francefling

Hi and thanks in advance for any advise. I will be arriving in Rome at 9:30am and will be traveling south spending 5 nights around Naples/AC. I have 3 options... what do you think...

Option 1- Take train from airport to central Rome terminal (30 mins), take train to Naples (1 1/2 hours) walk/taxi from train station to nearby hotel. Catch a 2 hour nap, shower and go to the archilogical museum (open until 8pm) and have a late dinner. Wake up, walk/taxi to train station where there is a Hertz rental car place. Rent car, drive to Sorrento. Would have 3 full days and 4 nights based out of Sorrento.

We would like to do several day trips; see Capri (if possible due to weather), Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius. We will take our time driving back to Rome via Amalfi coast and spend 6 days in the City.

Option 2- Pick up car at the Rome airport. Drive to Naples, (2 1/2 hours) get hotel, nap, see the archilogical museum, dinner, wake up and drive to Sorrento. Again we would have 3 full days and 4 nights. I hear driving will be rough. How will it be leaving the city driving from the train station?

******* both of these options can be changed. I have heard conflicting reviews of the museum and quite a few said do not bother? We will be going to Pompeii. IS the museum is a must see? If it is do we go before or after going to Pompeii? Also if we are tired when we arrive in Naples we can do the museum in the early morning before we drive to Sorrento. (always have a backup plan!)

Option 3- Pick up car at the Rome airport and drive to Sorrento (3 1/2 hours) arrive at hotel, nap, wake up and have nice late dinner. This option I like because you arrive in Sorrento in the mid afternoon and then have 4 full days. I like to have time to walk the city's back streets. Maybe a day trip to Naples for the museum? It would be fun to take the ferry from Sorrento to Naples, then there would be no driving in the city at all! Yipee!

Any ideas on a place to stay? We usually get an apartment if staying for more than 3 days but since we will be day tripping a nice hotel/B&B in a central location within walking distance to restaurants would be fine. Any advise would be appreciated!!! Thanks Fodorites... see you on the road!

StCirq

Actually, I'd rather not see you on the road, not in Italy after an all-night flight, that is.

Perhaps it's not an issue for you, but I don't like to drive more than 2 hours (and that's even pushing it a bit) after an overseas flight.

I would take the train option.

mamamia66

I agree with above...take train whenever you can...driving is more stressful than you think!

nytraveler

If you are not subject to jet lag and have experience driving in italy I vote for #3. No need to stay in Naples or move hotels. Sorrento is as easy trip to Pompeii, Napes, Capri (pending weather) and the Amalfi coast. Key is getting lodging that has a parking space (most don't). The hotel we use in Sorrento has parking - just one of the reasons we love it.

francefling

Thank you for your concerns! We are lucky and can both sleep anywhere, so we are pretty rested after the flight. Thank goodness for Airfrance and the unlimited free red wine. nytraveler, where do you prefer to stay? I am looking at a few B&B's 1 km or so outside of town. Did that in Portugal and loved it.

Any thoughts on the museum?

ggreen

If you base in Sorrento, it's very straightforward to take the Circumvesuviana train back to Naples for a day trip. (This past spring, we even ended up on a return train after 10pm and it was fine.) It's also quite easy to take the "subway" from Naples Centrale to the archeological museum. One advantage of organizing your trip this way (option 3) is that you wouldn't be bogged down with luggage on the commuter train.

As for the museum, I always highly recommend it for its relevance to any Roman ruins you see on your trip. But I guess I should add a caveat: it's not like it's a cutting edge exhibition space, and the overall look and feel to most of the rooms is downright stuffy. The rooms with frescoes and mosaics have signage in both Italian and English but the cases chock-a-block full of artifacts are often Italian-only. And it seems there are always rooms closed to the public on a rotating schedule. That said, the collection is really amazing. You might want more time, but you can certainly see enough in about 2 hours there.

Unless your schedule dictates otherwise, I would recommend visiting the museum after having seen Pompeii - IMO, you can better imagine the spaces and lives in which the objects were used once you see the ancient city.

kybourbon

Have you driven in Italy before? You really don't want to drive in Naples. The traffic is crazy and parking will be difficult. I'm not sure I see the need for a car for this itinerary. What time of year?

francefling

We will be there in December. Dad has spent time driving in northern Italy and we just came back from a self driving trip through Greece. Done it in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal. Always interesting and yes... sometimes scary! Thanks again for the concern. PS I used to live in Manhattan. Anything goes there and the pot holes are as big as apartments!!! ggreen, thanks so much about the info on the museum.

kybourbon

I don't think you can compare any of those places to Naples (although, from your list, I haven't been to Portugal). NYC driving is a piece of cake and very orderly in comparison to Naples. You must have an IDP for Italy (it's the law) which you can get at AAA.

I would go with option #3 if you must get a car. Parking along the coast in December won't be as much of a problem as in the busier seasons (unless maybe Christmas/New Year's week).

ggreen

I have to agree with kybourbon - driving in Naples proper is not like northern Italy, Paris or Manhattan. More like driving in Mumbai!

That said, I really like Naples and I have a feeling it's because I'm a New Yorker. The city of course is very Italian, but it also reminds me of NYC about 10 or 15 years ago...

Mimar

francefling, I wouldn't take a car on this trip. Buses, trams and boats will get you around. And you won't have competition from other tourists in December.

If you take the train, you could leave your luggage in the Naples train station and do a quick trip to the archeological museum either on your way to Sorrento or on your way back. (You can take the subway from the Naples train station.) I thought it was worthwhile for a couple hours.

Speaking of the weather, you're pretty dependent on good weather for your plans. You know about the boat to Capri. Pompeii is outdoors as is Mt. Vesuvius.

As to your plan to stay in a B&B a km or so outside of town, such locations don't have restaurants. Are you willing to walk that distance in the dark and maybe the rain for dinner? If you drive, skip the wine at dinner. Italian drunk driving laws are very strict.

And BTW, add in the cost of CDW for your rental car to your travel budget. It's required in Italy.

nytraveler

Sorry - we don;t do B&Bs - just full service hotels and prefer to be right in the center of any town. In Sorrento we staya the Grand Hotel Vittoria Exelsior. Not cheap but well worth the price.