Day Trip from Rome - Naples + ??

Naples and Pompeii in one day is going to be brutal - especially in July's heat. I'd suggest one or the other but you know your own stamina. Gotta tell you that Sorrento is my favorite get away - it's a tourist town but with the most beautiful views (especially sunset). You could easily do a mix of Naples and Sorrento - take the hydrofoil to make the trip more interesting. Capri? Sorry, I'm not a fan but it is pretty. The train service between Rome and Naples is excellent (little over an hour each way!) and cheap if you buy your tickets now. the MINI fare is a real saver. Have a great trip - maybe I'll see you in Sorrento!

Rather than trying to do this day trip yourself, you might think about taking an organized tour from Rome. There are quite a few. Most do not stop in Naples but will drive you by the main sights and on to Pompeii. In Pompeii you will have a guided tour of the site (to get the most out of the site, this is well recommended). Some tours include Vesuvius. There are other options as well. If you really want to do Sorrento and Capri, you might be better to rearrange your itinerary to spend a couple of days in Sorrento and use it as your base for a trip to Capri and Pompeii - the tour costs around US$170 pp so if you figure the cost of hotel in Sorrento....its probably a cheaper option!

Unless you are trying to tick off a list of places you have visited, check to see if Herculaneum might not be more interesting. Everyone goes to Pompeii, but there is really more "ancient Rome" on view in Herculaneum. Wiki travel is right when it says: "In many ways Herculaneum is arguably a more interesting place to visit than Pompeii." http://wikitravel.org/en/Herculaneum Naples & Pompeii in one day from Rome is a guarantee that you will see next to nothing. If you insist, then an organised coach trip is the best bet. But Naples is no great shakes, although our view is coloured by being robbed at the traffic lights by a scooter thief. At least the police and local consulates are used to dealing with such events.

It is about hour and half by fast train from Rome to Naples and then half hour by train to Pompeii. If you do this, suggest you go as early as possible as Pompeii will be brutal with the heat. You could do this as early as possible then take the train to Sorrento (another half hour by train)for late lunch or early dinner, see town, sunset and back to Rome for late evening. Take the hydrofoil from Sorrento back to Naples. Enjoy.

We found Capri highly overrated but enjoy Sorrento. It's a bit of work to get to though and I would only bother if you had two nights. Ostia Antica, the ancient port of Rome is a great alternative to Pompeii and an easy one hour from Rome. Pompeii is more striking, formal, barren and hot. Ostia is very romantic and allows you to wander among the ruins. It's a big hit of Rick Steve's. Check out www.ostica-antica.org. It's wonderful and you'll want to allow a half day. You might consider spending a night in Orvieto for a hilltown experience as it's so charming and easily located between Rome and Florence. Definitely a way to save money on a night's lodgings also.