A novice plans her family's trip of a lifetime--a month in Italy! Questions on the first leg of our trip: Rome-Naples-Praiano
Feb 21st, 2008, 09:53 AM
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A novice plans her family's trip of a lifetime--a month in Italy! Questions on the first leg of our trip: Rome-Naples-Praiano
Bonjourno!
We (mid 50's husband and wife and our teenaged daughter) are planning our first trip to Italy this June. This is a dream come true--we've managed to take a full month off from our work (!!!)and will have 25 days to explore Italy from South to the North. I have been given the challenge of planning the trip. (Aaack! I'm great at planning family camping trips, but Italy???) After a panic attack or two I found this site, and am now enjoying my travel planner role, only because of all of the invaluable info you have all provided. Thank you, thank you! But I still have many questions.
The first leg our trip is Rome (5 nights)-Amalfi Coast (5 nights). We plan to train from Rome to Naples; stay 2 nights in Naples; then head to Praiano for 3 nights. We'll then train (from either Naples or Salerno)to Florence for the next leg of the trip. So, my questions on this first leg:
1. Transportation: It seems that everyone advises using public transportation on the Amalfi coast(narrow roads, traffic, wild drivers). But my husband likes to be independent, likes to drive and go off the beaten track, and wants to rent a car. So, to rent a car or not--that is the question. Will getting from Naples to Praiano be difficult on public transportation? Since we'll be based in Praino for three days, is there good public transportation from there to places up and down the coast (Sorento,Positano, Amalfi). If we stick with public transportation, will we be limited in what we can see and do? Just how crazy are the roads?
2. From Praiano, is it easier to get to Solerno or Naples for the train to Florence? Is it best to purchase our train tickets in advance, or is it Ok to get them at the station the same day?
3. Any recommendations on a boat tour to see the coast from the water? Are there any from Praiano, or should we go to Positano? We don't necessarily need or want anything fancy or pricey.
4. Is a trip up to the crater of Vesuvius recommended? We are nature lovers, and having just finished reading "Pompeii", the mountain intrigues me.
Any other tips or suggestions for this leg of the trip (restaurants, sights, hikes) are welcomed!
We (mid 50's husband and wife and our teenaged daughter) are planning our first trip to Italy this June. This is a dream come true--we've managed to take a full month off from our work (!!!)and will have 25 days to explore Italy from South to the North. I have been given the challenge of planning the trip. (Aaack! I'm great at planning family camping trips, but Italy???) After a panic attack or two I found this site, and am now enjoying my travel planner role, only because of all of the invaluable info you have all provided. Thank you, thank you! But I still have many questions.
The first leg our trip is Rome (5 nights)-Amalfi Coast (5 nights). We plan to train from Rome to Naples; stay 2 nights in Naples; then head to Praiano for 3 nights. We'll then train (from either Naples or Salerno)to Florence for the next leg of the trip. So, my questions on this first leg:
1. Transportation: It seems that everyone advises using public transportation on the Amalfi coast(narrow roads, traffic, wild drivers). But my husband likes to be independent, likes to drive and go off the beaten track, and wants to rent a car. So, to rent a car or not--that is the question. Will getting from Naples to Praiano be difficult on public transportation? Since we'll be based in Praino for three days, is there good public transportation from there to places up and down the coast (Sorento,Positano, Amalfi). If we stick with public transportation, will we be limited in what we can see and do? Just how crazy are the roads?
2. From Praiano, is it easier to get to Solerno or Naples for the train to Florence? Is it best to purchase our train tickets in advance, or is it Ok to get them at the station the same day?
3. Any recommendations on a boat tour to see the coast from the water? Are there any from Praiano, or should we go to Positano? We don't necessarily need or want anything fancy or pricey.
4. Is a trip up to the crater of Vesuvius recommended? We are nature lovers, and having just finished reading "Pompeii", the mountain intrigues me.
Any other tips or suggestions for this leg of the trip (restaurants, sights, hikes) are welcomed!
