Rome FCO to Sorrento by taxi service

Are you prepared to pay a few hundred Euros? If so, I'm sure it can be done. The big hotels in Sorrento have local travel partners like limo services - that way, they have a great incentive to make sure you are happy with the car service.

Is this your first trip to Europe? Your wife is not wrong, but most people can manage what you describe. Maybe driving in a strange place would be dangerous, but taking trains isn't that hard. It is true that the last leg, Naples to Sorrento, can be annoying, and not practical late at night. We spent a (pleasant) night in Naples because our flight from London came in so late.

It might be helpful, besides budget, to say how many nights you are in Sorrento, and how long your whole trip is. Will you spend any nights in Rome? Will you move to the Amalfi Coast after Sorrento? Are you using a Rick Steves guide book?

As a guideline, the Hotel Ambasciatori in Sorrento got us a car and driver for 8 hours on the Amalfi Coast for about 260 Euros. Since it's probably 4 hours each way Rome/Sorrento, maybe that's the ballpark. But you might be paying "Rome" prices if you use a service from there. In the scenario I've sketched, the travel service needs some protection from the possibility of your flight being cancelled or your not showing up for the pickup.

Bob, if $ is no object, I'm sure you can do it. What I would recommend if this is your concern is to either take a taxi or the Leanardo express to Termini, spend the night somewhere in the area, and then take one of the high speed trains to Naples and connecting to the "notorious" Circumvenuvisa to Sorrento, or spending a day and a night at the airport at either the Hilton or the Garden Inn and then taking the train to Naples. If it was me, I'd do the first rather than the latter. What really concerns me is your comment about the luggage-don't take anything but a carry-on suitcase and a"personal item-" believe me, you don't need anything more than what they can hold, regardless of what she thinks she needs-and September is glorious in the South.

No question, transatlantic flights are very tiring unless you somehow manage to sleep a lot, but I want to point out that there's a train station right at the Rome airport. You don't have to get on a bus to go to it. I don't remember having any trouble following the signage in the terminal.

You can take the Leonardo Express train from the airport right to Roma Termini Station and switch to a Naples-bound train. You'd then need to switch again in Naples, to the Circumvesuviana. I'm not sure whether you can buy a ticket at the airport that will get you all the way to Sorrento, or at least to Naples, because I was only headed to Rome myself. It's possible that you'd have to buy another ticket at Roma Termini.

When taking train trips in Italy, always look for the small ticket-validation machine and stamp your ticket before getting on the train, unless you've bought a ticket for a specific date and time (shown on the ticket).

Thanks for the advise Tim and Jerry,

More details: We are both seniors, although we are in good shape. We do plan to travel light, but we are doing a 10 day cruise from Rome to Venice after visiting Sorrento. We have been to Rome 2 years ago and this time we are doing the Amalfi Coast, the 10 day cruise, and a couple extra days in Venice, so we may be bringing 1 extra bag (in addition to the two carry-ons) for all that. We've done quite a bit of European travel, maybe 6 trips total. We were looking to spend 4 nights in Sorrento and do Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, and the spectacular drive along the Amalfi Coast line while in Sorrento. We have a hotel already reserved at a nice place in central Sorrento (Palazzo Jannuzzi Relais), and I like the idea of getting them to suggest a taxi/limo/guide to get us there. They have a very good reputation for assisting their guests, and I'm sure this wouldn't be the first time they've had a request like this. I may contact them tomorrow.

And we have ordered 2 Rick Steve's books--Venice and Amalfi Coast Snapshot--for this trip! We've used them in Paris, Provence, Spain, and London, and love the simplistic layout of his books. It gives you just enough detail and the tips for doing city tours. markets, and finding restaurants are invaluable. We also just got through watching Rick Steve's video of the Amalfi coast and plan to contact the guide service he recommended in the video for guided tours while there.

If I could suggest a compromise, the fast train to Naples is actually pretty relaxing. It's the Circumvesuviana that's a pain. Could your hotel in Sorrento arrange a car service to pick you up in Naples? We did the return trip to Naples in a car arranged by our hotel (Monica) and I think it was about 90 euro. That extra bag is going to be a problem on the train to Sorrento.

Thanks ACraven!

We were wanting to avoid the Rome and Naples train station hassles if possible and got the idea from our guided trip to Tuscany a couple years ago. The guide picked us up at our Rome hotel and drove us through the country side to Florence visiting hill towns along the way and giving us a wonderful introduction into Tuscan lifestyle.

We have traveled by train in Europe and I have also done my share of driving. After several driving issues, my wife doesn't enjoy my driving in Europe any more, to say the least, even though I think it's a blast! The trains are great, especially the high-speed ones, but like airports, train stations, can be stressful, too. So even though getting a driver/limo/guide is expensive, it keeps my bride happy and the trips more enjoyable. #youcanttakeitwithyou!!

Thanks Ruth! I may be able to convince my bride to do that, but she's pretty insistent she wants a guide/limo service to pick us up in Rome and take us to Sorrento. I have read that quite a few people do the high speed train to Naples and get the guide/limo service to Sorrento. We'll probably price it both ways and see what the difference is.

As you continue your planning, be sure to use the search box top center to read more discussion of your destinations. Learn how long it takes to get to the Rome cruise port city, how many steps there are in Positano, and the train stop name in Pompeii. Actually, all these things are very easily done by public transportation, but it's so relaxing to look out the window and see the signs you expected!

all good stuff....

just to stir the pot a tiny bit more, there are boats which go directly from the Mole in Napoli to the little harbour in Sorrento.

View of Vesuvius as you float across the Bay of Naples?

I just wanted to bring you up-to-date with my search for Taxi/Guide/Limo service from the Rome Airport to Sorrento.

We have contacted a couple limo services that have quoted us 400 Euros and 600 Euros for that trip. Additionally, we got a response from our hotel in Sorrento, and they quoted us 350 Euros for the same service. So that recommendation from Tim has proved to be right on target! Thanks Tim! Additionally, we got additional discounts to do other Amalfi tours if we book this transfer with them.

I plan to ask the hotel manager for the name of the company they partner with on this just to make sure they have the sterling record Rick Steves' recommended tour guides do. I'll continue to report to you on this so everyone can have this as an additional way to make the trip from Rome to Sorrento.

To me and my bride, the additional cost of this trip balances nicely with the inconvenience of the Transfer from FCO to Rome Terminus, the train trip to Naples, the transfer to Sorrento, and the elimination of the hassle and sleep-deprived exhaustion we would experience with such a trip. Additionally, we really want to get to Sorrento the first day, and that is also huge benefit.

We had wonderful experience with Sorrento Silver Car Service 4 years ago. We were traveling with luggage and 2 toddlers and use the car service 3 times. First to transport use from train station in Na pled to our accommodations in Amalfi, second for a day long drive along the coast with stops in various towns and 3rd from Amalfi back to FCO. The drivers and service were excellent.