Family of 5, Late Sept Southern Italy Trip Planning Help
 

Hello everyone, we are planning a ~12 days trip in late September to Italy and would really like some advice and suggestions!

Some quick facts:

• Never been to Europe
• 10-14 days, starting from mid/late September
• Flying from US east coast (NC)
• 3 adults + 2 kids (ages 4 and 7)
• Not a huge history/art buff
• Don't speak Italian (I will try to learn as much as possible though before traveling!)
• We don't want to "see it all" but also don't want to be "too relaxing"

Our initial thought is dividing the time between Rome and a more relaxing beach/costal destination. 3 cities at max since we don't want to be moving around too much with kids and luggages.

• Fly into Rome, 5 days (extra time to adjust to jet lag etc.)
• Naples, 1 or 2 days (kids love pizzas :D)
• Sicily OR Amalfi, 5 days (wife loves beautiful beach/coastal places)
• oops, think we also need 1 more day to get back to Rome for the flight back

Would this work? Which one of Sicily or Amalfi would be better suited for kids? Do we need more time in either Rome or Sicily/Amalfi, if so, perhaps skip Naples?
Is the weather warm enough for beaches in late September in Sicily/Amalfi?

I also read people recommending Bari/Lecce area, would that be a better choice given our situation/priority? Living in a Trullo would be amazing for the kids, i imagine.

Thank you!!

No Italian would plan beach holidays (in Italy) in late September and no Italian would stay more than a few hrs at an Amalfi coast beach anyway. But the seawater remains still relatively warm. As to the weather, everything between heavy rainfall and bright sun could be possible.

Is that because of weather primarily?

So would you say end of Sept is not a good time to visit the coast?

End September in Italy:
beaches popular with people from Northern Europe and all kinds of holiday clubs will remain open.
Beachers freqented by Italians only will be closed.

Is it closer to 10 days or 14 days? Big difference. FYI, 10 days means 11 nights, and 14 days means 15 nights.

Since you haven't been to Europe with the young kids before, you shouldn't underestimate how much jet lag could impact sightseeing for the first day or two. You've given Rome 5 days (that means 6 nights). If you have to return to Rome to fly home, that adds one more night in Rome at the end. So, that's half if not more of your entire trip. You could eliminate the additional hotel change if you continued to the next destination immediately after landing in Rome, but you'd have to weigh that against what you think your group will be able/willing to do after the flight.

Although I wouldn't generally be thinking of "beach" at that time of year, it's entirely possible you'd have beautiful weather. Just no guarantee of that. I wouldn't entirely dismiss the idea of Naples (although it's another big, busy city) or the Amalfi Coast (although out of summer I think it's more of a romantic, adult destination). But I would probably pick something different. Perhaps Orvieto with a day trip to Cortona and/or a day trip to Lake Trasimeno for a boat ride to Isola Maggiore, both trips by train.

I'd drop Sicily and Apulia and think of places that aren't so far from Rome. Yes, you could fly Palermo or Bari back to Rome, but there's still getting to/from airports, check-in requirements, luggage limits, etc.

You also shouldn't underestimate how much time it takes a group of 5 to do everything. Sightsee, eat, pit stop, etc. Whenever you take a taxi, you might need two.

Luckily for your kids, you'll find pizza EVERYWHERE.

Why not look at flights into Rome and out of Naples?

That's also a possibility. Nothing has been booked yet so we are all ears to suggestions! Without backtracking would be preferred actually.
I was also thinking maybe start with the place that's more relaxed, so we don't get off the plane and feel pressured to jump right into action. And end with Rome which, i imagine, would be more intense. But hopefully by then we'd be well rested :)

Thanks, i will look into those places you mentioned!
Within Italy i think we'd prefer to travel by train.
And I also want to clarify by going to a coastal city or beach, it doesn't necessarily mean we have to get into the water. But the vibe and relaxing nature of a coastal town are what attract us.

Just got another idea, how about split 50/50 between Rome and Sorrento?
I think those 2 places are a nice contrast to each other.
Then we can do some day trips from Sorrento to places like Pompeii, Capri, Mount Vesuvius (I know my son will be excited for that!)?

