chris

Our family of 4 is planning a 6night trip to Rome and the Amalfi coast. We arrive in Rome on a Saturday afternoon and have flights out of Naples on Friday at about noon. I had thought that we would spend 3 nights in Rome and 3 nights in the Amalfi <BR>coast area. Not only do I need to decide on the hotels (and actual town in <BR>the Amalfi coast area), but a key factor is how to get from Rome to A. Coast <BR>and how to get from A. Coast to Naples airport in the fastest and easiest <BR>ways. I had NOT planned on renting a car, but could consider it if it is our <BR>best option. This trip is being put together in a hurry...we leave on Saturday! Would appreciate quick replies with your recs on central hotels in Rome good for families (2 teenagers), which city and hotel would be best for us in Amalfi, and best way(s) to get around once we are there. Thanks in advance for your help! <BR>

nancy

have only done one trip to rome. <BR>We loved the Albergo del Senato, in P. della Rotonda, overlooking the Pantheon. <BR>Lovely location, place and friendly staff. <BR>Felt comfy enough to allow the children to leave hotel on their own and go around piazza. <BR> <BR>Trains would be way to go , if you do not want to rent a car. <BR>The train station is not that hard to navigate through, and then you can sit back and enjoy the scenery. <BR> <BR>Sorry, no really helpful advice, but I hope you enjoy your trip!

nancy

Question, <BR>I hear Amalfi C. is molto bello, <BR>but, what are you planning on doing for the 3 days <BR>It isn't really beach weather still, is it? <BR> <BR>We stayed on the Gulf of Gaeta, about 1 hr north of Naples on the coast. <BR>We took daytrips inland to <BR>Caserta, to see Palazzo Reale <BR>(used for some Star Wars Episode 1 scenes) <BR>to the Abbezzia at Montecassino, <BR>and a day trip to Herculaneum .

Paige

We stayed at the Hotel Forte in Rome and liked it well enough. It's really close to the Spanish steps so the location is excellent. <BR>Where to stay on the coast depends on what you want to do. We spent 4 nights in Sorrento at La Tonnarella. The hotel sits on the cliff just outside of town and has wonderful views. It's about a 15-20 minute walk to the center but there's a sidewalk the whole way. We took one day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum, which is a full day and easy to do by train. We also took a day trip to Capri which was also easy. The walk up to Villa Jovis is really nice and you get away from the hoards of tourists, as is the chairlift up Monte Solero (sp?). I'd love to go back and spend a few nights there. Then we took a day trip to Positano. There's not much to do there except wander around but I thought it would be a nice place to spend a few days relaxing. It was really easy to get there (or anywhere along the coast) by bus from Sorrento. <BR>From Sorrento to Naples airport, we hired a taxi and I don't remember the price. It wasn't horribly expensive or we wouldn't have done it. You can also take the train to Naples and either a bus or taxi to the airport. It seems like I heard that the taxi fare to the airport from the train station was pretty high, and that's why we opted to go ahead and spend a little more and just take a taxi from Sorrento. <BR>To get from Rome to Naples, you can take the train into either Naples main station or the Circumvesuviana station (I don't recall if it has a name) and from the Circ. station, there are frequent trains to Sorrento. If you're not staying in Sorrento, you'll have to take a bus from there as I believe that's the end station. <BR>By the way, we really liked Sorrento. It's big enough to have lots of shops, restaurants and cool areas to wander around but still has a lot of atmosphere.

Neal Sanders

Chris, there's no one place in Rome you can stay and be within walking distance of everything you'll want to see while you and your family are there. Also, Rome hotel rooms are on the small side, so you're almost certainly going to need two rooms or a suite. <BR> <BR>For our trip to those two locales last month, we started with http://www.venere.it/it/roma/index.html.en, which has 1100 hotels in its database. You can sort by district and by number of stars. I would stick with those in "centro storico" and "Vaticano", and shy away from the Termini area, which tends to be older hotels and a slightly seedy area. We stayed at the Dei Consoli near the Vatican and found it well furnished and comfortable, but with small rooms. <BR> <BR>Getting from Rome to Naples can be done in two hours by train from Termini station. We rented a car and did not regret the decision because of the flexibility it gave us. <BR> <BR>I can recommend staying in Sorrento as a centrally located and picturesque spot to explore the Amalfi coast. http://www.comebacktosorrento.com/index.htm lists virtually every hotel in the area. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Tramontano and found it perfect for our purposes; right on the coast yet also in the center of Sorrento. Positano is half an hour away by car; it can also be reached by ferry from Sorrento, as can Capri. <BR> <BR>If you take the train to Naples from Rome, you can switch to the Circumversuviana local train, which terminates at Sorrento after 51 leisurely minutes. The same train will also take you to Pompeii. <BR> <BR>If I can be of further help, feel free to email me.

