Italy Itin, tickets , train and car questions

Welcome to the forum

I will just address your car rental plans
You do not need or want a car in Sorrento and AC
Driving around the AC in June will be a nightmare and parking impossible
There are ways to get around AC without a car

If you are interested we can share better transportation options in that region

Tuscany
There are very few places to rent a car Tuscany smaller towns. Pick up drop off in Florence makes most sense
Of you could just get to SG via train/bus and forget the car

Dolomites
Probably same issue
Bolzano might be your only option for car pick up
I’m not familiar with the area but believe the bus system will get you where you need to go

Trains are fast, inexpensive and easy. I would not drive all the way to Milan

TBH I would add more nights to Florence, Tuscany and/or Venice and drop Dolomites

Yes
Those are the official train sites
Both also have easy to use apps

ItaloTreno runs only fast trains on selected lines
Trenitalia runs both fast and regional

I'm glad you're getting to go. And good wishes to your son on his college journey. You have done lots of research on your itinerary.
Some random thoughts-
Milan- lots of traffic, probably easier to take the express train to the airport.
The Blue Grotto is a tourist trap. Look for utube videos.
You don't have time to enjoy the Dolomites. Used the time elsewhere.

The below search may add some helpful info about getting around the AC. The infrastructure has been sadly neglected. Public transportation is poor south of Naples. Moving about takes time and patience. It's very different than moving about north of Naples.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sorrento-to-amalfi-mid-june

You be there soon. Enjoy and safe travels!

If you want to make your life a misery, drive the Amalfi coast during summer. The one coast road is narrow, hilly, twisty and heavily trafficked by tour buses. Look into taking ferries from Sorrento and local public buses. I would not bother renting a car in Naples but would use only public transportation for that part of your journey.

If you are a confident driver, consider taking the Great Dolomites Road from Venice to Cortina to Bolzano The views and experience are amazing.

Hi snehal.jhawar -
Regarding the Uffizi, here's a more direct link to the official ticketing site (b-ticket) in English. At this late date you may find that tickets are sold out but you could give it a shot. You could also show up early in the morning and get in line before it opens, or try the same later in the afternoon. That same website is the official ticketing resource for the Accademia tickets as well.

https://www.b-ticket.com/b-Ticket/uffizi/default_eng.aspx.html

As advised above, I'd rethink the plan to drive the Amalfi Coast during high season for all the reasons provided. Additionally, I haven't heard for sure yet that they'll re-instate previous odd/even license plate restrictions for visitors during high season but I wouldn't discount that chance.
https://www.capri.com/en/e/useful-info
(Editing to add: if things stay the same as last year, this wouldn't affect you on Tuesday the 11th when you're planning your Positano/Amalfi//Ravello drive. I still would re-think the car for all of the other reasons provided)

The duomo in Florence is free to visit although lines will be long. Tickets and/or timed-entry reservations only apply to climbing the dome (Brunelleschi Pass) and bell tower (Giotto Pass).

Tours: if tickets for what you want to see in Florence and Rome are showing as sold out, on their own ticketing websites, this company has been around for awhile and has been used by quite a number of RS forum posters:
https://www.walksofitaly.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgOuDqpSuhgMVMjrUAR3mxw4fEAAYASAAEgIejPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

And a couple more:
https://thetourguy.com/?campaignid=20979477241&adgroupid=158247076556&keyword=&device=c&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy6CxhpWuhgMVnDXUAR1Gvw2FEAAYASAAEgKxofD_BwE

https://www.througheternity.com

Welcome to the Forum! Great you've done so much research ahead of time & have given yourself enough time to enjoy your trip along the way. Echo what others have said, many places you're renting a car are unnecessary. Consider using 'Time Shifter' for adjusting to new time zone, use Search bar above, much written by Pam on the subject!

Since you don’t have tickets, consider swapping these 2 days around so you get outside rather than starting with full-on museum & St P the first day when you will be tired from flying and jet lag -

June 6 Rome : Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Basilica [didn’t get online tickets, will be waiting in line :
June 7 Rome Colosseum Arena[3 pm ], the Palatine and the roman forum.

Have you gotten Pantheon tickets? Not sure where you’re staying, would start at Trevi Fountain as early as possible for smaller crowds & walking to Pantheon hopefully early with entry tickets, you can see the others later in the day with less hassle.

How about spending the rental car $$ on a tour to Pompeii from Sorrento? Lots written on tours, use search bar above. Here's a link to a thread about taking ferries along the AC. Not sure of your interests, but if you stay in Salerno instead of Sorrento, can take a ferry up coast easier, stop over at Pompeii on last say on way back to Naples. Have a look at the Archeological Museum of Naples, it's utterly amazing and a good match with Pompeii. Ravello is by far my fav along the AC, it's not on the water but has amazing views. Good luck! Always interested to hear how plans evolve, you can edit your original post so we can follow along with other suggestions. Consider where and what you want to eat along the way, look on Forum for suggestions and put into a 'saved' Google map so when you're out and about and hungry, you have options.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sorrento-to-positano-by-bus

you can edit your original post so we can follow along with other
suggestions.