To avoid backtracking to Rome, how about the following, that's 11 nights or 12 days:
1. Fly into Naples, stay 2 nights
2. Sorrento, 5 nights
3. Rome, 4 nights

Haha, I was just going to suggest Sorrento!
I might give Rome 5 nights, leaving from Sorrento after lunch.
But otherwise, I think this sounds like the perfect blend of water views, history, great food, excitement and relaxation.
It is also very kid friendly! I lot of times I like to start a trip with the excitement first (Rome) but to get the kids body clocks adjusted, the relaxing part first, sounds like a great idea! Enjoy!

I don't think I'd bother with splitting nights Naples/Sorrento. I'd just stay in Sorrento. One less hotel change. I'd have a car/driver meet the arriving flight in Naples and take you to your Sorrento hotel. You may also want to hire a driver to take you to the Naples train station when you leave for Rome... although it's easy to travel between Sorrento and Naples by commuter train. This train stops at Pompeii and at Herculaneum. There is frequent ferry service between Sorrento and Naples, but the Naples ferry dock is not near the train station. The ferries from Sorrento also sail to Capri and the coastal towns. If anyone in your group has a tendency to get car sick, you may want to avoid the bus that takes the Amalfi Coast Road.

Thanks! This helps. I am actually the only one with car sick problem 🤣 will take a note of that.

So far this sounds like the best plan for us!

I showed my wife pictures of Amalfi Coast and that was probably a mistake lol, just for planning purposes are there any closer destinations to Sorrento that has views that rival the Amalfi Coast?

The views from Sorrento are different, but they're still very good... Mt. Vesuvius, the Bay of Naples, the lights of Naples at night... especially from the cliff-side hotels.

You might notice that many (most?) of the views of the Amalfi Coast are of the towns, taken from the sea looking landward. The Sorrento views are mostly looking out to the sea.

You can stay somewhere on the AC if you like, but if your plans include Pompeii, Vesuvius and Naples, you'll make better use of your days, spend less time getting from place to place, if you stay in Sorrento. Some AC towns are built on steep hillsides, so walking around involves lots and lots of stairs. Is the 3rd adult in your group a grandparent? Would either that adult or the 4 y.o. be overwhelmed by a lot of stair climbing? If so, you'd want to choose the town and your hotel carefully...

Welcome to Fodors -- you've already received a lot of good suggestions from some real Italy experts (I've only been 3X and never south of the AC/Naples)

But just one little thing . . . "that's 11 nights or 12 days:" Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Eleven nights nets you 10 full days for seeing doing -- to get twelve total days would require thirteen nights in country.

Jean makes good points. I agree that Sorrento is good for connections to other places. I stayed there five njghts, mainly because I had points for a free hotel stay at the time, and it was a nice ferry ride to Positano or Amalfi (or I arrived via ferry from Capri), as well as the other things she mentioned.

You can also take the bus from Sorrento, which I did on another day to Positano, the good things being the great views (try to sit on the right side of the bus) and the fact that it drops you off at the top of Positano and you can walk down and take the ferry back instead of walking all the day back up the very steep hill that is Positano.

Jean and Susan make good suggestions, Sorrento would be an ideal base as it’s a transport hub. Positano is mostly vertical, so lots of stairs and climbing up and down. The SITA bus between towns is convenient, but the winding road between Amalfi and Positano made me sick, Sorrento is even further down south. But the bus drops you off at the upper town and you can make your way down, stopping for a gelato, coffee or apertivo and browsing through the many shops. Then take the ferry back to Sorrento.

Plan on being at Pompeii when they open as there’s no shade at all and it can get terribly hot. Take hats, sunscreen and water. Climbing up Vesuvius is also fun, but again be prepared for the sun.

A good idea to keep Rome for the end before flying back home. And do get a car service to pick you up at Naples and take you to the station after your stay at Sorrento. Much less hassle for a group of five, shouldn’t be that much more expensive when you factor in the convenience.

I think direct Delta flights from NYC to Naples and back from Rome might be the best solution.
There are buses from Sorrento to Positano and the Amalfi Coast.
For a small sandy beach, you may go by train from Sorrento to Villa Equense, for a pebble beach by bus to Positano,
The large sandy beaches begin South of Salerno or West of Pozzuoli

Before taking the 4 y.o. on a climb of Mt. Vesuvius, read some blogs/guides/descriptions so that you know what you're getting into. I'm not sure a 4 y.o. would enjoy it. If it's a hot as Hades day, I'd skip it. The paths are comprised of volcanic gravel that retains/radiates a lot of heat.

