Day trip from Rome

With only 3 days I'd certainly stay in Rome, but it you really want a change of scene, I'm very fond of Orvieto, and it's very popular with others on this board as well. It has a very pretty, large historic district perched on a hill and a lot of actual sights to see (museums, duomo, etc.). It's definitely worth a trip, but Rome has so much to see and do.

Agree with staying in Rome. See the main sites, visit the other neighborhoods, especially Trastevere. If you must go somewhere, Orvieto is your best bet.

I agree, I've been to Rome three times and there is enough to keep any body busy. If you need to get out I would head for Ostia Antica, it's out of Rome but close enough to not be a big deal to get there and back. Have fun.

Thank you both -- I will look up Orvieto for sure. Just to clarify, I am in Rome for ten days, but solo for three.

Since you will have additional days in Rome after being alone for three in Rome, I would definitely take a day trip away from Rome during the three days. I agree with caravan and Charlotte. Orvieto is a lovely town with enough interesting things to see and would give you a good sampling of Italian hill towns.

I would suggest skipping a day trip Ostia Antica (for this trip) since it consists of ruins. You will have plenty of ruins in see in Rome itself in the Forum and the Colosseum.

I would throw Assisi in as a possible alternate to Orvieto but don't take this as a negative to Orvieto. I have been to both and either would worth your time. Assisi has more to see but is simply farther from Rome but is doable for a day trip.

This link explains very well how to do a day trip to Assisi if you would be interested:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187905-i1049-k4882375-Assisi_Daytrip_from_Rome_Hints_and_Pointers-Assisi_Province_of_Perugia_Umbria.html

David

If you don’t have Florence planned on this trip already, it may be worth consideration as a day trip from Rome. It’s 75 minutes on the train and certainly worth the trip! If you’re looking for a smaller village experience we like Orvieto too.

I like Assisi a lot, but it is about 2-1/2 hours from Rome by train each way. Orvieto is half that, about 1-1/4 hours. The good news is that in both cases the trains are regionals so you don't have to plan ahead and buy a non-changeable/non-refundable ticket early in order to get an affordable fare. The bad news is that trains are not terribly frequent, so if you are careless in your planning you might not reach your destination till about noon. Both of those towns have a great deal to see, so that would be a shame.

Florence is sort of the opposite: It has very frequent rail service, but the trains are Frecce, express trains whose fares tend to rise as you get closer to the travel date. So that could be a painfully expensive day-trip if not planned way in advance.

Thank you everyone! This is terrific information and makes me all the more excited for my first trip to Italy!

Orvieto, Tivoli Gardens outside of Rome, fountains, villa, Castel Gandolfo( Pope’s Summer Residence is there, town on a lake.

I used to say on this board that a daytrip from Rome to Pompei was borderline insane. But if one starts out early, like a 9AM departure from Termini station, you'll arrive at Naples Centrale station around 10:15, then switch right there in the station to the Circumvesuviana commuter train, and another 30 minutes to the Pompei Scavi entrance to the ruins.

At that point you can give Pompei full measure, as much as 4 hours, then retrace your steps and conceivably be back at Termini by dinnertime. I think it's a worthwhile option to view this spectacular excavation.

Are your 3 days before or after your companions have left? You don't want to repeat sites if it's before.

Thank you to all who responded. I had a fabulous time in Italy. I have to say that my favorite place was, as many of you predicted, Orvietto! It was magical. I also took advantage of the fast train and escaped the Rome rain with a day trip to Florence. The sites of Rome were wonderful as well and I cannot wait to return. Thank you!

Looks like you repeated my 2016 trip to Rome! We had 9 days in Rome and we did a day trip to Orvieto and a day trip to Florence.

Orvieto was a highlight of the trip for sure!

Yes, we also daytripped from Rome to Orvieto in March of last year. Picked a nice day--high of 60 being nice in March. Took the fast train 75 minutes to Orvieto, the funicular up to the plateau-town. The cathedral was magnificent, the winding streets mesmerizing, and some no-name, six-seat cafe where we lunched on homemade tagliatelle with cinghiale (wild boar), all while sitting next to the sleeping family dog, was magical. Hope to visit there again at some point.

Glad you enjoyed it!