Pompeii from the Amalfi Coast: Guided Day Trip or Bus and Train?
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
For most people the simplest way to reach Pompeii from the Amalfi Coast is the guided day trip with skip-the-line entry: from €120 per person, 6 to 8 hours including the coach, rated 4.7 from 206 reviews. Going on your own costs less, but it takes a bus and a train each way, and you spend a good part of the day in transit.
Pompeii is not on the Amalfi Coast. It is across the mountains on the Bay of Naples side, and the coast road does not make the journey short. This guide compares the two organised options with the do-it-yourself route.
Two guided trips compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amalfi Coast: Pompeii guided tour with skip-the-line entry | 6 to 8 hours | €120 per person | 4.7 from 206 reviews | A full day with a coach |
| From Positano: Pompeii ruins small-group guided tour | 4.5 hours | €152.15 per person | 4.9 from 208 reviews | A shorter day, up to 15 people |
The coach tour is the cheaper of the two and the longer. The small-group tour has a slightly higher rating and leaves you part of the day free.
The €120 coach tour
The booking page lists hotel pickup for most hotels on the Amalfi Coast, a skip-the-line entrance ticket, a guide, an English audio guide and an air-conditioned coach. The itinerary shows about 65 minutes on the coach each way and a 2-hour guided visit on site. Lunch in Pompeii is listed as optional and at your own cost, and gratuities and personal shopping are not included. One reviewer describes a group of 16 and a guide who made the huge site come alive, but adds that Pompeii is so large that they could not see everything.
The tour has several starting points, so the pickup and drop-off depend on the option you pick when you check availability. The booking page names pregnant women, people with mobility impairments and people with pre-existing medical conditions as not suitable.
The small-group tour from Positano
This is a 4.5-hour tour with pickup and drop-off in Positano, an archaeological guide, skip-the-line entry and a group of up to 15. The itinerary shows a van ride of about 75 minutes each way and a 2-hour guided visit. According to the description you pass the Basilica, the Forum and the thermal baths and look into some residential houses. Mobility impairments and pre-existing medical conditions are listed as not suitable.
It costs €32.15 more than the coach tour, and it only departs from Positano. If you are based elsewhere on the coast, check the pickup details on the booking page before you plan around it.
On your own: ticket, bus and train
The basic Pompeii ticket costs €20 since January 2026, and the Pompeii+ ticket with the suburban villas costs €25. According to the archaeological park, children under 18 enter free, and so does everyone on the first Sunday of the month. These are the park’s own figures, so check them again before you travel, because ticket prices and rules change.
From Amalfi, the usual route is the SITA bus to Salerno, which takes about 75 minutes, and then a regional train to Pompei, which runs about 40 minutes; both are rough figures, so check current timetables. Add the transfers between stops and the walk from the station into the site, and you are looking at well over two hours each way, against about 65 minutes on the coach tour, and no pickup at your hotel. From Sorrento, the Circumvesuviana train stops at Pompei Scavi in about 30 minutes without a change.
You could also drive. The coast road is narrow and busy in summer, and parking is something to plan for; if you still want the freedom, you can compare rental cars for Amalfi and check the excess and fuel policy before booking.
Pompeii is big, with little shade and a lot of uneven stone. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water. The site closes in the early evening and earlier in winter, and the last entrance is well before closing, so check the official hours before you set off.
Which to book
- Most people: the €120 coach tour: pickup, entry and guide in one booking.
- You prefer a small group and are in Positano: the €152.15 tour.
- You want to spend the least and have a full day: go on your own with the €20 ticket, and leave early.
- Mobility problems or a medical condition: both tours list this as not suitable, so ask the provider directly before booking.
- Travelling with young children: under-18s enter free, but a day with two long transfers is hard going; look at other Pompeii day trips from the Amalfi Coast before deciding.
If the long day is too much, a boat day is a calmer alternative. Our guide to which boat tour to book from Amalfi or Positano shows how to choose one.
