The last two weeks of May, my family of 5 will be traveling from Rome to Sorrento (via Herculaneum, hopefully). We will be in Sorrento for 3 nights and plan to visit Pompei from Sorrento. From Sorrento we travel to Praiano and are staying in Praiano for 4 nights and then we head back to Rome for our flight out of Italy. Should we rent a car for this period or travel by train or bus or private car? We are 5 people so all train or bus tickets are times 5 in price - but we want to travel the best method, not necessarily the cheapest. Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5653 posts
Personally, I wouldn't want the hassle of driving in any of these places. Crazy Italian drivers (there, I said it), difficulty with parking, ZTLs, bumper to bumper traffic (especially on the AC). Rome to Naples has excellent, frequent train connections. Naples to Sorrento via Herculaneum, or Sorrento to Pompeii, ditto. Praiano has no train service, so it's up to you whether you drive yourself or hire a car and driver or take the bus from Sorrento.
Getting back to Rome from Praiano will be time consuming. I hope you will be doing this the day before you have to fly.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16206 posts
I’m an Italian driver, often crazy, but train for 5 is not necessarily more expensive than a car for your trip.
If you rent a car for a week, you will need a larger car. For a midsize you are looking at $300-350 for a week, all incl. If you need an automatic, plan on at least $400. Fuel and tolls will add over $100. But the deal breaker is parking. Parking on the Amalfi Coast comes at a premium. 25€ is the minimum price for a full day at any of the scarse lots. If you travel around each time you park will cost you at least 3€ per hour. So I wouldn’t be surprised if your total rental car transportation costs (parking and fuel incl.) were in excess of $700 for that weekly rental.p
If you opt for a train, and buy train tickets in advance, it costs only 25€ per person to go to Naples (one way). Then the train to Sorrento is cheap (about 5 or 6€) on the Circumvesuviana commuter train. If you rely on the SITA bus for the transfer to Praiano (another handful of Euro from Sorrento), your total transportation costs, from Rome and back, will not be more than $400 or so. Therefore potentially about $300 less than with the car option.
With that saving you can afford to splurge on a private taxi or car to transfer locations when you travel encumbered by luggage.
The average prices for private transfers are the following.
From Naples Central station to Sorrento (about 90€)
from Sorrento to Praiano (about 70€),
and from Praiano to Naples Central station (up to 120€)
I don’t recommend a private car transfer all the way from Rome to Sorrento. Yes it would be very convenient, but it will cost you at least 400€ one way. Using the high speed train to Naples then a private transfer from Naples to Sorrento would be a cheaper and faster compromise. High speed trains are very posh and comfortable. Another option from Rome to Sorrento is the Marozzi bus from the Roma Tiburtina bus station. Not as fast as the train (4hr trip) but comfortable aboard a luxury bus, cheap (19€ one way), with no transfer needed. (https://www.marozzivt.it/home).
While you tour around unencumbered by luggage, which will be safely stored in your hotel, there is no need to use private car transfers, the SITA buses and the Circumvesuviana trains and even the boats (recommended for enjoying the coastal views from the sea) are very convenient, frequent, and cheap.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32398 posts
jill,
In addition to the ZTL areas (hefty fines!), parking charges, tolls and other hassles, It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Failure to pay the fines when requested may result in the rental car being impounded, and further charges for towing and storage. Have a look at https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/transportation-driving/ for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.
Well planned trains or other transit options would be a better option (IMO).
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1759 posts
My concern would be of a different kind. There are a lot of cars designed to move 5 persons, but if you have to move baggage for 5 persons you need a really big one, more a mini van than a car. Or two cars with two drivers.