advice for Italy

Your itinerary looks pretty good but I would add a night in Florence if possible. There is so much of Italy's renaissance history there and tons of amazing art. You should definitely see Venice and unless you want to visit the museums and the Doges Palace, you could have a nice two days wondering the canals and seeing San Marco and the Basilica. Depending on when you get in and leave Rome, you could easily add another day there. The lines for the Coliseum and Vatican eat up a lot of time. I have only used a car once in Italy and it was to go into the small Tuscan hill towns. I would just take the trains. They are cheap, plus having a car in Florence and Rome seems like a headache. Since you will be in Capri, you have to go to the Blue Grotto. It is amazing and if you go right after the boats stop taking tourist in for 15 euros, you can just swim into it for free, a much cooler experience!

Rebecca, Venice is wonderful & magical, so take time just to wander the area. Avoid the path between the Rialto & San Marco during the day because it's full of tourists. Just go over a few streets, and you'll enjoy it much more. And, make sure to see San Marco square in the evening and dance on the square to orchestra music. Just a hint to really enjoy your vacation: Venice is lots of walking bridges - up/down/up/down/up/down. Pack one light suitcase and you'll love it. Pack heavy and you won't. And, Google your hotel because it really is a maze. I definitely concur with the trains as travel - very handy, quick, and you can enjoy the time between towns. Just check train options because some are very quick and others stop at every town inbetween. Enjoy your trip!

Echoing Melissa's comments, train from at least Venice to Florence seems the way to go ( what we are doing today )

Thanks for the advice. I did consider that, maybe getting the train from venice to florence, and even possibly from florence to rome, unless a car would be useful in either of these cities?? and could maybe then pick a car up in rome to drive to sorrento, and visit pompeii on the way. The other option I thought was maybe missing florence out on this trip, getting the train from venice to rome, and car from Rome to Sorrento, which would give me longer in those places. Or is florence a must see?

Just my preference, but seeing that you really are not doing much in between the cities, a car will be more of a hassle than a benefit. The trains from Venice to Florence to Rome to Naples are fast and easy. With a car you will need to worry about Parking and ZTLs in Florence, In Rome a car is of no use, and the area around Sorrento is pretty congested for a car.

you're only visiting the big cities so no car is necessary. train is pretty cheap and some trips can use bus, i.e. florence - sienna - rome, sorrento - amalfi towns.

Rome also has a pretty large ZTL and the traffic is chaotic. See the info from Ron in Rome's site http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/ztls-in-rome In Sorrento, unless your accom offers cheap/free parking, you are looking at charges of 20 euro or more per day to park the car. You would probably better off hiring (ie renting - we say "hiring" in the UK) a car in Sorrento for a day or two if you want but at that time of year I would not bother. The traffic congestion has just got worse and worse over the years. For a reasonably priced hotel in Sorrento, you are going in the high season, try the Ulisse. Ignore the hostel bit in the title, long story but it is to do with planning regs! http://www.ulissedeluxe.com/ PS - if you time it right you can visit Pompeii on your way to Sorrento. It is on the local Circumvesuviana railway line from Naples to Sorrento. There is a free left luggage facility at the site entrance which is less than 5 minutes walk from the train station.

Thanks everyone. I think the trains may be a good idea, but I might still drive to sorrento, as I would like to be able to see a bit of that area amalfi coast, Pompeii etc without being stuck on bus trips, my idea of hell! Am really looking forward to Venice, thanks for the tips.

Rebecca, We were in Italy for five weeks this summer and had a car for three of those weeks. We are not novice drivers in Europe. We've driven in almost 20 different countries. However, Italy in general was a little more stressful than usual due to the sometimes maddeningly unhelpful signage on the roads and the almost certainty that someone will be on your back bumper all the time, giving you no chance to think at a turn. But for the most part, we could deal with it. However, you definitely don't want a car in any city, and if you intend to go direct from one city to another (like Florence to Rome, for example) a train is the rational choice. We spent five nights in Massa Lubrense (just south of Sorrento) with a car and I can say this; it was the worst driving experience of my life. Calling it utter chaos is being too nice. If I could do it again, I would stay in Sorrento, close to the train, bus, and boat services, and use them to get from place to place. That is the only sane way to enjoy the Amalfi Coast. I did successfully drive the coast road one day and it wasn't quite as bad as I expected, but it did take a full two hours and of those 120 minutes, I probably spent 119 looking at the road and one minute (broken into about 60 1-second pieces) looking at the scenery. Take the bus or boat.

For our July trip I had planned "relaxation" towns between "see stuff" cities. Sorrento was to be a mix of the two, between Rome and Florence (schedule-wise, not geographically). But we loved Sorrento so much, we never left! We stayed at the "Hotel Vue d' Or", which was pretty fancy for E100. It was "up the hill" and had a gorgeous view of the sea and town, as well as a pool. There was a free shuttle into town. And as much as we wanted to visit the Almafi coast, etc., we just couldn't motivate ourselves to leave Sorrento, especially in the mid-summer heat. We loved it there!
Also, be sure to read what Rick Steves says about vacationing in this area in his "Italy" book.

The best way to see the Amalfi Coast is to take the boat from Salerno to Sorrento. You can stop at Positano for a few hours then on to Sorrento. Take the train to Salerno then take the short walk to the dock and buy a ticket. It's a great way to see the coast and very relaxing. Next time I'd take a small picnic and a bottle of wine to enjoy on the cruise.

Hi Rebecca, I have to echo the others here I think skipping the car may be your best bet. It's really tough to enjoy the Amalfi Coast scenery when you are driving. You might also consider hiring a driver/guide for the day. I am pretty sure the Rick Steves book gives suggestions. If you can't find a copy, let me know and I can research for you. 1) Yes, you'll want to return! 2) The Italians don't queue like you Brits, whether standing in line or driving. Part of what makes Italy so much fun (unless you're doing the driving!) 3) Venice, Florence, Rome all those spots are fantastic. Haven't been to Sorrento yet, but I've heard great things. July will be hot. If you can't change the time, maybe you could start in the South and work North, as the days get warmer. Then again, Italy intensifies as you travel southward (in a good way, in my opinion), so the North may make it easier to get your "cultural bearings".
4) It sounds like you plan to fly open jaw into Venice and out of Rome back home, for example. That almost always makes sense. Once you arrive in Italy, train travel is affordable and quite easy. Not quite as punctual as the Germans, the Italians have a number of high-speed trains that are great. I lived in Milan for six months or so, and traveled by train between there and Florence and Rome. Have a great trip. Exciting eh?

yeah I was planning on flying into Venice, and out of naples. I did originally want to visit Naples, but then decided on Sorrento. Is Naples worth a day trip though? And I definatly want to go back already - thats before I have even been! I want to go to Milan, and Lake Garda, and also would love to go to Sicily. So maybe another two or three trips will have to be planned! And yes, very exciting! Am going to have a fun almost year of planning. :)

Caution, Rebecca! You are about to embark on what may become a serious addiction. We've been to Italy 13 times; and, despite the admitted hassles, we aren't done, yet. Here are my opinions on some of the questions you raised. Naples is worth a day trip to see the Archaeological Museum. However, with such a short time in Sorrento, you are going to need to make some careful choices. We liked Capri when we were there a couple of months ago; but, to my mind, Amalfi and Ravello should take precedence. Also, and above all, Pompeii and/or Herculaneum. I concur with all those who say not to rent a car. We have always had a car for parts of our trips, but not the in big cities, nor the Amalfi Coast. For the future, Sicily is wonderful and worth at least a week - - lucky you, you can get there in a couple of hours.