Naples Travel Forum

I am thinking that I would like to go to Pompeii for sure, but it sounds like Sorrento is worth a visit. Is it possible to do by train. We will be getting a train from Naples at about 10:00 and will need to be back in Naples at 16:30. If we do Pompeii for 2-3 hours, will we still have time to get to Sorrento, spend a couple of hours there and then head back to Naples? Would I do this all by train? or should I rent a car and do it on my own?

You can do all of it easily by train, but you will have a very tight schedule; I'm not sure it will be worth it. It won't be worth hiring a car because you will waste a considerable amount of time navigating/parking etc.

The Circumvesuviana train runs from Napoli Centrale station (you will need to allow time to get there from where your ship docks). The journey to Pompeii Scavi takes around 30 minutes, and the site entrance is almost directly opposite the station. Personally, I don't think 2-3 hours is long enough, but that is your choice (I think you will want to explore for longer).

The journey (by Circumvesuviana again) from Pompeii Scavi to Sorrento takes another 30 minutes or so. The station is near the town centre, so you could perhaps have a walk around and maybe something to eat.

An alternative would be to visit the site of Herculaneum, on the trainline back to Naples (Ercolano station). This is very much smaller and very different site to Pompeii, and well worth visiting. I have details on both sites (and on Sorrento) on my pages.

Relevant Circumvesuviana timetables here:

http://www.vesuviana.it/Reteeorari/Ferrovia/Orario

Be careful to get back to Naples in plenty of time; ships don't wait.

Everything from the previous poster is true. I'll just add that having been to both places more than once my opinion is that while Sorrento is a pleasant enough town, it's just not all that compellingly interesting to warrant rushing your day so. Unless you're looking for streets of souvenir shops and an English tea I don't really see the point of a 2 hour visit to it. Pompei is enormous and requires more attention than 2-3 watch-checking hours.
Oh, and please don't drive!

Agree entirely..........I was just being a bit English-tactful!

Pompeii is very easy to see in 2 hours, in my opinion, unless you wish to study each room and nook and cranny, then one day is not enough. As for Sorrento, I have a soft spot for this seaside town. I would go to see the shopping streets, the inlaid wood carvings from tiny boxes to tables. The famous Limoncello Liqueur is to be tasted here as well as purchased for your trip. Piazzo Tasso is the main shopping point to all the small alleyways where the cameo jewelry of Sorrento is displayed. Time is the factor here and it will be tight, but doable, unless it is Wednesday afternoon, when Sorrento takes a nap. It takes about 30 minutes from Naples to get to Pompei and from Pompei to Sorrento about 40 minutes and back to Naples about an hour. So at least 2-3 hours will be traveling. Come back to Sorrento another time unless you are doing this by car, not having to wait for a train.

I couldn't agree with Larry (travelgourmet) more. Don't try to do both in one day even though, it is quite doable. We did it in one day but we weren't on a time limit, so we were quite relaxed about the whole thing. You will still be worrying about the time factor and heaven help you if there are any untimely delays. Do one or the other. As for Pompeii and how long it should take - this is entirely different for different people. My travelling mate would have stayed there all day if he could have and probably gone back the next day for more. On the other hand, I had seen plenty in two hours and was quite happy to move on to Sorrento. There is a wealth of history and stories to tell in Pompeii but there is also a lot of repetition and unless you want to examine every last pebble (and there are those who do)two to three hours should be plenty.

As usual, Leics has beaten me to it and I totally agree with her remarks, and those of Dnwitte. Can't remember when you are arriving but you will have to remember to factor in the heat and/or the crowds if you are visiting Pompeii from now until the end of October. Actually, having just done a mental calculation of what you would like to do, at the best you would have 90 minutes in Sorrento. Leave it for another time. If you really think 2-3 hours in enough in Pompeii, go to Herculaneum or to Villa Oplontis but even that would be pushing it. Honestly, relax, go to Pompeii and have a leisurely look and then return to Naples. It is much better to see one thing properly than to try and see everything in a blur.