Do we have enough time, Rome Amalfi coast and venice

The simple answer is "no". You don't have enough time in 4.5 days to visit Ravello, capri, positano and pompeii and actually "see" and enjoy them. You'll just be breezing through on your way to the next destination. If you wish to really spend time in them you'll need to add more days, which will mean cutting days from somewhere else.

Donna

Thanks Donna...its as I thought...so in your own experience would skipping Venice be a regret thing or should I be happy with seeing a bit of it all? If I knew I was going back anytime soon this wouldn't be as big a dilemma, but it wont be for a few years for sure...

You don't mention your interests but I would still hesitate to skip Venice. It is truly unique. I didn't go until my fifth trip to Italy – because I don't like Venetian art. However, it's a wonderful city, and I have been back on every subsequent trip. I know people talk about the crowds, but if you go in the spring or the fall, I have found to be quite manageable and it didn't feel particularly crowded. Also, once you get off of the central route taken by cruise ship travelers, you can have areas almost to yourself.

I say go for it. We spent about that much time in Amalfi but did not do Pompei. We certainly want to go back. I would say if choosing between Pompei and Venice, it is an easy choice - Venice!

I say go for it. We spent about that much time in Amalfi but did not do Pompei. We certainly want to go back. I would say if choosing between Pompei and Venice, it is an easy choice - Venice!

Thanks all...I wonder if skipping capri makes sense, apart from being an island I wonder if the visual appeal otherwise is the same as being on shore towns...That seems like a full day trip that I could save time on... and i nixed the grotto from the beginning.I dont think Pompeii is like anything else so probably should keep that in the mix. I thought a full day in each, ravello, positano, and Pompeii with one full day left in maiori & minori which is around where we will base...of course my full days may not be true, as I have no idea when everything shuts down there at the end of a day...we are going late May early June...

Many people love Venice, but I'm in the "leave-it" crowd. My city with canals and sights is Amsterdam. Just saying...

I thought a full day in each, ravello, positano, and Pompeii

I'm not sure if you'll find a full day worth it in Positano & Pompeii. Positano is basically a hillside with some shops and restaurants. We took the bus from Sorrento and visited Positano & Amalfi the same day, then took the ferry back. I guess it all depends on what you want, though. If you want to linger having coffee somewhere, leisurely lunch, hang out on the small beach, I guess it could be a full day in Positano.

Pompeii, we visited it and then continued on the train into Naples to see the museum where many of the better artifacts were taken. Had time to have lunch at Pizzeria Trianon; its a few yards from the birthplace of pizza, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba (the pizza at Trianon is better in many peoples opinion) and also walk around Naples a bit. So spending the whole day at Pompeii may be a bit much. When you go to Pompeii, BTW, I would recommend joining up with one of the tours hawked by the guides outside the site. We went in with just the RS book and didn't think we got nearly as much out of it as we would have with a guide. On a different trip we went to Herculaneum and thought it was more interesting than Pompeii.

Much less of Herculaneum, built on a promontory overlooking the Bay of Naples, has been uncovered, not least because of the depth to which it was buried. However, the nature of its volcanic covering is such that the ancient buildings are much better preserved than those of Pompei. Organic materials such as wood survive in situ and the upper floors of many buildings are intact.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829

Thanks much for your post, very helpful!!! I will research Pompeii vs herculeum a bit further...what are your thoughts on capri? Worth a day? You brought Naples into the mix...which I too wanted to see...
my goal is to use limited time wisely and keep everyone happy...I am easy to please as I love churches, castles, museums, shopping, trekking the off the beaten path places that always turn up surprises. My family is not as go go as I though, so I must find balance. This whole trip started with my awe of the beauty of the coast...so I want to make the most of that for certain. I cant do more than an hour or two on any beach so wont be losing much time there.

Haven't been to Capri yet, probably is nice and you get a boat trip. You can take a look at Capri & Naples on lots of the travel shows (Ricks, Rudy Maxa, Samantha Brown, etc) and see what you think. Your local library may have episodes or maybe you can stream them (the RS episodes are on this site to watch).

