November trip to Rome

Trip to Rome November 18-25.....My thought is since we don't land
until 4:30 is go ahead and take the train to Naples/Sorrento so we
don't lose another half day traveling and base there for 2 days.

Sunday - plan to do Herculaneum first and maybe a tour with the guides
at the entrance of Pompeii to see the highlights there. I am thinking
that we will stop at the Archeological Museum on the way back to Rome
on Monday

Hi -
OK, so you don't land in Rome until 4:30 PM on Saturday the 18th and intend to return to Rome from Naples or Sorrento (they are an hour apart) on Monday? This only gives you one full day. Honestly, I would just stay in Rome and save the Naples/Amalfi/Sorrentine area for a future trip when you can give it at least 4 nights/3.5 days. There's too much in that region to begin to try and cover in the very little time that you have. Remember also that daylight is short in November!

Do you fly home on the 25th?

If you still wanted to try and stretch your sightseeing, then cut a night from Rome and stay 3 nights/2 full days in Naples. See Herculaneum, Pompeii, the Archeological museum and some of Naples itself.

If you decide to spend the entire time in Rome, substitute Ostia Antica for Pompeii and Herculaneum. And I'm not sure which "crypts" you're thinking of seeing? You mean catacombs?

We could split the time differently. I had seem something on the crypt of the Capuchin monks but if the catacombs would be better please tell me about those. In mid November will we have any issue with things being closed since it is the off season?

That's a lot to do in just 4 days in Rome. The Vatican museums and the colosseum are the two busiest sites in Rome. You'll need to book entry tickets or tours in advance in order to bypass the long lines. You can book Vatican tickets about 60 days in advance. For the colosseum underground tour the tickets will go on sale the third Monday of the month before. You'll need to be on your computer at 9am Rome time in order to secure these tickets.

No one can say if the Capucchin Crypt is "better" or "worse" than the catacombs. Both are very different. You can look up both on the internet and see pictures and get their histories. Then you can decide if this will interest your family.

As for keeping the teens involve, let them plan the trip. Give them the guide books and have them make an itinerary for the family. This way you know it will be sites they're interested in and they won't just be following you around from site to site.

Donna

That time of year Naples--being a large city--of course will be open, Sorrento somewhat but the A.C. will be pretty much closed down, not to mention dealing with the weather on the peninsula. Getting into Fiumicino at 4:30 PM, taking probably longer than you expect to get your bags (it always does there), tells me to tell you it's probably best just to stay in Rome, as Kathy says. Make a base and take day trips. And Rome is magic any time of year--we were there end of Feb/early March this year and loved it without all the tourist throngs.

If you have a jones for ruins, there's Ostia Antica outside Rome, and a 70-minute Freccia train ride from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale and then the Archeological Museum (15 Euro taxi ride) allows you to see the best paintings, sculpture & mosaic from Pompeii without actually going there, in addition to the Farnese exhibits and a ton of other stuff. Make Naples a day trip for the museum, some Napolitan pizza, then head back, easy to do.

Enjoy your planning!

Either just stay the 4 nights in Rome....or if you really must LOL...Rome and Naples or Rome and Florence make the most sense to me at that time of year. You will have archelogical sites in Rome...so maybe save Naples, and definitely the islands and Amalfi coast for a warmer time of year. Just so you know, without even rushing one can see the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and the Colosseum in one day...morning and afternoon...Trevi fountain is nicer at night...The Colosseum and Forum can be seen in one morning...The Vatican requires time and planning...lot's of walking...

The teenagers will be plenty interested in Italy...it is facinating and fun...electric bikes would be a trip to the hospital :) Rome is insane to " drive" navigate and will be cold and most likely, sorry wet that time of year...plus it is not easy to know where you are going...a city like Copenhagen or Paris or even NYC are more easily navigated with larger boulevards. have a closer..look at Rome on a google map and see the winding little streets filled with cobble stones....not really made for cycling.

Enjoy!

Thank you for the comments - I was actually planning on a tour with the bikes but maybe not. Glad to know some of that can be done all together. I was thinking on the evening food tour so I would hope we would pass the Trevi Fountain at night. Thanks again