Help Choosing a 1-Day Side Trip from Rome

Pompeil and the Amalfi Coast would be a VERY long and IMO very tiring day trip. OA is really a half day trip. No experience with Orvieto Might suggest Tivoli and/or Hadrian's Villa, See RomeinRome.com for an excellent description of the trip to Tivoli.

We traveled from Rome to Positano with a stop at Pompeii. The one-way trip consumed most of the day. The trip requires a transfer of trains in Naples and then to a bus in Sorrento. Too much to hope to a round trip in one day and see anything.

People posting here do Orvieto as a day trip. And Ostia Antica as a day trip (it's close). And even Pompeii as a long day trip.
But not Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast together in one day (as a day trip from Rome).

Hi Michelle. I would leave Pompeii/Amalfi Coast for another trip where you can devote more time to that area. I haven't been to Ostia Antica but I understand that it's an easy half-day trip from Rome. I think Orvieto is a great day trip from Rome (90 min each way by train). It's a great little town with a variety of interesting things to see/do. I recommend the underground tour which only takes an hour. The facade of the Duomo is beautiful and worth seeing. We simply loved walking around during the afternoon siesta; the town was fairly quiet & we felt like we had it all to ourselves. There's also a tower you can climb to the top of for great views. It's simply a great town and I think it makes for a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of hectic Rome. I don't think you'll be disappointed by Orvieto. Have a wonderful trip.

I'm in agreement with the Kent, Sheron, and the folks here.... Do Ostia Antica, Lake Braciano, Tivoli, or Orvieto. I would save Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri for an entirely separate vacation. With only 5 days in Rome, your plate will be very full. These links may help you regarding your day trips: - Ostia Antica : http://tinyurl.com/ostia-antica - Orvieto : http://tinyurl.com/orvieto-daytrip – Tivoli (Villa D'Este) : http://tinyurl.com/tivoli-daytrip – Lake Bracciano : http://tinyurl.com/lake-bracciano

Orvieto! The train only takes about an hour, tickets are inexpensive and you will see a different part of Italy. The food & wine are different here. It's a great break from a fast paced city like Rome.

I was in Rome last month and did a daytrip to Pompeii. It was a long day but worth it to me because it's something I really wanted to see. We actually booked a tour because we didn't want to deal with the trains, etc. We left Rome by bus at 8 am and was back by 8 pm. The bus ride was about 3 hours each way. We stopped for 45 minutes and had a quick walking tour of Naples. Our actual time touring Pompeii was about 2.5 hours with a guide and that was just perfect for me. Send me a PM if you want any info on the bus tour company we used. Also, since we were able to rest on the bus, we were out and about walking around Rome that same evening that we got back.

You're getting good information here that will help you decide what makes the most sense for you. Personally, I would rather be taken out and shot than ride a bus for six hours in one day. :-)

My vote is for Orvieto. We did it as a day trip from Rome. The train ride was relatively short and the convenience of having public transportation located so close to an Italian Hill Town made the trip easy to navigate. The town is fantastic for the reasons listed above as well as in Rick Steve's guide book and TV show.

Ostia can be done in a half day, giving you the other half to explore Rome. Orvieto is a full day. Both are lovely and have their benefits. Orvieto might be better if it rains. Interested in ancient and (mostly) intact Roman ruins? Want to climb the same steps the ancient Romans did to get home? Visit Ostia. Interested in a gorgeous cathedral, a charming hilltop town, and/or Etruscan artifacts? Visit Orvieto. I haven't been to other destinations, so no comment.

If you go to Tivoli make sure to not miss Villa Gregoriana. There aren't many structures there, but the nature is gorgeous and unexpected. You are also likely to have it almost all to yourself.

Well, Michael, I survived the 6 hour bus ride w/o feeling like shooting myself. Instead, I felt relaxed that I didn't have to do the driving myself or figuring out the trains that I had enough energy to tackle the Rome bus system in the evening. I guess living in So Cal we don't think much of driving great distances. We drive to San Diego, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Big Bear for the day and they are all about 4 to 5 hours round trip, so going all that way to Naples was not a big deal to me. Michelle, think about what you really want to see and go from there. It's your trip after all. When I posted the Pompeii question on this site months ago, I got pros and cons. I thought about it all and am still glad I did the day trip to Pompeii. After all, I never know when I might find my way back to Italy!

Oh, there's no doubt that some people are okay with spending that much time on a bus. Me, I'd rather be enjoying where I am than spending that much time to get somewhere and back. To me the beauty of Italy is that there are so many amazing things that can be seen and done without sacrificing precious time in transit. The Ostia alternative to Pompeii is to me a perfect example. I would want to fold Pompeii in with a few days in Sorrento/Amalfi, not try to squeeze it in with Rome. Have a great time, regardless of what you choose!

I really enjoyed Orvieto and think it would make a great day trip from Rome. Not only is it easy to get to, but it is VERY different from Rome. If you are going to be spending any time in Tuscany hill towns you might want to do Ostia Antica instead (haven't been there, so no first hand knowledge). I would save Pompeii & Amalfi Coast for when you have more time.

Ostia is the best deal. The train and entrance can be covered by the Roma Pass if you work it out that way. Ostia is far more interesting than Pompeii. Pompeii was frozen in time. Ostia has the entire Roman History to it till the civilization collapsed. Ostia is mostly an 18 century construction, but its still okay. I'd get a private guide - a good one. This is a very complex site that few people have written about in depth. You'll see the entire arch of the Roman Civilization at Ostia, especially if you include the other harbors and the other museum, the Museum of Ancient Roman Ships, on the other side of river. The Italians, for some reason, make no effort to combine what Portus was as a conceptual whole and its relationship to Ostia and Rome. For Me, Ostia, is just so much more interesting than the other two options. It makes you think about just how old this stuff is and the layers it presents. But there is nothing otherwise wrong with Orvietio; its your vacation, and what your interests are that matters.

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback!! I think we will plan on Ostia Antica. We are looking forward to it!

The best tip I've read for Ostia Antica is the following (that I wish I'd seen before I went): When you first get there, walk at a fairly quick pace along the main road all the way to the end. Note those items of interest on your way that you think you might want to explore. Once you get to the end, turn around and work your way back, pacing yourself based on how much time you have. We made the mistake of getting sidetracked by some of the first stuff we saw, not knowing that there were things ahead that are much more interesting. Then we ran out of time to really explore those places.

Michelle, Rick Steves now has an Ostia Antica mp3 walking tour if you're interested. We have used some of his other mp3 tours & really enjoyed them. Have a great time in Ostia Antica.

Orvieto. We went to Ostia Antica and it was so interesting, but Orvieto was calming and we felt like we were in another time. We went on a day trip from Rome by train. Should have gone really early. Wished we had time to spend the night. Only touched the surface. I think #1 is a long side trip. We were in Rome for 9 nights and there is really a lot to see.

This topic might be a little beaten to death, but here's my two cents: Don't try to do the Amalfi Coast from Rome. I did it from Naples in one day, and I was exhausted. The Bay of Naples and all of its sights, including Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, deserves its own trip. I spoke with a woman on the train and she told me Orvieto was amazing. I was coming back from the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, which is truly incredible. A scholar of ancient art that I worked with said that Ostia Antica is a must see, better than Pompeii, he claimed. Also consider going out the Via Appia and seeing the catacombs and tombs of famous Romans.