Rome, then Amalfi Coast? Fly out of Rome?

My husband and I are doing the same thing in exactly 2 months. We'll be in Rome for 10 nights and then hopping the train to Naples- with a stop at the Naples Archaeological Museum, then setting up camp in Sorrento for 4 nights. We'll use Sorrento as a springboard for visits to Pompeii and into Positano etc. Positano has much less to do and isn't accessible by train- so you would have to either take a boat from Positano to Sorrento or the SITA bus...which can sometimes be PACKED in Positano and you will have to stand or wait for the next bus. Also the boats may run on limited schedules during the spring. Sorrento also makes a nice springboard for visitng Capri if you want to do that for a daytrip. You may be able to get to Rome by 11am from Sorrento, but you don't want your last memory of Italy to be one of stress and worry if you cut it too close. We're planning to hire the Moretti's (see Rick's spotlight Naples & Amalfi Coast book p.79 & 80 for their contact info) to drive us on a tour of the Amalfi coast for a day with a hour or two in each spot, and shorter stops for photos, etc (can't do that on a big SITA bus!). Then he'll drop off us in Paestum and we are staying overnight there. Then we're planning on taking the train from Paestum back to Naples, then a train back to Rome for a last night in a Rome airport hotel. That way we can relax and enjoy our last night in Rome, and leave for our flight the next morning worry free. Flights into Rome (FCO) are for sure cheaper and you will probably have better luck getting a flight at a decent time without massive layovers. But, you never know- keep checking, it is still early for cheaper airfare- usually about 6 months or so out you start getting better deals. Have fun!

If you have a connection to somewhere else in Europe before you direct flight to the US, then 2 hrs. is adequate unless later in the day. If it is a direct flight back you really need to be at the airport three hours early. Rome airport is not laid out the best and can get backed up by late morning. And Sorrento is out of the question for a morning departure. Too many train changes -- first in Naples, and then in Termini. All take time.

You might consider putting Rome at the end of your trip, rather than at the start. We recently did a week in Rome at the start of our 2 1/2 weeks in Italy (in May), and that's something I wouldn't do again in that order. Rome can be exhausting, especially if you're recovering from jet lag. Here's our itinerary: 1 night Ostia Lido 6 nights Rome 2 nights Orvieto 3 nights Verona 3 nights Venice 1 night Paris (22 hour layover) With hindsight, I would have done this: 3 nights Orvieto 5 nights Rome 4 nights Verona
4 nights venice FWIW, it was our third trip to Italy.

Amalfi coast, Capri and surrounding is beautiful and can certaily fill 6 days IMO. You can bus it back to Rome in 5 hrs an alternate gd option if you train down to Sorrento. Too bad Naples is not a gd option but have you considered a low cost airline from Naples to another airport you can
pick up your return flight?

TJ
As others have suggested, keep looking for better flights to the US from Naples. Also add the time it will take to get to Naples by bus, local train, or private car; Naples to Rome Termini by fast train; and then the Fast Train to the Airport. If you total all of this time, I am sure you will find it takes just as long as your long flight time from Naples. Also, it cuts as least a half to 3/4 of a day in in the Amalfi Coast., a very important consideration! And the money for all of those transportation arrangements! The reason I recommend Naples Airport is it cuts all of the multiple connections to Rome. And consider, it is much less luggage toting! Note there are also buses from Sorrento directly to the Naples airport. As I recall, the bus takes 1 1/2 hours. If you decide on Rome, I also agree, you would have to arrive in Rome the night before. Bobbie

If you can't get flight out of Naples, definitely would get to Rome the night before you leave. We were in Positano this time last year, went to Rome the night before our flight. I personally think it would be too much stress to try to get from Sorrento to Rome on the day you leave and the time it would take and then get on a flight would be a very long day. Keep checking flights.

TJ, Whether you choose Positano or Sorrento (both are great) for your base on the Amalfi coast, I'd suggest spending the last night in Rome, especially as your flight is at 11:00. Even travel from Sorrento could be "variable" so it wouldn't be a good idea to miss the flight!

