8 Days in Rome-March: What other city should we pick?

Your arrival day in Rome will probably not be very productive due to jetlag and sleep deprivation. That means you're just giving yourselves 2 solid sightseeing days there. That seems quite short.

I'll let others address the time of year in connection with outdoor destinations like the Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast. The earliest I've ever been to Europe is May 1.

Either idea sounds good to me. You might also consider a couple of nights in Orvieto, beautiful ancient hill town, just 70 minutes from Rome by train, lots of wonderful things to see and do, for a small town.

From Salerno, you would be just 30 minutes by train or bus from Paestum, which has 3 remarkable Greek temples from 550, 500, and 450 BC, all in a row, plus a modest-sized museum which presents works of art from the ruins, and shows how the temple would have looked back in the day, very colorful and ornate, not drab gray like the stones remaining today. Wonderful spot, best to visit the temples in the late afternoon, for the light.,

One thought would be to arrive FCO, then quickly move on to the other city where you will stay, then visit Rome after. This would avoid the move to spend a last extra night near the airport. If you go to Florence first, I understand there is a train which goes directly from FCO to Florence, but I do not know the details or frequency.

Definitely second the idea to go directly to your farthest destination on your arrival day and bunch all your Rome days at the end.

I agree with Larry, I would go straight to your destination outside of Rome first, so you can minimize changing hotels.

I don’t know about the Tuscany/wine touring options during March, but Florence will possibly be a little colder than Salerno at that time of the year. It will probably have more indoor options should the weather turn gross. I also think that you would be able to still do touring in the cities nearby with ease (or almost the same amount of ease as any other month).

I am the biggest supporter of a trip to Salerno, but one of the benefits of exploring the Amalfi Coast from there are the ferries, which I don’t think start that early in the season, so you are limited to buses to get you around. If you are ok with that, then Salerno is great.

Comparing the 2, Florence has more things to do IN the city (at least a few days worth) while Salerno has more things to do nearby (Amalfi, Capri, Paestum, Naples, Pompeii, Herculeaneum) which would include more transit and travel time each day.

I applaud you for limiting yourself to 2 bases.

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the tip about going straight to first destination (ie Florence) from airport. We arrive in Rome on the first night in the evening, 7pm, so I'd have to look how frequently trains are running.

My main desire is to experience a "small village feel" so with all the museum type tours in Rome, I'd like to do the opposite elsewhere. I think Salerno will be more our speed to be by the coast for a bit, and have the option to see ruins.

Comparing the 2, Florence has more things to do IN the city (at least a few days worth) while Salerno has more things to do nearby (Amalfi, Capri, Paestum, Naples, Pompeii, Herculeaneum) which would include more transit and travel time each day.

The other thing to consider is that most of the AC attractions are outside, and the ferries probably won't be running along the coast (although SITA buses will be, and ferries to/from Capri from some locations). Florence will offer more to see that are out of the elements should the weather throw you a curve ball.

I guess it also comes down to want you want to do/see? Florence is going to offer up a different menu of options than the A.C./Salerno.

Salerno is a great option in that case.....it’s a big town, but the ruins of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum are close by. I THINK the ferries to Capri still run in the winter, but I don’t think the Amalfi ones do at your time. And you can definitely explore the coast on the SITA buses, I even like hopping on a city bus from Salerno and wandering around Vietri sul Mare for a bit which is only 10 min up the road from the historic center. You don’t have to invest HOURS to get to a charming town.

The lungomare in Salerno is LOVELY, even on a bad weather day, and it’s so pleasant to walk along the water almost anytime. The corso that morphs into via Mercanti through the center of town is so delightful to shop along and take the evening passiegiata with the rest of the townsfolk.

If you want to stay in the historic center, I LOVE Seaview Salerno B&B!

With 8 days I would simplify, keeping less transportation time in mind.
U will spend better part of 2 days just to and from FCO. Easily u could spend all your time in Rome. Get your tickets soon for the Museum of Bernini s. Sculptures in Rome.
If u must have another close by destination how about gorgeous Hadrians Villa and near FCO also.
As is the Appian way. Then if u find while there the weather is rainy there are many more fabulous churches and museums to visit in Rome. Be sure to study Ricks Rome guidebk.

. We arrive in Rome on the first night in the evening, 7pm,

That makes for a big challenge to take a train to either Florence or Salerno that night.

Looks like the alternative is to spend the night near Rome Termini and take the earliest train you can get up for the next day to whatever you choose as your 'far' destination. Still think bunching your Rome days at the end will make the best use of your time.

Hello everyone, thanks for the helpful tips! Our official flight plans having us landing at 4:30pm at FCO so we will be able to catch a train to Florence. Excited to comb through these forums to find tips on what are the best day trips and tours to take from Florence. We'll spend the tail end of our trip in Rome, staying in Trastevere.

Need more time in Rome. I would go with Florence over Salerno.