Italy - help with Orvieto and Amalfi from Paris

Hello Megan - some thoughts,

Orvieto is an easy 1.5 hours train ride from Rome. So flying Paris to Rome and then taking the train to Orvieto is one obvious way. If you want to go directly from the flight you would need to train into the city and then switch in Rome for Ovieto.

Flying into Florence would realistically probably take around the same amount of time as Rome, but you'll probably have more flight options into Rome. But it sounds like you might be more interested in smaller towns so you might look into flying into Florence or Pisa and the working your way down through Tuscany some and into Umbria to get to Orvieto. You could check out Siena, Arezzo, Cortona which are all well connected by rail and then train to Orvieto. You can visit some of the famous Tuscany towns by car from Orvieto but they tend to be 1.5 - 2 hours aways so it depends on your tolerance for driving in a day.

It's been a few years but I reserved and rented a car in Orvieto toured Tuscany so I would reserve and rent/return the car in Orvieto. The drive past Lake Bolsena and up to Tuscany was as pretty as advertised. You will not want your car actually in Orvieto it is a tiny hill town with tiny streets.

Dropping your car off in Orvieto the trip to Sorrento is train to Rome, switch in Rome for Naples and in Naples switch to the local train for Sorrento. I'd allow about 5 hours for this all together assuming everything goes smoothly. Stay in Sorrento and use it as a base for the Amalfi coast or stay a couple of days and then actually stay on the coast if you want. The train stops at Sorrento so everything else will need to be driver, bus or boat for Amalfi. Keep in mind you'll either need to be back in Sorrento or all the way down the coast to Vietri sul Mare/Salerno to get a train back to Rome. Pompeii is between Naples and Sorrento and easy to reach from Sorrento as a day trip.

This is a lot or information. Like many people here I recommend using Rome2Rio.com to noodle ideas and check times but always confirm with the actual bus and train companies when you get serious. The https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html site is essential, of course, and just before you go I recommend you get the Trenitalia phone app which I found very useful.

Lastly you could train from Paris to Milan and then down into Italy but this will probably take more time than you want to spend - 7-8 hours into Milan and another 2-3 hours on the fast train to Florence - but it is an option. Pay attention to which airport you fly out of in Paris. When you fly within Europe there are several so pay attention when comparing flights and times.

Hope that helps,
=Tod

Orvieto’s closest airport with flights from Paris is Rome. From Rome’s Fiumicino airport (FCO) you must transfer at Roma Termini (Rome’s main train station) to get to Orvieto that takes a minimum of 2h 15m. Another option is to fly into Naples and stay in Sorrento to explore the Amalfi Coast.
It’s a 4h drive between Orvieto and Sorrento, so you’ll need to stay in two locations while in IT. The train/bus takes longer and there are no direct connections meaning you’ll have to transfer multiple times.

Have you been to Venice already? I question the effort to get to Sorrento and the AC, as well as needing a night in Rome before flying home. Capri and Pompeii are unique, but to me the area has a slightly manufactured charm. Tuscany and Umbria are hot and crowded in July. I consider air conditioning essential. Book both locations early. Much to read with the search box top left.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/naples-to-sorrento-train-or-private-driver

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pompeii-and-vesuvius-69e8366c-1e75-4a14-a0bc-0677269492d1

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

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

Edit: Orvieto is a tremendously attractive town with several important buildings. ALL Tuscan towns are frequented by daytrippers, but you may wish to evaluate your precise plans. I mean, if you want to eat in a different restaurant every nights, and stroll slowly back to your room after dinner, Orvieto could be a good choice. But if you are going to drive to two or even three towns a day, and return late for a quick snack and bed, you may not need to stay in such a busy location.

I am NOT criticizing Orvieto, which we loved on the way to Sinalunga for our remote luxury resort. But we knew we (with a CAR) would have our large LUNCH meal at a winery-restaurant, and have bar snacks (gastric reflux ... ) at the same bar every night, after a swim in the pool. Note that I'm not telling you how YOU should spend your time in Tuscany/Umbria. I'm just referring to the fact that Orvieto is the only town that had to build a multilevel parking garage with elevators and escalators, like The Mall of America!

Your best bet would be to catch a train down to Paris (from Normandy) and EasyJet has very inexpensive flights out of Orly Airport to Rome FCO Airport..

In Rome Termini, you catch a local train north to Orvieto and the ride is about 70 minutes. Orvieto's Hertz car rental office is across the street from the train station. The region is very scenic and would be best done with a rental car on day trips.

The Sorrento/Amalfi Coast is about 200 miles south of Rome, however they have pretty fast trains going that direction about every hour. You would do best to take a train down to Naples and change trains to Sorrento there. Then take a train(s) back to Rome for your flight out.

There are numerous direct flights from CDG and ORY to Naples. I would hit Sorrento/Amalfi Coast first since it’s more difficult or inconvenient to get to FCO from Sorrento. If you visit there first, you could take a train or rent a car to get from either Sorrento or Salerno to Orvieto. Since you will be renting a car in Orvieto, consider driving from there and returning it at FCO.

A few years ago - very off season when traffic is bad instead of miserable - I rented a car in Naples then headed south visiting Herculaneum on the way to Amalfi town for 3 nights before heading to a night in Paestum to see the ruins. Then drove to Orvieto and finally to FCO where I turned in my rental.

Three hotel recommendations:
Amalfi - Villa Annalara - enter through a tunnel carved in the rock to the elevator that takes you up to the family run hotel - phenomenal views, great staff, wonderful rooms, parking available.
Paestum - B&B La Chora di Paestum - sitting in the farming acerage on the outskirts of Paestum - 3 minute drive to the archaeological site.
Orvieto - Hotel Duomo - located in the city center next to the Duomo, helpful staff, great valet parking at reasonable rates.

If you fly into FCO you can can get to Orvieto without going through Termini by transferring at Roma Tiburtina. Two tickets - FCO to Tiburtina and then Tiburtina to Orvieto. Check the connection time as it can sometimes be short. The Hertz agency in Orvieto can be a little quirky.