We will be in Italy after a tour November 14-19, 2015. We want to spend some time around Naples and the Amalfi Coast area. I expect some places to be closed but really want to see Vesuvio and Pompeii. Is this just a really bad time of year to go? We plan to rent a car and try to find an apartment to rent in a central location. Any advice is welcome.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
It's not a bad time. Sightseeing and hotels are open and I'd look for off-season discounts when booking a room. While daylight hours and ferry schedules will be less, drivers should relish less road traffic in the most touristy spots.
Posted by
2 posts
I don't think that's a bad time of the year at all! My husband and I were in that area in late March 2013. The weather was a bit brisk and a little rainy a few days, but the crowds were smaller than they would be later. I would expect November to be similar.
We rented a car in Salerno and drove inland; we used the train and bus for the Amalfi Coast/Sorrento/Naples area. A car might not be necessary, depending on where you rent an apartment. There are several good bus/museum passes available for Naples and Campania.
You've probably read/heard this, but if you see Pompeii, be sure to spend time in Naples at the Archaeological Museum because that's where the original Pompeii items can be enjoyed. We had only a couple of house to spend in Pompeii because of our schedule, and we were fascinated by what we saw there. Then, a couple of days later, we went to the Museum in Naples where, I think, we enjoyed what we saw even more because we had already been to Pompeii.
We were unable to go to Capri because of bad weather, but we really enjoyed our brief stop in Amalfi, our few days in Sorrento, and our few days in Naples. I would go again!