zeppole

If you take tours, you are not going to stay in nice places or eat good food.

May I ask why you are going to Palermo? It's not a common destination, and the touristing there is more of a challenge. As for Capri, it is a particularly pricey destination.

It is possible, at any time of year, to spend 10 days in Italy seeing beautiful sights, staying in clean and charming lodgings, eat great food and sightsee using only public transportation, if you would enjoy simply being in Italy and having those things.

If you have family you want to see, or a wedding to go to, or a dream of seeing one particular place, that's certainly worth doing, although you have less flexibility in saving money.

I'm trying to suggest that unless you have compelling reasons to go to Palermo, you are eating a lot of euros in transportation to visit a very challenging, hectic city. Likewise, if you think you might other beautiful scenery, or the sea, and it doesn't have to be Capri, you can spend far less on lodging and ferry fees.

What do you want to accomplish with this trip?

thursdaysd

Well, a tour may be easier, but definitely not necessarily better - or even cheaper. And of course, tours vary greatly between providers.

I wouldn't think of October as "off season" for southern Italy - spring and fall are the best times to visit.

I disagree with zeppole about Palermo, I found it an interesting city with good, cheap public transport, and you should certainly not miss Monreale. Have you looked at the B&B I stayed at? www.bed-and-breakfast.palermo.it/eng/ It's on a bus route, well worth the very reasonable price, and has availability for the whole of October.

zeppole

I am not saying Palermo is not an interesting destination, and its lodgings are cheaper than most typical tourist destinations.

My questions about the choice were a reaction to mhyde talking about the costliness of the trip. The more compact the geographical area, the less moving about one does, the cheaper the trip.

It's a reach to go to Palermo or Capri and I was just curious as to what mhyde was reaching for. Maybe it's necessary to spend the money and time to reach all the way to Palermo and Capri to get it. Maybe not.

mhyde1

Well, I agree with Susan P. My schedule is much too hectic, and we are moving around too much. Will see about starting in Palermo and coming back--allowing 3 nights in Rome at the end rather than splitting it up. We really wanted to see Sicily because we have not been there. We did not see "everything" in Italy and the Tuscany area really looks good. Some friends suggested Capri and the Almafi Coast--which is so beautiful in pictures. We will ferry to Salerno because I think we will not be able to stay on Capri, but we can stay in Salerno and see so much that we may stay there 4 nights. So 4 nights in Sicily, 4 nights in Salerno, 2 nights in Naples, and the rest in Rome will make life so much easier. We both have been to Rome three times, but I know that there is much more to see, and there is a music festival in when it is time for us to come home (Festival International di Musicae Arte Sacra), and I really want to see the Gardens at the Galleria Borghese. This is a big relief to cut down on the number of stops. Now, I will have to see about the rooms. Thanks for all of your help. p.s. I still have not found the hostel in Naples--located on the upper floors of a building that is close to town.

Jaymatt

Just got back from a cruise and had a chance to drive the spectacular Amalfi coast with Salvatore from "Drive Amalfi". Didn't find Naples that exciting but would highly recommend Sorrento, Amalfi or Positano. Once you get to Naples - there are boats (hydrofoils) that can take you to Capri or other spots.

zeppole

Once you fine tune your sightseeing agenda, you may find you don't need to stay in Napoli, but only visit it from Salerno.

kja

Hi, mhyde1 -

I think your new itinerary looks much better.

> I still have not found the hostel in Naples--located on the upper floors of a building that is close to town.

It isn't a hostel, but you might want to check out the Hotel Europeo:

http://europeo.hotelsinnapoli.com/main-en.htm

Enjoy!

mhyde1

I am beginning to feel like the most stupid person in the world! After this trip, I will let you all know how it went--if it goes. I just spent time on SNAV on-line to see about booking a passage from Rome to Palermo because one of the Fodorites had mentioned it. Well, I could never get any price info at all! (and SNAV only travels in Sicily on this site-no postings from Rome) Anyway, I tried clicking on every piece of info. and could get from Naples to Palermo but could not get a price. I have never booked on-line, but I am capable of reading and thought I would be able to, but I need to know the costs. Plus, since we won't have a car, will we be close to the ports at these different places? I am working on a list of questions to ask the AAA agent today. I feel comfortable "feeling my way around once we get there, but I feel we need rooms for the first night in Rome.

mhyde1

Thursdays, just wanted to make sure I have the right hostel--is it Hostel hotel Bella Capri in Naples? Thanks.

mhyde1

Kybourbon, did you find the hostel on Capri?

thursdaysd

mhyde1 - I'm not sure how you're defining the "right" hostel. The Bella Capri is just across from the waterfront, if that is what you want. If you're still deciding, take a look at hostels.com, europcheapo.com and venere.com.

kybourbon

I'm sorry. I forgot about finding the link. It looks like the cost is 32-34€ per person in coed dorms or about 75€-85€ for a double room. Bassetto Guesthouses are also available in Naples, Florence, Tuscany, Rome.
http://www.bassettoguesthouse.com/ch...tion-capri.htm

I may have some links for other budget accommodations on Capri. I'll see what I can come up with.

kybourbon

Instead of using the Bassetto link, I found their direct link.
http://www.bussolahermes.com/en/welcome

mhyde1

Thursdays, were you talking about Naples when you said that the Bella Capri was on the waterfront? Or Capri?

thursdaysd

Naples. It's right across from the cruise ship dock - the view is likely to mostly consist of very large ships. On Capri I'd recommend La Tosca.

ednsue

Hi,
We spent 13 days in Sicily 2 years ago, have driven the Amalfi coast a few years back and spent 2 nights on Capri. So ... Palermo is a city; we stayed 1 night there before driving around the island. Try to visit Montreale on your way out of town. Siracusa was our favorite, we spent 2 nights there. Capri is certainly worth 2 nights because the atmosphere changes after all the day-trippers leave; it's very slow and you can get in almost any restaurant. The hiking there is very good and the chair lift up Mt. Sol is magical. The Amalfi coast is a wonderful drive; try not to miss Ravello. Pompeii is a must-see; try to get a guide without a cell phone. I made all our reservations over the internet at hotels I found on TripAdvisor. Have fun!

italiannotebook

Watch out for your 5th/6th floor hostel in Naples. It is very possible that there is no elevator and with luggage, that could be a problem, especially that the first floor is the first floor up. That means 6th/7th floor!
Also train schedules in Italy can be seen in English on trenitalia.it.

italiannotebook

A PS for mhyde 1
If you're working with a budget forget about Capri unless you make it a day trip. Even a cup of coffee or a bottle of water is outrageously expensive. Of course,it's outrageously beautiful, so your call.

And, make your trip as uncomplicated as possible. You don't want to spend all your time worrying about connections nor waiting in bus/train/air terminals. Enjoy one or two things. You'll make it back again for something else.

thursdaysd

The Bella Capri is the same building as the B&B I stayed in this spring. There was an elevator, but it had to be fed coins at regular intervals! (I don't remember off-hand which coins, but small ones.)

mhyde1

Our trip is slowly coming together. I have found out we can get tickets for the Galleria Borhese with context travel. Narrowed it down to three stops: Palermo, either Naples or Salerno, then back to Rome. Will spend the last three nights in Rome. Just hope we can get tickets to the International Music Festival at that time. Thanks for all of your help. Would have spent too much time traveling and not enough time just enjoying.