Feb 21st, 2008, 11:37 AM
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Hi N,
> to rent a car or not--
I wouldn't bother. The SITA bus between Sorrento and Salerno goes through Praiano.
The Orange bus will take you from Praiano to the ferry docks in Positano.
>Will getting from Naples to Praiano be difficult on public transportation?
You can take the Circumvesuviana commuter train from the lower level of Naples Centrale to Sorrento and the SITA bus to Praiano.
OR
Take the money you save by not renting a car and have a limo take you to your hotel. About 100E.
>Just how crazy are the roads?
The Coast road is not difficult to drive, except for the local Italians, the German tour buses and the tourists in rental cars.
It gets clogged many times a day.
>From Praiano, is it easier to get to SAlerno or Naples for the train to Florence?
Salerno. You can go by SITA bus via Amalfi or by ferry. Either way, there is more room for your lauggage than on the Circumvesuviana.
>Is it best to purchase our train tickets in advance, or is it Ok to get them at the station the same day?
Depends on the day you are traveling.
Also, the discount fares are more likely to be available in advance.
>Any recommendations on a boat tour to see the coast from the water?
Take the Orange bus to the Positano docks, the ferry to Amalfi or Sorrento and return by SITA bus.
Both La Brace and La Strada in Praiano were very good when we were there.
Enjoy your visit.
> to rent a car or not--
I wouldn't bother. The SITA bus between Sorrento and Salerno goes through Praiano.
The Orange bus will take you from Praiano to the ferry docks in Positano.
>Will getting from Naples to Praiano be difficult on public transportation?
You can take the Circumvesuviana commuter train from the lower level of Naples Centrale to Sorrento and the SITA bus to Praiano.
OR
Take the money you save by not renting a car and have a limo take you to your hotel. About 100E.
>Just how crazy are the roads?
The Coast road is not difficult to drive, except for the local Italians, the German tour buses and the tourists in rental cars.
It gets clogged many times a day.
>From Praiano, is it easier to get to SAlerno or Naples for the train to Florence?
Salerno. You can go by SITA bus via Amalfi or by ferry. Either way, there is more room for your lauggage than on the Circumvesuviana.
>Is it best to purchase our train tickets in advance, or is it Ok to get them at the station the same day?
Depends on the day you are traveling.
Also, the discount fares are more likely to be available in advance.
>Any recommendations on a boat tour to see the coast from the water?
Take the Orange bus to the Positano docks, the ferry to Amalfi or Sorrento and return by SITA bus.
Both La Brace and La Strada in Praiano were very good when we were there.
Enjoy your visit.
Feb 21st, 2008, 12:10 PM
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For a boat tour, try Gennaro e Salvatore
http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/
If you do a search of this site you'll find several glowing reports of their boat tours.
I wouldn't get a car for the Amalfi Coast. "Off the beaten track" there is either over the cliff, or ascending vertically. Get one for the Florence leg - much better for the kind of driving/exploring it sounds like your husband likes to do.
http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/
If you do a search of this site you'll find several glowing reports of their boat tours.
I wouldn't get a car for the Amalfi Coast. "Off the beaten track" there is either over the cliff, or ascending vertically. Get one for the Florence leg - much better for the kind of driving/exploring it sounds like your husband likes to do.
Feb 21st, 2008, 12:32 PM
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Except for the thrill of driving the dramatic Amalfi Coast road there is not much here that cannot be easily reached by either bus or boat or both so there is no need IMO for a car once there.
As the fare on Naples-Rome trains are so low there is little reason trying to get an advance discounted fare IMO as it would for a few bucks savings perhaps pin you down to an unchangeable train. In any case it's very easy to buy tickets once there - don't worry about availability - two trains an hour about Naples-Rome. www.trenitalia.com for train schedules and info.
