Our family of six (kids 11, 8, 6 and 4) is traveling for almost 3 weeks in Italy. We have a rental car for Tuscany and Umbria. We are considering returning the car when we get to Rome and continuing on to Naples/Amalfi via train. Pros: we won't have to drive and we will cut costs. Cons: we feel safer in a car with young kids and luggage and will enjoy the flexibility of our own travel schedule.

Please give us all of the pointers you can think of regarding staying in and traveling thru Rome, Naples and Amalfi coast area with a young family.

Stay in Rome or outside the 'Rome Ring'? Stay in Naples or coastal town? Car/no car? Is Capri a good day trip?

Please tell us everything and anything about your experiences traveling in Italy (especially with kids)

Hi ajgoldie, I am getting ready to go to bed but I just saw your thread and I am wondering, are you renting a van? I can't imagine a rental car in Italy that would accomodate six of you plus your luggage.

Car from Rome to Naples is less than 3 hours, however I would strongly advise not attempting to drive in a car in Naples. That said, for me, driving the Amalfi Coast is enjoyable (a lot of peoople will not agree. You did not specify when you are going but as the busy and hectic Summer season closes traffic around the Amalfi Coast should be fine (I'm spending a week near Positano at the end of September).

Also be advised that the train stops near Naples and there is no train service on the Amalfi Coast, it's by bus or taxi (or rental car) and the bus schedule can be erratic and the buses are sometimes full and you may haver to wait another hour or so for the next one, while taxi's will be costly and with 6 people and luggage you will need two cabs...not very feasible.

For a family your size I would recommend Sorrento (although not technically the Amalfi Coast, it's a stones throw away. From Sorrento right outside your door is the port with ferries to Naples (45 min) and Capri (35min), and yes, Capri is a wonderful day trip. Sorrento is bigger than all of the Amalfi Towns, with easy access to the coast and the Massa Lubrense. Enjoy,

Mike

What time of year is the trip? I was on the Amalfi Coast in July and glad I did not have a car. Any other time of year, and with 6 people you might want one. On the other hand, must be a van to accommodate that many people and the road is very narrow. Make sure you have insurance to cover things like scratches. If you are going in summer time there are so many other options because in addition to the bus you can boat between places. And the traffic is worse, so in summer I would say no car.

You don't want a car in Rome or Naples. I learned to drive in NYC and won't drive in either of those cities. The train from Rome to Naples is only an hour. And the train from Naples to Sorrento is also only an hour. From Sorrento to the Amalfi Coast, Capri - the getting there is part of the experience.

Here's my trip report from this past July to Rome and the Amalfi Coast - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rful-weeks.cfm

We (three adults and three kids - 16, 14 and 10) used trains in Italy last year as I did want to drive a van on some of the narrower roads. But our kids have been pulling their own carry-on luggage since they were each 7. This makes train travel very easy. Your kids are younger. I can see the attraction of a van ...

... which is too bad as a van would preclude renting an apartment in central Rome. We rented right beside the Piazza Navona. It was ideal.

Our hotel in Sorrento had a pool which the kids loved. And Capri was a good day trip.

>Cons: we feel safer in a car with young kids and luggage and will enjoy the flexibility of our own travel schedule.

Safer in a car than in a train? Especially in a large Italian city?
Is it supposed to be a joke or what?

Do you have four young kids altamiro? The comment of the OP makes perfect sense.

I love this!! Such a wealth of great information! Thanks to all who have responded and keep on talkin!

To LoveItaly: Yes, we have a van. A little big, but the only option for our family. I am interested in what other thoughts you have as I have seen your valuable comments on other posts...

To Isabel: We are going Sept 27 - Oct 14th...just a few weeks away. I will link to your trip report right after this...thanks so much for including

To Altamiro: Thanks for the wake-up call. Our intention is not to explore Rome and Naples in our car...we will use local transportation while there. It is really more of a question of travelling to and from Rome/Naples. My husband and I have often commented that if it was just the two of traveling, we would be entirely flexible to do anything...but since we will have our little people with us, traveling considerations are very different. But keep respoding...I think you have some hidden travel gems that you would like to share to make our first abroad experience great.

To Colduphere: I want to hear more from you as you have traveled with kiddos. Do you have the names and/or contact info of where you stayed in Rome & Naples? We are traveling extremely light...and the kids are very sufficient with handling their own bags...but the fact still remains we will look like a family traveling with young kids...a target?? and, thanks for standing up for me

To Mike: You rock! Your info is extremely helpful...what else can you tell us??

You will have to keep a close eye on the kids if you train to Naples. It's very hectic and lots of pickpockets/scams.

