Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast from Naples

Naples is the natural starting point: Pompeii is 25 km away and the Amalfi Coast just over the mountains. Tours from the city pack both into about 8 hours, and there are versions built around a cruise-ship day.

The small-group day trip

The Naples day trip (4.7/5 from 2,616 reviews, from about $116) picks up from central hotels and the cruise terminal between about 7:10 and 8:30, confirmed by WhatsApp the day before. It crosses the mountains to Amalfi for the cathedral and free time, with an optional 35-minute boat ride for €15 that most reviewers recommend, then comes back via Pompeii for a 2-hour guided walk with the entrance fee included. Lunch is optional at checkout; several reviewers suggest buying your own in Amalfi instead. Groups of fewer than six in the low season get an official audio guide instead of a live guide inside Pompeii.

From a cruise ship

If you dock at the Stazione Marittima, the port tour (4.8/5 from 1,803 reviews, from about $132) meets you at the terminal with a minivan, spends an hour each in Positano and Sorrento, then 2 hours in Pompeii with an English-speaking guide, and brings you back to the ship. The Pompeii ticket is paid in cash on the day: €22, which is the official €20 ticket plus the booking fee. A private driving tour (5.0/5 from 442 reviews, from about $272 per person) picks up anywhere in Naples, Sorrento or on the coast and lets you set the pace, useful when a ship’s schedule is tight.

Doing it by train

Pompeii alone is easy: the Circumvesuviana from Napoli Garibaldi reaches Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri in 35 to 40 minutes for €3.20, a few steps from the Porta Marina entrance. Adding the coast by public transport means the train on to Sorrento and the SITA bus to Positano and Amalfi; it works, but it is a very long day with little time at the end. The one-day itinerary has the timings, and the Pompeii tickets guide covers the official ticket.