Capri vs. Positano
Mar 23rd, 2005, 05:41 PM
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Capri vs. Positano
Spending 2 weeks in Italy - time in Rome (3 days), Florence/Tuscany (3 days), Venice (1 day) and the rest of the trip near the Amalfi Coast - could use some good suggestions on how to spend these last 6 days (Capri? Positano? Sorrento?) looking for a great place to stay (2 workaholics who haven't vacationed since honeymoon in need of a great relaxing last week in the sun - after of course being a total tourist in above cities)....also could use some great suggestions on hotels in ANY of these cities (including Rome, Venice, Florence). Price range around 100-140/night
Mar 23rd, 2005, 05:58 PM
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Hello bradleyinitaly. When you say days, what do you mean by nights? For example Venice, 1 day. Do you mean that you will arrive and leave in the same day or do you mean that you will arrive, spend the night and leave the next day?
When are you going to Italy? Where do you fly into and fly out of? What is the itineray that you have planned?
I think that if you post an answer to these questions you will get a lot of good responses. BTW, for a little less of two weeks IMHO you are planning to do to much.
But lets see what others think. I sure understand your statment about being a workaholic, but all the more reason to not drive yourself crazy trying to see all the "have to see" places in Italy within two weeks. You will not enjoy anywhere as it will be a blur so to speak.
And do not forget that travelling from place to place takes times. Checking out of the hotel (after packing up), getting on the train perhaps (how are you going to transport yourself from city to city?), travelling, getting the next hotel, checking in etc.
Also when you say 2 weeks. Are you talking about from the time you leave the US (I will assume that is where you live) until to arrive home again? If you leave the US on day one you arrive in Italy on day two. The time you deplane, go through immigration, get your luggage, go through customs, get to your hotel most of day two is gone except for perhaps afternoon and evening which will find you with a bit of jet lag. And are you counting in the last day of two weeks flying home to the US. If so, the time you pack up, check out of your hotel, get to the airport, check your luggage, go through security etc. that will be one day. Of course because of the time difference you will arrive in the US calendar wise the same day you leave Italy.
For sure I do not want to sound negative but knowing Italy as I do I believe that you need to reconsider the places you are going to visit.
When are you going to Italy? Where do you fly into and fly out of? What is the itineray that you have planned?
I think that if you post an answer to these questions you will get a lot of good responses. BTW, for a little less of two weeks IMHO you are planning to do to much.
But lets see what others think. I sure understand your statment about being a workaholic, but all the more reason to not drive yourself crazy trying to see all the "have to see" places in Italy within two weeks. You will not enjoy anywhere as it will be a blur so to speak.
And do not forget that travelling from place to place takes times. Checking out of the hotel (after packing up), getting on the train perhaps (how are you going to transport yourself from city to city?), travelling, getting the next hotel, checking in etc.
Also when you say 2 weeks. Are you talking about from the time you leave the US (I will assume that is where you live) until to arrive home again? If you leave the US on day one you arrive in Italy on day two. The time you deplane, go through immigration, get your luggage, go through customs, get to your hotel most of day two is gone except for perhaps afternoon and evening which will find you with a bit of jet lag. And are you counting in the last day of two weeks flying home to the US. If so, the time you pack up, check out of your hotel, get to the airport, check your luggage, go through security etc. that will be one day. Of course because of the time difference you will arrive in the US calendar wise the same day you leave Italy.
For sure I do not want to sound negative but knowing Italy as I do I believe that you need to reconsider the places you are going to visit.
Mar 23rd, 2005, 06:21 PM
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This is a very ambitious plan--three cities plus the Amalfi Coast--is way too much for two weeks.
Reconsider a few issues:
= Venice: If you can't give it three days, save it for another trip.
= Give Venice three days and eliminate another city.
= Travel from place to place takes much longer than you ever plan for.
= If you are truly exhausted, maybe you should plan for the Amalfi Coast first to unwind...or possibly do Rome, AC and then Florence (or Venice).
= Think about an open jaw ticket, depending on your final destinations.
If days 1 and 14 are travel days, here are two reasonable options:
3 nights in Rome
4 nights on AC or Capri
3 nights in Tuscany
2 nights in Florence
or
3 nights in Rome
5 nights on AC or Capri
3 nights in Venice
With 5 nights on the AC, you could do a day trip to Capri.
Reconsider a few issues:
= Venice: If you can't give it three days, save it for another trip.
= Give Venice three days and eliminate another city.
= Travel from place to place takes much longer than you ever plan for.