A convenient way of incorporating Mt Vesuvius crater into you trip is to take the special minibuses there from Pompeii itself - the ruins.
there are direct Naples-Florence trains about every two hours - and many more connections by a change of train in Rome
As the fare on Naples-Rome trains are so low there is little reason trying to get an advance discounted fare IMO as it would for a few bucks savings perhaps pin you down to an unchangeable train. In any case it's very easy to buy tickets once there - don't worry about availability - two trains an hour about Naples-Rome. www.trenitalia.com for train schedules and info.
A convenient way of incorporating Mt Vesuvius crater into you trip is to take the special minibuses there from Pompeii itself - the ruins.
there are direct Naples-Florence trains about every two hours - and many more connections by a change of train in Rome
Feb 21st, 2008, 12:36 PM
#5
Driving on the Amalfi coast is not as difficult as everyone makes out. From Napoli it is about a 1 hour jaunt over the mountain. The biggest problem is parking. Positano & Praiano have none except road parking (or your hotel might have an option). Ravello has a large car park outside the walls & Amalfi has some on the waterfront.
That said, we drove & parked the car & only used it to come & go to/from the coast. For Amalfi coast transport, we used Sita buses & the water taxi from Positano to Amalfi as mentioned above. Note that the Sita buses can be packed & it can be a literal pushing match to get on one at peak times – especially at Amalfi. Taxis are a very expensive option. We were quoted 50€ for Amalfi to Positano & we ended up sharing a taxi with a couple from Texas when we couldn’t get on a bus. We paid the same for a late night taxi from Ravello to Conca dei Marini after dinner.
Ian
That said, we drove & parked the car & only used it to come & go to/from the coast. For Amalfi coast transport, we used Sita buses & the water taxi from Positano to Amalfi as mentioned above. Note that the Sita buses can be packed & it can be a literal pushing match to get on one at peak times – especially at Amalfi. Taxis are a very expensive option. We were quoted 50€ for Amalfi to Positano & we ended up sharing a taxi with a couple from Texas when we couldn’t get on a bus. We paid the same for a late night taxi from Ravello to Conca dei Marini after dinner.
Ian
Feb 21st, 2008, 12:50 PM
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>> It seems that everyone advises using public transportation on the Amalfi coast(narrow roads, traffic, wild drivers). <<
I'm in dissent with "everyone". We spent a week there with a car and indeed enjoyed getting "off the beaten track" numerous times. There were 3 of us and we stayed in an agriturismo high up in the hills overlooking the sea.
Yes, the roads are narrow and sometimes the traffic moves slowly (on the main road), but how can there be "wild drivers" if there's heavy traffic? I say, Go For It! (And the roads are NOT "crazy".)
If you do have a car, why not drive to Florence (not IN Florence) and enjoy the scenic beauties of Tuscany en route?
We drove to the Vesuvius crater and it was well worth it - you park some distance away and hike to the top. We too had just read the Robert Harris novel.
I'm in dissent with "everyone". We spent a week there with a car and indeed enjoyed getting "off the beaten track" numerous times. There were 3 of us and we stayed in an agriturismo high up in the hills overlooking the sea.
Yes, the roads are narrow and sometimes the traffic moves slowly (on the main road), but how can there be "wild drivers" if there's heavy traffic? I say, Go For It! (And the roads are NOT "crazy".)
If you do have a car, why not drive to Florence (not IN Florence) and enjoy the scenic beauties of Tuscany en route?
We drove to the Vesuvius crater and it was well worth it - you park some distance away and hike to the top. We too had just read the Robert Harris novel.
Feb 22nd, 2008, 08:15 AM
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Thank you all for your replies. This was just the information I needed! You'll probably be hearing more questions from me as I plan the other legs of our dream trip (Florence, Umbria, Asolo/Venice, and Lake Orta).
Has anyone attended the concerts in Ravello? Or in any of our other destinations? I would love to incorporate some orchestral or chamber music concerts in our trip, but so far have only found websites in Italian, so don't know how to go about purchasing tickets in advance.
Has anyone attended the concerts in Ravello? Or in any of our other destinations? I would love to incorporate some orchestral or chamber music concerts in our trip, but so far have only found websites in Italian, so don't know how to go about purchasing tickets in advance.
