I am planning for a vacation to Italy in November. The trip is for 8 days and flight is into and out of Rome. Is it possible to fit Rome/Florence/Naples into that tight of a window? Is it easier to rent a car and drive or take train?
Safety(theft) is also a concern. We will be traveling in a group of 4 (2 men and 2 women). Any real concerns with taking trains or being seen walking with luggage to hotels? Phones being stolen etc?
With only 8 days you really don't have enough time for 3 locations. A single location would be best but you can squeeze in a second location if you absolutely must.
For the cities you mention it's best to take the train between them.
Pickpockets are an issue no matter where you go. Don't keep anything of value in your pockets. Use either a money belt or secure bag for valuables such as passports, credit cards and cash.
Violent crime is rare so you don't really need to worry about that. Just use normal precautions and you should be fine.
Donna
I think it's too tight. Just do Rome and Florence. I've done 3 cities in 10 days, but I wouldn't have done it in 8 days.
8 days is barely enough for two places. I would arrive in Rome and walk over to the train station at FCO and buy a ticket to Florence and head there immediately. It is more expensive than buying tickets ahead but you don't have to worry about a late plane. The FCO train clerk will sell you a ticket to Termini where you catch a fast train to Florence that you can make easily. Takes the worry out. This puts you in Florence mid day about when hotels would have the room ready.
You can buy your ticket back to Rome well in advance and get a cheaper ticket. By finishing in Rome, you don't lose much of the second to last day rushing back to Rome for the flight the next day. And that first jet lag day is sort of a waste anyway, so use it to get to your furthest point.
Absolutely no use for a car for any of this. Both cities are walkable and have good transport if needed. With 4 nights/3 days in each place you barely scratch the surface. Adding a city would just make it all about logistics with little time to really enjoy being there.
There are two trains a day from Fiumicino Aeroporto to Firenze SMN with no changes. One is a little before noon, another in mid-afternoon.
Good advice to go directly to Firenze and then end with your nights in Roma.
Yes, you can. Do not even think about driving....I would agree that heading right to Florence upon arrival in Rome and BUY ticktes on the spot....just stay 2 nights...( Day ONE & TWO) it is a small walkable city...you should stay in the historical center of Florence ( and Rome it is worth the extra money for the short time you have, you will only have to walk 10-15 min between major sights and take train to Coloseum very easy)....you also may want to be sure that the hotel can hold your luggage in Florence upon arrival/or store at train station until you can check in...travel light a rolling 22" and a small day bag is all you need! (Day THREE morning, or afternoon) Go back to Rome by train...check into your hotel and go for dinner...maybe walk to Trevi Fountain after dinner when crowds are a bit smaller....see Rome 3 nights. (Day Three night ,four and five)..go to Naples for THE DAY ON DAY SIX arrive by 10 am if you can, make sure you are on a fast train 1.5 hours... get a great coffee and pastry near the Garibaldi train station .or head to museum and have a bite to eat before going in....see the Archeological museum if you like, weather permitting go to Herculaneum...25 min ride on train and 1.5 - 2 hours to visit this less crowded, well preserved and smaller sight...compared to Pompeii. Get back to Rome in the late afternoon or early evening of DAY SIX and Seven in Rome fly on day Eight (?) Maybe even stay 2 nights in Florence...unless you are going to Vatican City...this usually warrants 2 trips, two 1/2 day excursions... So 1-2 nights in Florence, 1 day in Naples, rest of time in Rome. I only recommend 2 nights in Florence to help you "get on the time zone" as it is a more compact city compared to Rome and then you will be ready for Rome and Naples! But 1 night is okay...Rome can be " seen" in 2-3 days, but of course you could return for a lifetime! As far as safety, if you are from any big U.S. city, you are streetwise..but always keep 2 or 3 stashes of $ and credit cards. In winter you have the advantage of coats, but if you take it off and $ is in pocket bye bye coat..so money belt and keep a day's cash and one cc in zippered pocket of shirt or deep from pocket of pants. Women should limit amount of valuables in handbags and opt for cross body bag with strong strap and wear it UNDER their coat turned toward them as you will see Italian women do in crowds! Enjoy! I love Naples, but if you are enthralled with Rome, and just want to stay put, see Naples on another trip with Amalfi coast or islands...unless you are interested in the archeological things...
Do the 8 days include your flying days or do you have a total of eight days on the ground it Italy? If it is the former, just stay in Rome or add Orvieto to Rome. If the latter, you can do Rome and Florence. Traveling directly to Florence from Rome would allow you more time to actually see something of the cities but are you comfortable doing that after a transatlantic flight? Have you been to Italy before or to Europe? How do you handle jet lag? Can you sleep on the plane or will you be a walking zombie on arrival? With such a short trip I would take all these into consideration when determining where to go.
As for safety and travel in general, you want to *pack lightly. * So carry-on size for each or 1 carry-on per couple. Not really a safety issue but you need to be able to be relatively mobile if traveling by train. You do not want to be hauling a full sized suitcase onto the trains.
For phones, etc do not turn your back on our phone or tablet. My sister had her iPad stolen when she turned her back while at the laundromat. She had set it down on one of the folding tables, turned to get her stuff out of the dryer and it was gone. Mind you, she has lived and worked in NYC for 35 yrs so was quite situation-ally aware. Just dropped her guard for 15 seconds. Tons of info on this site on safety and scam avoidance. Read it.
I agree with the skip the car, take the train, keep it to 2 cities, and stick to Rome and Florence for this trip. I didn't have any issues taking trains besides the occassional delay strike or misunderstanding, but in general trains were pretty easy to use. I'm a guy and kind of tall so I may not feel targeted the same way when walking to a hotel or hostel with my backpack or suitcase but I don't see why it would be an issue, especially with all of you in a group. I would say keep your eye on everything at all times because people do try to steal luggage off trains here and there but it won't happen to you as long as you pay attention. Anywhere I've ever been I don't think it would be a great idea to leave a phone or tablet just out so just pay attention to those things that are easy to walk off with, your cash etc. Don't flash cash everywhere either, just keep a small amount to use in a pocket or wallet and I was told to use a moneybelt which was really a great idea. I think you'll be fine as long as you use common sense and caution! And don't try to fit the whole world into 8 days!
I disagree with the 2 nights in Florence advice. Florence is incredibly rich in time consuming and amazing Renaissance artistic sites. A week is not enough, three full days/4 nights gives you a chance to sample some of the best of them. Three full days/4 nights in Rome also gives you a couple of days for historic Rome and a day for the Vatican. This gives you a nice taste of both. Personally if I had to tilt the timing, I would do 5 nights in Florence and 3 in Rome, but with 8 nights -- dividing them makes sense for a first trip.
You never know which places will captivate you...but if the goal is to see 3 cities in 8 days it can be done and not be a horrible experience given the proximity of Florence to Rome and Rome to Naples. Most would agree that without going to Vatican City, Rome can be seen for the " main tourist attractions" in 3 days and Florence in 2...add in your days according to your interests as you do your reading. Naples for the archeological museum and one of the two main archeological sites is a good day trip from Rome, but if you want to skip it, compared to Rome and Florence, yes, I think most people would say do it on a trip to southern Italy, Campania. Going to Naples could be saved for your next to last day and decieded upon by the group the night before or even the morning of that day...it won't take much planning that time of year. I happen to love Naples, but I am a duel citizen and a New Yorker...I like the raw rough and tumble! Enjoy!