If you fly home from Roma I would STRONGLY suggest you spend your last night in Roma because too many things can go wrong in transit from a distant location to the airport. Someone earlier posted an idea to put Roma at the end of your trip and that is a cogent strategy. One factor also to keep in mind is jet lag upon arrival at FCO. We always go to our hotel to sleep for a few hours to ease the discabooberation of the jet lag. Many people have their own remedy for the jet lag, but we've used this method for 30 years and it works for us. You could go to Roma the first day in-country and then proceed to Sorrento the following day. Basing in Sorrento is a good idea because you can explore the areas such as the Amalfi, Pompeii, or any other place you might like to see. Buon viaggio,

My husband and I have done what you are considering, and had an early afternoon flight out of Rome when we spent our last night in Sorrento. Although we lived through it, I'm not sure I would recommend it for anyone else. We had to be up very early (the only two knuckleheads out and about in Sorrento at that time of morning) and take the Circumvesuviana from Sorrento to Naples. It was packed - PACKED - with commuters that started to get on at the station after Sorrento. In Naples we transferred to the fast train and made it to Rome Termini station. From there, we transferred to the Leonardo Express train to the airport. Three different trains, three different times we were praying nothing went wrong or we would have been in a pickle. Looking back, it was a little silly for us to take that risk, especially as earlier in that same trip we encountered an Italian rail strike, which had put a monkey wrench into our plans. Had that happened on our flight day... well, we would have been in the aforementioned pickle. Not to mention that this turned out to be a VERY long travel day. As for whether or not the Amalfi Coast would make a good destination after Rome, I would say that it would be awesome. I felt there was plenty to do, plenty we didn't have time to see, and my husband had to drag me out of there because I wanted to stay another week (so did he). We were based in Sorrento, but visited Positano on a day trip, and I liked Sorrento more. But if you would be there a week, how about splitting up your time, so you could use Sorrento as a base for Pompeii/Naples/Capri, and Positano as a base to get further south along the coast? Either way, happy planning!

Just returned last night from Rome after Florence and the Pontene Islands (west of Naples). We spent our last afternoon and night in Rome for an early morning flight the next day. Saw the colliseum, surrounding ruins, Trevi, Spanish steps and ate at Rick's Pizza restaurant (pizza est. est. )- best pizza in 2 weeks, and spent the night at the Holiday Inn near the airport. The Holiday Inn was very nice, airconditioned and 15 minutes from the airport. No hassles, no rushing.

So much great info, thank you. I should've mentioned, I'm booking airfare using frequent flyer miles...talk about making planning a challege! @Michael: Had not thought of putting Rome at the end of our trip. I thought, start with the sight seeing (and stress) of Rome, then head to Almalfi area for more relaxed sight seeing & to decompress before a long trip home. Also, my husband is most interested in Rome. That said, there is a good option to fly into Naples & out of Rome so this could work nicely...although this would have us flying out of Rome at 6:20am. Anyone familiar with the transportation options that early? @Laurie - love your ideas. Can't wait to hear how things went when you get back. I have Rick's 2011 Italy & Rome Books but not the one you referenced. Opinions?...Those who've traveled there before, would you tell a 1st timer to start in Rome/end in Sorrento/Almalfi area or the other way around? Would Rome for the last week of our trip leave us exhausted (and maybe a little cranky) for that long trip home?

This itinerary isn't so busy that I wouldn't consider a few days in Rome first, then a week (or whatever) in the Amalfi area, then the remaining days in Rome. The 'schlep' factor is pretty low here...IMHO; it's not like you'll lose hours and hours moving around - actually, you'll be moving around the same amount - just a bit extra at the first Rome hotel checking in and out. My husband and I would have done this on our trip in the fall - we're meeting his parents at the Rome airport then going on to Sorrento - BUT we'll have already been in Europe for two weeks at that point, so we'll be functioning well while they won't be LOL! After that loooong flight, it would be nice to take a short train/cab ride to your Rome hotel...And I'd definitely reccommend staying in Rome the night before. Read through this, too.

Since I found that optoin to fly open-jaw, I decided to book the flight so we'll fly into Naples and out of Rome. This will avoid the logistics issues. Thanks again for all the great suggestions.