traveler33

Hello, my family is headed to Rome next Wednesday, and we still have much planning to do. Any help would be great.

We plan on spending 3 days touring the city of Rome, and hopefully 2 days driving and touring outside the city.

Any recommendations for day trips??? I heard the Amalfi Coast is very nice, is that driveable, and how long would it take to get there?

Are many of the sites in Rome walking distance, or would you recommend the metro for getting around the city?

Thats it for now, thanks for your help.

jay

Ostia Antica is a great day trip.

Lorac1127

Walking distance from where? Where will you be staying?

traveler33

we don't have a hotel yet...we are still looking for the best location hotel for seeing as many sites as we can in Rome.

rex

The Amalfi coast would make for a very long - - but doable - - day as a trip by car. Are you accustomed to driving in Italy, snd getting into/out of Rome (or any other sizable European city), specifically? Does two days driving and touring mean stay outside the city? or two separate days driving away from the city but returning each night.

You get intensive care rescue assistance for this trip, here on this forum, and still enjoy it as if you had planned for months.

Still, I wonder if - - upon your return - - you would be kind enough to prepare a trip report, letting us know what of the things you learned one week before were helpful to you, and what you arrived still quite unprepared for.

And maybe - - if I might be so bold - - tell us a little more about how does a predicament like this happen? Taking your (entire?) family? going to Italy for "only" five days? - - and a week before time not having many of the basics of a plan in place?

You wouldn't be the first family to do this - - it just doesn't get discussed much here.

Best wishes,

Rex

Lorac1127

The Amalfi Coast is beautiful, however, the drive from Rome to Positano is about 175 miles. That is a bit far for a day trip for me. Since you are unfamiliar with the roads, it could take you four hours to get there and four hours back, which is the greater part of the day.

Pompeii would be a very nice day trip.

jabez

When we went for 7 nights this year (hadn't been to Rome for a number of years), we figured that we would do some day trips. Since we started this trip in Tuscany we figured Ostia Antica or Pompee.
We never left Rome. Nor did we want to.
If you reallu MUST go to the Amalfi coast train to Salerno and rent a car there.
Figure an 2 1/2 hr. train ride (plus time to station and waiting for train).
It will take about 1/2 to get to coast ,but longer to Amalfi.
You could also ferry from Salerno, but this probably would take longer (waiting time,etc.).

Eloise

One tip that I hope you will find helpful: most frequent visitors to Rome, including me, find that a hotel in the Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Campo de Fiori area is the most convenient. It is within easy walking distance of most things you might want to see in Rome, with the possible exceptions of St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums at one end and the Colosseum at the other. It has many restaurants in all price ranges, and the streets are safe at night as it is an area frequented by many people until quite late.

Lorac1127

Rex and I must have been posting at the same time.

You don't have a hotel yet!!!

got1tiel

Rome' sites are walkable. you will want to use the metro though as you have limited time. nearby daytrips:catacombs / tivoli / ostia antica /hadrians villa . you can do these trips in two days as you have a car.
Sam

jay

try the hotel des artistes. we stayed there and loved it. very quiet and a great rooftop for wine drinking.

SuzieC

I'd also go on "laterooms.com" fairly soon

traveler33

Thanks for all the responses, We always fly standby, and because of flight availability, we often have to change locations at the last minute, usually only giving us a few weeks to plan.

bookchick

Per venere.com, there are still plenty of hotel rooms available in Rome for these dates. However, I'd go to venere for "possibles", and then contact the hotel directly myself if I were you.

Buon Viaggio,
BC

Hawk61

On our first day, first trip to Rome we took a bus tour (ours was called Ciao Roma and started in front of Basillica Santa Maria Maggiore). It was $18 each and went to all the major sites with earphone narration all the way. You could get on and off as often as you liked (they ran every half hour). This gave us an idea where everything is and we learned which things we wanted to go back to during the rest of our stay.

surfingchinadoll

The Amalfi Coast is beautiful. Drive is easy. From Rome it will take you about three hours to get to Positano or Sorrento. You can stop off an see Vesuvius and Pompeii. If you can spend a night in Capri - do it. It might be hard to get a hotel right now, but you can still see Capri as long as you make the last ferry back to the other side. Sorrento is charming and you can get the ferry from Sorrento to Capri. The hotels are a little expensive in Capri, but there are some nice hotels in Anacapri, just take the bus to the Capri side of the island. Its very pretty at night and offers some very interesting people watching.

Use the Metro system in Rome, its two lines link up most of the major tourist sites. You can access the Colosseo, St. Peter's, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, etc. all from the Metro. Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon are all within walking distance of each other. Take the metro and get off at the Colosseo stop and you can see the Colosseo, Roman Forum, Constantine's Arch, Piazza Venezia. Via Veneto is a very easy walk from the Spanish Steps, as is Via Condotti and Via del Corso (if you want to shop). In fact, I was really against taking a guided walking tour the first time I was in Rome, but I was forced to take one this last time and I think it's actually useful. My tour guide told me a lot of things I didn't know about the city. I suggest buying an all day pass for the two days so you can use the bus and the Metro. In any case it is less of a hassle than buying a ticket everytime you want to get on the metro.

nanb

the amalfi coast is pretty far from rome for a daytrip. Hve you been to Florence? Orvieto is reachable by train, When we stayed in Formia , which is coastal but north of Naples, we did daytrips to the royal palace in Caserta and also visited the Abbey at Montecassino -which knocked my socks off!
(If you go be forwarned they are the strictest I have ever seen for dress code )
The coast north of Naples is lovely, and about 1-2 hrs at the most via auto .but during august will be totally packed !
Good luck with your plans, and have fun!!!