Paris and Amalfi Coast

I think that you have too many places for 14 days but assuming that you don't want to drop any places, I would not have a car in Rome, Venice or Paris and I would fly from Venice to Paris or vice versa. I have not been to the Amalfi Coast so I can't say whether a car is useful there or not but one is more of a hindrance than a help in Rome and obviously so in Venice. So maybe use the car in the Amalfi Coast and in Pompei and get rid of the car and do the rest of the trip by train and airplane. Frankly, I would skip Paris on this trip but if you really want to go, then fly into Naples and out of Paris or vice versa.

Where are you traveling from?

assuming you are going at the time of year that most people visit, a car is an absolute no, no for the amalfi, you won't find a park. nor want to drive there. if you do go there use the fast train,( to get between major cities) is quick and inexpensive. eg: from salerno to naples/rome etc. catch a ferry from salerno to amalfi/positano.

In 14 days? Nights?
Rent a car? Why? Europe has great public transport!

I suggest RS guides so you can prioritize and plan a rational trip.

Paris needs 4 days if you have never been there, unless you never set foot in a museum, Rome 3 unless you are seeing The Vatican 4, Venice 2...those are the core places that you mentioned.

Paris Venice Verona and Rome is about all you can do in 14 days, Pompeii ( I recommend Herculaneum) can be done as a day trip from Rome, but going to the ruins at Ostia Antica close to Rome makes more sense.

Do you realize how far a drive it is from Paris to Venice?

We will be flying from San Francisco.
We will either be going during the first 2 weeks of August or on Thanksgiving.
Yes, we will not be using the car in Paris or Venice. Someone suggested to go to lake Gorda and take the boat over to Venice. Maybe then we'll take a train or fly to Paris and then home?

LOL Yes, JJ, I know, it is, definitely, a stretch. We were not planning to drive from Paris.
I've been to most places, but a while ago. My party has never been to Paris, but there are only certain museums we'd like to visit. For instance, we wont spend much time at the Luvre. After visiting the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Luvre is really not all that for me. So 3 days should be good for Paris. We've all been to Venice, except for one person, and he just wants 1 day there. So the biggest question is whether we should drive to Naples and stay there while visiting Pompei and the Amalfi Coast or drive. If we drive, where would thou suggest to stop on the way?

14 days=2 travel days and 12 on the ground. You mean August 2018 Right?
With 3 days in Paris that leaves 9 days for Italy. I would choose either Northern Italy (Verona and Venice) or Southern Italy (Rome, Pompei, Positano). I would chose Rome and southern Italy for the vest difference in scenery and accessibility by train.
You also have to consider travel days between locations as a half day (maybe) in the destination city.
I would fly into Paris, Fly to Rome then train from Rome to Sorrento, then fly back from Naples. One you get your guide books and start reading up on scheduling trains, how long you need in advance to buy tickets, book hotels , what you want to see etc you will have a better feel for how many days in each place.
We did a similar trip Paris>Nice>Monaco>Florence>Sorrento (Pompeii/Positano/Amalfi)>Rome but we did this is 20 days/18 on the ground with only inbound and outbound flights, the rest was trains. Hotels/apartments booked 10 months in advance/airfare 5 months and starting buying train tickets 90 days before. The earlier you plan the better, good luck!

•Arrive in Paris (4 nights)
•Fly to Venice (3 nights)
•Train to Verona (1 night)
•Train to Rome (3 nights)
•Train to Sorrento (3 nights) - visit Pompei & Positano
•Depart from Naples

Late November . . . shortest days of the year, so very little daylight to enjoy the Amalfi Coast. On the other hand, it's low season (no ferries running) so a car isn't a bad idea. I drove it in February, not much harder than the worst bits of Hwy 1 in California. That would also make it easy to get to Pompeii, and a lot more pleasant to visit in winter than in the brutal heat of August.

One option is to fly into Venice, then train to Verona, train to Rome. From Rome, train to Salerno to pick up a car. Drop the car at the Naples airport and fly to Paris. Another possibility is to fly to Milan, and continue by train to Verona. Stay there and day trip to Venice.

If you go in August, Verona will be very crowded because of opera season, so you need to book rooms well ahead.

Thank you, everyone, so much!!!
I see a lot suggestions about taking trains. Why not driving? Is it because renting and gas are expensive? Or train is faster? We were thinking if driving everywhere so could stop on the way and see other places. Or you dont think its possible, given the # of days?

Chani, speaking of the August heat: This is precisely why I would prefer going om Thanksgiving. We've traveled to England and Eastern Europe over the last few years in November and loved it! However, how is the Italian weather normally in November?