Thanks so much everyone, these are immensely helpful! I finally feel like our itinerary is starting to take shape...

Jean you are spot on, the 5th adult is my MIL, and yeah i suspect multiple days of steep stair climbing would be challenging for her and our 4yo daughter...

Now, finding a hotel that can accommodate 5 in 1 room is difficult, but how strict are they with the occupancy limit? I found some rooms with 2 queen beds which we could fit (and have done before), yet the room is listed as 4 max. I know some countries are very strict on this (Japan for example), how is Italy on this matter?

Is it enough to stay a little bit away from the coast line when finding a hotel, to avoid too many stairs? or do I have to go way inland? I was trying to figure this out on Google maps but wasn't too successful lol... I see there's a major road SS145 in Sorrento, is staying next to that (e.g. just a little bit north or south of it) our best bet vs closer to the ocean?

Thanks again!

Ah, good point. We might split it, so I take 7 y.o to the volcano and wife, MIL can take 4 y.o. to do something else that day. I read it takes about 3 hours for the visit to Mt. Vesuvius? So maybe we can then regroup in the afternoon :D
I will research a bit more into it!

"Now, finding a hotel that can accommodate 5 in 1 room is difficult, but how strict are they with the occupancy limit? "

Most places will be VERY strict about occupancy - because of fire regulations if nothing else. A room for five would be unusual. You will most likely need two rooms, a suite with a sofa sleeper, or a vacation rental sleeping five. Some hotels might allow a rollaway but you'd have to arrange that with the hotel. (Don't ask about a 'cot' -- that would be a baby bed/crib-type - you'd want a sofa sleeper or rollaway)

Five people trying to get away in the morning all having to use one bathroom will be a hassle.

For accommodations, if you are now just staying in Sorrento for a week, an apartment would have a lot of appeal to be able to eat breakfast in and do some easy meals in after a long day.

I think for a week, one room for 5 would be hard to find and very stressful. If in a hotel, 2 rooms, perhaps more modest, might work better and you would have the benefit of another bathroom. Also, one room could be used for naps or early bedtimes.
This is where your budget comes into play, if you don't mind sharing what you are hoping to spend on accomodations, some more specific help could be offered.

janisj, typing at the same time!

If you look at apartments in Sorrento, try not to stray too far from the center/train station area unless you're confident the property is on/near a city bus line. Sorrento is not village-size, and many apartments "in Sorrento" are far from the ferry dock, train to Pompei/Naples, bus to the coastal towns. Booking.com provides a map showing locations of apartments on their site and does a pretty good job of describing a property's "distance from center."

With kids, it would be much easier to stay within walking distance of the center. But here are the local bus timetables. You'll need to study a map of the area at the same time...

https://www.sorrentoreview.com/sorre...es--guide.html

You could also stay close to Sorrento near one of the train stops on the Circumvesuviana train line... S. Agnello or Piano, for example, are just a few minutes by train from Sorrento.

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/n...train-schedule

In my opinion, you will need two rooms.

Suggest a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment, perhaps a serviced apartment or aparthotel. I found a lot on booking.com, this is a good source and the reviews genuine. The advantage with a serviced apartment is you have a front desk in case you need help, etc. Price-wise this could be more economical than two separate hotel rooms, it’ll also give you more room to spread out.

Visiting Amalfi by ferry from Sorrento will give you the views without the carsickness. And there are flatter areas of town to wander.

I see, thank you. Good call on the 1 bathroom too!

So scratch that idea, I will look for accommodations that can officially fit 5+ :)

Thank you everyone again (for some reason I didn't get notifications about the new replies, and I am just now seeing them)!!

After some time (more like hours) searching on booking.com and other sites, and using Google Maps street view to get a feel of the streets in Sorrento, I am having second thoughts. I just don't feel it's "wow" enough - if you know what I mean (granted, I realize now that the reason Sorrento was suggested was because of it is a good base for transportation to other destinations). I got this "impression" from reading and looking at many pictures/street view - so I could be entirely wrong!