There are buses from Rome Tiburtina station to Sorrento, but at that time of year it will only be once a day (perhaps very early) and no bus on Sunday. The bus company names are Curreri and Marozzi. If you use the search function you will locate threads for both.

Another option would be to train from Rome to Salerno if you want to avoid Naples.

I agree with kybourbon - train from Rome to Salerno and then ferry to the town on the AC where you will be staying.

Should we just keep our car and drive to costal town we will stay in (still trying to finalize this)? Not planning on staying in Naples. This is the only part of the trip that makes me a little nervous (ok, not bad, but I want to have it well planned out).

We stayed here in Rome:

http://www.romanreference.com/appart....php?refid=124

It would not be for everyone as the sleeping area is actually two lofts that you get to by climbing ladders. But the kids loved it. Right outside our door was its own little community. Cafes, small stores, gelato galore. And only 200 yards from Pizza Navona. Great place to stay for all of us.

Our next stop was Sorrento. After reading about pickpockets on this forum, I was a little nervous. So we took the train from Rome to Naples, jumped in two taxis, and then took the ferry to Sorrento. It worked out very well. We stayed here in Sorrento:

http://www.lavuedor.com/

Having the pool was terrific in hot weather. You might get a little tired of the shuttle to and from town which takes 10-15 minutes.

We took the commuter train from Sorrento to Naples twice and saw pickpockets operating. But they are so blatant ... if you are awake it is almost comical. The real danger was at the Rome train station. But I wouldn't let this deter you. Just don't be juggling too many things at once (which can be an issue with kids).

Sounds like you have travelled with the kids. Everyone has their own method. We do not work out every day in detail in advance and we don't rush things. Some days we do very little. The two boys are outdoors oriented while our girl could spend all day in a museum. So we make explicit agreements to keep everyone happy.

PS I am not an expert on the A Coast but late September might be pool closing time. The good news is you won't need a pool as much as we did in August.

Hi ajgoldie

We did the same trip as you a couple of years ago with our teenage children - they were 11 and 15 at the time. We found driving in Tuscany very difficult (narrow roads, eccentric signage, and for us it was also the wrong side of the road) and were VERY glad to be out of the car and on the train by the time we got to Rome. We enjoyed the train travel and the children were more comfortable being able to move around a little, although we certainly needed to be very watchful at the railway stations in Rome and Naples.

We took a boat from Naples direct to Positano, and apart from the pickpockets at the harbour in Naples (as colduphere says they're not hard to spot...), we found it an easy and enjoyable way of travelling. We got around Positano on foot, although there were regular buses to carry people up those hills, which might come in handy if your children aren't mountain goats.

ah-ha! such great input!! i am feeling more comforable...

colduphere: thanks for hotel recommendations!! did you hire a diver to see the coast? tell me more about that...

hailtotheduck: are you in oregon?! great input...kids would love the train, etc...would be a more authentic european experience...

The cost of the car for the Rome/Naples week is about $1000+...bus/taxi/driver/boat wouldn't add up to that, would it?

I am leaning towards no car thanks to your input

We took the bus, both the local bus and the hop on, hop off bus (which has a fairly limited route). The local bus stopped right outside our hotel.

In retrospect a van would have been doable if you can get used to people passing on blind corners. But no way in Rome.

Stay in Sorrento , not Naples, and drive there before your Rome stay.

Hi again ajgoldie. I'm in Australia and we drive on the left here, so driving in Italy was a truly hair-raising experience for us. I certainly wouldn't have tried driving on the Amalfi Coast or in any of the big cities.

I don't recall exactly what we paid for our transport, but I'm sure it didn't come close to $1000, especially if you're talking about US dollars. We hired a private driver to take us to Pompeii from Positano and back for about 80 euros, but other than that the trains and boats and buses were not costly. We were met at the boat in Positano by porters offering to take our cases up to our accommodation, and it was worth every penny - I wouldn't have wanted to be juggling cases and children up the steep paths or on to the buses.

However you do it, I'm sure you'll have a great time. The Amalfi Coast is perfectly beautiful.

Don't be afraid to train from Rome to Naples/on to Sorrento. The stories about pick-pockets make it sounds worse than it is. Certainly I'd keep your passport and most of your credit cards/money in an under the clothing money belt. But you should do that where ever you go. The train station in Naples is modern and not the least bit sketchy. The transfer from the Rome train (which comes in to the main station) to the Sorrento commuter train (which leaves from down stairs from the main station) is easy, just walk down a flight of stairs. I wouldn't allow a four or six year old to run around the train unsupervised, but I wouldn't do that anywhere. I think dumping the car when you get to Rome makes the most sense. (This is assuming your kids are reasonably compliant with sticking close to the parents and not running all over the place - but that advise is not specific to Naples, Amalfi Coast).