Please don't edit your original post. It makes all the subsequent helpful posts make no sense- in this case there are 6.
Other readers can benefit from the advice given to the original post and see the progression of the OPs plan.
Please just add to this post with a new itinerary plan or start another thread with new plan and links to this post if you wish.

Of course you can edit as you wish, but it isn't helpful to anyone reading this thread in the future.

Thank you everyone for your guidance and insights.

Amalfi Coast ( staying at Hotel O Sole Milo)

My original idea was not to rely on overcrowded public buses and enjoy the drive and stops as we please, however now with everyone echoing on the same thing to avoid renting a car, I am guessing my option will be to take a ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi, then bus from Amalfi to Ravello/postiano? and back in similar fashion. However the ferries return back around 5pm so I dont get a chance to hang around longer till later in the evening. I am hoping I am not too late to prebook the ferry now. Any reliable link for it?

Another issue that pops up by not renting a car is how do i do Pompeii ? Plan was to drive from Naples , grab early lunch( didnt want to miss eating pizza there) drive to Pompeii and reach Sorrento by eve. Without a car i wont have any where to keep my luggage in naples to take the train to Pompeii? [ I know there are storage containers at every station but we dont travel light :( ] Guess than the alternate is to skip Naples, Take train from Rome directly to Sorrento, check in and then take another train/tour to Pompeii?

Rome: ( Staying at Vino e oli residenze in Prati)
As Sandancisco suggested I can easily interchange my days, my worry was if we try the vatican the first day and maybe if the lines are way too long then we have another day left to retry.

Florence: I was considering on climbing the dome, but is it worth it? I have been trying to look for a tour that has the whole package, Accademia, Uffizi and Dome ,: https://www.walksofitaly.com/florence-tours/florence-tours-full-day/ this tour has it all although for a $$ but not enough spots for four of us. I am sure there may be other small tour operators as well. Its hard to believe every tour is also 90% booked!
Not the ideal one but I am leaning towards this one:
https://thetourguy.com/tours/florence/florence-day-tour-david-statue-duomo-uffizi-ponte-vecchio?_gl=1*mvcnfs*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy6CxhpWuhgMVnDXUAR1Gvw2FEAAYASAAEgKxofD_BwE

The only caveat to such tours in you don't get to see the galleries at your own pace and dear husband can spend an entire day in any museum , i am sure he is not going to be happy to be rushed!

Noted on the express train to Milan.
Dolomites:
This is one place which has always been on my list! I know two days barely does justice to it, but its going to be hard to letgo, I am really hoping to do one decent hike and a lake!

Leaving your luggage in a parked car at Pompeii is likely an invitation for trouble

With 4 people you’ll need to be sure any car you rent has room for all your luggage
Most cars in Europe have very limited trunk space so traveling light is just as important ascar travel as it is for train travel

Check the Traveling Light topics here for advice

From Milan-assume you are staying in the center?

Just take the Malpensa Express to the airport
Runs every 30 min or so from both Cadorna or Centrale
No need to reserve in advance

If you are staying in town a taxi to MXP will be super expensive and will likely take longer due to traffic

Be sure to visit the Duomo and check out the Roof Terraces

You’ve clearly done a lot of planning and you have lots of highlights planned.

Re Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento — Pompeii is a stop on the train line from Naples to Sorrento; you could do as a day trip from your hotel in Sorrento.

In reference to your Florence Q, should you be unable to get tix to the Uffizi and/or the Accademia, you can always still enjoy many churches in Florence where no tickets are needed and you can see sculptures and/or frescoes by Michelangelo, Giotto, Donatello, Masaccio, Ghirlandaio and Botticelli. (For Botticelli, you really will want to get into the Uffizi.)

Churches in addition to the Duomo that you may wish to consider are

• Santa Maria Novella
• Santa Maria del Carmine
• Ognissanti
• San Lorenzo
• Santa Trinita
• Santa Croce

I admire the hard work you've done planning your trip & glad you're going to use some public / private transport instead of renting cars on the AC, you will travel easier. Ok, I've cut & pasted your ideas below to try and answer a few -

BTW El Sole Mio looks like a lovely hotel. One idea is to arrange a pickup from Naples train station at the hotel but you don't have many days, OR see below about getting a pick up in Naples to Pompeii.

I am guessing my option will be to take a ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi, then bus from Amalfi to Ravello/Positano? OK, this would be more $$ but you could take the ferry to Amalfi, bus to Ravello & already have a taxi pre-booked back to Sorrento Hotel, definitely book through hotel? I would skip walking around in Positano, wayyyyy over hyped and best viewed from the water. Ravello Villa Cimbrone the postage sized little patio inside coffee shop overlooking the coast is one of my all time favorite places ever visited. Magical.

