Amalfi & Rome - How long each?
Dec 15th, 2016, 10:55 AM
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Amalfi & Rome - How long each?
Hi there -
This forum as already been an enormous help in planning our July 2017, 2-week trip. I am hoping for some insight on how much time to spend in both Rome and the Amalfi Coast.
This will be the second part of our 2 week trip, after a couple of days each in Seville and Florence.
We want to have a mix of sightseeing and relaxation. I am concerned our time in the Amalfi Coast won't allow enough time to unwind, and we will still be exploring at a breakneck pace. On the flip-side, we want to be able to hit the high points in Rome that are customary for a first time visit, and have a bit of time to leisurely explore. We don't mind some frenzy in Rome, but would still like those little moments to meander.
Our current plan is as follows:
7/7 - florence > amalfi coast (positano??) (travel day - early train)
7/8 - amalfi coast
7/9 - amalfi coast
7/10 - amalfi coast
7/11 - amalfi coast > rome (train, early/midday/late?)
7/12 - rome
7/13 - rome
7/14 - rome
7/15 - depart rome 11:05am
Does this look like a good plan? We don't want to add time to Rome. But we are wondering is we could/should get by with subtracting a day from Rome to add to Amalfi? Is that unneccesary? Will we have had time for exploration and relaxation in Amalfi with our current time frame? Also for 7/11 (travel day), what would be the suggested time to transfer to make the most out of our stays in both places? If we eliminated a day in Rome, we would definitely take the early train out from Naples so we would have most of the day in Rome. Sorry if this is a bit of a rambling post....
This forum as already been an enormous help in planning our July 2017, 2-week trip. I am hoping for some insight on how much time to spend in both Rome and the Amalfi Coast.
This will be the second part of our 2 week trip, after a couple of days each in Seville and Florence.
We want to have a mix of sightseeing and relaxation. I am concerned our time in the Amalfi Coast won't allow enough time to unwind, and we will still be exploring at a breakneck pace. On the flip-side, we want to be able to hit the high points in Rome that are customary for a first time visit, and have a bit of time to leisurely explore. We don't mind some frenzy in Rome, but would still like those little moments to meander.
Our current plan is as follows:
7/7 - florence > amalfi coast (positano??) (travel day - early train)
7/8 - amalfi coast
7/9 - amalfi coast
7/10 - amalfi coast
7/11 - amalfi coast > rome (train, early/midday/late?)
7/12 - rome
7/13 - rome
7/14 - rome
7/15 - depart rome 11:05am
Does this look like a good plan? We don't want to add time to Rome. But we are wondering is we could/should get by with subtracting a day from Rome to add to Amalfi? Is that unneccesary? Will we have had time for exploration and relaxation in Amalfi with our current time frame? Also for 7/11 (travel day), what would be the suggested time to transfer to make the most out of our stays in both places? If we eliminated a day in Rome, we would definitely take the early train out from Naples so we would have most of the day in Rome. Sorry if this is a bit of a rambling post....
Dec 15th, 2016, 11:07 AM
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It all depends on what you want to do in Rome and what you want to do on the Amalfi Coast. "Exploring" could take a few hours or a week, depending on what you want to explore. "Relaxing is even more elastic.
If you plan on seeing the "must-sees" in Rome, I think you should allow three full days, which means four nights. If you've been to Rome before, or if you are willing to skip some of the top attractions, then three nights might be enough.
It also depends on your interests. I myself would spend maximum time in Rome, but we're not all alike.
One problem with taking a late train to get more time in a place is that you have to check out early, and then store your luggage somewhere, and go back to collect it. It eats up a fair amount of your day.
If you plan on seeing the "must-sees" in Rome, I think you should allow three full days, which means four nights. If you've been to Rome before, or if you are willing to skip some of the top attractions, then three nights might be enough.
It also depends on your interests. I myself would spend maximum time in Rome, but we're not all alike.
One problem with taking a late train to get more time in a place is that you have to check out early, and then store your luggage somewhere, and go back to collect it. It eats up a fair amount of your day.
Dec 15th, 2016, 01:41 PM
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I agree that it really depends on what you want to see in Rome. As it is, you currently have 3.5 days in Rome, as it will take you a half-day to get from Positano to Rome. Personally, I would take the ferry from Positano to Salerno, then direct train from Salerno to Rome.
Keep in mind that it will be HOT in July and Rome in the heat can be pretty miserable (been there, done that, more than once). It will also be CROWDED, so plan accordingly. With such a frantic pace for the first part of your trip ("a couple of days each in Seville and Florence"), I would opt for cutting a day from Rome and adding it to Positano.
