pandjtravel

Hello everyone,

I'm taking my wife to Italy for our anniversary and our first leg of the trip is in Naples. Since we arrive in Naples at night, we will have two more nights and 3 days to spend in that area.
I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what would be the best way to spend those days.

Here is what I was thinking:

Monday: Arrive in Naples at Night
Tuesday: Take a day tour of Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, Sorrento, come back to Naples
Wednesday: Go to Capri, spend the day there, come back to Naples.

And just for kicks here is the rest of our itinerary:

Thursday: Spend some time in Naples, then go up to Rome.
Friday-Saturday: Sight see in Rome.
Sunday: Go to Florence, sight see
Monday: Go to Pisa and back to Florence.
Tuesday: train to Venice
Wednesday: fly out to Home!

Michael

Tuesday is probably two crowded. One can easily spend half a day in Pompeii and a trip on Vesuvius will use up the other half.

Michael

<b>too</b> not two crowded.

pattyshearts

It would be a real shame if you do not find time to visit the famous Archaeological museum in Naples. It has the many of the artifacts from Pompeii (including the secret room)(I will let you wonder about that) and the famous large mosaic of Alexander the Great and King Darius and of course the Farnese Bull which we did not get to see a few years back because it was being restored. Have a great trip!

Debs

What time of year will you be there? Perhaps you'll have time to squeeze in a visit to the world class Archaeological museum, if even for only a couple of hours. Naples waterfront is worth a visit as well. You might want to get the Rick Steves walking tour of Naples and see some of the city rather than just use it as a base for your day trips. But you definitely can't go wrong with seeing Pompeii / Vesuvius (a hike to the top is amazing) or enjoying Sorrento. Capri, IMHO, is a very expensive and overtouristed island, but still beautiful nonetheless. ENJOY!

pandjtravel

Wow debs and pattyshearts, I was on the fence about the museum, but I think I'm going to have to add that somewhere into my itinerary! At this point, my trip is getting packed and I'm thinking I will have to take something out.

I do agree with Debs and I think I'm going to take out Capri so that I can spend more time in Naples and Sorrento.

So:
Tuesday: Day trip to Herculaneum (Mike, is this not as crowded on Tuesdays?) + Naples Museum.
Wednesday: Day trip to Sorrento

Can anyone recommend any day tours that cover these areas? We are going in the month of February so I know some of the tours are not running.

pattyshearts

Everyone has their opinions of where to go and what to see, but I would do Capri over Sorrento. On Capri, the highlight for us was the Blue Grotto, but of course the weather has to cooperate because the boats cannot go in the grotto if the tide is high. Yes, there is a lot of hype about the Blue Grotto but it is famous and a real adventure. I also liked the island of Capri better than Sorrento because it is sounded by water and amazing. You can take a chair lift up the mountain to get an incredible view. Google Capri and decide.

Sassafrass

A few opinions:

I was going to suggest you stay in Sorrento, then realized you will be there in Feb. So, I would not even bother visiting Sorrento as a day trip. It is a great place to stay for convenience, and I like the town, but there is not much to actually see there.

Not a great time of year for Capri and the AC in general. They are more resort areas, more enjoyable in good weather. In Feb, they can be quite chilly and windy, so unless you happen to have a really beautiful day, skip Capri.

Unless you are really into things like vulcanos, skip hiking Mt Vesuvious - just a long gravely walk to look down into a big hole in the ground, IMHO. Takes a lot of time that could be spent doing something more interesting, plus may be kind of cold.

Basically, being that it is not a good time for the AC, it seems you are going to Naples mostly to visit Pompeii, so I suggest you see Pompeii and the museum in Naples and head on to Rome.

Add the extra day to Venice, which is being really short changed in your itinerary.

Don't feel bad about skipping things like Capri. It is well worth going through Naples just to see Pompeii and more time in Venice will more than make up for cutting out anything else.

Herculaneum is lovely, but include it only if you absolutely love archeological sites and if you absolutely have to stay in Naples another day after all. I would not take time away from Venice to see it.

eurotravelplan

I think if the weather is really nice, and you and your wife don't get motion sickness, you should book a tour of the Amalfi coast, either with a private driver (expensive!!!) or on a bus. You shouldn't have any trouble at all finding one last minute. I wouldn't go to Capri in February. Even if it is sunny, it is too windy out there and cold. Sorrento is kind of dull. But sitting on a comfortable bus or in a car and driving down the Amalfi coast in the sunshine could be very nice for an anniversary excursion.

You also might consider going from Rome to Pisa, putting your luggage in the train station, seeing the tower, and then going on to Florence That way you might be able to give a few hours more to Venice.

Have you checked to see when Carnivale is in Venice? It could have a quite an impact on your plans.

Waldo

Looks like you have eight days in total. If it were up to me, I would spend ALL eight days in Naples. Believe me, there's enough to see and do in eight days in Napoli!

Sassafrass

Waldo is right, and I love Naples, but unless you've had a lot of time in Rome already, I'd say spend most of your time in Rome and Venice, especially in Feb.

yestravel

I loved Naples and am curious why you are staying there but not really spending anytime in the city itself? Definitely don't miss the Archaeological museum. I agree that its not a great time for Cpari or Amalfi so either skip your time in Naples or actually check out the city. Here is my TR for how we spent a few days in Naples and really enjoyed ourselves
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/25...aris.html?_r=0

yestravel

oops - wrong link, TR to Naples is here
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...a-short-tr.cfm

kja

I must admit that this plan would be WAY too rushed for me! You'll be spending a LOT of time traveling from place to place and comparatively little time in any of these wonderful locations. Only 2 days in Rome? Only parts of 2 days in Florence, counting the time it will take to get there and to get to Pisa and back? Only part of a day in Venice, once you count the time it will take to get there? Argh!!!!

As for Naples, I agree with others that you would to well to consider finding time for the Archeological Museum. And you can probably visit a part of Pompeii and Vesuvius in a single day; I don't think you could do either justice if you try to fit Sorrento in as well (nor am I convinced that you should try to do so).

I like the idea of adding some time to see other destinations in/around Naples and then selecting at most one other city - Rome, Florence, or Venice, depending on your interests.

Hope that helps! And happy anniversary!

pandjtravel

Thank you everyone for the awesome suggestions!
I know we're rushing everything but I feel like this might be the last overseas vacation for awhile (esp. planning for kids soon) and I wanted to see as much as possible.

I originally wanted to start in Naples b/c I wanted to hit those coastal cities but as stated above, going in February might not make those locations as attractive.

Thankfully, b/c of your input, I feel at peace missing capri and sorrento, and I'm going to have to do Naples and Pompeii (no hike)for a day...and just know that I'm going to get more time on the back end of the trip. Also the Rome to Pisa before Florence is a GREAT idea.

In terms of Carnivale, I know about it, but didn't check if we'd be there during that time.

Thank you again! I'm so grateful for this site and the members!

Sassafrass

pandjtravel, it is nice to see someone who is truly wanting advice and actually taking it to heart. I hope your trip is wonderful.