What is the best order of travel to cover Rome, Amalfi Coast, Capri and Pompeii?

We did a trip in 2012, which did include a week in Rome at the beginning, and 1 night at the Rome airport Hilton before flying home, plus Sicily.

Returning from Sicily, we set up in Sorrento. From there, we toured (but did not stay along) the Amalfi Coast, and did day trips to Capri and Pompeii, along with Naples, Herculaneum, and other ancient Roman sights. Sorrento was a great centralized base. Coming back to Rome, we took the train to Naples, then connected to another train to Rome.

Go immediately to Sorrento.

It will be a good base for your desired destinations.

Once in Sorrento, there is no need for any particular order

How long is the trip?

Any chance you can fly in/out of Naples?

You will need to be in Rome the night before your departure so if you have to keep flights to Rome then go straight to Sorrento on arrival
Spending one night in Rome at start and end seems a waste of 2 nights
Or you could consider starting in Salerno which is direct train from Rome, a bit easier on a jet lag day

How many days do you have total?
Some can't travel on any further after an overnight flight, so if you are in that boat, plan on a night in Rome. I like to press on, and I'd head to Naples, have lunch, then get on a ferry to Capri. Alternatively, you could take a train to Salerno and ferry, bus, or private driver to Amalfi. (Whether you go upon arrival or the next day, don't thin it matters.) I don't think it makes much difference whether you do Capri or Amalfi first.
The complication is Pompeii. Visiting it from Capri or Amalfi is a terribly long day. Perhaps you could stop en route from Amalfi to Rome. Or, if you have enough time, you could insert a stay in Naples or Sorrento in order to easily visit Pompeii. Two nights upon arrival would work fine, giving you a full day for Pompeii.
Read up on whether Naples or Sorrento is right for you--they are apples and oranges and only you can tell us which would work better for you.

I would also recommend travelling to Sorrento on your arrival day. If you're going to be jet lagged anyway, you might as well get the bulk of your travelling out of the way. And it cuts down on another hotel transfer. I also agree that if you are departing from Rome, you'll want to return there the evening before your departure.

Staying in Sorrento just makes sense as it is a good transportation hub, with easy public transport for day trips to Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and the AC towns, if your trip will be relatively short. However if your trip is a long one, knowing how many days you might want to spend in each locale could help in planning.

I'd opt for going directly to Sorrento upon arrival too - Capri by ferry is shortest from there, and Pompeii is only 20-30 minutes by commuter train - BUT how many nights will you have on the ground in Italy? As asked previously, any chance of flying into and/or out of Naples instead of Rome if you're not going to be spending any time sightseeing that city anyway?

Thanks, all! Our flights are fixed in and out of Rome. I really hadn't considered Sorrento so this is very helpful. We have 10 nights total and were planning to spend 3 nights in Capri. So maybe we'll spend 2 nights in Sorrento and do Pompeii from there, then Capri for a few nights, then Amalfi, then back to Rome. While I have you, any other suggestions? Thanks!

If you’ve never spent the night in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome, do so on your day of arrival. You’ll see a section of Rome that’ll make you appreciate it more. Not only that, this is a good area to eat a wonderful meal.
With that said you can take a direct train from the Roma Termini station to Salerno (1h 30m) and sleep there. If you go to Sorrento which is what I did, you’ll need to take a non-stop train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale (1h 15m). You can then go downstairs and take the circumvesuviana train from Piazza Garibaldi to Sorrento (1h 15m). Be sure to stay vigilant of your belongings if riding the circumvesuviana. I prefer taking it without luggage.
The other option is to take a taxi from Napoli Centrale to the Molo Beverello pier and take a ferry to Sorrento (45-minutes). Once again, be careful when buying your ticket at the pier because you’ll be surrounded by pickpockets. Once you’re inside the gate you’ll be fine.
The two spots you want to visit along the Amalfi Coast are Positano and Amalfi. From Amalfi you can take a bus up to Ravello (30-minutes) for the view. Beware if buying anything in Ravello, it’s expensive. To get back to Amalfi, walk since you’ll be going downhill.
The ferry from Salerno to Positano takes 1h 30m. You can then take a ferry from Positano to Amalfi (45-minutes) or a bus (1h) and make sure to sit on the passenger side (right) facing the driver and be sure to snag a window seat for the best Amalfi Coast views.
To get back to Salerno from Amalfi, the ferry takes 45-minutes, bus 1h 15m or rideshare, 45-minutes with the latter being the most affordable.
From Sorrento to Positano you can take a ferry (1h) or bus (1h). To get from Amalfi to Sorrento by ferry (1h 15m). You don’t want to take the bus because it does not drive along the Amalfi Coast Road when traveling from east to west. Instead, it takes a back road so it’ll be minus the views. The Amalfi Coast Road travels from west to east.
To get to Capri from Salerno takes 1h and from Sorrento (30-minutes).
To get from Salerno to Pompeii by direct train takes 45-minutes and from Sorrento to Pompeii takes 45-minutes. The latter is on the circumvesuviana that operates between Naples and Sorrento.

In reference to suggestion above to take ferry from Sorrento to Naples
In normal times that would work but right now (due to COVID I assume) there are only 2 ferries a day on that route something like 8 am and 5 pm and it doesn’t even let you purchase tickets so I am not at all sure what exactly is running.

Another option is the Campania Express “tourist train” that runs in Circumvesuviano line
You’d have to check times to see if that works

Or hire a private driver to take you to Sorrento-about 100 euros

OP hasn’t mentioned when this trip is so just need to keep that in mind if trip is this season

This site has pretty much all the info you would need for the area
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/

Itinerary order.