Keep in mind that it will be HOT in July and Rome in the heat can be pretty miserable (been there, done that, more than once). It will also be CROWDED, so plan accordingly. With such a frantic pace for the first part of your trip ("a couple of days each in Seville and Florence"), I would opt for cutting a day from Rome and adding it to Positano.
Dec 15th, 2016, 02:05 PM
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I adore Rome and could easily spend a year there. But given your time constraints, and the fact that you are going in the heat of summer, I would skip Rome and fly home from Naples. Save Rome for a vacation when you have much more time to devote to the city.
As it is, you are spending an awful lot of time in transit. I'd choose eitiher Spain or Italy and spend the two weeks in either country. Seville will be blazing hot in July. To go to Spain to spend a couple of days in Seville and then depart, and spend a couple of days in Florence, does not make sense with your trip plan. Or at least not to me.
As it is, you are spending an awful lot of time in transit. I'd choose eitiher Spain or Italy and spend the two weeks in either country. Seville will be blazing hot in July. To go to Spain to spend a couple of days in Seville and then depart, and spend a couple of days in Florence, does not make sense with your trip plan. Or at least not to me.
Dec 15th, 2016, 03:37 PM
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Thanks for the input. We have to fit in Seville to visit family. Otherwise, it would not be on the agenda. Our main attraction is Italy.
As it stands our itinerary is as follows:
7/1 - flight from San Diego to Seville
7/2 - arrive seville, 10:05 am
7/3 - seville
7/4 - depart seville > florence
7/5 - florence (sightsee/touring day)
7/6 - florence (day trip to wine taste or cinqueterre)
7/7 - florence > amalfi coast (positano??) (travel day - early train)
7/8 - amalfi coast
7/9 - amalfi coast
7/10 - amalfi coast
7/11 - amalfi coast > rome (train, early/midday/late?)
7/12 - rome
7/13 - rome
7/14 - rome
7/15 - depart rome 11:05am
Seville is very short but just to say hi to family who will be vacationing there, and get adjusted from the jet lag as best we can.
As for Rome, our to-dos include the Vatican/Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish steps. We also hope to fit some meandering in between there, with some leisurely dinners, walks, exploring markets, etc.
In Amalfi, we hope to shop local artisans (leather goods especially sandals), eat great food, enjoy cocktails with a view, have some time on the beach, take a boat ride to the Blue Grotto in Capri,etc. We definitely want to see Positano and Capri...hopefully more (Sorrento, etc.) if we can!
As it stands our itinerary is as follows:
7/1 - flight from San Diego to Seville
7/2 - arrive seville, 10:05 am
7/3 - seville
7/4 - depart seville > florence
7/5 - florence (sightsee/touring day)
7/6 - florence (day trip to wine taste or cinqueterre)
7/7 - florence > amalfi coast (positano??) (travel day - early train)
7/8 - amalfi coast
7/9 - amalfi coast
7/10 - amalfi coast
7/11 - amalfi coast > rome (train, early/midday/late?)
7/12 - rome
7/13 - rome
7/14 - rome
7/15 - depart rome 11:05am
Seville is very short but just to say hi to family who will be vacationing there, and get adjusted from the jet lag as best we can.
As for Rome, our to-dos include the Vatican/Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish steps. We also hope to fit some meandering in between there, with some leisurely dinners, walks, exploring markets, etc.
In Amalfi, we hope to shop local artisans (leather goods especially sandals), eat great food, enjoy cocktails with a view, have some time on the beach, take a boat ride to the Blue Grotto in Capri,etc. We definitely want to see Positano and Capri...hopefully more (Sorrento, etc.) if we can!
Dec 15th, 2016, 05:20 PM
#6
Given that you must go to Seville, I think your plan looks fine as long as you realize you might not get to do everything you hope to. Personally I'd add a day to Rome but I am a very biased pro-Rome person.
The last few times I've been to Rome it's been late-June through late-July. I live in a very climate, and absolutely wilt in the heat. Nonetheless, I've found Rome surprisingly bearable during the dog days of summer--as long as I build in r-and-r time that I wouldn't necessarily need in April or October.
I also visited the Amalfi Coast this summer. We stayed in Ravello and loved it, especially hiking, although hiking in the heat was H O T.
You're spoiled for choices.
The last few times I've been to Rome it's been late-June through late-July. I live in a very climate, and absolutely wilt in the heat. Nonetheless, I've found Rome surprisingly bearable during the dog days of summer--as long as I build in r-and-r time that I wouldn't necessarily need in April or October.
I also visited the Amalfi Coast this summer. We stayed in Ravello and loved it, especially hiking, although hiking in the heat was H O T.
