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Honeymoon Help- Rome, Florence, Positano, Napes

Posted by (Pittsburgh, PA) on

Hello, my name is Katie and My fiance Andrew and I are in the thick of honeymoon planning.

We fly into Rome on Monday, September 11, 2017 and have an Airbnb booked through Friday the 15th. We are trying to decide between the following:

Take a train to Florence, spend a few days, then travel to Positano (via train to Naples or Sorrento, then private driver to Positano?)

OR, head directly to Positano via private driver, and round out the last few days of our trip in Naples with a day trip to Pompeii.

We will be leaving Italy on September 23rd or 24th and flying back to Charlotte (we thought Naples would be a good hub to fly home from, though we know we'll have to connect flights a few times.) Florence is very appealing to us because of the artistic and cultural staples, and beautiful wine country would be wonderful bonus for our honeymoon, but we're concerned with the logistics of traveling from Florence to Positano as Positano does not have a train station or airport. Our original plan was to spend time in Rome, then head directly to Positano and spend the last few days in Naples, but we're unsure of how much we'll like Naples. We've been seeing a wealth of mix of reviews ranging from "great museums", but also "grungy, stressful city." Is Naples worth spending time in, or should we skip it and make it work going from Rome to Florence via train, than Florence to Naples or Sorrento via train and private car to Positano? If the latter, would you recommend taking the train to Naples or Sorrento and from there hiring a private driver to Positano?

Also, from our research it appears regardless if traveling from Florence - Naples/Sorrento - Positano or Rome - Positano, a private driver is going to be our best bet for transportation to Positano. Does anyone have recommendations for a credible, safe private driver company?

Last question - is there a specific geographic location within Positano that's recommend? We're young, so we don't mind the steps, and we'd love to have a beautiful balcony view of the ocean, but we also want to be able to walk to restaurants and other attractions.

Thank you,

Katie

Posted by
2347 posts

As a budget traveler, I would take the train to Salerno (from wherever else you decide on) and then the bus to Positano. My husband and I enjoy Naples, but if you haven't been to Italy before, I would choose Florence. Also, if you haven't been to Italy before, I would probably avoid the commuter train from Naples to Sorrento.

Posted by
131 posts

We did a one-day stop in Naples last year and I found it to be a grungy, unexciting town. As opposed to the Amalfi Coast, which was so amazing and gorgeous. Seeing it in person takes your breath away. When we were in Naples, we hired Tuscan Heart tours and had a driver take us from the port in Naples down to the Amalfi Coast and back up to Pompeii. We hired them again in Florence and they were wonderful.

Posted by
15803 posts

Think Salerno, not Sorrento, not Naples. I just spent 5 nights there and loved it.

Alternative route - fly round-trip to Rome. From Rome, train to Salerno in the morning (2 hours), then ferry to the Amalfi Coast (a level, paved walk of about 1/2 mile from train station). After your stay on the coast, spend 1-2 nights in Salerno. Take the train/bus to Pompeii and Paestum (Greek temples). Then train (about 3.5 hours) to Florence. If you have an early flight out of Rome, you'll want to spend your last night in Rome. If it's afternoon or evening, you could go from Florence.

Can you cancel your Rome stay and do it last? Because [1] you'll probably want to spend your last night in Rome for ease of getting to the airport and [2] Rome is a big, intense city and best if you aren't jetlagged when you start there. Then I'd suggest you go to Florence first, then Salerno/Amalfi Coast, and Rome last.

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