make a more time-pressed visit to, say, Pompeii, while checking their luggage at Pompeii's free luggage service. I personally preferred to visit from our Sorrento hotel.

It is true that you can go only a few steps from the ancient city of Pompeii to the gritty, crowded, neglected, Circumvesuviana commuter service that stops nearby in Herculaneum. That ancient site is about a 15-minute downhill walk from the train station. Pompeii has food inside, Herculaneum does not. Neither site allows re-entry. Sometimes it is necessary to buy Circumvesuviana tickets at an adjacent newsstand, because the station is completely unattended. Don't forget to validate the tickets before boarding.

Great info Tim. Thank you.

Celest - I prefer efficiency as well and would prefer private transportation. I will check out the service you used. Not all in my group are on board with a 1500+ euro day (vehicles, entrance fees, guide, tips), split between three families, but maybe your service will be better. As a group of 10 it seems we have to have 2 vehicles, so that's where it really adds up. Two vehicles + guide. Thanks for the referral.

I know going from Praiano is not ideal, but that is the situation. We are there for the week, then headed north for a wedding. If I knew then what I know now, maybe I would have done it differently. Didn't want to be moving accommodations too many times.

There is also a train that leaves hourly, so that may be what we do.
We are in Praiano for a week and then going to a wedding near Siena.

My tour guide has told me I can get train from Pompeii to Herculaneum.
If you read closely I was not talking about transportation to and from
Praiano. If you know otherwise for Pompeii/Herculaneum regarding
train, please do let me know.

It is not at all clear what train or part of this transit you are talking about.

Your options from Positano/Praiano are the SITA bus (as noted above- you may not all be able to board as those buses tend to be jam packed) to Sorrento.
Then the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and onwards to Ercolano. The Circumvesuviana runs about every 30 min- if on time.

Here is Circ schedule:
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule?route=sorrento_napoli

Here is bus schedule:
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/sorrento-to-positano-bus-schedule?route=amalfi_positano_sorrento#section-schedule-result

There are dozens of threads on this forum about transportation on the AC. It is chaotic, slow, inefficient on the best days.

I wil echo what acraven says:

It would probably be a lot easier to see the excavations before you
get to the Amalfi Coast or after you leave.

Otherwise- plan on dealing with the chaotic bus/train situation and allow a whole lot of time. Or hire drivers.

1500+ euro day (vehicles, entrance fees, guide, tips)
No tips necessary.

Thank you Christine. The train I was referring to was the one The Rick Steves guide said was available between Pompeii and Herculaneum. And Tim from NJ has shared his thoughts on why that is not a good idea.

I appreciate all the information.

That would be the Circumvesuviana

Additional thoughts: Having ordered a sedan and driver (no guide) for 8 hours on the AC from Sorrento (our only exposure to the actual AC, during five nights in Sorrento), I think that 450-500 Euros per vehicle for both ancient sites, extensive waiting time, and return to Priano, is a BARGAIN. You don't even have to clarify if it includes the guide. It would still be a bargain in this area, in 2024. It's also a palpable, pleasant, "luxury" experience. Especially compared with a sadly neglected and insufficient public transit system.

I hope you are getting at least 2 hours inside Pompeii and 1 hour inside Herculaneum. That was not remotely enough for us. (We did use the Circumvesuviana, for Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis.)

It is also useful in "herding cats", by which I mean a large group that might be late returning from their individual free time, or wander off to buy souveniers instead of standing on the boring train platform. I would not want to be responsible for this size group!