I wonder if staying on the actual Amalfi Coast would suit us better. I already ruled out Positano (too expensive, too touristy). But what about towns like Minori, Amalfi or Atrani? I think staying in Amalfi/Atrani would be better transportation-wise, but I don't know if getting to places outside of AC would be too much of a hassle? Some things to do that I thought of:

• Ferry to other AC towns. Since I heard buses around the coast line are rather miserable (crowded, carsick, long lines) + view of the towns is better from the water.
• Pompeii (not a must, or maybe we could do that on our way to Rome, store the luggage at train station and spend 2 hours there?)
• Paestum. This might be harder to get to from Amalfi.
• Exploring nearby AC towns like Ravello.
• Path of Gods would be too much for our little ones. But I found someone mentioning "path of lemons maiori to minori" which I thought would be very interesting!
• Capri / Ischia - some say Capri is overhyped and recommends Ischia instead. But google tells me boat from Amalfi to Ischia is 2.5 hours - still doable for a day trip I guess but...

As I am writing this, I realized that perhaps I was trying to achieve contradicting goals... Choosing Sorrento means more options to do day trips to other places, but not as beautiful; then choosing Amalfi means we should probably just chill and relax, maybe splurge on a beautiful sea view room. Is that right? Am I going crazy? :embarassed:

As for budget, last night I found a really nice villa in Atrani for about $1k/night with a beautiful view, I think that's about the max we want to spend. Staying in Sorrento w/o seaview, is going to be much cheaper, like almost half of Atrani/Amalfi.

Atrani doesn’t have any transport options, but it’s a beautiful little town, less than 10 minutes walk to Amalfi which is a hub. We spent 4 nights in Atrani in April 2022 and loved it, but we were stayed put on the AC and didn’t venture anywhere further away.

Don’t remember which day trips you mentioned, but remember Pompeii was one, this will be much easier from Sorrento. 1k/night seems rather high, we paid a little over €200/night for an apartment to sleep 4, we were right on the beach with a beautiful view.

Yes it does seem a bit high, I was very close to booking it last night (free cancellation in August) but decided to wait...
Yes Pompeii was one but wasn't a "must-go", I've included some other thoughts in my post above.

Would you mind sharing which apartment you were staying at? Are there a lot of steps involved when walking around Atrani/Amalfi area?

Notification is not automatic -- you would need to specifically subscribe to the thread and set up e-mail notification .

First of all, you won't receive notifications when replies are posted to your thread. You need to open the thread to see if there are additional replies.


"As I am writing this, I realized that perhaps I was trying to achieve contradicting goals."

Yes. And keep in mind that when you're traveling with a multi-generation group you can only do as much and go as fast as the slowest person. JMO but I think you're over-estimating the stamina and interest of the 4 y.o. and possibly the 7 y.o. for some of the sightseeing you're contemplating.

I don't know how many days/nights you've decided on, but you've listed at least 5 significant sightseeing goals. Presumably, if you want a "wow" place to stay, you'll likewise want to spend a day or two just enjoying where you are, giving the kids some down time, etc. IMO, to achieve all of this, you'd need to stay at least 8 nights in the area. If that's a possibility, as much as I dislike this sort of hotel change, you could split the nights between Sorrento and somewhere on the Amalfi Coast. If you don't have 8 nights, you have to decide whether the wow location is more important than the sightseeing goals. Only you can decide.

Thanks Jean!

I listed those interests but they are not all "must dos", just something I've jotted down while reading thru the internet. I do agree that I should probably just take this part of the vacation as "preparing for Rome" lol.

Kids should get a kick out of boar rides so how about the following breakdown: 5 nights in Amalfi/Atrani + 6/7 nights in Rome

For the Amalfi part, we will just try the following (2,3,4,5 order can change):

1. Arrival, walk about, recover from travel
2. Explore Amalfi/Atrani/Ravello
3. Visit other AC towns by boat
4. Minori, path of lemons, easy hiking
5. One day trip if possible (TBD)
6. Leave for Rome

I am really happy you are looking to increase the size of your accommodations. The relaxing part of your trip would not end up being relaxing with you all on top of each other!

How to choose where to stay in the area is hard. When we stayed we were in Positano and it did have the WOW factor but it also had the hassle factor. And that was for 4 adults. It is a steep hike up from the ferry and the Positano bus stop is in the middle of the route so it was often already full.

I think your priorities for where to stay should be an easy route to the ferry and the train, a flatter terrain, and a nice nearby beach and even better, a pool! It still will be hot in September. And you can still choose somewhere with a water view.

