My family and I have scheduled a trip to Italy arriving in Rome on March 5th,then travel to Positano on the 7th-9 in these days we would like to visit Pompeii and do a boat tour of Capri and the almafi coast. Is this possible at this time of year will there be hotels open . How is the weather?
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16409 posts
Yes, it's possible but, IMHO, it's not the best time of year for Positano. The ferries will run between Naples, Sorrento and Capri but not to Positano and Amalfi: you would need to visit them via SITA bus or other land method, such as a rental car.
Pompeii can be done via cheap Circumvesuviana commuter train from Sorrento...which is also served by SITA bus year-round. Private drivers are another option albeit a more costly one. However, depending on the size of your family, averaging that cost per person can sometimes work out to a more palatable amount.
Some hotels will be open but many others will be closed in early March as will quite a number of restaurants. If it were me? With your itinerary, I'd stay in Sorrento as it will have more hotels/restaurants/shops operating during the off season, has ferry service to Capri all year (unless the weather is really nasty) and is closer to Pompeii. Lots of businesses on Capri will be closed but it'll be a good time for hiking around the island IF the weather cooperates.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Will the sun be out around that time or should I just revamp my itinerary to a different part of Italy. My purpose of going to Positano was for the scenic views but afraid the weather will not permit those perfect views. my main question is is it worth going to Positano or Sorrento. We will either go towards northern Italy or spend a few days in Rome and fly out to France for the remaining days. We are first-timer so any suggestions would be a great help
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16409 posts
Will the sun be out around that time
Kellie, there's no predicting the weather much of anywhere at all during winter in the locations you're looking at. It could be dry and windy; it could be rainy; it could be overcast and chilly; it could be sunny and reasonably warm. It could be all of those things in one day! No one can really answer the "worth it" question but you; if a stretch of "weather" will spoil your trip to the coast, I'd choose locations which offer more to do inside, such as cities with museums, churches, etc. Otherwise, pack for all possibilities (layers are good!) and have a sightseeing plan B in the pocket if plan A doesn't pan out. 😉
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Another thing to note, while daylight savings time starts in the U S on March 8th. It doesn't start in Italy until March 28th.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15773 posts
In February 2017, I spent 4 nights in Naples and 5 nights in Salerno without rain and every day were sunny or partly sunny. A couple weeks later in March, Jay (another RS forum regular) spent about 5 nights in Sorrento and had several wash-out days because of rain.
Most everything will be open in Sorrento. To get to Capri, you'll need the SITA bus to Sorrento (it stops at the train station), then walk down to the water's edge: 7-10 minutes from the bus stop to the center of town, then a whole lot of stairs down to the ferry. There may be a bus from the train station. I read somewhere that there is bus service from the ferry pier to town center. Getting back from the pier is of course all uphill. To get to Pompeii you have to take the bus to Sorrento, then the Circumvesuviana train (a metro really) to Pompeii. The bus to from Positano to Sorrento takes close to an hour. The train to Pompeii takes at least 1/2 hour. Buses run 1 or 2 times an hour, as to the trains, so you may have a lot of transfer time. Neither schedule can be relied upon, as either can be late. In rough weather, ferries don't go out.
The AC towns were quiet subdued in February - nearly all of the tourist shops and many (most?) restaurants and a lot of hotels and B&Bs were closed. On the other hand, The buses were often nearly empty and there were very few tour buses.
That all means that the only reasonable plan for you is to stay in Sorrento, not Positano. Do you have 2 or 3 nights for this? It sounds like two. You need a full day to visit Capri or the Amalfi Coast (they are in opposite directions from Sorrento). It is possible to stop in Pompeii on the day to travel to or from Sorrento.
Lastly, if it's raining, I'd go to Herculaneum instead of Pompeii. I ended up seeing Herculaneum in the rain (a different trip that the one I started this post with) and it was doable. I went to Pompeii on a sunny day. Parts of Pompeii, especially in the central part, are difficult to walk. If it's raining, it might be slippery and nearly impossible without good balance and good shoes.