Meta's position on the Circumvesuviana railway makes it an excellent base for day trips along the entire Gulf of Naples coastline. Sorrento is 10 minutes by train; Pompeii is 30 minutes; Naples is under an hour. The ferry connection to Capri runs from Sorrento rather than Meta, a short train ride away.
Sorrento is the obvious first stop — the town centre, the clifftop gardens, the views over the Faraglioni of Capri. Go early morning before the cruise tours arrive.
Pompeii is one of the great historical sites in Europe, and the Circumvesuviana drops you at the entrance. Allow a full day. The neighbouring site of Herculaneum (closer to Naples) is less visited and better preserved in some respects.
Capri — ferries from Sorrento take about 20 minutes. The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni, the Piazzetta. Expensive and crowded in high season; worth it out of season.
Positano and the Amalfi Coast are accessible by bus from Sorrento — the SITA bus runs the spectacular coastal road. Positano is the most photogenic; Ravello, further east, is quieter and has the garden of the Villa Cimbrone.