best way to break up day? Rome --> Pompeii --> Sorrento (logistics)
Mar 27th, 2011, 07:10 AM
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best way to break up day? Rome --> Pompeii --> Sorrento (logistics)
We are flying into Rome and our ultimate destination is Amalfi Coast. Because we do want to see Pompeii on this trip we explored the various options involving day trips from Positano or Amalfi and decided instead to stop at Pompeii on our way south from Rome. (we arrive in Rome at 10am and plan to spend the first day and night in Rome to break up our travel, relax a little, and rest up before heading south early the next morning. we've spent 6 nights in Rome on a previous trip so we won't be trying to fit in everything there is to see and will just wander and explore and maybe revisit a favorite or two).
Day 2: leave Rome hotel early and take high-speed train from Rome to Naples (~ 1 hour). Transfer to circumvensiana train and ride to Pompeii (~ 30 minutes). Leave luggage at Pompeii and visit Pompeii (3-4 hours?). Pick up luggage and take circumvensiana train to Sorrento (~30 minutes). check in at hotel in Sorrento and spend whatever time we have left that day/night in Sorrento before moving on to Positano the next morning. (We originally planned to continue on to Positano after Pompeii but figured it would be a lot of travelling in one day and by the time we got there it would be late, so might as well break up our travel by staying in Sorrento and having a chance to experience Sorrento even if for just a few hours and moving on to Positano the next day).
I'm hoping you all won't tell me this day is overly ambitious. It's really the only travel-heavy day we will be doing and it seems to be the most efficient way to see Pompeii considering that we are otherwise spending our vacation in Positano/Capri/Amalfi before heading back to Rome (with a stop in Naples) the day before we fly home. It looks like it should be relatively straightforward, but I'm wondering what times we should plan on coming/going.
What time would you leave Rome? We will likely book the high-speed train in advance. Do you book the circumvensiana train in advance or do you just buy a ticket and hop the next train? How long should we allocate for the transfer from high-speed train to local train? In planning, what time should we aim to get to Pompeii? How long should we expect to stay there? I realize you can spend a week in Pompeii but I was thinking 3-4 hours? 4-5? (we will be going early May so the weather should be mild, but I am pregnant and may tire a bit more easily). Pompeii is more of a priority for us than Sorrento and any time in Sorrento is just a bonus as we weren't planning to go there at all, but I welcome your advice. Would you plan to eat lunch in Sorrento or Pompeii? We can pick up snacks at the grocery in Rome to bring with us to Pompeii if we won't be eating until Sorrento. Assuming we only have a short time in Sorrento and are staying at a hotel near the train and ferry stations (which I believe is centrally located in Sorrento as well), what should we consider trying to fit in? Any good restaurants for dinner?
Finally, we were hoping to take the ferry from Sorrento to Positano the next morning - for the views and experience. Is this preferable to the bus? Is it hard with luggage? Is this something we need to book in advance?
Thank you. I appreciate your input.
Day 2: leave Rome hotel early and take high-speed train from Rome to Naples (~ 1 hour). Transfer to circumvensiana train and ride to Pompeii (~ 30 minutes). Leave luggage at Pompeii and visit Pompeii (3-4 hours?). Pick up luggage and take circumvensiana train to Sorrento (~30 minutes). check in at hotel in Sorrento and spend whatever time we have left that day/night in Sorrento before moving on to Positano the next morning. (We originally planned to continue on to Positano after Pompeii but figured it would be a lot of travelling in one day and by the time we got there it would be late, so might as well break up our travel by staying in Sorrento and having a chance to experience Sorrento even if for just a few hours and moving on to Positano the next day).
I'm hoping you all won't tell me this day is overly ambitious. It's really the only travel-heavy day we will be doing and it seems to be the most efficient way to see Pompeii considering that we are otherwise spending our vacation in Positano/Capri/Amalfi before heading back to Rome (with a stop in Naples) the day before we fly home. It looks like it should be relatively straightforward, but I'm wondering what times we should plan on coming/going.
What time would you leave Rome? We will likely book the high-speed train in advance. Do you book the circumvensiana train in advance or do you just buy a ticket and hop the next train? How long should we allocate for the transfer from high-speed train to local train? In planning, what time should we aim to get to Pompeii? How long should we expect to stay there? I realize you can spend a week in Pompeii but I was thinking 3-4 hours? 4-5? (we will be going early May so the weather should be mild, but I am pregnant and may tire a bit more easily). Pompeii is more of a priority for us than Sorrento and any time in Sorrento is just a bonus as we weren't planning to go there at all, but I welcome your advice. Would you plan to eat lunch in Sorrento or Pompeii? We can pick up snacks at the grocery in Rome to bring with us to Pompeii if we won't be eating until Sorrento. Assuming we only have a short time in Sorrento and are staying at a hotel near the train and ferry stations (which I believe is centrally located in Sorrento as well), what should we consider trying to fit in? Any good restaurants for dinner?
