Vesuvius and Pompeii in one day?

Not recommended unless you're driving yourself or if it's an option on a day tour - otherwise, it will feel too rushed and I doubt you'd pull it off successfully relying on public transport. I got to Pompeii via the local Circumvesuviana train via the Pompeii Scavi (not Pompeii town, which is different) stop. I don't remember whether I took the train from Naples or from Sorrento, but you're even further to the south. I spent a half day there at least but the time estimate differs based on your interests.

As a way of comparison (and reality check), a combined guided tour like this departing/returning to Naples is 7 hours long (and it probably shortchanges Pompeii), so it would be even longer as a do-it-yourself trip.
http://www.viator.com/tours/Naples/Mt-Vesuvius-and-Pompeii-Day-Trip-from-Naples/d508-2958VP

August among the ruins could be beastly hot--the stones get mighty warm. I do not recommend doing Pompeii and Vesuvius on the same day, but either way you should visit Pompeii first thing in the morning to avoid the heat. Do your 3-4 hours--after doing some homework upfront, not much is marked--to see maybe 3/4 of the ruins and then get the heck out of Dodge and back to the beach. If you are totally amazed by Pompeii--as I was--you could schedule a trip to Naples to the Archeological Museum, which is in a sense the bookend to Pompeii.

Enjoy!

I wouldn't advise it either for all the good reasons already listed. The consolation prize is that you'll see Vesuvius very clearly from Pompei, and it may make a bigger impression looming OVER a city it destroyed than standing ON the the thing. Pompei is also much, much bigger than most first-time visitors realize so between getting there, the heat and sheer amount of ground to try and cover (you won't see it all) you'll be ready to call it a day.

I also would be wilting after an August morning at Pompeii. Buses to Mt. Vesuvius depart from the Pompei Scavi train station and take about 3 hours roundtrip.

We did a guided bus tour from Sorrento and it was amazing. Just enough time at Pompei with the guide then over to Vesuvius and we walked to the top...that was a highlight. (but we like to hike)

Unless you are a history major and want to spend a lot of time at Pompei, you'll get the feel and the history in a few hours. I'd recommend a guided tour, makes the logistics so much easier. We aren't big on guided tours, but for sights like this, it's worth it to be educated.

All we did was stop in at a travel agency and they hooked us up with the tour for the next day. We tried to figure out the trains/buses to get us there and figured this (guided tour on a bus) was the best way, and it was.

One thing you might consider is doing Herculaneum instead of Pompeii. We only had time for one and, after some research, chose Herculaneum because it's far less crowded, smaller and easier to navigate and packed full of sights. The ruins are relatively intact and you can really wander through the little city that's left. You're never more than a 15 minute walk from the bookstore/refreshment area so you can take a little break in the shade. When we were there in April there were maybe 100 people at the site with us.

We did a day trip there. Arrived via train in Naples, had a company pick us up. They took us right to Herculaneum and let us walk around for 2 hours, which was plenty for us, and then drove us to Positano to our hotel.

We did Herculaneum and Vesuvius in a day trip from Rome in '08, so that may be more doable. Mind you, it was mid-Sept, so a bit cooler. We left Rome prob about 10am and were back by about 7-8pm. We probably spent about 3 hrs at Herc, stopped for pizza along the way, and took a van tour to Vesu from outside the train stn (so long ago, I forget the details, but I do rem there was one more person than seats and that person had to sit on a folding chair!! Not fun for them when heading up the mountain...lol).

You could prob do it with a 3-4 hour visit to Pompeii, but as the others said, it'll be darn hot (unless you luck into an overcast day as we did when we went to Pompeii in 2014).

Did Pompeii and Vesuvius on a shore excursion with a do-it-yourself $25 bus ride from a kiosk outside the Naples port. Rode a bus to Pompeii- walked through it- met the next bus and rode it to the stop on Vesuvius- strenuous walk up in the heat of July last summer ( take a large water and buy water/Gatorade/popsicles/souvenirs next to the ticket booth at Vesuvius), caught the bus down the hill, ( have some pizza at the many cafes at Pompeii) waited and caught the bus back to Naples.
I realize you are leaving from Positano and not Naples, but I certainly think you can do both in one day without being rushed. Vesuvius walk was much hotter than Pompeii, very sweaty.
Once you walk up Vesuvius, there is not that much to see- just celebrate the fact you got to the top. Consider using an umbrella and wear lace-up, closed toe shoes as the path up Vesuvius is abrasive volcanic chunky stones.

May I suggest using a driver and guide? It's definitely doable with a guide & driver. We used a wonderful private guide, Sasha Bianco ([email protected], http://www.tourspompei.com) and his brother, Gianluca, as our driver. Both were extremely professional, spoke excellent English and gave us a wonderful day. Gianluca picked us up at our hotel in Sorrento and drove us to Herculaneum where Sasha met us for a tour. We really enjoyed Herculaneum because it's more intact than Pompei and much less crowded. Sasha suggested visiting Herculaneum first because it would allow us to better envision what the structures and life in Pompei were like. Gianluca then drove us to a winery at the base of Vesuvius for lunch and in the afternoon he drove us to Pompei where Sasha again met us for our tour and at the end of the day, he delivered us back to Sorrento. It was a stress-free day because we didn't have to worry about the logistics of getting from one site to the next and there's no way we could have visited all 3 places on our own without a driver and guide. Sasha really knows his stuff and brought the archaeological sites alive and made interesting comparisons between life then and now. He has a great sense of humor and really made the day enjoyable as well as educational. Pompei is massive and without a guide we would have wandered around (in the heat of early September) not knowing what to concentrate our time on seeing. Sasha made sure to position us in the shady spots while he talked and gave us information which was great and he focused our time on the really important sites.

Gianluca was also a delight to be with. We engaged in interesting conversations in the car about life in Italy, their economy, etc. He drove very conservatively and safely and though the day wasn't cheap, my husband and I agreed it was well worth the money because we were able to maximize our time and see quite a bit in one day without feeling rushed. If you don't wish to see Herculaneum (but I suggest you do), you could easily substitute a trip to Mt. Vesuvius and still have plenty of time to see Pompei. If you reserve a day with Sasha and Gianluca, you won't be disappointed. Have a great trip!

jennifer,

Doing both in one day is somewhat ambitious, especially in peak tourist season in August when it will be dreadfully crowded. One point to keep in mind about Vesuvius is that you'll be hiking to the top (takes about 30-45 minutes as I recall) and in the heat, it won't be a pleasant hike.

Visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day would be an easier fit.

I know that many recommend tours but we did it on our own with a book purchased at the entry, and that worked just fine as it gave us more/less time at some of the individual sites. Probably spent a little over 5 hours exploring the scavi itself + travel time to/from Sorrento (train) + a browse for the book.

I'll second the call for closed toe shoes on Vesuvius (hard in the summer). When we did it, it was very loose rock/soil - pretty hard to walk on, and with sandals, you'll constantly be stopping to empty the rocks out. We had a bit of an overcast day and it was mid-Sept. I'm not horribly out of shape (well, I am more so now than 8 yrs ago when we did Vesu) but I had a hard time catching my breath. And my socks kept falling down in my boots...grr. And def take a big bottle of water with you if you do decide to go for it - the views are amazing.