itinerary in itaky

eileen, As this is your first trip to Europe, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. I'd also suggest investing in a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook, as there's a WEALTH of information there that will help your trip to go smoothly. Here are some thoughts on your transportation questions.... > Rome to Sorrento - Travel via the Freccia (fast) trains from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale. When you arrive in Naples walk downstairs and buy tickets on the Circumvesuviana train. They have several lines so be sure you get the line to Sorrento. The train is a bit of an old "clunker" but it will get you to Sorrento. You'll use the same train to travel from Sorrento to Pompeii. Be vigilant as pickpockets routinely "work" the trains. > Sorrento to Venice - I'd use the Circumvesuviana back to Naples and then the Freccia train to Venice. Note that your departure station will be Napoli Centrale and your arrival station will be Venezia Santa Lucia. There's a train departing Naples at 08:50, arriving Venice at 14:03 (one change at Roma Termini - travel time 5H:13M). That's the one I'd use, as that's a perfect time to check-in and have a brief "walkabout" before dinner. You'll see some beautiful scenery as the train passes through Tuscany! BTW, there's NO WAY a car will be faster on that route at the Freccia trains travel at about 200 mph! > Munich to Amsterdam - that trip is getting close to the "tipping point" between train and budget air, but I'd suggest using the train. There's a departure at 07:50, arriving Amsterdam at 15:25 (time 7H:35M, one change in Düsseldorff). > Amsterdam to Belgium - that's a very easy trip by train. Where are you going in Belgium? Happy travels!

eileen, A few more thoughts..... You can save money by pre-booking fast trains on the Trenitalia website and hopefully get a "Mini" fare. However, according to reports posted here, the booking process is sometimes not exactly "user friendly". Note that if you pre-book one of the fast trains, that will "lock you" into a particular train and departure time. If you miss that train, you'll likely have to buy another ticket at full price! If any of your rail trips will be via Regionale trains (including the Leonardo Express from the airport into Rome), you MUST validate your tickets in the yellow machine prior to boarding the train or risk heavy fines!!! The same is true when riding Buses in Rome. If you buy a B.I.G. (daily) ticket, you MUST validate it using the orange or yellow machine inside the Bus the first time you use it. After that, it's valid for the entire day until midnight. BE CAREFUL if you ride the infamous #64 and less infamous #40 Buses, as they have a reputation for pickpockets. Also be careful on the Metro. Cheers!

wow that is alot of good info. thank you so much. you are making me very nervous about safety. but i will be careful. i will get those books right away. thanks. I have not yet made any plans after italy. i have the best of europe book. germany, amsterdam and belgium all in one week.

No need to be nervous about safety. Just be aware of the possibility of pickpockets. Use good sense and you'll be fine.

Read EVERYTHING Ken said. Then read it again. Then, do just what he says. Particularly, get a copy of Europe Through The Back Door, to learn "nuts and bolts" of traveling on your own. You said you would use a tour if money were no object; with the skills you'll get from the book, you won't need a tour. I was going to say, look into a flight between Munich and Amsterdam. But a preliminary search on Skyscanner.net and whichbudget.com shows that the affordable flights involve a connection and take longer than the train, and the nonstops are over $700.

And, check the RoninRome.com site for valuable info on the Rome part of your trip - lots of pictures and step-by-step instructions on getting around, what to see, etc. Don't worry, the simple precautions for traveling anywhere should be sufficient. Enjoy!

One other thought re costs... Since you're covering some distance and several countries, a rail pass might make sense. The RS office sells passes (phone number on home pg of this website) and I found the folks who answer the phone to be really helpful in deciding if a pass might be cheaper. It generally is not cheaper if you're just traveling within Italy, but can be advantagous when traveling in other countries or in Italy and other countries. (And in making the decision, remember that you'll still spend additional money making the required seat reservations on high-speed trains, and that some countries limit the number of reservations available for railpass holders, which adds costs .) Finally, the budget European airlines can often be cheaper/faster than trains, but you need to factor in time/costs of getting to and from airports (and some of their "city" airports can be many miles from the identified city).