Thanks again!

You don't mention where you are from, but the public transportation in Europe is much better than in the USA and it is very efficient. Cars are not recommended because parking and fuel are expensive, parking is hard to find and usually you will not use the car once you reach your destination so it just sits in the garage. Trains can be faster because they travel at fast speeds and do not get stuck in traffic.

If you are not aware of all the local driving rules such as ZTLs, bus lanes, speed enforcement, etc. then you might get many tickets that are done electronically so you won't even know about them until you have been back home for a few months. You will get a bill for the ticket and from the rental agency for looking up your information, one bill for each infraction which can really add up. There are plenty of posts about this issue and most people call it a scam because they did not expect it.

Also with your amount of time and the places you want to see, you do not have any time to "stop on the way and see other places".

Lina,

David has given you an excellent itinerary. If you can't add two days to accommodate
Travel days, then since you'll come from Paris you could get by with 2 nights in Venice.

From Venice to Verona is only an hour and a half max. You could do Verona as a day trip on your way to Rome. But start early.

Verona to Rome is around 2 hr
53 min. So if you left Verona around 2, you'd get to Rome around 5. Personally I'd skip it this trip. Especially if your intent is to see Lake Garda.

Since you want to see Positano and Pompeii, consider Sorrento as your base.

Train from Rome to Naples. 1 hr
10 min. The Campania express to Sorrento. 55 min.

To get to Pompeii take the Campania express or the Circumvesuvian, whichever fits your schedule.

To visit Positano take the ferry.
The bus will take too long in August.

Flying out of Naples, make sure you have a late morning flight. (So you don't have to spend your last night in Naples.) Take the Curreri Viaggi bus from Sorrento to the airport.

If you end up going in November, you could rent a car in Rome. This time of year will not be as congested on the AC. In August you will be stuck in traffic for long periods of time.

Remember, you arrive in Europe the day after you leave.

Edit: in November, rent a car as you're leaving Rome.

David has given you an excellent itinerary and JenC has given you excellent reasons to not drive. You just do not have the time to stop along the way. Getting to all the places you want to go in 12 days is going to be a mission and when you are on a mission, you don't have time to stop along the way. By the way, the Louvre may not be a big deal for you but given that others in your party have not been to Paris previously, you might be surprised by how much they want to see there.

The reason we suggest trains is because they are not like American trains...Europe invested in a high speed and far reaching rail system decades ago, it is not a car dependent place like California. You will mostly benefit from a car to drive in areas of Tuscany or Umbria for example.

The places you are going are on the world's biggest tourist track, Pompeii, Positano etc..( Amalfi coast is not a good idea in November) the trains are good for the environment and do work very efficiently. Italy has the world's greatest car theft...and the craziest drivers this side of Karachi....so why would anyone want to do that?? ( I am an Italian citizen so I can say that) LOL

I would check the weather in the days before you head to Campania and see what is happening..the Amalfi Coast will be shuttered for the most part..but a stay in Naples or boring Sorrento would be a good way to see the archeological sites, Pompeii and my favorite, Herculaneum. You can do the Archeological museum in Naples and see Herculaneum or Pompeii on the same day. Naples is a great city...don't let the hype fool you...if you are from a big U.S. city it will be easy!

Another vote for David's itinerary....

•Arrive in Paris (4 nights)
•Fly to Venice (3 nights)
•Train to Verona (1 night)
•Train to Rome (3 nights)
•Train to Sorrento (3 nights) - visit Pompei & Positano
•Depart from Naples

...and another vote for the trains. You don't have time to visit anything between locations, and a car in Italian cities is more hinderance than help for reasons already explained. Italian trains are efficient and inexpensive, and usually dump you our right in the thick of things where ZTLs, pedestrianized areas and lack of parking can make driving difficult and potentially expensive (if incurring traffic tickets). It's nice for both of us to be able to sit back and watch the scenery versus the road and maps. We also don't have to worry about the security of belongings left in a car.

We liked Sorrento very much for for the convenience of transport options available to Pompeii, Naples and the Amalfi. As already mentioned, though, the ferries will not be running to all locations in November so your choices for getting around the coast will be more limited. Also, if you have an early morning flight out of Napoli, it's usually a good idea to stay there the night before: public transit from the Sorrentine/Amalfi doesn't run 24/7.

Lina, I haven't been in Italy in November, but I have been several times in February. While November may be a bit wetter, I doubt is would be colder. It was mild, temps usually in the 50's, even 60's, and a goodly number of sunny days.