Oops...did I mess up?
 

We've booked a hotel in Sorrento for a two night trip from Rome and back (Sept. 19-21, 2011), stopping in Pompeii on the way down. I had assumed (I know, never assume) that once we were in Rome, getting train tickets was no big deal and not that expensive. Now I'm wondering if I was wrong on both counts....should I have already booked this trip, and is it as costly as I'm now thinking it could be (was looking at some of Peter's photos when I went to print out his directions on how to take the train through Naples and saw a timetable with prices). Now I'm worried that we won't get on the trains at this late date. Please help!!
Also, if we do get to do the trip, do we buy tickets to Pompeii, then new ones to Sorrento, or does the ticket to Sorrento work if you get off and back on at Pompeii. Aargh!!!!!!!

It shouldn't be a problem getting the train to/from Naples from Rome. They are frequent. The Circumvesuviana that runs from Naples (same station where you'll arrive from Rome) to Pompeii and on to Sorrento also run regularly.

If you take the train from Naples to Pompeii that is one ticket, then you buy another ticket from Pompeii to Sorrento. Remember to stamp your tickets at the validation machine before boarding!

The train to Sorrento[Pompeii] is a local commuter train that runs often. The Naples trains run hourly---not a problem.

There are tons of trains between Rome and Naples. They leave at:
7:08
7:35
7:39
9:00
9:18
10:00
10:20, etc.

You're not going to have a problem getting on a train.

Hi Sh,

timetables and prices are at www.trenitalia.com. Rates from Rome --> Naples start at 10E.

AV 45E 1 hour
ES 36E 1:45
IC 22E 2 hours
walkup
I did this last week because I didn't know if my flight would be late. No problems.

For Naples to Pompeii, how is it possible not "stamping" the ticket? You have use the ticket to go through the gate.

When I buy Trenitalia point-to-point tickets, I buy opportunistically to avoid long lines. While many say ticket machines (the newer kind that take CC and more intuitive screens) are plentiful, I have seen long lines at every ticket vending machine at many train stations. Same for ticket windows. So if I am at any station and still need to buy tickets for future trips, I buy tickets, at machine/ticket window whichever is available at that time. I do this especially when I have to wait long time while changing the train. I would not wait until the departure day to buy ticket especially if it coincides with the rush hour.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all. Whew!! It was total panic time. I would guess that it makes sense head over to the train station and buy ahead once we get to Rome (we've got a couple of days before our little excursion), so that we get the trains we want without having to worry about long lines the day we go. I did try looking for the timetable on Trenitalia's website, but it kept telling me that it didn't find anything when I put in Rome to Sorrento. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

ira...where are you finding these fares? I'm finding Rome to Naples at 58 or 45 euros, depending on class. Are there other trains than these?

Sherrala - you can't go directly from Rome to Sorrento. You need to transfer in Naples to the Circumvesuviana line (in the lower level of the same train station) to go on to Pompeii and Sorrento. Trenitalia does not show any of the Circumvesuviana trains, so use it to look up the schedule from Romes to Naples, and this one for the the trains to Sorrento and Pompeii www.vesuviana.it

Thanks, hazel, it did finally dawn on me that I had to use Naples as the stop...but the fares are still coming up really high..I'm looking at around 80+ euros each round trip for the mini fare. If I take the one cheaper train at 44E round trip, it takes twice as long to get there. I'd love to know how to get the cheaper fares.....

Did you actually select a train? When I did so for Sept 19, the next page shows a MINI of 36€ one way.

Use the le frecce link on Trenitalia. It shows only the fast trains along with the mini fares without having to select a particular train. You can see about 5 trains at once and tell which ones have mini fares still available. Some of the escalators are not working going down to the circumvesuviana train. The up ones seemed to be ok.

ellenem..when I did it earlier, the mini fare from Rome to Naples was 41 euros one way. I did see a mini of 36 for our return on the 21st.

To all...my next question is...should I wait until we arrive in Rome on the 16th to buy the tickets, or should I get them now? Will I do any better buying them there?

Mini fares are available on a limited basis. If you hope to get a discount, then the sooner you purchase the better—the discount may no longer be available so close to your travel dates. However Mini fares are more restricted when it comes to changes and refunds than regular tickets. If you don't care about the discount or are unsure of the actual times you want to travel, then don't purchase until you arrive.

If you really want to save some money, then go for the 2nd class fare on the IC train -it's just 22 euros. The fact that it's a 2-hr ride instead of 1 doesn't seem like much of a penalty for what is basically a half- price fare.