Drive from Rome to Naples

You do not need or want a car in Rome, Florence or Naples, Positano, Capri
This whole trip is very easily done by train and ferry

A long time ago, on my first trip to Italy, I made the serious mistake of doing what I'd do in the US: rent a car.
I learned quickly (the hard way) that in Italy (and many other European countries) if trains go where you want to go, do what the locals do and take the train or other public transportation.

Especially in big cities like Rome, Napoli, or Florence.

Thank you guys I’ll keep that in mind.

The train ride is scenic. The drive is not. It’s on an autostrada. And if you get to Napoli and wander into a ZTL this trip will cost you a lot of money. Absolutely take the train.

Maria-

is this the trip you described here:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/feedback-on-itinerary-a-few-q-s

Sounds like you are picking up car in Rome to go to Naples. Then from Naples to Puglia?
Why not just take fast train to Naples, then pick up car as you leave Naples?

I don't think you'd want to stop anywhere between Rome and Naples if you must drive.
Pompeii?- but that needs time you hardly have. If you do park anywhere be sure all luggage and valuables are hidden or with you.

When you say "2 days base"- is that 2 nights (really 1.5 days)?
Going to be a long day to ferry to Positano and Capri. Each almost needs a day coming from Naples. I guess can do together but that is one long day! Make sure you don't miss last ferry home.

Could you clarify itinerary and why the car and share a bit more info?

The gardens at the Caserta palace look beautiful. We didn't have the time to go there this year, but I'll keep it in mind.

The train to Naples is very fast and purchased in advance, very economical. Driving is a nightmare! I have seen tie-ups on the autostrada that defy description! Five hours by car is not unusual. Since you only have 1.5 days/2 nights at best, why waste time driving there? Capri will take a whole day, by the way. I don’t know how you’ll have time for Positano unless you stop there before you head to Puglia.

Most of us do not stay in Naples, FyI. Most of us head on down to Sorrento, a good base for going to Capri and less intimidating than Naples.

Maria,

I definitely agree with the others. Travel via high speed train will be a much better option than driving. With good planning you can get to all the sites you want to visit, and no worries about parking, traffic tickets, theft from vehicle, etc. I would not recommend driving in Naples!

A car is also detrimental for visiting Florence from Rome, as the drive is considerably longer than the 90 minute trip on the high speed train.

As you may be aware, for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/transportation-driving/ for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.

Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL) limited traffic areas are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities especially Florence, which is almost saturated with automated ZTL cameras. EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket, which you won't know about until several months after you return home! This website provides more information - https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones .

As it appears that you're working with a fairly short time frame, using high speed trains as much as possible is a much more efficient use of your limited holiday time.

One final point to mention. There are also some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy. If you haven't travelled there before, be sure you're aware of those

I'm an "intrepid" driver. I drove in places people told me it was crazy to drive - Palermo, Catania, the Amalfi Coast. If there was a good reason, I'd drive in Rome. I spent 4 days in Naples and would never, ever drive there.

Thank you all for the feedback.

Renting a car to drive from to Naples seemed like a good idea, however after reading all these posts I am reconsidering. Maybe rent car from Naples to Puglia as suggested by ChristineH. The main reason for Naples is that my daughter is a huge pizza lover and Naples is where pizza originated. I will also consider Sorrento instead of Naples. I am just reading too much on Naples high crime. How far in advance should train tickets be purchased?

Naples is safe, just take normal precautions - and be very careful crossing streets. On my last visit to Italy, I had better pizza in Venice and Rome than in Naples (where I ate pizza at a couple of the most recommended places).

Five hours by car is not unusual.

Future readers should know that a 5 hours drive from Rome to Naples because of traffic is so unusual that it would make the front pages, the national ones.

If you don't flash around Prada stuff, jewels and expensive watches central Naples is a kindergarten compared to same size US cities.

I am with Chani on the pizza! We enjoyed pizza in many places far more than we did in Naples. Try Dar Poeta, La Pratolina, or (traditional Roman) at Da Remo. All are in Rome.

In Sorrento we have eaten pizza at Il Leone Rosso a couple of times and it was quite good.

