Jvigano

I'm traveling with my family/parents (6 people total) this summer to Sicily (9 days) and Rome (4 days). We are still in the planning phase but booked already the international tickets.

I'd like to get some suggestions on:

1) trip from Palermo to Rome: should we fly or use the 12h day train option? Is the train trip scenic/worth it?

2) I'm not planning to rent a car in Rome. We'll go around using public transportation but we would like to take a day and go to Villa Adriana: any suggestions on the best way to get there for the day visit? Keep in mind my parents are in their 70s

3) I'm planning to rent a car/van in Sicily for our 9 days there. Should I rent one large van that would fit the 6 of us (but perhaps limit our mobility/parking options in small towns) or rent 2 small cars?

Thanks for the tips/suggestions.

Jose

Michael

I would fly between Palermo and Rome. If that saves you a day, tack it on to your Sicily portion of the trip. We traveled in Sicily for 9 days, but we were only 4, not six, and as you add people group logistics will slow you down.

You might want to take a look at my trip report (it has a link to pictures); click on my name to find it.

Leely2

1) I'd fly to save time.

2) Hmm, not sure. I've never been to Villa Adriana.

3) If it were me, I'd rent two smaller vehicles, but I suppose this depends on your comfort level driving/parking in tight spaces, and also what makes sense for your family and their various personalities.

I think you'll have a great trip! The only stressful part of driving in Sicily for me was repeatedly getting lost. And we tried to cover to much ground too quickly--wasn't terribly relaxing. Rome was a revisit but Sicily was brand new, and we just loved it.

Ian

1) Fly & save the travel time.

3) Hmm. Smaller certainly is better in hill towns. I found myself in several situations when a van wouldn't have made it but they could have been avoided or we could have detoured. And two cars . . . that means 2 drivers, 2 parking spots . . . so I would say its a draw.

Ian

daveesl

It is very easy to take a city bus out to Hadrian's Villa and is well worth the trip...HOWEVER, it is a very big place and can be exhausting if you try to see it all. Don't have the time now to look up the bus we used a couple of years ago, but I'll post it when we return to the States in March.

Renting a car would be madness for use in Rome. Public transit is easy and cost effective. I just hope it soon returns to it's former very good status, as right now it kind of sucks (supposedly due to the 2 snow weekends and the idiot mayor). One thing to remember, when the buses are actually all running, if the first one is jammed pack, usually wait for the next one and it may well be 1/2 empty. This is the exact thing that happened yesterday on the A metro line for the rugby game. Train 1=jammed like sardines...wait 4 minutes...Train 2=almost vacant. I employ this trick constantly throughout the eternal city and it works about 80% of the time, and I've been doing it for years. dave