Amalfi Coast

Month of the year? What size vehicle for 4+1+1? The issue is that adding the AC to half a day at Pompeii makes it into a 10 or 12 hour outing. You don't "need" an AC guide if you get a cheerful driver with modest English, but you might not. To make the most of an already expensive outing, I vote for the guide. Opinion.

Have you considered another option altogether, which would be to add a second base and stay overnight in a town like Sorrento? That will give you easy access to see Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast without the need for paying a driver and guide (although one could be useful at Pompeii, but you can probably get a registered guide onsite). I don't think it's wise to do both in one day, let alone from Rome as the base. It's like a 3 hour drive each way from Rome, so imagine 6 hours just to get back and forth. Then you'll need at least 2 (likely much more) in Pompeii...that in itself is one full, long day. Everyone is different of course, but I would not do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome, unless this is positively your only chance to go. If you include the Amalfi Coast, then you'll likely end up shortchanging both. Not everyone loves archeological sites, so if two hours is enough for you, then feel free to ignore this advice. I spent well over 4 hours in Pompeii (if I had a guide, I may not have needed that much time...but who knows).

Unfortunately we won't be in Italy long enough to stay overnight closer to the Amalfi Coast. Whatever we do will need to be a day trip. We know it will be a long day! I'm traveling with my husband, and two kids, ages 11 + 14. We'll be there the first week of April. This will be the last day of our trip. The rest will be spent in Rome. I guess the other option would be to just do Pompeii and maybe visit the Naples Archaeological Museum on the way back. That would be a much shorter day, but, Almafi Coast just looks so beautiful it seemed like a worthwhile trip since we will be so close.

(Early?) April makes a difference. The traffic on the VERY LIMITED roads through the Amalfi Coast won't be quite as bad as during the (long) "season".

Here's another option, but it's not the same from Rome. We had our Sorrento hotel order a car and driver from their local travel-support partner, a travel agency in Sorrento. The older, accented-English gentleman was not a "guide", but was happy to take us around with our input (I mean, like "No, we don't want to go to the pottery factory, but we'll use their huge bus trip toilet facilities, thank you very much ... ) He took us (from Sorrento) to three towns with an hour (free time) walking in each, plus two more towns as "stop and look". That was our AC experience in 8 hours from Sorrento, exactly what we wanted.

The point is that if you have a first class hotel, you might find they have an incentive to hook you up with a reliable supplier that can do something like that for you. Then you have to bite the bullet and buy our host's (I mean, Rick Steves) book on Italy or the AC, and use his self-guided walking tour (maybe plus some audioguide from the ticket area?) of Pompeii. I should say that we shy away from guides, and you indicated from the beginning that you want a guide.

As long as you're spending the bucks for hiring a driver and guide for Pompeii. you might as well extend that out and have him drive you around the A.C. as well--it is beautiful, and April's a perfect time to see it. As Tim said, you don't need a guide for that.

Make sure you work out specifics with him. When to leave, how long at Pompeii--if he's coordinating it with a guide he should know. Rather than wandering around there aimlessly (nothing is marked), he should be able to get you to most of the best parts in 2-2.5 hours max. Then do your research for the Amalfi Coast in advance and tell him, 'OK, I want to stop in Minori, Amalfi and Positano', for example. In my opinion, Capri and Sorrento would be superfluous. But the others are spectacular. Have an al fresco late lunch/early dinner in Positano--set it up in advance. Then relax on the 3 hour drive back to Rome.

It is a shame you won't get to see the Archeological Museum in Naples--that is the bookend to Pompeii, with much of the art and mosaic. We were there a couple weeks ago and it was fabulous. But you actually need more time for the museum than you would for Pompeii--at least it seemed like that to me.

I cannot stress enough to set up parameters, on your terms. Otherwise, they'll do what they want to do, rather than the other way around, on your dime. Oh, and they'll probably say they prefer to be paid in cash Euro.

In my opinion, go for the Archeological Museum in Napoli (train from Roma Termini is 1.25 hours, then metro to the Museo stop). Metro back to the train station where you can have a pre-arranged pickup with a driver to take you to Pompei (agree on price, how much time you will spend there, etc., and if a guide is included - if not, hire one at the Pompei site). After your visit, you can have the driver take you back to Napoli Centrale for a train back to Roma,.

The most economical, as noted, would be to take an early train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale, then after the Museum visit return to Napoli Centrale, go downstairs to the Circumvesuviana station and take the commuter train to Pompei Scavi, and then reverse the order for your return (leaving out the Museum on the way back, of course).

If you decide to also visit the Amalfi Coast, you could still be picked up at Napoli Centrale. Be sure to stop at Sal de Riso's pasticceria in Minori. .