Italy-10days-Rome, Almafi Coast, Florence
 

We are planning a 10 day trip to Italy next June. My husband & I will be traveling with our 16 and 12 year old daughters. We’d like to visit Rome, mainly to see the Vatican, Almafi Coast and Florence/Tuscany. We are only looking to spend a day and a half in Rome. Trying to decide how to best divide up the rest of our time. Also, looking for best town to stay in while on the coast (thinking Positano), and in Florence. Also, trying to decide if we should start our trip in Naples and work our way up, or land in Rome… Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Determine order by checking your flight options--what works better, into Naples and out of Florence, or vice versa?
Assuming two nights in Rome, I would make a list of your desired items to see/do in both places and allot the days accordingly, considering transit time of course (esp for Positano). If Pompeii is of interest, many see it en route rather than the long day trip.

Yes start in Naples if possible (cheap as Rome or about flights - saves you a day and cost of getting from Rome to Amalfi - take private transfer to Positano from Naples Airport.

Do 10 days include landing day and departure day - if so you have 8 days really - so say 3 nights in Positano


Take private driver to Naples, stopping at Pompeii en route or go via public transportation but that would take much much longer - train from Naples to Florence - 3 nights

Train to Rome to end up - 4 nights

Book trains early for serious discounted fares - Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia or www.italotreno.com - two competing rail companies serving same cities and using same tracks and similar trains - take whatever is cheapest. For lots on Italian trains check www.seat61.com - great tips on booking online own discounted tickets; general info like 1st v 2nd class also www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

You want to spend less time in Rome but for kids' sake besides Vatican the Forum and Colosseum are great for another day - and Rome has so many other cool things. But could spend more time in other two bases. From Positano I'd do a day trip by ferry to Capri and by bus along the sinuous road along the coast to Amalfi and Ravello. Possible day trip from Florence could go to one of those proverbial Tuscan hill towns like nearby Siena - about an hour by bus. If don't do Pompeii an easy day trip from Rome goes to nearby Ostia Antica, ancient Rome's old port and ruins on a scale like Pompeii - some like it just as much especially as it has fewer crowds.

You need to step back a bit. Should we assume your entire trip is 10 days (home to home)?

If so you will have less than 7.5 days free to see and do things. Even with just 1.5 days in Rome it would be VERY difficult to fit in the AC and Florence. Depending on the order you hit the three destinations you will spend another 1.5 to 2 days in transit between Rome, the AC and Florence. So you are down to less than 2 full days each in Florence and on the AC.

(BTW, Pal's plan doesn't work unless your trip is 12+ days)

Pick two . . . And Rome practically needs to be one of them because your flights are in/out of there.

You don't have as much time as you think. You aren't accounting for travel time, which involves more than you imagine, probably - packing, getting to a train, time in transit, orienting yourself to the new place, getting checked in, getting your bearings. It adds up, and you've got two kids with you who will want a soft drink, a sandwich, a look-see at something new, a stop for a gelato or a souvenir....

Pick two places. Open-jaw flights would help you a bit, but not much.

I agree with those above that you have over planned (over anticipated) for your time on the ground. I think you need to trim back. I would start by pricing plane tickets to see what is the most feasible before you get into too much more detail.

Yes it is quick but if they have ten days actually in Italy on ground and only wish to spend two nights in Rome and go straight from plane to Positano then it could work - my suggestion based on OP's wishes but if only 8 real days then no just do IMO Florence and Rome or Rome and Amalfi.

If never been to Italy before I would spend days between Rome and Florence but 1.5 hours apart by train. I think your kids may actually like that better than a crowded Amalfi Coast. Another easy day trip from Florence could be Pisa's Leaning Tower by train.

>>We are planning a 10 day trip to Italy next June. <<

Usually (most people anyway) when they mention a '10 Day Trip' . . . they mean 10 days -- not 12.5 days.

Maybe we should wait for the OP to come back and clarify things . . .

I wish we could get people to say how many NIGHTS they will spend in a country/town.

To clarify, we will be arriving on a Friday (morning hopefully), and leaving the following Sunday. So, 9 nights. As of now, we can fly into Naples and out of Rome pretty easily. That being said, was thinking 3 nights around Amalfi Coast, traveling by train to Florence for 4 nights, then heading to Rome for 2 nights. We will not be staying more than 2 nights in Rome for this trip....

Thanks for clarifying, jfra5!

FWIW, I think a "quick" visit to either Naples and the Amalfi Coast OR to Florence and Tuscany could easily take 6 nights; trying to do both, along with a night or two in Rome, in the same 9-night period sounds unpleasantly rushed to me -- particularly because you need to plan for the time it takes to get from one place to another. Maybe it would work for you, but do spend some time with a calendar and some realistic assessments of travel times and meal times and time for actually seeing places to make sure if works before you commit.

Hope that helps!

I totally agree with jean. One or the other - Naples & the AC or Florence & Tuscany. Either plus a couple of nights in Rome is all I'd plan. Your group of 4 will take longer see/ do things.

I think that it's hurried but OP knows that and is fine with it. Even though really 2 full days on Amalfi and 3 in Florence figuring in transport time to get to those place. Again if not doing Pompeii then take ferry Positano to Salerno and catch direct trains to Florence there negating having to change in Rome.

Thank you!

>>I totally agree with jean. <<

OOPs - that should have been I totally agree with kja . . . Though I totally agree w/Jean too :)

jfra5: I do hope that "Thank you!" was meant for the good advice you received farther up thread.

It could have been for the 'good advice' received just above too. Quite haughty to judge which advice is good and which is not - ones that reflect what OP wishes to do and says it's feasible is IMO good advice too. some folks like to travel faster than others so all possibilities are good as longer as they are feasible and OP's for three locales is - especially since they do not want more than 2 days in Rome.

@ janisj: No worries -- that's what I assumed!

FWIW: I’ve read and re-read the OP’s original post, and I see, very clearly, the statement that they want only a day and a half in Rome. Beyond that, I see a wish list, but no evidence that anything was “known” about the pace or that they would be “fine” with it. In contrast, I see a questions that made me think the OP might be open to feedback. IMHO, it is rather haughty to assume one “knows” what an OP means, when when one is, in fact, making an inference (whether the inference turns out to be correct or not). I agree that we should all feel free to offer the advice we see fit and leave it to OPs to weigh the arguments or follow up with questions. JMO.

<< Quite haughty to judge which advice is good and which is not>>

Not when a person's advice is often wrong, ill-informed, based on careless reading, or out of date.

Yes, advice is just to be given, not to be expected to be followed.

Good advice here, OP please sum up time 'lost' in transit and focus on time available.
Landing time + hours to retrieve luggage, go through checks, find taxi, go to hotel, check in at hotel, wash your hands, wait for family to gather. Then time to viist. changing location eats up time.