sunburst

My husband and I are going to Rome for 4 days from 8-28, leaving for US on 9-1. We are both retired and this is our first trip. Has anyone taken a day trip from Rome to Pompeii and Naples? We have a choice of taking the train to Naples and Pompeii or taking a tour that includes both of them. Which, in your opinion is the better of the two. What tour, if that is the way chosen, is the best and most economical. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Also we are staying at the Hotel Ponte Sisto in Rome and plan to walk and view the following: St. Peters, Sistine Chapel, Plaza Navona, Pantheon, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Plaza de Spagna (Spanish steps), and of course the Trevi Fountains. Is there anywhere else you would suggest or something we need to know? Again suggestions are appreciated. We are not really into museums unless there is one that is exceptional. Then we can put it on our list and see what happens.

Thank you!

sunburst

Whoops I goofed. Should have been tagged Italy. Sorry!!

Michael

I suspect that a tour would make more efficient use of your time if going from Rome to Pompeii in one day.

ira

Hi S,

Not necessary to apologize for not tagging posts. There is only one European board.

A visit to Pompei/Naples from Rome is going to be a looooooooooong day. At the end of August it is going to be a loooooonnnnnnngggggg, HOT day.

However you decide to do it, bring water and an umbrella to shade you.

janisj

You actually don't have 4 full days in Rome. Don't you fly in from Paris on the 28th? Even if your flight is early AM -- you won't be checked in at your hotel until nearly mid-day, maybe later.

It will be hot (most likely <B><RED>HOT!!!</B></red and you won't want to be walking miles every day. I'd slow down a bit --and leave Naples/Pompeii for another trip

You are cutting both Paris and Rome very short IMO -- especially in August when you just won't want to move fast/furious all day long

sunburst

I guess we will just do what we can and definitely take the transit. We realize it will be hot and we might not get to do everything we want to do but we will fit in what we can. What do you think the top choices should be? Museums are not that important to us we like the scenery.

JBX

Have you reviewed the Rome Travel Guide on this site? Info that may help you decide what are the 'must-sees' for you. Enjoy your Paris & Rome adventure!

JBX

Ooops ..... forgot to include link.
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/rome/

bardo1

No one can decide your top choices for you. I just want to echo janis' thoughts on the heat. I would humbly suggest you do all your sightseeing and neighborhood walks in the early morning and in the evenings (and stay on the shady side of the streets!).

After long, indoor, lunches in the AC, you should spend the hottest part of the day (afternoons) in museums, catacombs, or your hotel. Our very first visit to Rome (8 nights) was in August (with our son who was school aged back then - never again) and we needed 2-3 showers a day as we were soaked after just an hour out of doors.

After two days, we soon settled into a pattern of afternoon naps/chilling out to adjust to the temperatures and our stay instantly became better and more of a vacation. The daily highs shifted from 95F to 98F and the humidity was always there.

The cooler, long, after-dinner evening walks, with gelati stops, through the different neighborhoods is a must. Something your prime hotel location makes a snap.

sunburst

Hi Bardo1! Thanks for the tips regarding the heat.Can you tell me if the Vatican, Pantheon, Sistine Chapel and the Roman Forum would be good to visit in the afternoon? We want to visit St. Peters, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Plaza Navona, Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Plazza De Spagna - spanish steps, and the Trivi fountain. Some of these I know are outside and best visited in early am or evening. Please advise. Thanks!!

bardo1

The Colosseum and (especially) the Roman Forum are two places you do NOT want to visit in the afternoon August heat.

The Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain are good to visit at night.

Piazza Navona and the Pantheon can be very quick visits. Time of day is not a huge deal. If you want to spend more time in Piazza Navona or Piazza Della Rotunda during the heat of the day, then an outdoor table with umbrella and cold drink is a good idea.

St. Peters is good any time - day or night. The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel are cool once inside but there is that LONG wait outdoors standing in entrance line. Your call.

