Roman Ruins

For Roman Ruins consider stop at Vienne on the Rhone or Lyon. I'd drive to Paris and drop the car at Orly and take a cab into the city from there. No need to stop short -- but if you wanted to you could certainly drop the car in Lyon and train to Paris from there.

1) Flying to Naples and from Paris seems the most direct plan, given your desired itinerary. Unless flying to Rome gives you a better price or flight schedule, then reach Naples by train.

2) We actually a stayed in Sorrento on our trip, (late December 2012) reaching Naples/Pompeii/Herculaneum, etc. on day trips, as part of our greater trip, so I can’t personally offer Naples neighborhood suggestions. Many sights weren’t crowded, but Naples was very busy. Holiday decorations added a festive look to cities, but check on opening and closing times around Christmas.

3) Unless you’re looking for a luxury limousine, train between Naples and Rome will be relatively fast and affordable.

4) Flying to Marseille gets you access to Roman sights in Nimes, Arles, and Glanum, outside of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, for starters. Montpellier airport might work as well, but we used Marseille. Another option would be Nice, which has sights in and nearby, then drive farther west.

5) Depending how long and how much of southern France you explore, Avignon might be your best place for turning in the rental car and catching the fast TGV train to Paris.

1) you could fly out of Lyon as well, or Marseille.

2) somewhere near via Toledo is ideal: walkable to many city sights of Naples, quick metro ride to Garibaldi station for trains to Pompeii and Herculaneum, and easy access to Montesanto station if you want to visit archeological sites west of Naples (e.g. Baia)

3) absolutely, take the train!

4) I would say Rome to Marseille. Montpellier also works if the flights are better.

5) if you do not fly out of Lyon or Marseille, you should take the train from Lyonn or Avignon to Paris.

Between Montpellier/Marseille and Lyon you have plenty of Roman sites to play with, as much as time allows. Roughly from south to north:

• Arles
• Nîmes & Pont du Gard
• Orange
• Vaison la Romaine
• Saint-Romain-en-Gal (Vienne)
• Lyon (although the theater there won't feel very interesting after all of the above)

If you need to choose, from a strict perspective of Roman ruins, Nîmes (together with Pont du Gard) is #1 with a great museum on top. Arles is a close #2 and is very charming anyway. Orange is my #3 because the theater is absolutely amazing, but that plus an arch is all there is.
Vaison and Saint-Romain-en-Gal are interesting but do not expect Pompeii. Vaison benefits from being in a beautiful region, and the medieval town across the river is interesting too.

EDIT: oh, I forgot Glanum. Cannot rank it, as I never made it there.

Since you have two weeks for the whole trip, Naples + Rome + Nîmes/Arles/Orange will already keep you very busy.

Instead of Naples, consider staying in the City of Pompei if you are interested visiting the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Plus, Oplontis and Stabiae are small, amazing, and practically empty.

http://pompeiisites.org/en/oplontis/

Hi,

Adding my two cents onto what Balso (who obviously has firsthand, local knowledge) said on point five. I really like Avignon as a base from which to see Roman ruins: you can go to see the Ponte du Garde, the Arena in Arles, the Maison Carree in Nimes and up to Lyon for its Roman Ruins, as well. All are available via public trans (though Ponte du Garde you need to take a bus).

Good luck,

Thank you to everyone for the advice it is greatly appreciated and will definitely help me get started with planning an itinerary. Thank you again!