Train Rome>Salerno 2H04m.

Ferry Salerno>Amalfi 35 min.

Ferry Amalfi>Sorrento 1hr.

Ferry Sorrento> Capri 20 min.

Ferry Capri> Naples 50 min.

Alibus/Taxi Molo Beverello >Napoli Centrale.

Napoli Centrale>Roma Termini

Add your days as required. Return to Rome the day/evening before your flight.

Yup, regarding the ferries, it's important to know WHEN this trip will be occurring as they do not run between all locations all seasons. The same is true for the Campania Express train between Naples and Sorrento ( current schedule below). That train also only has 4 runs per day so isn't always the most convenient option.

https://www.eavsrl.it/web/campania-express-2021-en
https://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/Brochure%20per%20sito2020Blu%207%20con%20castellammare.pdf

Salerno to Capri is 2 hours by high-speed ferry, thus recommending it be done from Sorrento (20-30 minutes.)

The current Circumvesuviana commuter-train schedule is here: toggle the route times between Napoli> Sorrento or the reverse inciuding stops, like Pompeii, along the way. Note that it doesn't run 24/7. It's also a battered thing not big on any sort of creature comforts but is used by locals and tourists alike.

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule?timetable_route=napoli_sorrento#section-schedule-result

I'll echo the advice NOT to spend your last night on the coast if flying out of Rome. Oh and, yup, the Sorrento Insider site Christine linked is a good resource, especially if wanting to take a quick look at ferry, local train and bus schedules/prices. Capri has a similar site: https://www.capri.net

Pre-Covid, Sorrento tended to book up six to nine months in advance, so you need at least five possible hotels in your search. Capri is also very crowded in season. We didn't sleep on Capri, but I wonder how your luggage gets from the pier to a hotel in a pedestrianized zone on the hill. We took a taxi, but they can't go everywhere.

This area remains popular with (for instance) sun-deprived Brits. There is no shortage of demand, although I haven't been there off-season, or in several years. You need to search this newsboard for useful tips on hotels and the like. For example, how crowded daytrip transport to the AC from Naples and Sorrento can be. You might tell us if you are budget travelers. (I think 200 Euros is too high an estimate for a black-car trip that cost us 90 Euros less than seven years ago.)

Tim
That was my mistake /typo
I have edited

We paid about 100 euros in 2019
Last I checked rates are about same this year

I wonder how your luggage gets from the pier to a hotel in a
pedestrianized zone on the hill.

We have stayed on Capri and there are porter services avialable to transfer luggage from pier to hotels, You can arrange that at the pier, or sometimes through your hotel. Unless the hotel covers it, and I don't know without a check of them all if any of them do, there is a fee. From the Capri.com website:

Once You've Arrived on Capri:

The first thing we suggest you do is drop off your bags with one of the porter services on the pier.
If your hotel is in Capri town, we recommend having the luggage porter service transport your bags directly to your room. The service will cost from €5-12 per bag (depending upon where your hotel is located), which can seem expensive until you consider having to drag bags through the narrow and steep lanes on Capri to begin your vacation...

To reach the Piazzetta, you can take the funicular (which departs directly opposite the pier; the ticket office is to the right) or one of Capri's open-top taxis. The fare for a ride between the port and the Piazzetta is about €17.

If your hotel is located in Anacapri, you should take a taxi with your bags. The fare from Marina Grande to Anacapri begins at €25 plus extra luggage fees. Otherwise, above the funicular ticket window you'll find the stop for bus routes to Anacapri, which run often. The alternative is to take the funicular and then the Capri-Anacapri bus. Most of the hotels on Anacapri offer free or economic shuttle services between the port and the hotel: inquire directly with your hotel.

Thanks, again, all very helpful! We are arriving in Rome on August 22 and leave Rome on September 1st; spending two days in Lisbon.

OK, just so that I have it straight....

You'd mentioned above that you have 10 nights total.
You are arriving in Rome at 11:00 AM on August 22, and leaving Rome on Sept, 1 (10 nights). What time are you flying out?

Where does Lisbon fall in the itinerary, how many nights did you plan for that one (for two full days you need 3 nights) and are those in addition to the 10 we knew about? Are you flying to Lisbon from Rome and home from there?

And this trip is this year? Like, next month?

Bus timetable

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/sorrento-to-positano-bus-schedule?timetable_route=salerno_maiori_amalfi#section-schedule-result

Ferry timetable. Along with Travelmare, there are at least 4 other ferry providers from Salerno to Naples. See Sorrentoinsider for additional ferries.

https://www.travelmar.it/_download/orari-travelmar-15-luglio.pdf

Fixed fare taxi. From the port to Napoli Centrale.

https://www.napoliunplugged.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tariffe_taxi_2017.pdf

I also would opt for going to the Sorrento area upon landing. Then leave Rome for last before coming home. It's always best to leave the city of air departure as the last destination of your trip.

Others have suggested to fly to Naples. If you are going this year I don't recommend flying to Naples. Due to the pandemic a lot of flight options to Naples have been canceled or scaled down. You are better off flying to Rome, the busiest airport in Italy. Also there are no options to fly to NAP non stop from North America (and right now you may want to minimize having to deal with more than two countries travel protocols).

Question
Thinking of
Doing Paris, Rome, Firenze and Costa Amalfi. What is the best itinerary per your expertise? Traveling hopefully
May 25.2022 for the first time ? Not familiar at all lol 😆 thanks
For your help MF

Marta?
This is a rather old thread

Start your own new topic with your questions and you’ll get more help