JulieJAM

I am taking a 2 week trip , in early June, with my 18 yr. old daughter to:
Barcelona - 2 days
8 night cruise from Barcelona to Rome
Rome - 3 days
I have been to Barcelona 7 years ago and last summer to Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice. We will have 3 days in Rome, Sun.- Tues. I have never been south of Rome and want to know the best one day round trip from Rome. Would Capri, Sorrento or Positano be better for such a short time frame? Which of those 3 days would you suggest? Best mode of travel? Would you combine any of these options? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

nytraveler

It's a very long day trip but I would do Pompeii - which is absolutely unlike any resort or picturesque island you will see anywhere else.

Grassshopper

It really is a long day since it's 2 or 3 hours to Naples and then another hour to Pompeii by train. With connections, you'll easily spend 8 hours traveling. But Pompeii really is an important experience.

I have a friend who chartered a car to take their group of 4 to Sorrento with a stop in Pompeii. It was expensive, but the fastest way to do your trip.

whenzuc

pompeii for sure. We stayed in Positano. WE thought Capri as a waste- wall to wall people - kind of like a NY Hamptons experience. I would look into a driver to do the coast, then on the return, stop at Pompeii. Alternatively, we drove from Rome airport - definitely was an easier drive then we had heard - I would drive one early afternoon, stay over and then do Pompeii on the way back. We left Positano in the morning- drove to Pompeii - and arrived back in Rome after returning rental and back in hotel by 3. And that was in the summer time in weekend traffic!

JulieJAM

Thanks for the responses.
The problem I have is, I am doing a different trip with my daughter than I experienced last summer. My S.O. has been to Italy several times; last summer was my first time. We squeezed in a lot of the highlights of Rome in 4 days(2 in the beginning and 2 in the end), Tuscany in 1 and 1/2, Venice in 1 and 1/2, Florence in 1 and 1/2. It was exhausting, but we loved every minute!
Because this is a last minute trip with my daughter and we are taking advantage of a ridiculously cheap cruise price, I know that we are going to experience a "Cliff Note" version of Spain, France and Italy. The 2 days in Barcelona, before the cruise will be jam-packed, trying to see most of the highlights. The cruise itself is going to be rushed with day excursions to Valencia, Mallorca, Marseilles, Nice and then Florence before we end the cruise in Rome. The 3 extra days in Rome were so that she could experience some of the highlights of Rome. I have wanted to see Positano and Capri. I know that one day is crazy, but is it possible to rent a car myself and try to see both in one day and return to Rome late evening? I have heard that Pompeii is a must-see. My only fear is that my 18 yr. old daughter will be "burnt-out" on ruins. She, I am afraid, may not have the same love of art, architecture and history that we have. I think that she may enjoy Positano and Capri, even though we will only get a glimpse. Is this a viable idea or should we rent a car/driver, which is obviously pricier? How does this option sound:
Sun am: disembark cruise ship. I have 3 nights in Rome West already prepaid. Same 4 star hotel we booked via Hotwire last summer. (Beautiful hotel. We had a rental car for our entire trip, but used the hotel shuttle to central Rome for sightseeing.) I plan on using this day for sightseeing via the same shuttle.
Mon: Rome
Tues: Capri and Positano?
Wed: fly home from Rome early am
What do you think?

maryennee

It is really far to reach the amalfi coast from rome, but I think it works the worth.
Think about the solution to take the train from Rome to Naples early morning and back in the evening (the eurostar takes about 2hours -if I'm not wrong!).
From naples i would take a private driver (not make it by your own, the roads are really small and dangerous, you would not have a nice day!)With a driver you could visit Pompei + positano + sorrento in one day, make s top for lunch (la tagliata is fantastic!)and enjoy it.
try to contact Giuseppe -Sorrentotopcar-I can really racommand him.

quokka

You will both be "burnt out" of being squeezed into a car for hours and all that traffic mess already when you reach any destination mentioned here (even more so when driving by yourself), and the way back will take at least as long. I strongly advise against trying to cover that much distance in one day. Got an idea of Italian traffic? Got an idea of South Italian style of driving? In case you hire a local driver, bring pills against travel sickness, you will need them.

A sensible day trip from Rome would be either Ostia Antica if you want the ruins of a Roman city, or Tivoli with Villa Hadriana and Villa d'Este.

steviegene

What about taking the train to Orvieto or Florence or for the day instead.
The Amalfi Coast is really too far.

ira

HI JJ,

If this is something you really want to do, then do it.

I would take the train from Rome to Salerno.

From there, take the ferry to Amalfi: see the town.

Take the SITA bus to Positano.

Depending on whether time permits, take the ferry to Sorrento from where you can take the Circumvesuviana train to Naples OR take the ferry to Naples.

You can also take the SITA bus to Meta or Sorrento to catch the train to Naples.

Take the train to Rome from Naples.

You can also do this in reverse.

Steve_James

Julie - I just posted this on your other thread. If you want to include Capri + Positano, it's an extremely long day (- dawn start and late return) - but it can be done. Here's how I'd do it -

ROME-NAPLES (- train):
- dep. Rome 06.27 (IC) or 06.45 (ES)

(- tram No. 1 or taxi to Naples dock (Napoli Beverello)


NAPLES-CAPRI (- hydrofoil) - dep. Napoli Beverello:

- 09.10 (Snav)or
- 09.30 (NLG Jet) or
- 10.00 (Neapolis)

(- timetables subject to change, but departures are frequent).


You then have 5-6 hrs in Capri for lunch and exploration
- e.g. Monte Solaro chairlift, Marina Piccola, Capri town ...

Take afternoon ferry Capri-Positano:

CAPRI-POSITANO
- dep. 16.25

You should have time for a half-hour stop at Positano, then catch the last ferry Positano-Salerno.

POSITANO-SALERNO
- dep. times not yet available (- check before departure)


Finally,

SALERNO-ROME (- train) - dep.

- 19.35 (IC) (- arr. Rome 22.40) or
- 20.42 (ES) (- arr. Rome 23.15

.....

Alternatively you could just plan a day on the Amalfi Coast and exclude Capri (- or on Capri and exclude Positano)

Hope this helps ...

Steve

missyj33

Wow Steve, wonderful help. I too am wanting to do this just to see the coast. Is there anyway you could be more detailed bout exact trains, etc... Being in a foreign country not knowing where to go makes me a little nervous. Thanks

deedeedee

missyj33 ..... Check the date Steve posted..... April - 2009