Finally, we were hoping to take the ferry from Sorrento to Positano the next morning - for the views and experience. Is this preferable to the bus? Is it hard with luggage? Is this something we need to book in advance?
Thank you. I appreciate your input.
Mar 27th, 2011, 08:19 AM
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If you are staying one night in Sorrento anyway, why take all that time checking into and out of a hotel in Rome the first day? I would go ahead and go straight to Sorrento the first day, relax that evening, and go to Pompeii the next day from Sorrento. You should get to Sorrento about mid-afternoon. You could walk around Sorrento, check out the ferry, etc. It would be less rushed. You would have more time in Pompeii. You would have more time the next evening for dinner in Sorrento after visiting Pompeii.
I, personally, would choose a hotel in Sorrento with great wiews and a terrace to relax, and take a taxi to/from the station if it was too far to walk comfortably. For me, the train station and Ferry are too far apart to walk comfortably with luggage.
I also love arriving in Positano by water. The problem is getting your luggage up the steps in Positano, so depends on the location of your hotel.
I, personally, would choose a hotel in Sorrento with great wiews and a terrace to relax, and take a taxi to/from the station if it was too far to walk comfortably. For me, the train station and Ferry are too far apart to walk comfortably with luggage.
I also love arriving in Positano by water. The problem is getting your luggage up the steps in Positano, so depends on the location of your hotel.
Mar 27th, 2011, 08:20 AM
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It's a doable day, but bound to be a little tiring!
Leave Rome as early as you can, but there's little point arriving before Pompei opens...
http://www.pompeiviva.it/pv/en/piani...ita_pompei.htm
For the interchange in Naples, try this - allow 10 to 15 minutes. On the Pompei/Sorrento route you don't buy tickets for specific trains, they're "open".
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-or-pompei.cfm
The food place there is an Autogrill - a chain that's usually better than "just OK", so I'd not waste the time and energy that picnic shopping and carrying would require...
http://www.pompeiviva.it/pv/en/autogrill.htm
And just leave Pompei whenever you feel you're ready to!
Peter
Leave Rome as early as you can, but there's little point arriving before Pompei opens...
http://www.pompeiviva.it/pv/en/piani...ita_pompei.htm
For the interchange in Naples, try this - allow 10 to 15 minutes. On the Pompei/Sorrento route you don't buy tickets for specific trains, they're "open".
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-or-pompei.cfm
The food place there is an Autogrill - a chain that's usually better than "just OK", so I'd not waste the time and energy that picnic shopping and carrying would require...
http://www.pompeiviva.it/pv/en/autogrill.htm
And just leave Pompei whenever you feel you're ready to!
Peter
Mar 27th, 2011, 09:13 AM
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Hi S,
>the ferry from Sorrento to Positano the next morning - for the views and experience. Is this preferable to the bus?
I think so.
>Is it hard with luggage?
Lots of room of the ferry to put your baggage, usually.
>Is this something we need to book in advance?
No.
I also wonder why you are parking in Rome, when you could go directly to Sorrento, rest up and visit Pompeii the next day.
>the ferry from Sorrento to Positano the next morning - for the views and experience. Is this preferable to the bus?
I think so.
>Is it hard with luggage?
Lots of room of the ferry to put your baggage, usually.
>Is this something we need to book in advance?
No.
I also wonder why you are parking in Rome, when you could go directly to Sorrento, rest up and visit Pompeii the next day.
Mar 27th, 2011, 12:51 PM
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We considered flying into Naples and looked into that originally but I really really did not want to do a connecting flight and there were no direct options. I also figured it would be nice to have a break from travel after a long flight from the U.S. because I will be 24 weeks pregnant and my doctor recommended walking around for a little while after the flight to minimize risk of blood clots. I thought if we went on to Sorrento from the airport we would likely have to book a later train to not risk missing our connection (in turn spending a bunch of time hanging around waiting for said train). I could do my "walking" then at the train station but I was afraid the flight + changing trains twice might be too much without a break in between. Of course, if you think my worries are unfounded let me know -- flights are booked so we are definitely flying into Rome, but other plans could still be changed so we will weigh our options.
Thank you for the other information about Pompeii and transfer -- very helpful.
Thank you for the other information about Pompeii and transfer -- very helpful.
Mar 27th, 2011, 12:58 PM
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I think everything looks just fine.
Leave Rome as early as possible, ideally arriving at Pompeii right when they open.
Arriving in Positano would be special - worth doing even if you need a taxi to take you (and your luggage!) from the dock to your hotel.
Leave Rome as early as possible, ideally arriving at Pompeii right when they open.
Arriving in Positano would be special - worth doing even if you need a taxi to take you (and your luggage!) from the dock to your hotel.
