Amalfi, Capri, Sicily, Sardinia, or croatia
 

Hi all,

Me and my girlfriend are planning a 12 day trip to italy. We have 5 days planned in Rome and Florence and for the remaining 7 days are trying to decide what to do.

we have a few options:

1. Amalfi and Capri. spend most of the trip in the amalfi coast traveling the towns and than a night or 2 in capri.

2. We would also like to consider going to Sardinia was wondering how much time was needed there.

3. We are also considering going to Sicily and was wondering how much time was needed there.

If we were to go to Sardinia and/or Sicilly we want to have a nice relaxing time and dont want to be constantly on the move and were looking for recommendations.

We are also exploring and open to the option of going to croatia for 7 days which we would like to go to hvar, dubrovnik, and see the waterfalls.

Any insight into this trip would be greatly appreciated as well as activities you think are absolute musts, places to visit, and we would like to spend time on the beach as well as on a boat. We are going in early may, so it should not be too too crowded at any of these locations.

Personally, I don't think you have enough time for either Sicily or Croatia -- I think each of them easily merits a minimum of 2 weeks and preferably 3 weeks.

I haven't been to Sardinia yet.

A week is not unreasonably for the Amalfi Coast (including Capri) IMO.

But am I understanding correctly that you are planning 5 days for both Rome and Florence!?! Rome itself easily merits 5 days for a first visit. And I admit I'm a bit unusual in my love of art, but I found 5 days insufficient for a first visit to Florence.

But of course ONLY you can decide how much time to spend where. I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from the train/bus station or whatever, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

Good luck!

I agree that you do not have time for Sicily, Sardinia or Croatia. Those all would require way too much transit time to make them worthwhile on such a short trip.

With 12 days you can just barely do Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast.

You said you only want 5 days for both Rome and Florence and that is pretty minimal but if they don't interest you that much there is nothing wrong with that. Do know that even though the fast train only takes about an hour and a half you will still loose half a day between getting to/from the train, checking in/out of hotels.

Rome to Sorrento is also going to take half a day (1 hour fast train Rome to Naples, but then you need to switch to local (Circumvesuviana) train to Sorrento and that train is an hour and a quarter (when it's on time, which is not always) and you have to queue to get another ticket and wait for the train, etc.) Just saying ... these things take more time than you'd expect.

I would base in Sorrento the whole time and do day trips. The bus from Sorrento is Positano/Amalfi is amazing scenery, in my opinion best seen if you are not tired and dragging luggage. And if you can take the 8:30 bus (get there by 8 to get a seat on the right side). The boat is also amazing so I would do at least each mode of transport one way. With the amount of time you have you could do one day to Amalfi/Atrani/Ravello and another to Positano. Also Capri. Are you interested in Pompeii/Herculaneum or Naples. All make good day trips. There are tons of great walks in the area as well. And spend at least one day in Sorrento itself, including Marina Grande and walk a ways in the opposite direction up to the lemon grove and beyond.

I disagree entirely with the idea that if you go to an island or another country you need to have weeks to see the whole thing, especially if your reason for traveling after Rome is to relax and not be manic sightseers. You have allotted 7 days, and you can enjoy a lot in 7 days. Also, there is no mandatory amount of time everybody needs to spend in Rome and Florence. If you would prefer to spend more of your time in other parts of Italy, that is a valid choice and you should do what makes you happy.

To me the biggest difference is your choices is cost, your tolerance of crowds of tourists, and whether you'd be willing to rent a car. Amalfi is expensive (but no car needed), for both the Amalfi and Taormina (Sicily), be prepared for crowds, and for both Sicily and Sardinia it would be better to have a car. For Sardinia, you will find fewer famous sights in the way of history and art. In Sicily, you will find an overload. In the Amalfi, the sights are more tourist sights that cultural.

Many people like Sorrento for sightseeing convenience if they are planning a lot of day trips, but it is not the dramatic beauty of the Amalfi coast and has loads of tourists.

For beach time that includes swimming, it is is little early for both the Amalfi and Sardinia, but Sicily should be fine.

Never been to Croatia!

By the way, from Rome or Florence, the transit time and cost of getting to the islands you mention, and I assume Croatia, is not all that much as compared with the most beautiful parts of the Amalfi coast. I would not let that deter you if you really prefer other destinations to the Amalfi coast.

Though the weather could be quite lovely for outdoor activities, it will not be beach weather, especially if you intend to swim. Ponder that and the feedback you have received above, and let us know if that has narrowed your options a bit.
If Croatia is the place calling you, research your flight options. You could fly into Dubrovnik, stay a day or two, head to Hvar for a few nights (again, this would be very weather-dependent for me, but Split could be your backup plan), then stop at Plitvice before flying out of Zagreb or Zadar. Rushed but doable, though I would choose maximizing my time in Italy instead. The Amalfi coast seems the obvious choice.

I have no interest in swaying the travelers one way or the other, but unless you pay for private transport, it is not necessarily quicker or easier or cheaper to go the Amalfi coast from Rome than it is to fly to Dubrovnik. Such is modern travel.