Thank you! I should know better I grew up in NYC! :)

Whoa, nellie! There's Pizza and then there is authentic Neapolitan Pizza which has a special certification. If your daughter is a great fan of the Neapolitan style, it is perfectly appropriate for you to visit the birthplace of that style.

Here's a little more on that: https://slice.seriouseats.com/2013/01/serious-eats-guide-to-eating-pizza-in-naples-napoli-italy-neapolitan-pizza.html

Our favorite pizza place in Denver, Marco's Coal Fired Pizza, actually trained at Starita to get texture, flavor and presentation right.

If you grew up in NYC, you can handle Naples. We don't stay there, we go to Sorrento, but we drove along the Lungomare to see how it looked. It's like any other busy city. People shouldn't drive in Boston either, but we all do it...

For good (and inexpensive) Neapolitan style pizza while in Florence, try Gustapizza near Piazza Santo Spirito. Your daughter may also enjoy meeting and talking with the American study abroad students who frequent it.

Maria, Naples is not a dangerous place. It's a gritty city that has been starved of government funding for many years. Do you ever go to Philadelphia? There's nothing to worry about.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/surviving-naples

You may have the idea that all these places are interchangeable. Choosing Sorrento over Capri or Naples is like chosing Cape May over Long Beach Island. That's not an exact comparison (and we spent five pleasant days in Sorrento because we chose it for DAYTRIPS and not for imaginary rural Italian ambiance.) You are getting too much information from internet OPINIONS instead of firmer FACTS. I do think that printed guidebooks (including those by our host, Rick) are more even-handed and precise than one traveler and his/her family.

I think you still haven't gotten the idea that driving a car from Rome to Naples has no upside, and only, possible down sides. Have you read up on ZTL, IDP, collision protection, public parking, and so on, in Italy? Have you opened Google Maps yet to see the relationship between Naples and Positano? What is most important to you: Naples streetscapes, Naples Pizza, Pompeii, Capri, Positano, ferry views of the coast, luxurious housing, low costs, effortless travel, ... ... ?

Having waited 40 minutes in line for Naples pizza, I can say that there is some value to experiencing the real thing. But it is also true that American restaurants with certified, imported Neapolitan ovens produce a pie that is very, very like what you get in Naples. And (because I do go to Pizzarte near the Museum of Modern Art in NYC) that style of pizza is not like we are used to in the United States. It does taste different and better (like baguettes do in France ... ) in Naples because of ingredients and local practices.

There are dozens of threads on this board every year covering all the things that are important to you. Please set aside two hours and just use the Search box, top left, to spend a half hour on trains and private car services, a half hour on car rental, a half-hour on the Amalfi Coast, and a half-hour on Capri and Pompeii.

The train tickets from Rome to Naples are much cheaper bought in advance (but non-changeable and non-refundable.) Sorrento and Positano book up six to nine months in advance. You need to get moving.

Tim brings up some really good points. It seems you are only going to Naples for pizza? To me the hassle of driving or training to Naples just for pizza is simply not worth it. Naples is not a good place to visit Positano from - that's an all day trek, with just 2 nights you do not have time for both Capri and Positano.
I can't say I have ever had a bad pizza anywhere in Italy- but I did have a horrible pizza once in Sarlat France- really it was criminal!

We enjoyed our time in Sorrento very much- it's a great place for transportation to all the Sorrento coast sites. But is is not on the Amalfi Coast and it is a 2 seat ride from Rome.

If you want to see the Amalfi Coast here is an alternative plan:
Take the fast train to Salerno from Rome- it's quite nice we just stayed there 2 nights. It is inexpensive, likely has plenty of availability still, flat, has a lovely waterfront, beautiful views of surrounding mountains etc and some very good restaurants and gelato.
The train station is just steps to town and steps to the ferry that will whisk you to Positano- the ferry ride is lovely- you will see the best part of the Amalfi coast. Spend a few hours in Positano then hop back on ferry and get off in Amalfi- visit the cathedral there, then back to Salerno via ferry for the night. We were there on a Sun night and enjoyed just sitting at a cafe watching the VERY lively passiegiatta along the pedestrian zone.
Pick up your car in Salerno- Hertz is right at train station and head to Bari- 3 hours- no different than from Naples but certainly less congested.