= If you are truly exhausted, maybe you should plan for the Amalfi Coast first to unwind...or possibly do Rome, AC and then Florence (or Venice).
= Think about an open jaw ticket, depending on your final destinations.
If days 1 and 14 are travel days, here are two reasonable options:
3 nights in Rome
4 nights on AC or Capri
3 nights in Tuscany
2 nights in Florence
or
3 nights in Rome
5 nights on AC or Capri
3 nights in Venice
With 5 nights on the AC, you could do a day trip to Capri.
Mar 25th, 2005, 03:00 PM
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Thank you all - personal suggestions are so much more valuable then the 6 books i have!!!
We have 13 nights - so we would stay 1 night in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, etc....sounds like you all agree that the itnerary is quite aggressive.
Can someone tell me good travel ideas from city to city (I.e take a train from Rome to Florence - rent car in Tuscany - drive to Positano - and then how long it is between each city). We live and drive in New York city so aggressive driving is our forte (although I am sure Italian drivers may have a leg up!)
We are also going to Italy in the dead heat of July (I know, I know but we have a huge Italian wedding the night before we leave and my husband suprised me for Christmas saying it would be great to get "in the Italian mood" from the wedding then hop on the flight the next day!) Since it's going to be inferno weather this is why the last 5/6 nights we wanted to spend on the coast in a nice resort by the water/pool. Positano/Capri - we would like a really nice resort since we'll spend the majority time and try to relax...
Could also use suggestions on nice accomodations in Rome, Florence, 1 night in Tuscany and Positano....not sure what is reasonable rates (not looking to stay at a Four Seasons type place - just nice, clean hotels in prime locations.
Also should we book train travel ahead of time (where can I find schedules?) And how do I know which station to go into? Any recommendations - god I know TONS of questions....
We have 13 nights - so we would stay 1 night in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, etc....sounds like you all agree that the itnerary is quite aggressive.
Can someone tell me good travel ideas from city to city (I.e take a train from Rome to Florence - rent car in Tuscany - drive to Positano - and then how long it is between each city). We live and drive in New York city so aggressive driving is our forte (although I am sure Italian drivers may have a leg up!)
We are also going to Italy in the dead heat of July (I know, I know but we have a huge Italian wedding the night before we leave and my husband suprised me for Christmas saying it would be great to get "in the Italian mood" from the wedding then hop on the flight the next day!) Since it's going to be inferno weather this is why the last 5/6 nights we wanted to spend on the coast in a nice resort by the water/pool. Positano/Capri - we would like a really nice resort since we'll spend the majority time and try to relax...
Could also use suggestions on nice accomodations in Rome, Florence, 1 night in Tuscany and Positano....not sure what is reasonable rates (not looking to stay at a Four Seasons type place - just nice, clean hotels in prime locations.
Also should we book train travel ahead of time (where can I find schedules?) And how do I know which station to go into? Any recommendations - god I know TONS of questions....
Mar 25th, 2005, 03:38 PM
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Check out Rail Europes website and plug in the dates between cities. It's inexpensive travel and fast. 1.5 hours from Rome to Florence. By car i think it's 3 hours. Than rent a car for the road trips in the area.
I'm also taking the train from Florence to Naples. It's 3.5 hours. Alitalia flight was going to be about $500.00 and you have to stop in Rome, for a total of close to 4 hours. A no-brainer.
I'm also taking the train from Florence to Naples. It's 3.5 hours. Alitalia flight was going to be about $500.00 and you have to stop in Rome, for a total of close to 4 hours. A no-brainer.
Mar 25th, 2005, 04:02 PM
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Hi bradleyinitaly: I'm a bit more ambitious than some on this board for what you can do in a short period of time (always to be blamed on my limited vacation time & huge travel interests!), so I won't repeat that you're being too ambitious if you really want to go to all those places. Assuming you are flying in/out of Rome, the following might fit your intentions:
day 1 - arrive rome, train immediately to venice (you'll be groggy anyway & can sleep on the train). stay in venice
day 2 - explore venice, stay in venice
day 3- train to florence, stay in florence
day 4 - explore florence, stay in florence
day 5 - rent car in florence, depart florence, stay in tuscan hill town
day 6 - drive to amalfi coast (AC) drop rental car off in sorrento, get transit to accomodation, stay on AC
day 7-10 - explore AC/capri, relax
day 11 - depart AC, transit to Rome, stay in Rome
day 12 - explore Rome, stay in Rome
day 13 - explore Rome, stay in Rome
day 14 - depart
A few other suggestions:
TRANSPORTATION: I too live in NYC area and love the driving challenge, so when I was last in Italy we rented a car and I LOVED driving there - especially on the Amalfi Coast. However, that was in April when we weren't competing for limited space on the narrow roads with nearly as many tourist buses as you would get in July, so in general I think you may be better off relying on public transport as much as possible. But if you want the thrill & to be able to say you've driven in Italy, I would suggest the leg from Florence to Sorrento as an option. That said, you can use trains for most of your trip - particularly between Rome/Florence/Venice - and trains/buses/taxis/ferries for the Amalfi Coast/Capri portion. I usually get my train schedule information for all of Europe from www.raileurope.com (but this likely doesn't have local trains/subways, e.g. may not have the train that runs from Naples to Sorrento). Others on this board may have info on the SITA buses & taxi options.