Another issue that pops up by not renting a car is how do i do Pompeii ? Plan was to drive from Naples , grab early lunch ( didnt want to miss eating pizza there) drive to Pompeii and reach Sorrento by eve. Without a car i wont have any where to keep my luggage in Naples to take the train to Pompeii? [ I know there are storage containers at every station but we don't travel light :( ] Guess than the alternate is to skip Naples, Take train from Rome directly to Sorrento, check in and then take another train/tour to Pompeii? I think getting to Naples, into Old Town (spacca Napoli), eat a nice pizza, go to Pompeii and onto hotel is too much to ask of yourself. You're arriving 9th, leaving I assume morning of 12th - What's your absolute priority? If it's Pompeii, why not arrange a tour picking you up at Naples train station, dropping you off at hotel? We did this in reverse from Amalfi, via Pompeii and the tour operator kept our luggage in van.

Rome: ( Staying at Vino e oli residenze in Prati) - I can easily interchange my days, my worry was if we try the vatican the first day and maybe if the lines are way too long then we have another day left to retry. If you can stand it, go very early, much easier to get into St Peters first thing in the morning than later. Some people say the Vatican museum is much quieter later in the day, I would check last entry.

How about going into Naples on your way out of the area, last morning, suspect you could store your luggage at train station, eat pizza and hop the train to Florence? Or dare I suggest getting take away for the train?

Florence: I was considering on climbing the dome, but is it worth it? I have been trying to look for a tour that has the whole package, Accademia, Uffizi and Dome ,: https://www.walksofitaly.com/florence-tours/florence-tours-full-day/ this tour has it all although for a $$ but not enough spots for four of us. I am sure there may be other small tour operators as well. Its hard to believe every tour is also 90% booked!

The only caveat to such tours in you don't get to see the galleries at your own pace and dear husband can spend an entire day in any museum , i am sure he is not going to be happy to be rushed. If you tell the tour operator you're going to take longer, they probably don't care, as long as you're only doing one museum. You could skip climbing the Duomo and instead take a taxi to Piazza Michelangelo in the hills later in the day, walk back down, gorgeous views out over Florence. And you'd need tickets to see the Milan Duomo rooftop.

If you can bare the expense, a private driver can pick you up at Naples, wait for you at Pompeii, and then get you to Sorrento.
If you use the gritty Circumvesuvia train Naples to Pompeii, there is luggage storage at Pompeii. Be prepared to stand on the train with no air conditioning. This is a regional train, no reservation available. Think NYC subway at rush hour- but all day crowded.
The conditions are the same for this train from Pompeii to Sorrento- hot and probably standing the whole way, like we did.
Mondo tours has a reasonable priced shared van tour of the Amalfi Coast. It's a nine- hour day, due to the traffic and winding roads. ( Get car sick, anyone?)
Mondo also has a small group Pompeii tour, once you're there.
Getting around is tedious, no matter what mode used south of Naples. Choose your poison: cheap but uncomfortable , or $$$$ and not as frustrating, but private cars are still stuck in traffic.
We had a package deal from Aldo Limos, still expensive, but great service and English- speaking drivers.
Hope this helps. Safe travels .

Again a huge thank you for all the wonderful tips that will make our trip lot more enjoyable!
I liked the suggestions here ,
Do a tour for Pompeii that picks us up from Naples and drops at Sorrento : I have reached out to Mondo travels for it , waiting to hear back from them and still want to try the Napoli pizza on our way to Pompeii !

Also I liked the idea of doing a pre booked taxi back from Amalfi to Sorrento , will message and check with hotel on that

Question: On our way back then we can directly take a train from Sorrento to Florence on June 13 early morning instead on June 12th , that way I get another full day in Sorrento ?

So then June 13th I reach Florence , check in , lunch and then head for a tour of Accademia at 4 pm , and later if time permits one of the churches mentioned.

And I still get June 14th in Florence for the remaining tours of Accademia and duomo

Based on …… input of car rentals being cheaper by week , it came to mind to take the car which I rent in Florence , do the Sienna and other towns and drive all the way up to Venice ? That will probably give me dare I say …… a chance to have lunch at Emilia Romagna ?
[ I checked out we have parking available in Venice stay at Novotel ]

Let the car sit in parking in Venice , and then drive upto Dolomites , stay there for two days , then drive to Milan and drop it off there ?

Milan : We are staying at Starhotels in Saronno

This trip is really coming together, I think it looks great.

Also I liked the idea of doing a pre booked taxi back from Amalfi to Sorrento , will message and check with hotel on that - If you're not going to Ravello, you can just take the ferry back to Sorrento, if you want to do Ravello, it would probably cost more for them to wait around for you a few hours to visit Ravello, but probably worth it.