We are two adults who will be on a river cruise ending in Venice in late October. From there we want to go to Florence for a couple of days and then to Pompeii for another couple of days. I am looking for a company to take care of the logistics - transportation and hotels and supply excellent private guides for our days at each site. We may skip Florence and just do the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Would appreciate input on which combination to do. All suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
Terri, most of us who come to this site plan our independent trips ourselves (and/or go on the fantastic Rick Steves tours), using his guidebooks. You can purchase his guidebooks on this site or at most book stores in the US. The Italy 2016 guidebook has all the information you need to plan your trip. If you don't want to make the arrangements yourself, a travel agent might be your best bet.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16762 posts
Terri, trains are the way to travel between these locations, and tickets are not difficult to arrange on one's own: many of us have done so and can walk you through the how-tos. It's also not difficult to book your own hotels: www.booking.com is a resource many of us use when traveling abroad (or even in the U.S.) and venere.com is another you could look at.
I would recommend staying in Sorrento instead of the town of Pompei if you want to explore the Amalfi Coast as it's a hub for transport options around that region. Pompei Scavi (the ruins) is very easy from there: 30 minutes on a cheap, regional commuter train (we've done it). We self-toured the site with a guidebook but guides are also available for hire at the entrance, and previous forum threads have recommendations for services people have used.
Otherwise, you might want to see a local travel agent for help with a customized plan. Do your homework, though: there are very good agents, and others which are less than well-versed in international travel.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
If you want to do the AC, bus to Venice airport 30 minutes. Then fly to Naples.
1 hour 15 minutes. Use Easyjet a budget airline. Then take the Curreri Viaggi bus from the airport to Sorrento. 1 hour 20 minutes. Sorrento is the transportation hub of the AC. Many tours are available from here if you prefer to not use bus or ferries.
Posted by
OP
palm coast, fl, usa
6 posts
Thanks for this great information. We have frequently done it all ourselves... just getting a bit lazy... I would like info on how to book the train from Venice. Booking hotels ourselves is easy, I know. The train logistics were throwing me off. If someone can help with that I can certainly manage the rest. I might come back for some good recommendations, though. I will also get Rick's book. Have used them for many places we have traveled to. His recommendations on tour guides is always spot on. We used Francisca Caruso in Rome at least 10 years ago now, his recommended guide in Sevilla and more recently Rick's guide in Hamburg. All 3 were outstanding. I do trust his info.