I have not been to Salerno, but Christine's post is especially useful because she has stayed in both Salerno and in Sorrento. I continue to have doubts about Salerno, but as I just wrote, I've never been there. Continuing with my Jersey Shore metaphors, I suspect it is like choosing Rehobeth Beach instead of the two NJ shore places I mentioned before. (OP is from southern NJ.)

Christine, is is fair to say that Salerno is even more "postwar reinforced concrete" than most of Sorrento? (Remember, I said we were glad to stay 5 nights in Sorrento, even if we had to take our sixth choice of hotel.)

The OP did ask a question that has not been answered, about places between Rome and Naples. If I were saddled with a car, the only place I would want to visit on that drive is either of the two attractions in Tivoli, but it's very doable from Rome, and isn't really on the way to Naples, and is so close to Rome that it doesn't break up the trip, it just makes arrival time in Naples more uncertain.

If you saw what we saw from our Naples hotel window, and walking the main street (that is, dodging behind the bollards!), you would NEVER drive in Naples.

I've stayed in both Salerno and Sorrento. I loved Sorrento (in off-season when the locals outnumbered the tourists) but there's not much to see and, while it's not as expensive as the AC towns, it's not cheap either. Also, the seashore (ferries) is down a steep hill/cliff. Take the stairs (lots of them), or the elevator (looked small, wasn't in operation in off-season) or a bus or a taxi (expensive in Sorrento). The elevator is near the town center as are the stairs. The train station is another 10-minute walk uphill.

On the other hand Salerno is easy. There's the fast train to Naples/Rome/Florence (there are direct trains to Florence that don't go through Naples). The town is mostly level with a lovely promenade along the sea and a (relatively) large sandy beach. It has a medieval centro storico (unlike Sorrento which was built later as a resort town). The most scenic part of the AC is from Salerno to Positano. Plus food and lodging are cheaper than anywhere on the AC or Sorrento.

I'm sure there's post-war concrete but not in the tourist areas.

Wow.. I appreciate all the input and will carefully review each one of them.

Thank you very much.

Maria- I sent you a pm with some info on Salerno. Hope it works out for you.

Tim- I think that is a really good analogy.
I don't think I'd say Salerno is a "destination"- it's just a normal Italian town, not touristy at all- in fact I can't recall any "tourist shops" or other tourists at all. We dined in 2 locations that were full off locals only. We didn't go there looking for that "charming italian village life" we had just spent 7 nights on Amalfi coast so being in a real town with no tourist crowds was kind of nice.
There really aren't any "sights" other than cathedral and the Crypt of San Mateo was stunning. We were alone while in there.

We also loved Sorrento for different reasons- it's a lovely "resort town" with great transportation to all the sights and so many good restaurants we had a hard time choosing!

I think Chani says it best "Salerno is easy"
Easy to get there, easy to be there, easy to visit Amalfi towns from there, easy to depart from there, easy to walk around and easy on your budget.
We wanted to visit Paestum and we wanted to take train to Venice after our Amalfi week so it was the perfect solution for us.

Hi - hope it's not too late to ask for more info here because we are planning almost the same itinerary for next December, 2019.

Our plans are to fly into Rome & immediately drive to Sorrento for 4 days on the Amalfi Coast. We plan to stop in Casino for the memorials & visit Pompeii & Herculaneum. Then drive last Rome to Civitavecchia for a cruise.

I drive ever year all over Northern Italy and much of Mezzogiorno, so I have no worries there but does it make better sense to train around with 2 people? Can we get a sense of the Amalfi Coast and get to Pompeii & Herculean easily from Sorrento by train?

Thanks!

lkkrr1 if you start your own thread rather than piggybacking on a thread last used 3 months ago, you will get everybody focussed on your question rather than aswering the original post which has been answered, and best of all you will get the email notifications of answers coming in rather than Maria.

I hope you get your answers.

Ok, thanks. Good advice