Steve James

Hello Chris, <BR> <BR>For getting around in Rome, a day-pass (6.000 LIRE) can be useful if you plan on using buses & metro. <BR> <BR>There is a Sorrento-Capodichino bus service which would be a convenient budget option if the times are right. <BR> <BR>A limo from Sorrento or Positano to Capodichino would cost 150-200.000 LIRE. <BR>Best quotes currently are from:- <BR>[email protected] <BR>[email protected] <BR> <BR>Hope this helps ... <BR> <BR>Steve

chris

How great and ironic that 2 of the replies I received were from people I had thought about contactly directly with my question!! I actually tried to write directly to Steve, but the address didn't work; and Paige, I think that you live in Munich, too, so I figured you had made this trip. <BR>Paige, did you debate about whether to stay in Sorrento or some of the other smaller towns along the coast? Because we have so little time, I don't want to spend it all driving or riding the bus back and forth (even though I can't wait to see the views from that road!) Everytime there is a question about Sorrento, Ravello, Positano or Amalfi, there seem to be as many opinions as there are people responding. Any specific tips for making the maximum use of our time in Rome, especially since one of our 3 days there is a Sunday?

Marj

Our family of 4 stayed in the Santa CHiara hotel in Rome. It's right behind the Pantheon (great location!). We had a quad suite (2 rooms, 1 bathroom w/ shower stall). They also have 1 or 2 large apt. type rooms with kitchens. Their website is www.venere.com/it/roma/santa_chiara/. You can email them at [email protected], they respond very quickly.

Wendy

Chris, <BR> <BR>I second the recommendation for the Santa Chiara in Rome. However, for another choice, The Majestic on the Via Veneto, offers two adjoining rooms with a door that closes off the hall between them so that you feel you have your own suite, all for about $300/night. <BR>Depending on your budget, you could hire a driver to pick you up in Rome and take you to one of the towns along the Amalfi Coast, with a stop along the way in Pompeii. We did a similar trip in July, on our way to Positano. The total driving time, to give you an idea, between Rome and Pompeii was about two hours depending on traffic, then about another hour or so to Positano. We hired a driver we heard about on the Fodor's site, and he was really great. If you'd like his info, just e-mail me. <BR>If I only had three days to spend along Amalfi, I would not spend it in Sorrento. There just isn't that much to do there. We felt we saw most of the town in a day. Too, it isn't nearly as magical as some of the other towns ( Positano, and Ravello, esp) along the coast. I highly recommend the Poseidon Hotel in Positano. Couldn't have been better. From Positano, you can catch the hydrofoil or a regular boat for a day trip to Capri. You can also grab a SITA bus for a day trip to Amalfi, and Ravello. We found that Positano was a good base for us and just amazingly beautiful. Good luck with your trip. If I can help further, e-mail me.