You're spoiled for choices.
Dec 15th, 2016, 05:25 PM
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You might consider a night or two in Capri...most say Capri is much more enjoyable at night when the day trippers have gone.
Great views for cocktails from Le Sirenuse or Franco's Bar in Positano.
Great views for cocktails from Le Sirenuse or Franco's Bar in Positano.
Dec 15th, 2016, 06:12 PM
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I second spending two nights in Capri. I enjoyed the AC, but not as much as I do Rome. We based in Positano and did day trips to Sorrento, Herculaneum, and Amalfi. Ferried to Capri for one night, then ferried to Naples to catch the train to Rome. Not enough time to enjoy Capri with only one night, IMO.
Dec 17th, 2016, 07:36 AM
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All of the places you want to visit in Rome are among the top tourist draws in the city. In July, all will be very, very crowded. There are Friday evening visits to the Vatican Museums, but you won't be there on a Friday. There are also various early-entry options that avoid the worst of the crowds. One of the cheapest is the Vatican's early entry with breakfast and an audio guide, for €65 per person. The breakfast is supposed to be pretty dreadful, but you get to enter at 7 AM. This option isn't offered every day.
https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va...ita=175&step=2
There are also commercial private tours that offer early entry, but I don't know much about them.
If you don't want to get up at the crack of dawn, you should at least buy your ticket online, to avoid an hours-long wait in the ticket line. I once visited the Vatican Museums in the summer, and nothing would induce me to do that again. It's not only incredibly crowded, it's also very hot inside. I visited Rome with some American cousins a few years ago in the summer, and I politely declined their invitation to join them on a tour. When they got inside and saw the crowds, they left without taking the tour. The only advice I can offer, apart from the early entry, is to select a time in the late afternoon, in the middle of the week. Tuesday or Wednesday are best. Monday is more crowded because many other museums are closed on Mondays, and because the Vatican Museums is closed on Sundays.
The Colosseum doesn't have reserved entries. You can buy the tickets online, and they're good for any day that year. If you want a guided tour, of course, you have to reserve a specific time and date. Even with a ticket bought in advance, you can face a wait of an hour or more to get in, partly because of security, but also because there's a limit, for safety reasons, on the number of visitors who can be inside. I would suggest arriving about half an hour before they open, or in the late afternoon. Much of the crowd is tour groups, including cruise and bus tour groups, and these tend to arrive in the morning. If you book a tour, I would still arrive well before the stated hour, because I've read of people missing their tours because of the long wait to get in.
You mention the Roman Forum, but not the Palatine Hill, which is the most beautiful and least crowded of the three sites you can visit on the same ticket. The ticket is good for two consecutive days, and you can enter once to the Colosseum and once to the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. (These are connected internally, and are considered a single entrance.)
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
In the summer, they usually have a special "event" consisting of a night visit to the Colosseum. However this doesn't allow you to visit the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. You'd have to get a separate ticket for that.
https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va...ita=175&step=2
There are also commercial private tours that offer early entry, but I don't know much about them.
If you don't want to get up at the crack of dawn, you should at least buy your ticket online, to avoid an hours-long wait in the ticket line. I once visited the Vatican Museums in the summer, and nothing would induce me to do that again. It's not only incredibly crowded, it's also very hot inside. I visited Rome with some American cousins a few years ago in the summer, and I politely declined their invitation to join them on a tour. When they got inside and saw the crowds, they left without taking the tour. The only advice I can offer, apart from the early entry, is to select a time in the late afternoon, in the middle of the week. Tuesday or Wednesday are best. Monday is more crowded because many other museums are closed on Mondays, and because the Vatican Museums is closed on Sundays.
The Colosseum doesn't have reserved entries. You can buy the tickets online, and they're good for any day that year. If you want a guided tour, of course, you have to reserve a specific time and date. Even with a ticket bought in advance, you can face a wait of an hour or more to get in, partly because of security, but also because there's a limit, for safety reasons, on the number of visitors who can be inside. I would suggest arriving about half an hour before they open, or in the late afternoon. Much of the crowd is tour groups, including cruise and bus tour groups, and these tend to arrive in the morning. If you book a tour, I would still arrive well before the stated hour, because I've read of people missing their tours because of the long wait to get in.
You mention the Roman Forum, but not the Palatine Hill, which is the most beautiful and least crowded of the three sites you can visit on the same ticket. The ticket is good for two consecutive days, and you can enter once to the Colosseum and once to the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. (These are connected internally, and are considered a single entrance.)
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
In the summer, they usually have a special "event" consisting of a night visit to the Colosseum. However this doesn't allow you to visit the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. You'd have to get a separate ticket for that.
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