Best day trip from Rome?
May 18th, 2018, 11:14 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best day trip from Rome?
We plan to be in Rome next May, arriving the 18th and leaving the 23rd. We want to include a day trip in there to see the surrounding area. We would love to visit the sea. Maybe Capri? Suggestions for best day trips...both at the sea and not...looking at all options. Thanks!
May 18th, 2018, 11:28 AM
#2
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What are your interests and where else will you be in Italy?
Capri is about 4 hours each way and dependent on ferries running, so not the best day trip.
Florence (90 min) and Naples (60 min) are easily accessible from Rome by train.
Orvieto is an easy train ride away and gives a nice taste of a charming hill town.
Ostia Antica is an interesting archaeological site, like Pompeii, and is easily visited from Rome by commuter train. The beach is nearby at Ostia Lido, but is flat and not particularly scenic.
Sperlonga may be a closer beach town than going all the way to Capri that offers nice scenery.
Capri is about 4 hours each way and dependent on ferries running, so not the best day trip.
Florence (90 min) and Naples (60 min) are easily accessible from Rome by train.
Orvieto is an easy train ride away and gives a nice taste of a charming hill town.
Ostia Antica is an interesting archaeological site, like Pompeii, and is easily visited from Rome by commuter train. The beach is nearby at Ostia Lido, but is flat and not particularly scenic.
Sperlonga may be a closer beach town than going all the way to Capri that offers nice scenery.
May 18th, 2018, 11:38 AM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the quick response. We just have 7 full days in Italy. We'll be in Rome 4 full days then travel by train to Venice on the 8th day, and 2 full days there. Since we'll see a ton of historical sites with lots of grandeur and art work in Rome and Venice, we thought for our day trip we would see something different. We love the idea of Tuscany or the sea. I've seen on tour sites that you can go to Capri for the day, which is why I was considering that. But if most of the time will be the commute there and back, that doesn't sound like the best 'bang for our buck'.
May 18th, 2018, 12:03 PM
#4
My suggestions outside Rome are a bit lower key than your post suggests but are places I loved.
Ostia Antica and the Appian Way are both on the fringes of the city.
Ostia is an ancient Roman town, the former port for the city, extensive & beautiful ruins in a park setting, a short train ride away: Ostia - Harbour City of Ancient Rome
The Appian Way is the Roman road south of the city, an opportunity to walk and visit tombs of aristocratic citizens along the way. Accessible by bus, then foot, following in the footsteps of the Roman army for which it was built: Via Appia Antica - Rome tourist guide
I loved my visit to Orvieto, ancient town on a high bluff, accessible by train and funicular up from the station and views all around the surrounding countryside. There's a famous duomo, good places for lunch and an altogether pleasant place to spend a day walking through the quiet streets & alleys. Just over an hour by train from Termini.
Ostia Antica and the Appian Way are both on the fringes of the city.
Ostia is an ancient Roman town, the former port for the city, extensive & beautiful ruins in a park setting, a short train ride away: Ostia - Harbour City of Ancient Rome
The Appian Way is the Roman road south of the city, an opportunity to walk and visit tombs of aristocratic citizens along the way. Accessible by bus, then foot, following in the footsteps of the Roman army for which it was built: Via Appia Antica - Rome tourist guide
I loved my visit to Orvieto, ancient town on a high bluff, accessible by train and funicular up from the station and views all around the surrounding countryside. There's a famous duomo, good places for lunch and an altogether pleasant place to spend a day walking through the quiet streets & alleys. Just over an hour by train from Termini.
May 18th, 2018, 12:33 PM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not much nature around Rome but Orvieto is a class hilltown that is scenic.
But the Castelli Romani, a string of towns on side of an old volcano south of Rome could be called scenic - especially the large volcanic lake some are on - Romans in antiquity fled the heat of Rome to summer vacation homes here - Popes still have one at Castello Gondolfo, where Benedict lives in retirement. Commuter trains run there from outside Rome Termini station.
Seasides near Rome IMO are not all that scenic but built-up resorts.
But the Castelli Romani, a string of towns on side of an old volcano south of Rome could be called scenic - especially the large volcanic lake some are on - Romans in antiquity fled the heat of Rome to summer vacation homes here - Popes still have one at Castello Gondolfo, where Benedict lives in retirement. Commuter trains run there from outside Rome Termini station.
Seasides near Rome IMO are not all that scenic but built-up resorts.
Last edited by PalenQ; May 18th, 2018 at 12:42 PM.
May 18th, 2018, 01:30 PM
#9
There are loads of scenic areas you could see with a stop on your way to Venice, as in all of Tuscany which you mention, rather than trying to do it from Rome, going somewhere and backtracking in a day. But I'm confused now. Do you want scenic areas to hike, for instance, rather than towns or villages in a scenic setting?
May 18th, 2018, 01:36 PM
#10
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
PalenQ and I were posting at the same time . . .
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/l...astelli-romani
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/l...astelli-romani
May 18th, 2018, 01:45 PM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No, not necessarily to hike. Just thinking about doing something different from Rome and Venice, which are big cities full of amazing architecture, art and historical sights. So thinking about rolling hills, seaside, a small town....just something different than the big cities. We don't want to rent a car, so it'll need to be by train, or join a formal tour group.
May 18th, 2018, 01:53 PM
#12
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 22,984
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We plan to be in Rome next May, arriving the 18th and leaving the 23rd. We want to include a day trip in there to see the surrounding area. We would love to visit the sea. Maybe Capri? Suggestions for best day trips...both at the sea and not...looking at all options. Thanks!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7622915079327/ and subsequent pictures
May 18th, 2018, 02:29 PM
#14
I will agree with Michael's suggestion. I went to Rome last summer for the second time so wanted to spend time outside of Rome. I took a tour for a few days down to Sorrento and did Capri from there and glad I did. Capri was a long day trip with Sorrento being closer than Rome. I don't think I would have enjoyed it so much if I had to go right back to Rome. This is why I think Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este would be a nice break. I loved the fountains at Villa d'Este.
