ChicagoDallasGirl

I'm mulling over fodorite advice for our first trip to Rome. The suggestion was to make ROM our base and then taking a day trip to Pompeii rather than trying to squeeze in travel w/over night stays, along the AC and then on to Pompeii, with just 5 nights in Italy. What's the best way (tour guide/solo, drive/train) to get to Pompeii from Rome?

ChicagoDallasGirl

Oh, I almost forgot...I've got two other questions:

1. What's the best total resource website for trip planning to Italy?

2. Rather than paying a grand each for airline tickets RT from DFW to ROM, what about just booking a hotel/air package with Expedia for $1,300-$1,500 per person?

rex

<<What's the best total resource website for trip planning to Italy?>>

In my opinion, you have already found it. Other good sites are www.venere.com (for lodging) - - and there is a lot of good overview info on a site like www.initaly.com

But do not make the mistake of thinking that with the internet you do not need BOOKS. Books remain the mainstay of preparing for a trip, especially at the earilest planning stages, in my opinion. Get the biggest, most thorough one you can locate at your local public library or bookstore, and read cover to cover, like a novel. Editors really do put them together, so that you get something from the first chapter to the last. Big coffee-table-sized books with lots of pictures are also very helpful for getting you focused on what makes your heart race most.

As for question two, it is worth mentioning - - based on a post you made here a month ago... that five nights - - this is your WHOLE trip to Europe.. not just the Italy &quot;portion&quot;. A &quot;package&quot; may or may not offer you a bargain. Keep in mind that those prices are &quot;double occupancy&quot;. So... $1500 means that they are allocating $500 <i><b>times two</b></i> for five nights of lodging. If they put in the exact same (or better) hotel than you would have found on your own (and they key here is location, as much as &quot;features&quot then you break even. With research, you might do better... or maybe not.

As for getting to and from Pompeii, I would personally drive, as it is a long day, and public transportation just makes it longer. However, you can SLEEP on the train back to Rome (if you can sleep in train seats), versus returning a car to a city which is not easy to drive at night, and having to drive yourself at the end of a long day. One day car rentals are often the same price as three-day car rentals, but in this situation, I think that you might only pay slightly more for the convenience of setting your own schedule.

But another question is: why return to Rome? Maybe you can get an air fare just as good to fly home from Naples. And then stay in the Campania area for the last night (or two) before coming home from ths rather whirlwind trip.

You said earlier that your husband has trouble getting time away... will he have to go right back to work the day after returning from Europe? Maybe you can travel Saturday to Thursday? Worst case (perhaps) is that he drags through Friday, upon return... and gets the weekend to recuperate?

Best wishes,

Rex

nytraveler

Agree that the value of the package depends on the location and amenities of the hotel. Generally the hotels at the lowest rates are located in hell and gone - not something you would want to deal with when your vacation is so short to begin with.

Amenities depends on your specific needs - do you need elevator? mini-bar? etc?

You can look up the hotels offered on tripadvisor.com to see if they meet your needs - but I would focus on location as the main factor.

suze

I am very picky about my hotel, so would not take a package without researching the hotel that is included very carefully.

I like small centrally located locally owned 2/3-star hotels. I have a near allergy to huge, cookie-cutter, chain hotels whether budget or 4*. And do not want to need to use transportation (tour bus, public, etc.) to get daily from my hotel to the &quot;sites&quot;, so location is extremely important to me.

This is certainly personal preference, and I guess possible to find in a package if you check out the details thoroughly. Many 1st timers to tours don't realize that some packages use less than centrally located hotels, for example, is my point to this long ramble!

TexasAggie

I posted an air/hotel package a few moments ago that I received from TravelZoo. You can go to the TravelZoo website and request to receive the weekly top 20 travel deals. There are usually at least a couple relating to Europe.

ira

Hi girl,

With only 5 nights in Italy, I would do 2 in Florence and 3 in Venice.

ChicagoDallasGirl

Rex-Thanks for the book suggestion. Earlier in my research, I was considering a &quot;hop-around&quot; trip, but realized quickly that was not a good idea, so I've been focusing on Italy. My husband has a ton of time, lucky him. I on the other hand have virtually none, but your Sat-Thur suggestion would work well as Fridays are typically lax at the office.

Suze, I'm a research-aholic so we certainly wouldn't make uninformed travel decisions. Which is why I'm on Fodors;-), asking friends/family and using all the resources I can get my hands on. Also, we're not first time package travelers, just first time Rome travelers. So we know that the cheapest packages aren't the best quality wise. My question was about pricing of packages compared to the price of air/hotel separately.

I'm off to do more research. Thanks to all!

helenbreen

Hi Chicago, I agree that you could stay in Rome for that period of time and still take one or two day trips to destinations like Florence, Pompei, Capri, Assisi, etc. These bus trips can take up to 12-14 hours. They usually include lunch and the service of an informative, bilingual guide. Adventorous traveler may choose to do these trips independently on trains. Planning is essential. Wherever you go in Italy will not disappoint you. Enjoy Italy!