Day Trip from Rome: Explore Pompeii & Sorrento Amalfi Coast

We booked the 7:30am tour but was informed the day before via WhatsApp that the coach will leave by 6:55am. This stressed us out as our hotel was over an hour away hence why we booked the 7:30am start and not any earlier otherwise we would have gone with another provider. We were informed that if we ‘arrive after 7am, we will miss our tour and no refund will be provided as they have a very tight schedule’, this didn’t make sense as we booked the 7:30am tour! I messaged back to re/confirm the time and say I booked for 7:30am departure and only had a response to say, ‘yes, we leave early for traffic’ and that was it. Very unhelpful and now we were forced to head back to our hotel earlier the night before which rushed us so we can get enough sleep before we go! Once we arrived all was fine and then we boarded the coach, we were inform that we all had to stand up on a moving coach, go to the front of the coach and introduce ourselves to the group one by one. This heightened my partners anxiety as public speech like that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but also, it’s early in the morning, no one wants to do that! It felt more like a school trip when we just wanted a relaxing coach ride to Pompei and Sorrento. The host, Desiree, on the coach was quiet and would benefit from speaking louder and clearer as there were times some of us looked at each other not understanding what was said as she was quiet even with the microphone. She kept hounding her opinions on us about being a ‘family’ on this trip which got irritating as felt like it was a forced social interaction which we didn’t pay for but to enjoy history, the views of the journey to Pompei and Sorrento. She also made each group of 6 responsible for their group to ensure their group wasn’t missing which should be her responsibility and not those who paid for this tour which was unfair and I felt sorry for those who did not want that added pressure. Pompeii was lovely and the tour lasted long enough to see the main sites with the tour guide however, those who struggle to walk or with a walking stick, this tour is not for you as they go so fast. To the point I had to inform that there were people left behind struggling to keep up and we need to wait for them. After this, we went to Sorrento when we were informed on the journey that we had a choice if we wanted to go to a restaurant for lunch or go down to the bay of Sorrento. We were told that the coach doesn’t go down to the bay (other providers provide mini buses to go down to the bay) but we would need to walk 20 mins down and 20 mins up which was pretty much the whole time we had out there. It was voted based on the majority of what people ‘voted’ for but it seemed more like we had to have lunch as it would be pointless and waste of our time to go down to the bay. The host informed of a place for lunch, which is obviously commissioned for and send she would send the menus to all of us via WhatsApp so she can put in a pre-order with the restaurant which makes sense. I didn’t receive the menu due to lack of signal out there on the road and then a tunnel. Personally, this menu should have been shared prior to this day so people could check and look up at the restaurant rather than do it on the coach after Pompeii. Afterall, it is our money and we should be prepped as much as possible. She eventually came to us when I said we didn’t receive the menu and then we had to quickly decide within a few mins what we wanted to eat. By the time we got to Sorrento and to the restaurant for lunch, they hadn’t accommodated us as we didn’t get our lunch requests to them later. It was badly disorganised, my partner had his food and I ended up waiting 30-40 minutes after me asking multiple times where my food was which was clearly not pre-ordered and got ‘forgotten’ about. We couldn’t eat together as he had finished his lunch (I didn’t want his food to get cold!) they knew I wasn’t happy and then provided with us with free Limoncello (we don’t drink alcohol). I said that we didn’t want it and I did say I just wanted to have a nice lunch with my partner to which they randomly got a pizza from nowhere and put it in front of my partner to which he said he’s full from his main and in that rush, they split the Limoncello all over my hat, backpack and cardigan. I was not impressed especially as I don’t drink and now my things I bought specifically for this trip got ruined and smelt of alcohol in the baking sun and I had to leave my hat. I explained to the host what happened to which she found amusing but then she realised I wasn’t finding it funny and then asked what I wanted. She could’ve offered suggestions. She informed us one round of drinks is covered by the tour group for everyone which we ended up paying for ours because we got our main removed due to the incident we had to pay for our drinks. Not happy. This delayed timing for food left us in a foul mood and very limited time in Sorrento. Otherwise Sorrento is beautiful and you definitely need more time there, I would suggest staying there a night or two to make the most of it but we didn’t have a great time overall, it was a terrible day and poor organisation. I would suggest to bring your own lunch or find somewhere else to eat or go with another group. On the way back, people were almost forced to do karaoke, which is fine for those who are more extroverted but some of us wanted to sleep after a long day. This trip wasn’t ideal and I’ve had far more better tour trips, I am a tour guide myself and you need to read the audience. This can be improved immensely but you need to communicate with your buyers what to expect (I.e: exact start times on your page, public introductions, menu for the restaurant before hand in the itinerary so people can research if that’s where they want to eat, karaoke and games on the coach etc.)

