Rome to Sorrento: question about transportation

Sounds like you could use a good travel guidebook. The RS one for Italy is excellent. In it, you could find out that there is no direct train from Rome to Sorrento (which I think is what you're asking). You take the Freccia fast train from Rome to Naples, then switch to the Circumvesuviana train, which is more like a local commuter train, to get to Sorrento.

I do have the latest Rough Guide to Italy (on a Kindle no less) but it doesn't have all the answers. Actually your reply "You take the Freccia fast train from Rome to Naples, then switch to the Circumvesuviana train, which is more like a local commuter train, to get to Sorrento." is just what I needed to know. Thanks so much.

boop, The fact that the Guidebook you're using "doesn't have all the answers" speaks volumes. I'd recommend having a look at the RS Italy Guidebook, as I'm sure that will be more informative. The 2014 edition will be released on 24 Oct. (AFAIK), should you want to wait for the newest version. Given your location, you might consider taking a drive to Edmonds and using the free Guidebook Library at ETBD (during business hours). When you arrive at Napoli Centrale, you'll go downstairs to the Stazione Garibaldi to transfer to the Circumvesuviana. Note that they have several lines, and Sorrento is the last stop on the line that goes past Pompeii. The trip to Sorrento will be about an hour. Be sure to watch your belongings and wear Money Belts, as the Circumvesuviana has a bit of a "reputation". Where else are you planning to visit in Italia Sud? Happy travels!

The Circumvesuviana requires a separate ticket which you can buy at their ticket window on the way downstairs to the track - look at the destinations of the tracks before you go down the stairs.

Thanks so much, Ken and Zoe, for the train information. That's exactly the kind of details I was hoping for when I posted this question. I wish there were a Web site where one could simply enter Point A and Point B and figure out which train to take, accompanied by a general timetable (e.g. "this train only has one trip a day and departs at 6 AM."). Or, if no train is available, information on which bus to take. With regard to travel guides: I have used Rough Guides before and liked them. Part of the problem with this one is it's on a Kindle which, for me anyway, makes it harder to find what I'm looking for; but then again, when I borrowed a print copy from the library, I found the print too small and light to read easily. Also, it referred me to a Web site for more information on Pollino National Park which turned out not to be helpful at all. I think Rough Guides has tried to pack too much into one book. I may have to resort to Lonely Planet which has books on various regions. I don't really like Lonely Planet though. As your question, Ken, about where we are going besides the Amalfi Coast: That's just what I'm trying to figure out. Can't decide whether to keep heading south, perhaps all the way to Sicily, or go east to Basilicata and Puglia. Thanks again for the tips!

If you have fewer than ten days to fill in, I would save Sicily for another trip. You can go to Puglia and stop in Basilicata to visit Matera, but public transportation involves getting to Matera from Bari (you can get to Matera from other places but this is the quickest by public transportation). The Alberobello to Trani areas are near Bari, and with Matera will give you lots of different experiences of the South. In the northern part of Puglia is Vieste, and in the southern part of Puglia are Lecce and Otranto. I highly recommend Matera, though.

Seriously, boop, buy the latest Rick Steves Italy guidebook. It will be the smartest money you spend on your vacation. Just ask yourself how much time you've spent on just this one question of how to get to Sorrento from Rome. Now how much is that time worth? Multiply that by the scores of questions you still need to ask, not to mention the ones it hasn't even occurred to you to ask, and I hope you get my point. The Rick books are esp. helpful for first-time travelers to a particular region or country. He doesn't provide coverage for some of the areas you're discussing, but he's very helpful on the Rome/Naples/Amalfi Coast area. Now go out and get that book! :-)

Michael -- you have convinced me. I will get the RS book. I am hoping it has information on how to hire a guide for Parco nazionale del Pollino since I asked a question on this forum about Parco nazionale del Pollino over a month ago and got no response. :-)

boop, I'll bet my house that there's NO info on that park in RS' book. While his books have very good info on the particular places he covers, his range of places is limited. His strength is in his 'how to travel' info - how to buy a Paris metro ticket and use their system, where (and how) to buy train tickets for Italy, strategies for seeing any particular museum with as few crowds possible and/or without standing in a crazy-long line, what you should pack and what you shouldn't and what you should pack it in and why, how to travel by train from Rome to Sorrento ;-), etc. I've used his info on getting from Rome to Sorrento and it was very helpful. There are also several YouTube videos on how to maneuver Napoli Centrale station and get to the Circumvesuviana station. Watch for the 'slow count' at the ticket window :-( (if you don't know what 'slow count' means, it's in his books LOL!) As far as Parco Nazionale del Pollino, there are about 45 official guides listed on the park's website (use the Google Translate button when you do your Parco search). They all have 1 or 2 phone numbers listed; several also show email addresses. Use this site to check historical weather patterns for that time of year, too. It might be helpful for your packing and planning.

Thanks so much, Eileen. I had almost given up on finding out anything about Parco Nazionale del Pollino. I will still get the RS book ... out of the library ;)

I recommend that you also look at the Lonely Planet guidebook for Italy.

Thanks, Tim. I just checked my Seattle Public library account online and both Rick Steves' Italy 2013 and Lonely Planet's Southern Italy are waiting for me. Woo hoo!

Hi Boop, actually there is such a website where you plug in point A and point B and it tells you how to get there - it's called rome2rio.com I just discovered it recently and it's been enormously useful figuring out my Italy trip next year!

Wow, Andra! That's just great. Thanks so much.

Boop, I gather from one of your other postings that you're going to be traveling in late November, early December, right? Have you seen the recent NY Times Travel article about Puglia in the off-season? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/travel/winter-not-summer-is-prime-in-puglia.html