As for the trains & transit times, from my recollection (others may have better estimates), Rome to Venice is 4-5 hrs, Rome to Florence is ~2 hrs, Florence to Venice is 2-3 hrs, Rome to Naples is ~1.5 hrs (if you use Naples at all as gateway to AC/Capri).
There is typically a main train station in each city - and your guidebooks should help to tell you that. In Rome it's Termini....I don't recall the others. Most stations are well located in the cities, which helps.
LODGING: I note that you mentioned you'd like to spend 100-140/nt (am assuming that's USD?). For high season in the Amalfi Coast area (Capri especially) you may be challenged...but while I don't have good budget hotel recommendation, given your desire to spend almost a week here, I'm thinking you may want to look into a villa or apartment rental somewhere on the Amalfi Coast. This might be the most affordable option.
You may get better suggestions for lodging if you post separate specific questions just on that - as I said, your quest will be a challenge for your specific price range, so if you have any flexibility there that will help, but there may be some nice suggestions on this board. Would definitely also go to www.tripadvisor.com for hotel ideas.
day 1 - arrive rome, train immediately to venice (you'll be groggy anyway & can sleep on the train). stay in venice
day 2 - explore venice, stay in venice
day 3- train to florence, stay in florence
day 4 - explore florence, stay in florence
day 5 - rent car in florence, depart florence, stay in tuscan hill town
day 6 - drive to amalfi coast (AC) drop rental car off in sorrento, get transit to accomodation, stay on AC
day 7-10 - explore AC/capri, relax
day 11 - depart AC, transit to Rome, stay in Rome
day 12 - explore Rome, stay in Rome
day 13 - explore Rome, stay in Rome
day 14 - depart
A few other suggestions:
TRANSPORTATION: I too live in NYC area and love the driving challenge, so when I was last in Italy we rented a car and I LOVED driving there - especially on the Amalfi Coast. However, that was in April when we weren't competing for limited space on the narrow roads with nearly as many tourist buses as you would get in July, so in general I think you may be better off relying on public transport as much as possible. But if you want the thrill & to be able to say you've driven in Italy, I would suggest the leg from Florence to Sorrento as an option. That said, you can use trains for most of your trip - particularly between Rome/Florence/Venice - and trains/buses/taxis/ferries for the Amalfi Coast/Capri portion. I usually get my train schedule information for all of Europe from www.raileurope.com (but this likely doesn't have local trains/subways, e.g. may not have the train that runs from Naples to Sorrento). Others on this board may have info on the SITA buses & taxi options.
As for the trains & transit times, from my recollection (others may have better estimates), Rome to Venice is 4-5 hrs, Rome to Florence is ~2 hrs, Florence to Venice is 2-3 hrs, Rome to Naples is ~1.5 hrs (if you use Naples at all as gateway to AC/Capri).
There is typically a main train station in each city - and your guidebooks should help to tell you that. In Rome it's Termini....I don't recall the others. Most stations are well located in the cities, which helps.
LODGING: I note that you mentioned you'd like to spend 100-140/nt (am assuming that's USD?). For high season in the Amalfi Coast area (Capri especially) you may be challenged...but while I don't have good budget hotel recommendation, given your desire to spend almost a week here, I'm thinking you may want to look into a villa or apartment rental somewhere on the Amalfi Coast. This might be the most affordable option.
You may get better suggestions for lodging if you post separate specific questions just on that - as I said, your quest will be a challenge for your specific price range, so if you have any flexibility there that will help, but there may be some nice suggestions on this board. Would definitely also go to www.tripadvisor.com for hotel ideas.
Mar 25th, 2005, 05:25 PM
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bradleyinitaly,
I would suggest an open jaw ticket, flying into Venice ( Delta flies to Venice from Kennedy) and out of Rome.