Paige

Hi Chris! You live in Munich? Cool! Maybe we could meet for a beer sometime. <BR> <BR>It's really hard to say where you should stay on the coast. Here are my opinions and stuff I found out. <BR> <BR>Sorrento - It's the biggest town in the area, the train goes from there through Pompeii to Naples, it sits on a cliff so has cool views, you can catch the bus down the Amalfi coast at the train station, you can take ferries to Capri from there. There's a nice old area with lots of shops and restaurants. It's more of a normal town than Positano which was overrun with tourists when we were there. We decided to stay in Sorrento because we wanted to go to Pompeii, Capri and Positano which are easy to reach from Sorrento. <BR> <BR>Capri - I'd love to spend a few days there and explore the island but I wouldn't want to stay there and take boats back and forth everyday. The last boats were around 5 or 6pm, I think. <BR> <BR>Positano - It's a beautiful little town rolling down a hillside to the ocean. We spent several hours there one day and felt like that was enough. To/from Sorrento you have to take a bus (or drive yourself). I don't recall exactly but I think it took 30-60 minutes. If anyone in your group gets carsick, beware! Sometimes there are boats to Sorrento but the day we were there they had canceled it (don't know why). You can take the bus to Ravello and further down the coast. Supposedly there are boats to Capri, but I would bet there are more and they're more dependable from Sorrento. To get to Pompeii, you take the bus back to Sorrento and then the train from there. Or maybe you could take an organized tour. Positano is definitely prettier, more quaint and picturesque than Sorrento (in my opinion). But it's smaller, has less area to wander around, fewer shops and restaurants and the public transportation connections aren't as good. <BR> <BR>If you want to focus on Positano, Ravello (we didn't make it there) and the coast south of there, Positano would probably be the best place to stay. If you want to see Pompeii, Capri and Sorrento, I'd recommend staying in Sorrento. If you just want to stay in one place and not take any day trips, I'd probably pick Capri. Do you like to hike? You can hike all over Capri. If you have lots more questions, I could just e-mail you my phone number. Hope this helps!

Paige

Hey again! About Rome...there's so much to see and do there that you can easily fill 3 days and still not see half of what you wanted to. Do you have a good guide book? I'd just make a list of everything you want to see, what time it opens, etc and see how much you can squeeze into your time. Are you going to take the Scavi tour of St. Peters? That is really, really cool. The Borghese museum is also really worthy. I think it stays open pretty late and you can make reservations. You have to have reservations for the Scavi tour. We spent 4 days there last Jan and really want to go back and spend another 4 days!

Steve James

Hi Chris, <BR> <BR>I think Paige has summed it up really well, - each of the resorts has it's pro's & cons. For such a short stay my choice would be between Positano and Sorrento, - Positano for views, Sorrento for convenience & liveliness. <BR> <BR>I expect you already have the bus timetables:- <BR>www.uniplan.it/sita/s509.txt (Sorrento-Positano-Praiano-Amalfi) <BR>www.uniplan.it/sita/s511_1.txt (Amalfi-Ravello) <BR> <BR>I don't think the Positano-Capri hydrofoils/ferries run at this time of year. <BR>You can find Sorrento-Capri timetables on:- <BR>www.capri.net/home/en/transport.php <BR> <BR>In Rome bear in mind that some museums don't open on Mondays. <BR> <BR>There's a direct Rome-Sorrento bus service leaving at 15.00. <BR> <BR>Let me know if I can be of more help ... <BR> <BR>Steve <BR>

Nancy

Hi Chris, <BR> <BR>We took the Eurostar (1st class) from Rome to Naples. Great way to go - relaxed, caught up on our journal and had a delightful conversation with an English couple. <BR> <BR>We were met a the train station by a driver who was highly recommended to us: <BR> <BR>[email protected] (Ask for Poppy the (driver). He was wonderful. If you go that route tell him the Leonards referred him (please). ($90.00) It's about an hour's ride - and he's a great tour guide as well. <BR> <BR>We stayed in Sorrento at the Bellevue Syrene and absolutely loved it. Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvious view. Walked the beach to catch the boat to Capri.(Great hiking trails) Also, took a delightful stroll down to "Fish Village" and had the best seafood and pasta on a pier. <BR> <BR>Poppy picked us up (in a stretch Mercedes) and drove us down the coast - he knew where to stop and showed us things we never would have seen or known on our own. DO NOT RENT A CAR! <BR> <BR>We had the most stress free ride back to the Airport with our new friend (Poppy) <BR> <BR>Hope that helps. Sorrento makes sense for a short stay and it's the most convenient place to get to Pompeii (by train). <BR> <BR>Have a great trip - I can't wait to go back. <BR>

