My husband and I are planning a month-long trip to Italy along with the Viking Cruise Amsterdam to Basel. We can go in late May/early June. We were wondering whether we should do the cruise first, then trains to Lake Como, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome (and Pompeii). Or should we fly into Rome and do the whole trip backwards? To consider: we must do Bologna so my husband can tour the car factories, we are leery of extremely hot weather, and this is our first trip to Italy. Any thoughts would be welcome!
Posted by
Portland
3607 posts
I would do Italy first. After running around on your own for a month, you'll really appreciate the relaxation a river cruise affords. Weatherwise, it also makes sense to go north as the temps go up.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23343 posts
I would agree with Rosalyn. Do the cruise last. We typical combine a cruise with our trips. We always do the cruise at the mid point or later for the same reasons Rosalyn stated. And Italy can be very hot in early June.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7368 posts
I would suggest that the heat will be higher in June, so maybe you should cruise second, as noted. But I agree that this is a strenuous independent travel plan, perhaps uncommon among river cruise customers. (However, we have been on Viking in Russia and in China.) You can expect Rome and Pompeii to be hot in June. Check online regional climate (i.e. monthly average temperatures) reports.
You get up early on the cruise to be on a bus tour most days. We personally prefer independent travel, but you have a lot of planning and booking to do. You also need research about how far Pompeii is from Rome. Perhaps you should visit Sorrento (or Naples) and the Amalfi Coast, instead, and leave the lake district for a trip to Northern Europe in the future. After all, there's no law that says you have to stay in one country for a month. It's already very late to book Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast for 2016.
Bologna and Emilia Romangna are very attractive, and maybe you won't even have to go to the car factories if you don't want to. I consider Bologna close to Florence, but that's an oversimplification. It sounds like a wonderful vacation.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you for the help and suggestions! Since the trip is in 2017, we get a great airfare along with the cruise and thus want to stay "across the pond" as long as we can. We are teachers and we have to go in the summer--however, we avoided Spain last year because of the heat and ended up in Paris on the hottest day on record! (Side note- Versailles was almost empty when 104 degrees!) So...we will take the suggestion to start in Rome and work our way north. P.S. The car factories are not an option to my Formula One fan husband!
Posted by
OP
10 posts
PPS. Am I wrong in thinking Pompeii is about 2 1/2 hours from Rome by train?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23343 posts
That is about right - total trip. Need to change in Naples. The actual train ride is less.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7368 posts
mbfuller, as you continue your research, you will see that many posters recommend arriving at Pompeii when they open the gates, especially in the summer. That's because the place is so large, hot, and exposed. We happened not to have that problem (in May) because it was drizzling for much of our visit. I would certainly take sun protection and even light-colored umbrellas if you are going to Pompeii in midday in the summer. There is a cafe to buy water (and food) inside the site. But start out with plenty of water before you go in. (Sold also at the train station and cafes opposite the Pompeii ticket booth.)
Use the search box at the top center to get more advice than you want, on Pompeii and other locations.