My friend and I finish the RS 17 day Best of Italy tour in Rome towards the end of April. We plan to stay two extra days in Rome. After that we have about two weeks before flying home out of Naples (airfare is already purchased).
We will be using public transportation.
A third friend may be joining us in the Rome back to Naples section so in that case we would be looking for lodging to accommodate three adults (we did this last year and it worked okay).
Some areas of interest we are thinking about are Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, a bit of the Amalfi coast, hiking Path of the Gods, and then over to the Puglia region. Not wedded to any specific order.
Friends suggested this for the Amalfi side of things: train from Rome to Naples. Have private driver pick us up at train station and take us to Naples for pizza lunch, then on to either Pogerola, Salerno or Atroni as a base (I heard the SITA bus goes up and down the hill every 30 minutes or so if we decided to stay in Pogerola).
I don't think any of us have a burning desire to spend time in Naples; I know, I know..... We are also traveling on our own for about 10 days in Northern Italy before the tour and we cannot do everything!!
So... thoughts, ideas, help. In all honesty I am most excited about the Puglia region. Should we head there first then work our way across and up to Naples? Course the longer we wait the busier the Amalfi area will be.
We usually do hotels but if we stayed say 5 days in Pogerola would probably consider other lodging.
Thoughts??? I know there are some experts in this region that I hope to hear from. As I said in a previous post; any 2 cents is appreciated!! Travel use to be so much easier back in the day when you could just wing it. Anyway, not complaining, I know how lucky I am, thanks. Regina
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
8689 posts
Since you are flying home from Naples- put Naples at end of this 2 weeks. Unless your flight is late afternoon you will need to spend night before flight in Naples (or possibly Salerno).
I would travel to Puglia first- fast train to Bari- from there spend a week exploring towns. There are lots of threads and trip reports here that discuss public transportation in this region. A car would be very useful if you decide to drive instead.
From Puglia head to AC area- this is where a car would be handy- drive across stopping in Matera for night then on to Salerno where you can drop the car. Next week explore AC- again lots of threads here discussing transportation issues in this area.
Where to stay is up to you-
Paestum is convenient from Salerno as are a number of AC villages by ferry. We enjoyed Salerno and would like to return- there are others here on forum that are also fans of Salerno.
Maybe split your time between Salerno and Sorrento
Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri are all easy from Sorrento.
Spend last nite in Naples- have a pizza.
Course the longer we wait the busier the Amalfi area will be.
The Amalfi area will be busy from Easter on- (April 5) TBH- I don't think early May will be any less busy than mid to late May.
April 25 and May 1 are holidays- plan accordingly. The whole week will be busy as Italians take the week off.