andreal12

HI -
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET FROM PLACE TO PLACE IN ITALY. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AN TRYING TO VISIT 5 CITIES.


FLY INTO NAPLES

6/24 - 6/29 - postino
6/29 - 7/1 - rome
7/1 - 7/4 - CT
7/4 - 7/7 - 20 min walk outside of Florence
7/7 -7/9 - venice -- FLY OUT OF VENICE

mamcalice

A car is neither necessary nor desirable in the cities you plan to visit. From Naples you can train to Sorrento and take a bus to Positano. Return to Naples and train to Rome, train to CT, train to Florence. If you plan to visit Tuscan villages while staying outside of Florence, a car may come in handy. You definitely do not want a car inside the no-vehicle areas of Florence. Finally, take the train from Florence to Venice.

I have never taken the train from Rome to Cinque Terre so working out that route may take a little doing. Someone on the forum should be able to help.

kybourbon

From Naples, you can take the Curreri shuttle bus (10€) to Sorrento where you would catch the SITA bus (about 4€)on to Positano.

To Rome (from Positano?), bus (4€) to Sorrento, local commuter train (Circumvesuviana) to Naples (about 4€), train (Trenitalia) to Rome (about 45€).

To CT - train (requires multiple changes).

>>>20 min walk outside of Florence<<<

Does that mean you are staying somewhere outside of Florence? If so, why? Where?

Florence/Venice - train (Trenitalia).

kybourbon

My directions from Naples to Positano were from the airport, not the city of Naples. If you are spending some nights in Naples, then you would take the local commuter train to Sorrento.

TDudette

Yes, please clarify your 7/4-7/7 entry. Are you staying in Florence?

Agree with above. We took a train to CT from Pisa-you can do so from Florence as well (check trenitalia about any changes). Hike or train between each town.

TDudette

ps-If you can afford it, just hire a driver from the Naples airport to Positano. Faster and easier if you are a novice traveler, have a lot of luggage and/or are jet lagged.

Will you hotel in Positano have someone to meet you?

andreal12

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES

We are staying in florence on 7/4-7/7.

Also how do I go about hiring a driver from naples to positano? How much should we expect to pay going this route? If you have any numbers please let me know.

Also should we get our tickets for the buses and trains now?

momnan30

http://www.benvenutolimos.com/articl...os-article.asp

Money well spent...excellent drivers who share their knowledge of the area along the way.
We used them in 2009 to pick us up from the airport in Naples and take us to Positano. The driver offered to pause so we could tour Pompeii. We would definitely use them again.
These were the 2009 prices I have in my records:
Vehicle Cash Payment

Mercedes sedan 120 Euro

Minivan 5 pax 160 Euro

Minivan 8 pax 180 Euro
Ask for "Alfonso" for your driver.
Good luck and I hope this is helpful.

italyretreat

We also used a driver from Naples to Positano and Pompeii. Fantastic idea.
Also, right now you can explore all the train schedules by signing on to http://www.trenitalia.com. Click the "English" speaking button on the top right of the window, if you do not speak Italian. Then, enter your cities of departure and arrival, and times (using the international times, i.e. 3pm is 15. You will see a schedule pop up of all possible trains, the stopovers, times, and usually prices. IC (InterCity trains) don't stop as much as the Regional Trains. You can play with all the possibilities. Good Luck!

TDudette

Others can correct me, but I think you can purchase your train tickets when you get there.

Day of the trip is fine but Hub and I always trained from one city to the next and usually bought our next trip's tickets when we first arrived at the preceding city, i.e., bought our Rome tickets when we first arrived in Florence.

The Easter/Spring Break holiday was really busy. I expect Christmass holidays are also. We bought reserved tickets from Bologna to Ravenna on the Monday before Good Friday for Friday travel. We arrived at the station early enough to catch the earlier train so went to change tickets but were told the reserved seats were sold out.

Our hotel clerks ordered our tickets occasionally. Also, the stations have the Information booths with multi-lingual folks who are great and will write down what you need to the ticket taker.

Hub and I have taken busses and trains from airports into cities and towns and just decided it was worth the extra money to take a taxi or driver.

kybourbon

Taxis are set fees in Naples, but you must ask for the set fee or they don't have to offer it. This must be done before taking off and they must print a receipt with the zone you are departing from, destination, price and taxi number. The current set fee for the airport to Positano is 120€. You will find most car services to be a similar price because of this. Click on the pdf visualizza le tariffe and the fees in English are pages 3 & 4.

http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/...?4f7325d4c5dc4