Private Pompeii, Sorrento & Positano tour with licensed guide

Pompeii's highlights unfold at your own pace with a professional guide who knows the site.

A private full-day tour combining Pompeii's archaeological site with free time in the coastal towns of Sorrento and Positano. You get a licensed professional guide for the ruins (learning about daily Roman life, the eruption of AD 79, and the city's architecture), then your English-speaking driver takes you to both towns for browsing and beach time. Hotel or port pickup and drop-off are included, and the itinerary adapts to your interests.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Pompeii Archaeological Site2h
2. House of the Vettii10m
3. Stabian Baths10m
4. Lupanar10m
5. Great Theatre of Pompeii10m
6. Piazza Tassopassing by
7. Spiaggia Grandepassing by

Explore Pompeii, Sorrento, and Positano

• Private guided tour of Pompeii
• Visit Pompeii city gates and forum
• See Pompeii cook-shops and houses
• Explore Pompeii baths and brothel
• Visit Pompeii theatres and amphitheatre
• Free time in Sorrento town center
• Free time in Positano village
• Stroll Positano beach and church

The experience

Pompeii Archaeological Site is the centerpiece. Your licensed guide walks you through the House of the Vettii, one of the richest homes in the city, where frescoes and a colonnade courtyard survive from the 2nd century BC. You'll see the Great Theatre built into the hillside, the Stabian Baths with their sequence of cold, warm and hot chambers, and the Forum: the administrative and commercial heart where magistrates conducted business and merchants traded. The guide explains what daily life looked like before Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, and you move through the site at a pace that suits you, stopping longer at what holds your attention.

After Pompeii, your driver takes you to Sorrento, where you have free time to walk Piazza Tasso and the historic center, browse local shops and cafés, or simply sit with a view. The drive to Positano follows the Amalfi Coast road, and once there you can walk down to Spiaggia Grande beach, wander the narrow streets lined with boutiques and artisan shops, or rest and watch the colored houses cascade toward the sea. The church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its majolica dome and Byzantine icon, sits above the town if you want to climb. Your driver meets you at an agreed time for the return journey.

The tour runs 8 to 9 hours total. You choose between a private tour with licensed guide for Pompeii plus driver, or a private tour with driver only. If you pick the driver-only option, you'll arrange your own Pompeii entry and guidance. Either way, the vehicle is air-conditioned, pickup happens from your hotel, port or train station in the Naples area, and bottled water is provided. Infants can travel in a pram or stroller, and the sites are wheelchair accessible.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle with pickup from your hotel, port or train station in the Naples area.
• professional English-speaking driver for the full day.
• licensed professional guide for the Pompeii Archaeological Site (on the guide option).
• bottled water.

Options for this experience

2 options

Driver-Only Private TourGuide in English or Italian · No fixed timeDuration is 8 hours; customers may stay up to 8.45 hours at no extra charge. Going past nine hours costs an extra 40€ per hour. Meals and drinks are not included. Vehicle provided: minivan or sedan. Pickup is included.

Private Tour with a Licensed GuideGuide in English or Italian · No fixed timeGuide in Pompeii is included. Duration is 8 hours; customers may stay up to 8.45 hours at no extra charge. Going past nine hours costs an extra 40€ per hour. Not included: the Pompeii entry fee of €18 per person. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (7 and older) · Child (under 7): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on site€ 20

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by A DRIVE INTO THE BLUE

Is this one for you?Choose the option with the licensed guide if you want someone to explain Pompeii's architecture, daily life and the eruption as you walk. The guide's knowledge is what turns the ruins from impressive stone into a readable story. Pick the driver-only option if you prefer to explore Pompeii at your own pace with a guidebook or app, or if you've already arranged a separate guide.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 7): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly will I see inside Pompeii on this tour?

Your licensed guide takes you through the House of the Vettii, the Great Theatre, the Stabian Baths, the Forum, and other key structures. The guide explains the architecture, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, and what daily Roman life looked like in the city before it was buried. The route adapts to what interests you most.

How much free time do I get in Sorrento and Positano?

The itinerary includes free time in both towns, though the exact duration depends on the day's flow and your pace through Pompeii. In Sorrento you can explore Piazza Tasso and the historic center. In Positano you can reach the beach, walk the streets, or rest and take in the coastal views. Your driver meets you at an agreed time for pickup.

Is the Pompeii entry ticket included, or do I buy it separately?

The private tour with licensed guide option includes the guide for Pompeii. The Archaeological Park entry itself depends on which option you choose at checkout. If you book the driver-only option, you arrange your own entry and guidance. Ask at checkout which option includes the ticket.

What's the difference between the two tour options?

The Private Tour + Licensed Guide includes a professional guide for the Pompeii Archaeological Site who walks you through the highlights and explains the history. The Private Tour: Driver Only gives you the private vehicle and driver for transport and free time in all three towns, but you arrange your own entry and guidance at Pompeii. Both include hotel or port pickup and air-conditioned transport.

Can I book this if I'm arriving by cruise ship?

Yes. If you're a cruise passenger, provide your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time at checkout so the driver can coordinate the schedule and get you back to the port on time.

What's included in the price?

The tour includes private air-conditioned transportation; hotel, port or train station pickup and drop-off in the Naples area; a professional English-speaking driver; bottled water; and a licensed professional guide for Pompeii (if you choose the guide option). Food, drinks and gratuities are not included.