Rome for 3 days
 

I am introducing my adult daughter to Italy this October. We have a great Vrbo apartment in Trastevere. I’d like her to become comfortable with the rail. We will take the train from FCO to Trastevere then Taxi to our apartment. Does this make sense. We can’t check in until 2:00. We will have lunch then use Rick Steve’s audio tour of this part of Rome. I must walk slowly bc I had a terrible motor vehicle accident (not my fault) and I am slowly healing. We had originally preferred a tour company but my doctor didn’t feel I could keep up with a group. Just a bit of background as I will probably be a pain confirming my plans. I’ve been to Rome several times in the past 10 years but you never have enough. Rest of the day will be spent eating then resting for our next day plan.

Day 2 we will use “The Tour Guy” Rome in a Day. That should be a most efficient overview.
Day 3 “. “. “. “. “. “. “. Pompeii and Sorrento. Back to Rome.

Day 4 train from Rome to Venice. I know flying is better but daughter isn’t trusting of the smaller aircraft.

I”ll stop here for comments.

I am concerned your itinerary is going to be far too rushed given your mobility considerations.

Is day 1 your arrival day or your first full day?

Day 2: is this tour through some sort of transport function through a guide? Such as a bus or golf court tour? I would imagine it would include a lot of fast-paced walking. Does this tour involve going IN any of the major landmarks? Or just stopping outside of them? If you wanting to actually see them - you may not have given yourselves enough time in Rome.

Day 3: How are you doing this? Through a tour? IIUC, Pompeii is HUGE. And including BOTH Sorrento and Pompeii would make for an extremely long day with a lot of walking.

Venice: flying is not necessarily better. Train is usually more efficient- often quicker door to door and better environmentally. Out of curiosity, how long are you in Venice? Keep in mind, there are quite a bit of stairs in Venice, especially over canals and depending on how you are getting around vaporetti (water buses) rarely have seats.

Ditto to what Travel_Nerd says!!

If your mobility is limited, both the tours on Days 2 and 3 are unrealistic. I just looked at the itinerary for the Tour Guy/Rome in A Day, and it covers a lot -- which means a LOT of walking. And Sorrento AND Pompeii? Again, Pompeii is huge and requires a lot of walking - add Sorrento into the mix, and it'll be a long and exhausting day. Can you do this?

I would focus on Rome and not try to see Pompeii and Sorrento. Perhaps identify a few sites to visit and find a tour that focuses on them (ie, Colosseum).

I would drop the idea of Pompeii and Sorrento unless you're taking an all-day private tour to both that includes transportation. But, if you decide to go on your own, I'd have a specific plan for Pompeii. This website might help. It describes a route (3.5 kms., 2+ miles), and there are wheelchairs available at the main entrance.

https://seepompeii.com/en/faq/visiti...led-and-blind/

I understand that you might not need much time in Romes as you have been there multiple times but you can’t possibly show your daughter Rome in a day and a half especially if you are mobility challenged. Pompei would also be difficult for you if you have problems walking over cobblestones.

Agree with above posters that your itinerary is quite unrealistic, even without your reduced mobility. These group tours do move at a brisk clip which may be challenging for you. Visiting Pompeii can be quite demanding and I'd not advise scheduling anything else the same day. I am quite sensitive to the issue of limited mobility. We visited Rome last month with two young adult nephews and my mobility limited husband. We all four did a great "highlights" three hour tour in a golf cart that was perfect for us, providing drive-by views of major sights (Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiore, Pantheon, Coliseum, Forum, etc.) along with expert commentary by our driver/guide. The boys and I returned the next day to do more in depth touring of the Forum, Palatine and Coliseum. The company offers other options that may be even more appealing to you. We thought it was worth every penny.

As to transit Rome to Venice, the train is a great option, and the 4 hour direct on a high speed train is probably the same or less amount of time a flight would entail.

I just wanted to comment on this.

You'd save a bit of money doing this. Two €8 train tickets plus the cab for short segment versus €55 for a cab direct from the airport .

But unless the €30 is really important just take the direct cab.

I don't know if there is a taxi stand at the Trastevere station. That means you'll need to call a cab paying extra. Waiting for it.

Okay it sounds like you're arriving in the morning too early to check in. Maybe the extra wasted time is a positive?

Flying Rome to Venice isn't better. It's slower. More expensive. Less comfortable. No worries about the planes. Depending on the airline it'll be either a 737 or a 320 most likely.

Just think of it this way.

To fly you need to get back to the airport. Takes time and money.

Wait better part of two hours for your flight.

Fly to Venice.

Get from the Venice airport. This can be expensive depending on your method. Even the cheap way isn't that low priced.

OTOH you can take the train to Termini from Roma Trastevere . Switch trains. In four hours walk out IN Venice.

If you take the cab to FCO it can cost more than two train tickets to Venice. At least if you buy in advance.

I agree with dropping Pompeii and Sorrento. Even if you were Olympic sprinters, seeing both would be difficult and very tiring. If you really want to do a day trip, choose one location and enjoy that. However, there is so much to see in Rome, I would recommend just staying there prior to departing for Venice.

If seeing an ancient Roman city like Pompeii is a priority, another option would be to visit the much smaller Herculaneum. Just an option, and not necessarily a good one given your time frame and mobility issues.

Could you tell us where your apartment in Trastevere is? Trastevere is a very large area, and your train+taxi idea is not the best solution for all of it. There is a taxi stand just outside Trastevere station, but there may not always be a taxi waiting there. There is also a tram stop, and, depending on the location of the apartment, the tram might be better than a taxi. On the other hand, a taxi or private car service (about the same price) from the airport might be better for some parts of Trastevere.

I really urge you to forget Pompeii. It totally wore me out when I was 30 years younger than I am now, and even then I couldn't have possibly included Sorrento on the same day.

There is an even larger ancient Roman city right in Rome: the ancient seaport of Ostia Antica. Any ancient city is a problem for people with reduced mobility, because of the uneven paving. Ostia Antica has a paved route for people in wheelchairs. I would try to find a private guide who could show you around this route. Even if you don't rent a wheelchair, it would be more comfortable for walking.

https://www.ostia-antica.org/

Someone above said that Pompeii also has a route for people with limited mobility, but I would not recommend even going there in your situation and with your limited time.

As for wheelchairs, I encourage people to use them in museums and similar places even if they don't need them in daily life. I once took my elderly mother on a trip to Belgium. She resisted getting a wheelchair in museums and outdoor sites. I told her to do it for me, because her walking pace was just too slow for me. I can see that I might need one soon myself when taking trips with my daughters, especially since a recent bout of sciatica made walking around with me tiring on my husband.