I think one nighters anywhere are a big pain in the neck, so I would break up your trip this way:
Venice- 4 nights ( you're going to lose one day/night to jet lag and travel)
Train to Florence
Florence- 3 nights with possible day trips to San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa, and/or wine tastings in Greve, Radda, Castellini
Train to Naples, then local train or pick up by private driver to Positano
Positano- 4 nights with possible day trips to: Capri, Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento
Eurostar from Naples to Rome, or private driver to Rome ( although this costs a fortune!!)
Rome- 3 nights
Fly home
Have a wonderful time!
I would suggest an open jaw ticket, flying into Venice ( Delta flies to Venice from Kennedy) and out of Rome.
I think one nighters anywhere are a big pain in the neck, so I would break up your trip this way:
Venice- 4 nights ( you're going to lose one day/night to jet lag and travel)
Train to Florence
Florence- 3 nights with possible day trips to San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa, and/or wine tastings in Greve, Radda, Castellini
Train to Naples, then local train or pick up by private driver to Positano
Positano- 4 nights with possible day trips to: Capri, Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento
Eurostar from Naples to Rome, or private driver to Rome ( although this costs a fortune!!)
Rome- 3 nights
Fly home
Have a wonderful time!
Mar 27th, 2005, 06:27 PM
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Hi. we are spending 13 days in italy. Our first 2 days in rome near Vatican area. Then 2 days/nights in venice.
Then back to rome for 9 days (4 days one hotel 5 in another).
We will go to capri early one morning for 1 full day and return to rome late night.
HOWEVER:
I think we should have selected 4 in Venice/Florence and then 3 in rome 2 in capri/sorrento area and then 4 again in rome.
we will arrive there on may 25 and return on june 7. I had heard from everyone here that we should spend most of our time in Rome for our first visit. However, I think we needed to have booked longer periods in Venice and Capri. I don't think we can rearrange it now.
Are you aware that Venice has beaches on Lido Island? We are staying on Lido(Venice)and heard it IS BEAUTIFUL.
Then back to rome for 9 days (4 days one hotel 5 in another).
We will go to capri early one morning for 1 full day and return to rome late night.
HOWEVER:
I think we should have selected 4 in Venice/Florence and then 3 in rome 2 in capri/sorrento area and then 4 again in rome.
we will arrive there on may 25 and return on june 7. I had heard from everyone here that we should spend most of our time in Rome for our first visit. However, I think we needed to have booked longer periods in Venice and Capri. I don't think we can rearrange it now.
Are you aware that Venice has beaches on Lido Island? We are staying on Lido(Venice)and heard it IS BEAUTIFUL.
Mar 28th, 2005, 05:52 AM
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cuzinpatti -
I hate to discourage you - but I definitely would not stay on the Lido in Venice. I think you will be very disappointed. This is not some half-deserted caribbean white sand beach with sparkling aqua water and palm trees. This is a very basic city beach - a little strip of sand and semi-dingy water - and is mobbed (tripping on people) if the weather is any good.
The beauty of Venice is in it's ancient buidlings, canals and unique atmosphere. the Lido has none of this. Most of it is very modern and there is an enormous Convention Center - which if in use- means that the restaurants are packed and the boats back and forth to Venice proper can have interminable waits. (We had people complain about waiting more than 30 minutes to get on the boat - in addition to trekking to the dock and then the trip across the lagoon - more than an hour to get over to Venice.)
If you have the chance at all I would put beach time on the AC and spend your time in Venice really seeing Venice - not a thrid-rate beach.
I hate to discourage you - but I definitely would not stay on the Lido in Venice. I think you will be very disappointed. This is not some half-deserted caribbean white sand beach with sparkling aqua water and palm trees. This is a very basic city beach - a little strip of sand and semi-dingy water - and is mobbed (tripping on people) if the weather is any good.
The beauty of Venice is in it's ancient buidlings, canals and unique atmosphere. the Lido has none of this. Most of it is very modern and there is an enormous Convention Center - which if in use- means that the restaurants are packed and the boats back and forth to Venice proper can have interminable waits. (We had people complain about waiting more than 30 minutes to get on the boat - in addition to trekking to the dock and then the trip across the lagoon - more than an hour to get over to Venice.)
If you have the chance at all I would put beach time on the AC and spend your time in Venice really seeing Venice - not a thrid-rate beach.
Mar 28th, 2005, 08:47 AM
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I agree with nytraveler. I stayed on the Lido 3 summers ago with my kids, but wouldn't opt to do it again. The beach isn't great, and the water is not so clean at times. Also, even though the vaporetto was easy enough, we got lazy about going back and forth, so didn't see nearly enough of Venice itself.
