Rent car or travel by train form Rome to Naples

Robyn, To begin with, it is absolutely NOT A GOOD IDEA to drive in either Rome or Naples!!! In addition there are a few "issues" associated with driving in Italy, including the fact that each driver must have the compulsory IDP. There is also the problems with ZTL areas (which come with steep fines), parking, tolls, CDW insurance and the high cost of fuel. Travel by train or Bus are absolutely the best and most cost effective option between Rome and Naples. It would help to have some idea on how much you've budgeted for that trip? For travel on the high speed trains, you can save money by purchasing your tickets a day or two prior to travel, as you may be able to get the "Mini" fares. If you don't mind a slightly longer trip, you can travel via Regionale trains (DON'T forget to validate your tickets!). Finally you could travel via Curreri or Marrozi Bus. Those depart from Roma Tiburtina, which you can easily reach via Metro from Roma Termini. Happy travels!

looking up the train prices and it looks like that is more expensive than renting a car. Can you get a rental car and put in fuel and pay the road tolls, and buy your International Driving Permits all for €36? €9 per person each way, 4x9=€36. That's what you can pay if you get Mini fares and commit to specific dates and times... What sort of fares did you find? Where did you find it? Were you looking at RailEurope?

There is no problem driving to Napoli. If your intention is to drive along the coast, book yourself a hotel on the outkirts of Napoli, close to a highway exit, so you don't need to deal with city traffic. But even so, as long as you stay out of ZTLs, there is no major issue driving anywhere in Italy.

Robyn, when searching for fares on the Trenitalia site, be sure and click on 'S-e-l-e-c-t', then 'Continue' to see the MINI fares for EACH train on the day you're looking at. Personally, I'd take the train. Tight budget, probably never driven in Southern Italy, tight itinerary...definitely train. Maybe the car if I had plenty of time and my schedule wouldn't get out-of-whack if 'something' happened... Remember - the monetary price of something isn't always the entire price of something...I'm pretty cheap and always searching for The Bargain, but I'm learning to pay for convenience for time's sake. (trains don't have: IDPs to buy, gas stations to search out, maps to figure out, wrong turns, parking to figure out, traffic tickets, tolls, and you can drink a beer/wine/eat a messy pastry while you ride the rails)

Robyn, sometimes the fares don't show on the Trenitalia site until you are within a few weeks of your travel date. The coastline from Rome to Naples is not that interesting, in my opinion. I'd take the train, keep looking for mini-fares as suggested, or if you have the time, take the regional train instead of the fast train (twice as long but less than half the price).

I sincerely doubt that the cost of renting a car, buying the CDW (which you better do in Italy), buying gas (figure $8-9 a gallon), highway tolls, parking fees and the time and expense getting to-from the rental place near the airport is less than taking the train. That also doesn't count speeding tickets, parking fines, and ZTL fines, which happen a lot and come months later (with an extra charge from your rental company for giving your address to the authorities). Also, you'd have to be certifiably insane to drive in Naples. You also are not permitted to drive in many town centers (ZTL) so the idea of cruising through quiant little towns along the way isn't realistic. If you just want to go from point to point, take the train, sit back and relax or nap.

Thanks so much for your advice. I will definitely look for a mini fare. How is it traveling on the trains with big luggage??

Big Luggage? Have you read Rick's section on packing for a trip?
"DON'T!" Take a 21" rolling bag and a shoulder bag, and don't check'em with the airlines. You can travel indefinitely with a carry on if you pack like Rick says. Last time I took my family to Europe, they made it just fine with a rolling bag. My father traveled extensively until age 80. He would have traveled another 5 years, but my mother's bags hurt his back--and she wouldn't change her habits.

First, is why have big luggage? But if that is how you travel, dont let us discourage you. It will be a great learning experience for the next trip. Actually trains handle large luggage better than small rental cars. There is plenty of storage space on a train. And I doubt if you are pricing things correctly since would be much cheaper for a train for two than a rental car. Cars can be more economical for larger groups like four people.