Travelling from Sorrento to Bari - need to arrive to get ferry at 2200

Circumvesuviana to Napoli Centrale, train to Bari Centrale is probably the least complicated and best for time. Early train and one or two later trains take less than four hours with one change, others take longer and have two changes.

You can check Rome2rio.com to compare teain, bus, and car rental options.

I did this exact trip in 2008 when there were better public transportation options. I was able to leave Sorrento late morning and arrive in Bari around 6:00 pm, but the midday Freccia no longer runs. Based on the currently available options, I’d suggest the earlier trains (i.e. connecting in Caserta to 9:15 Freccia or 10:11 Intercity), as it’s a long trip even on the fastest connections. Taking the 16:03 Freccia from Caserta is an option if you have your ferry tickets in hand, but it leaves you with no other options in the event of delay or cancellation. Bus tickets from Bari Centrale to the port are purchased at the octagonal tobacconist stand in the piazza in front of the station, just beyond the bus stops.

I went directly to the port upon arrival to pick up my pre-purchased ferry ticket, which required pick-up at least 2 hours before departure time. There’s a café in the port building where you can relax and wait over a drink and light snack, and it was a good spot to meet other travelers.

Plan ahead! I traveled from Bari to Sorrento by bus. I was lucky to find the bus as the train to Naples were sold out! Only a few trains a day when I was there in September last year. One of the worst days of my trip. Thankfully I happened to find a bus. No one at the train station could help me. The bus ended up being a great option because it was a lot shorter of a trip (around 3 hours I think) and only 20 euros.