Jean

Rather than a long journey back and forth to Naples/Pompeii, you could take a much shorter trip to the ruins of the ancient port of Ostia. The excavated area is much smaller but still provides an interesting view to the layout of ancient towns.

Rick Steves gives a good description of how to get there from Rome and what to see.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...taly/ostia.htm

If you'd like a more detailed description of the excavations (including a better map of the site):

http://www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf

There are companies offering guided tours of Ostia Antica, but for me the prices are too expensive. You may think differently. Here's one well-regarded company:

http://www.contexttravel.com/city/Ro...s/Ostia_Antica

Floridacouple

My husband is also not big on museums. I planned a lot of sites designed to keep us outside, but many of the churches are so spectacular they shouldn't be missed. Some of my favorite spots outside of those mentioned above: Browsing the market at Campo di Fiori, the Bocca della verite, the view of the Vatican through the keyhole at the Piazza cavaleri di Malta, the Capucian crypt, Catacombs of Donitella, the church housing St Peter in Chains (Michaelangelo's Moses is in here), St. John Lateran Bascilica, St. Paul's Monastery.

We were there last September & it was hot, but we don't mind the heat (live in SW FL). I suggest getting all day bus passes. A daily ticket (there are also 3 day passes)is 4E and good for the buses, trams, trolley, metro. Rome is walkable, but we used the transportation system quite extensively. From the atac.roma.it website you can find how to get from point A to pint B by walking and/or transportation options. We found it to be extremely useful.

You can also download Rick Steves walking tours (free) to an iPod or mp3 player. I enjoyed the walking tours of Trastevere, Jewish Ghetto, St. Peter's and the Pantheon.

We missed the Mithraic Temple below the Bascilica of San Clemente, the Museum of Purgatory and the museo della liberazione last year. All sounded to be interesting, so we're going back this year.

You can't see or do everything in 4 days, so read up on the sites and pick the ones you think the two of you will enjoy the most. Then throw your coins in the Trevi fountain to insure that you will come back.

I've heard there is a free tour at 5:30 that meets at the Spanish Steps, which may be an ideal time to walk and see some of the sites in the cooler evening and save time during the day for others: www.newromefreetour.com

Enjoy this amazing city!

lindy27

We were in Rome the end of June in 2009, and were hot in the afternoons. We usually went back to the hotel to relax or sat at a restaurant and drank/ate until it cooled off. I can only imagine how hot it is going to be in August! We are also in our 20's and from somewhere that is 100+ pretty frequently.

Very few things, other than the Vatican attractions, are inside and cool. Most sites also have pretty long walks between them.

My best advice is to start early, relax in the afternoon, and head back out in the evening, and drink lots of water.

I also recommend Ostia Antica over Pompeii due to your short time in Rome.

tenthumbs

My family and I did a tour of Pompeii/Naples in late Sept~it was hot then. As was pointed out previously, it's a LONG day. Lindy's suggestion to start early to see the outdoor sites, then relax in the afternoon, and to head back out in the evening is a good one.

aussiesue2001

We did a day trip in April 2009 & it worked very well for us. Admittedly it wasn't hot which might make a big difference.
I booked the fast train from Rome to Naples then transferred to the Circumvesuviana & went to Pompeii. We had about 3 hours there & managed to see a lot. My husband is an Ancient History teacher so he knew all about it & what we needed to see. We had time to see EVERYTHING that was open & able to be seen!! We then hopped back on the train to Herculaneum & had a good hour or so there. We were back in Naples for the return journey to Rome arriving from memory about 6pm. It was a longish day but not overly exhausting, (yes the weather was very pleasant) I would certainly do it that way again. My DH had "just the best day"

qwovadis

eurocheapo.com great budget city guides for Rome.

Pompeii can be done as a long expensive day trip with

viator.com or self-guiding by train in one super long day

Not worth it in the short time you have

www.ostia-antica.org more intact harbor town 1 euro away

on the Metro head there to save a tonne of time and money

over crowded toruist trappy Pompeii will be hot and chock a

block... Have fun do not cram relax enjoy!