This was a really great introductory tour to Pompeii and Sorento. I really enjoyed our host Desiree’s personality and the interactions she pushed the group to have with each other. We connected with a family who traveled from the same city we did because of this. I also liked that Desiree set the expectations for the tour at the very beginning, which was that this tour is like a sampler, you won’t be able to see everything, but you will be able to decide if you want to come back to these places again to see more. This tour operates on a tight schedule in order to make it to both Pompeii and Sorrento and back to Rome on the same day. You do get a bathroom break to and from Rome. The tour of Pompeii was quick but the right amount of time to see the major things. It was a little hard to keep up with the guide at Pompeii for the older people who had a hard time walking uphill or taking stairs. I really liked that our host arranged a restaurant to eat a late lunch at in Sorrento. She provided us with a menu while on the bus and facilitated sending the order to the restaurant before we arrived so that cut down on time spent waiting at the restaurant. The food was excellent, and the restaurant was in a beautiful location. We were able to get the food shortly after arriving. We were able to eat at our pace and could leave for some free time (60-90 minutes) when we were finished and paid our check. The drive between Pompeii and Sorrento is lovely, with beautiful views. Our bus driver did an amazing job navigating the narrow roads so we could enjoy the views. I highly recommend this group and tour. I’m looking forward to doing a longer tour with this group.

We decided to do a day trip with Desiree who was our host for the day. Meeting location was great as the metro takes you right there regardless of where you are staying. The journey down was easy with a quick rest stop and time to grab a quick coffee and snack. The tour was exactly the right amount of time for the kids and the tour guide was brilliant, very informative and engaging. As an adult I would have liked to have had more time, maybe an extra 30mins on site for a wander around but it was great nonetheless. The restaurant recommended by Desiree at Sorento was delicious. We managed to get a quick walk around the town with key stops at the market and view point but regrettably it was cut short due to an earlier accident on the road. Despite this disruption Desiree did her best to engage the group, sort the issue and still make the day worth while. If you want to see Pompei and take the hassle out of it I highly recommend the trip.

We booked this tour about 7 weeks before it was scheduled. There were some discrepancies in the Viator app regarding the meeting, so we contacted the tour company two days before to confirm the meeting time. After multiple attempts calling and messaging the local tour company in WhatsApp, we finally connected with a person that could only tell us that the tour operator would contact us via WhatsApp the day before the tour. We never received any contact the day before, which already made us nervous. So the morning of the tour we showed up at the meeting point, in the pouring rain, 30 minutes prior to the meeting time listed in Viator. There were multiple tour companies meeting at that time, but we could not find our tour. The other tour companies had never heard of the tour company we had scheduled with. We tried calling again multiple times that morning, no answer. After an hour of waiting and calling, we gave up and went back to the hotel, defeated and frustrated, feeling like we got scammed. Last day of our vacation and we were really looking forward to this tour. We ended up renting a car that morning and made it to Pompeii later that day. On the positive side, we put in a refund request into Viator which was processed the same day. Happy about that. We also received an apology text in WhatsApp from the local tour company, which was nice but doesn’t make up for the disorganization and lack of ability to reach a real person though out all of this.

Amazing experience. We loved Mari and Mariceo. So knowledgeable and amazing personalities.

Everything was very well planned, and the knee to give us just enough time to enjoy the views and activities. The whole day was perfectly scheduled, so if you worry about time and want much to do, it’s a perfect way to get Pompei and Sorento in the same day.

Slight difference between booking pick up time and info via what's app from guide. 7.30 on booking 7pm acutal. Sorted on phone and left on time. Desiree was friendly and helpful throughout the trip. Enjoyed the day and although it was a long trip it gave us the opportunity to visit places that we would not have otherwise.

We had an amazing day on the Pompeii and Sorrento day trip! Everything was very well organized from beginning to end. The tour leader Desire , did an excellent job managing the day's schedule and making sure everything ran smoothly. She was friendly, attentive, and always available to help the group. At Pompeii, we were joined by a licensed local guide who gave us a very interesting tour of the archaeological site, explaining the history and showing us the most important highlights. After the guided visit, we had about two hours of free time to continue exploring on our own, take photos, and enjoy this incredible place. The bus was modern, comfortable, and fully air-conditioned, making the journey very pleasant. Sorrento was absolutely beautiful, and we had enough free time to walk through the charming streets, enjoy the views, and experience the local atmosphere. Overall, everything exceeded our expectations. We truly enjoyed every part of the experience and would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Italy!

We had a great time Desires was very nice and friendly, very patient love her.

Desiree was phenomenal! Great guide and tons of fun. The tour itself was also very nice. I am glad to have discovered Sorrento as it is a beautiful city and Pompeii is a must see. The bus was like a home throughout the whole day. There is time to sleep on the bus and she makes the ride very fun and exiting. She recruited my brother and I to do some karaoke for the rest of the bus :) -Lucas