Dean

With 6 days here is what I would do: <BR> <BR>Rome Day 1 <BR> <BR>First off we stayed at teh Santa Chiara and its a great location and nice rooms. We had problems with our reservation and the help at the desk was nothing short of insulting, but again the location is great. <BR> <BR>Pantheon <BR>Vatican with a guided tour, reserve online <BR> <BR>Day 2 <BR> <BR>Domus Aurea (reserve online) <BR>*Coloseum <BR>*Baths of Caracalla <BR>*Foro romano AND Palatino <BR>San Clemente <BR> <BR>btw, you can buy a ticket at Caracalla or the Forums that will let yyou in at the coloseum and avoid the line. <BR> <BR>Day 3 <BR> <BR>Campo di Fiori for a breakfast of fruit and baked goods (from il forno di campo) on the run <BR>Jewish ghetto <BR>Trastevere <BR> <BR>Big splurge meal at La Rosetta or Agata e Romeo. small splurge meal at checchino 1887. <BR> <BR>Train to Napoli and transfer to the Circumvesuviana to Rome. <BR> <BR>Day 1 explore sorrento and walk out to Punta del Capo for the Roman villa of Felix Pollio. <BR> <BR>Day 2 Circumvesuviano back to Napoli to the archeological museum and the capo dimonte. If you have time, take the train all the way to Baia for more Roman ruins or if you are not a museum freak. Or you could head back Sorrento way and stop at Herculano. <BR> <BR>Day 3 Pompeii and Oplontis. Take a tour of Pompeii with a tourguide and then wander. Again, there is a combination ticket you can buy at Oplontis (or Herculano) and avoid the Pompeii lines. Be sure to have a granite outside the scavi at Pompeii. Be sure to see the Villa of the Misteries and the arena. <BR> <BR>Big splurge dinner- la Vela bianca for incredible seafood simply prepared. Drink a bottle of Ischia bianco. <BR> <BR>We just did much of this itinerary in July with my 2 teenage nephews. They loved it all

chris

Hi Chris, <BR> <BR>I am also an expat living in Central Europe (Switzerland) and we did the same trip last year. <BR> <BR>Concerning Amalfi Coast a major consideration that that no one has mentioned is that everything in Amalfi Coast is pretty much closed up at this time of year. Our trip was also over this time last year and Positano was nearly dead. We were glad we stayed in Sorrento instead. <BR> <BR>So I advise you base in Sorrento, take early Intercity train from Rome to Naples and change to the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento-maybe check bags in Naples go to Archeological Museum before heading to Sorrento but check museum times first as I think it closes at noon-spend one day seeing things in Sorrento, another day touring the Amalfi Coast (easily done by public bus BUT it was packed and some people were not allowed on), the third day taking the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and Herculeneum.

Diane

If I were you I'd call the Hotel Due Torri and try to get their family suite. It is a fabulous deal and located just north of Piazza Navona. www.hotelduetorriroma.com Walking distance to practically everywhere in Rome (we were there 3 nights and never took a taxi or a bus to get anywhere.) Comfy hotel, good friendly staff, good breakfast. <BR> <BR>Be sure to eat dinner one night at Orso 80 (just aroung the corner from the hotel on the way to Piazza Navona). Order the mixed antipasti. They'll keep bringing plates to your table, but don't worry the cost is NOT per person! One order is for the whole table. Simply amazing. (See Rants n' Raves). <BR> <BR>Even though it is not beach weather, be sure to stay in a hotel on the coast with sea views, whichever town you choose. It's why you are there! It is probably easier to get around w/o a car from Positano or Amalfi. Save Ravello for a romantic trip. Do a day trip to Pompeii from the coast. Have a great time! <BR>

manon

We spent 10 days on the Amalfi Coast last year and to get around we hired a car and Driver. I know that sounds very crazy but, for $100 a day we went anywhere we wanted. The hotels found us drivers and each drove a Mercedes. Between three people this was a great idea. We wasted no time navigating, parking, worrying if the car would be there when we got back. <BR>It works for some situations but not all.

don

Manon, <BR> <BR>Your recommendation of hiring a driver for the Amalfi Coast sounds wonderful, but could it really have been only $100 a day? Did you have the use of the car for all or most of the day? Even if the driver left you in one town and then came back later to take you to another, all that convenience for $100 sounds like a bargain. Can you tell me the name of the driver/company and how to get in touch with them? Thanks.

chris

I may not have the trip planned yet, but I can already tell that I definitely don't have enough time to do everything that sounds so wonderful! You have all given some great suggestions....keep it coming! I am frantically working on following up on your recommendations. Paige, can you tell me more about the Scavi tour? Also how late are sights open on Saturday since we don't arrive in Rome until mid-afternoon. I want to make every moment count!

chris

Just found the info on the Santa Chiara; I hope that I get a quick reply from them! Next to try to the great suggestion about the car hire!