I need some help from you travelers out there.
We are going to be flying into Naples and what would be the best mode of transportation from the airport to our hotel which is across from the train station? I assume a train but which one? Also, I have tried to navigate the Circumvesuviana site to check out fares for a trip to Pompei. Since it is in Italian and I don't read the language I'm getting nowhere.
We will pick up a rental car in Naples the day we leave and drive to the Lucca area where we will be for two weeks. What is the best route to get from Naples to Lucca? I know we can drive along the coast or up
to Rome. After our stay in Lucca we need to go to Rome to meet a tour. Need to drop off the car and I think it would be best to drop it off in Pisa and take a train from there to Rome. Again, a train problem. All I seem to get when checking them out is the 3 day rail pass which we do not want.
Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

There is a bus from Naples airport to Piazza Garibaldi, which is where the train station is and, presumably, your hotel. (Which I hope is the Terminus; the rest of them are pretty shady.)

It's hardly worth worrying about the Circumvesuviana fare. The Circumvesuviana is also in Napoli Centrale station on Piazza Garibaldi (one floor down); it's a suburban line, and it's hardly worth bothering about the fare in advance. It's only a few Euros to Pompeii, and trains leave at least every half-hour. Do exercise caution in the station, though; I feel very safe everywhere in Naples except at the train station. Don't let anyone help you; take your time and figure out where you have to go on your own. Everything is clearly marked.

I can't help with the best driving routes from Naples to Lucca, but don't drop the car in Pisa. Drop it in Florence and save yourself a change of train.

Go to www.trenitalia.com. There is a place to click "English." There are fast Eurostar trains from Florence to Rome every hour; they take 1.5 hours. I generally don't find it worth while to travel first class on a 1.5 hour trip on a Eurostar. Your Eurostar ticket, incidentally, includes a reserved seat.

Go to www.Maporama.com This is an excellent site that will show you various routes. You can select by car, on foot, etc. I used it for my visit to Rome in November and it was right on target with distance, time etc. Like Mapquest.com in the States

Hi C,

>What is the best route to get from Naples to Lucca? <

Check routes at www.mappy.com and www.viamichelin.com.

>Need to drop off the car ...and take a train from there to Rome.<

I suggest that you drive to Orvieto, see the town, drop off the car train to Rome - 1 hr.

>Again, a train problem. All I seem to get when checking them out is the 3 day rail pass ...<

Don't buy your tickets from RailEurope.

See www.trenitalia.com the Italian National Railroad.

Enjoy your visit.

top for me

In advance, forgive me for asking questions that have probably been asked before.

I'm flying into Rome and have to hook up with friends in Florence. What is the best way for me to get from the airport in Rome to Florence. (I know the trains) More specifically, I think I take a train from the airport to the train station in Rome, where I then take the train to Florence - but I have a freakishly bad sense of direction. Any specific help about where either train stations are, directions on how to get there, and help with which train I buy tickets for, and if I buy them now or just wait till I land would be OH so helpful.
I'm happy to trade info on The Yucatan Peninsula in MX / Playa del Carmen, if anyone out there wants to know.
thanks!

OK, you arrive at Fiumicino. You follow the signs that say either "Ferrovia" or "Treno" (I forget which, unfortunately). There is a ticket office there. You buy a ticket for the Leonardo Express, which leaves every 30 minutes and goes directly to Roma Termini. You have to validate the ticket in the yellow machine at the head of the track. The Fiumicino ticket office will be able to tell you which is the next Eurostar (1.5 hours) that you can catch at Termini; they will include the 15 to 20 minutes that it takes to walk all the way down the track where the Leonardo Express arrives to where the other train platforms are. You do not have to validate a Eurostar ticket. Look for the number of your train (it will be on your Eurostar ticket) on the signs at the heads of the tracks; chances are the train is going to Milano and not just to Florence. Your Eurostar ticket will include a reserved seat, with an indication of the carriage number and the seat number. Find the carriage, find the seat. End of problem.

For the 1.5 hour ride to Florence, I personally don't think it's worth going first class.

Eloise,
Thanks so much for your reply. That's exactly the info I needed. One more quick question. Should I by the Eurostar ticket at Termini when I get there or should I buy that ticket online now?
thanks again.

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear. Buy it at the Fiumicino train station, explaining that you want the next Eurostar to Florence that you can comfortably connect to. The Eurostars leave every hour, so even if you have to wait a little, you can always grab a cappuccino.