We liked Naples. A bit gritty, I wouldn't carry anything flashy or expensive, but fun to visit. It felt like one of those photos of the Lower East Side from the 1920's with peddlers and laundry fluttering out windows and the like, all come to life instead of black-and-white. Walking to the museum from the train station we got a bit turned around, a local saw us looking at maps and was happy to help us out. And I think they've completed more of the subway since we were there (we saw some excavations for it). If you are going into Naples consider the regional artecard http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/naples-at-a-discount-campania-artecard.html which includes all rides on the Circumvesuviana & some museum admissions including the ruins. But if the beauty of the coast is your goal maybe hold it for another trip. That's the tough part, figuring out where to go and what gets cut!

If you want adventure off-the-beaten-path its easy to find it. For example riding on the Circumvesuviani we went by Castellammare di Stabia and saw a cable car to the top of a local mountain, so got off the train and rode it; great views of the Bay of Naples! You'll go by other interesting-looking towns on the Circumvesuviani which is basically a commuter train, so get off somewhere and explore.

Thank you very much for all this info...Naples does sound fascinating, ive u tubed it and I love what I see, all its quirks and culturally different things, including laundry everywhere and chaos is what makes it wonderful... guess we will leave the trip as is including Venice and try be time smart as possible. My highlight of Venice will be visiting Burano, so colorful and different... if you have any more to share please do....love the info...
thanks again....

Keep the Amalfi Coast, Ravello is great! I would skip Capri.

I go back to Napoli almost every year, never run out of things to do.

Venice is unique and beautiful, but you may be happy staying with Rome and points south. If you can squeeze in Paestum, I think your family might enjoy that - it has great Greek ruins, a good, small museum, and a beach.

I'm not a fan of Positano, it's beautiful, but LOTS of steps and a ton of retail.
Prefer Amalfi and Ravello. Georgeous views from Ravello. This could be one of your days.
Pompeii or Herculaneum and The Archaeological Museum another day. For a first trip, would do
Herculaneum. Much more manageable and there are shady areas there.
Sorrento or Naples another day.
It takes time to move around the Amalfi Coast. To go to Amalfi from Minori is 15 min. You then
Change busses to go from Amalfi to Ravello 20 min...or Positano 1H40min. Bus timetable Amalfi Coast.
http://www.theamalficoast.net/orari_sita_bus_timetables.html . Always check actual times while there.
Ferries http://www.coopsantandrea.com/en/servizidilinea/servizi.asp

you may want to read my post here, could save you some $$
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/advance-tickets

Have fun planning

Thanks for the link, I have been thinking about the passes/cards...they probably are a good idea, I have this notion that we may not use them to their full extent, but I am probably wrong. For example I keep thinking we can walk most sites in rome, but I doubt it... any savings one can find is a good thing, as it is amazing how quickly it all adds up not to mention food...dont know why but on any holiday I take I seem to have a greater appetite than I ever would at home.., must be all the walking... Is it really over an hour to positano by bus? Wow, I thought more like 20 minutes....I must of got that from a google map distance calculator, which doesn't include stops, transfers and traffic...
does it make sense to pre book train tickets? I am thinking it might be for the longer trips like rome to salerno and salerno to venice...
my son really wants to see venice as do I, but it is a 6 hr commute equalling a loss of a day...

If you really want to see Venice, do it, but try to be content with just a little bit of it. If you can, fly into Venice, spend one or two nights there, then take the fast train to Florence in the afternoon (advance tickets can save some $$, if you buy up to 120 days ahead you can get a ticket for about 29euro). Note that these super-economy tickets cannot be changed, you must take that specific train. Same advice for train to Rome.

Venice is best early in the morning and late in the afternoon/evening, when the cruisers and daytrippers are gone. You can buy a vaporetto pass for the length of your stay. I think Venice is a great place to unwind after a long flight.

By the way, it might be easier to plot your itinerary in terms of nights rather than days. One night will be spent on the flight over if you depart from the US or Canada, and the last night will be just before you fly back.

Zoe: am I right in thinking capri is likely much like the other coastal towns, excepting the boat ride and the chair lifts to anacapri?