Get a driver to take you to Positano or somewhere equally WOW for a nice dinner and one day a driver to take you up to Ravello and other nearby interests for a fun lunch and beautiful vistas. We loved Pompei but haven't been to the other recommendations. We went first thing in the morning in May and it was rough by the time we left. I don't recommend it for the 4 year old and for the 7 year old, it would depend on his attention span. That might be a good one to split up for and let someone stay back with the kids.

We rented the G&G Apt at Atrani from Luca, it sleeps four, you’ll find it on Airbnb. Luca has other apartments too, you can email or whatsapp him for details. He also arranged a transfer from Naples airport, then again to Naples where we went after our stay at Atrani.

+39 339 221 1709

[email protected] https://www.alfierirooms.com

Amalfi and Atrani are mostly flat, very few, if any steps, Amalfi is a short walk away, anywhere from 6/7-10 minutes depending on where you want to go. Amalfi is a big bus and ferry hub, buses go via Atrani, but are mostly full and don’t stop, unless someone is getting off. No ferries to Atrani.

Atrani has a small beach, right across from the apartment, which has a small balcony overlooking the seafront. Some good restaurants, surprisingly for such a small town.

Amalfi has a much bigger beach, we spent a morning there. €10 for the day, you get a lounger, umbrella and towels, also access to the bathrooms and shower. No obligation to buy anything, though of course there’s a bar and restaurant. The water was icy cold end April, but we enjoyed relaxing on the beach. The younger children and grandma might enjoy this while the others go sightseeing.

Ravello and Positano will be day trips, you can go to Capri or Ischia from Amalfi. But they’re all in different directions, hard to do on the same day, so you’ll have to choose. The Path of Lemons from Minori is beautiful and easy on the knees. Do stop for pastries at Sal de Riso, delicious 😋

I replied with details of our Atrani apartment but the post has gone into moderation, hopefully it’ll be available later today!

Like coral we also went to Pompeii early May just as they opened and it was pretty hot. No trees or shade, and it gets hotter as the day progresses. I wouldn’t take the younger two, they can spend the day at the beach with grandma, it’ll be much more relaxing for them.

Thank you both, coral and geetika!

A pool would be nice, but seems like only high end hotels have them in Amalfi/Atrani and then we'd need 2 rooms for 5 = way over our budget. For example, 4 nights 2 rooms at Hotel Marina Riviera is $17k...

Maybe we save Pompeii for next trip when they were older :) and by then we could do the Path of Gods too!

I'm even looking at Ravello (yeah I know sorry I'm all over the place 😂), so the thoughts are, if we are mostly going to roam around AC towns or just chill and relax, Ravello could work too? Plus I heard the view there is magnificent!
So on the 1 or 2 days where we need to take boats from Amalfi, we'd need to take a bus or taxi to Amalfi. Hmmm, seems reasonable?

For example, 4 night at Hotel Graal in Ravello, which has a pool and wonderful views (at least according to the pictures and reviews), is $3k+ for 2 rooms! The rate is similar to another good option in Atrani (albeit w/o pool). Idk if this is high or not but seems reasonable to me?

Ravello and the views of the coast down below are stunning, but it’s high up, quite far from the other towns by the water. IMO it’s better to stay in Amalfi/Atrani and do a day trip to Ravello.

Agree with Geetika that Ravello would be best as a day trip for your group. A longer stay there would suit honeymooners with knees in youthful condition who want to cocoon, hike, or attend the August music festival.

Atrani is a short walk to Amalfi: be sure to find the parking garage route rather than taking the scary road.

Have visited Paestum as a day trip from Amalfi. Is your crowd easy to herd? Ferry from Amalfi to Salerno (scenic, recommended), short walk from dock to train station, an hour or so on the train to Paestum, again a short walk to the stunning archeological site.

Consider saving on accommodation and splurging instead on a private driver from Naples via Pompeii or Herculaneum to your coastal destination. A private driver to Ravello could be money well spent too.

I see. Btw i found the Airbnb you mentioned but unfortunately they are all booked out for September. Looks like a solid choice though!

Thank you for the suggestion. I will try find a happy medium in terms of budget on accommodation + other places :) private driver for our group would indeed be very nice and money well spent.
How long did it take you in total to get from Amalfi to Paestum? From your description it sounds doable for us!