Rookie's game plan for 7 short nights in Italy...your critiques welcome!

Where are you traveling from? How badly does jet lag affect you? The reason I ask is that it usually takes us about 3 days to adjust to the time difference, traveling from the US West Coast. We always try to factor that into our itineraries, knowing that the first few days in our first location will not be full days.

thanks for good question...coming from Midwest U.S.,,,so I assume arrival day will be rough (8:20 am) and short...

Day 2 would be Colosseum
Day 3 would be Vatican

Does that help?

roger,

A few additional questions.......

• Does your seven days include your two flight days?
• Have you travelled in Europe before?
• How well do you handle jet lag?
• How are you planning to get around while there?
• Have you used any guidebooks in your planning?

With more information, it will be easier to provide more specific suggestions.

Ok...we depart U.S. on Aug. 9, arriving Rome Aug. 10 at 8 a.m. We would depart Rome Aug. 17 at 10:10 a.m.
I have been to Europe before and had minimal problems with jet lag...my travel companions will be making their virgin journey to Europe...so yeah, they could struggle a bit initially, but we're hoping adrenaline and an early "lights out" first night will provide some renewed energy for the rest of our time..

Will take train from Rome to Sorrento...will use a mix of travel when in Rome..

Getting indoctrinated into Rick Steve's universe and a voracious online researcher, putting much faith in trip advisor...

I don't have any serious concerns about your plan. For the length of stay, I think you have the right number of nights in each location and you are doing the right thing ending in Rome. My only suggestion is to consider taking the train from FCO to Roma Termini station and then going to Naopli/Sorrento on the first day. I suggest this for 2 reasons - first, you can all take a short nap on the train from Rome to Naples to help beat jet lag and second, it saves you from checking in/out of an additional hotel. The train from the airport to Naples is slightly over 2 hours long. It will then take another hour or so to get to Sorrento via train. It may be easier to take a taxi with the four of you once you arrive in Naples.

For train info, look here and enter Fiumicino Aeroperto as the "From" station and Napoli Centrale as the "to" station.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=4ddd1a035296f310VgnVCM1000005817f90aRCRD

You can buy train tix 120 days in advance, but I would caution against doing so in your case. Once you purchase the tickets, you are pretty much limited to a specific train. If your flight is delayed, you could miss the train and you don't really want to sit around a couple of hours waiting for your train. You can buy these tickets once you arrive in Rome for the next available train. Once you get the major logistics handled, the rest is just looking at guidebooks and figuring out what else you want to do! Good luck!

Since you're already tired when you arrive in Rome, you might consider keeping on going -- get right on a train and head for Sorrento. Adrenaline will keep you awake. And then once you hit Sorrento, you can relax (does your hotel have a pool?) and spend the rest of that day recovering from jet lag and eating gelato.

If you spend 3 nights in Sorrento, you would thus have 4 uninterrupted nights in Rome. Or you could switch it (4 Sorrento, 3 Rome, which is what I personally would do but others might not agree).

From Sorrento, in addition to Pompeii and Vesuvius, you'll want to see the Amalfi Coast. You can take the bus down the coast (very inexpensive), or you can hire a driver for a day (a splurge but not bad when divided by 4 people), or you could take a boat from Sorrento to Amalfi.

If you had 4 nights there, you could also take a boat to Capri one day, if you'd like.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll have a memorable trip!

Odds are that with four of you, someone will have jetlag. I never do.

It might be a good idea to go directly to Napoli and have a taxi or private transfer to Sorrento (perhaps your hotel in Sorrento can help arrange this). A trip with one or more planes, two trains (Leonardo Express to Roma Termini and then a fast train to Napoli) would end better with a private transfer than adding another train - Circumvesuviana commuter train - and then probably a taxi to your hotel anyway.

Sorrento would also probably be a better place to unwind. You could stay with 3 nights Sorrento and 4 nights Roma without breaking up the Roma hotel stay.

roger, as long as you're not trying to cram 25 places (or even 4) into 7 days, you're on the right track. Everyone should tote a water bottle, and fill it up at every opportunity - there are public water spigots or drinking fountains around Rome that are really handy.

At the risk of adding more to your tight itinerary, the ruins at Herculaneum, more compact than Pompeii but buried in the same eruption, and with some intact wooden features on some buildings, are also worth a visit.

For our trip in January 2013, with an early departure from Rome's Fiumicino Airport at the end of our trip (we had an apartment for a week in Rome, then spent a week on Sicily, then a week traveling up the boot to Sorrento), we opted for staying at the Rome Airport Hilton that last night. The price was good (for a couple in January - not sure about a family of 4 in August), dinner and breakfast there were both superior, and it was convenient as could be, being steps away from the terminal. Plan on lots of gelato on your trip, and have a great 7 nights!

Excellent, excellent advice all...I am going to look into reversing the order...I had worried that adding the Sorrento leg onto arrival day would be brutal, but your logic makes good sense...

Also, I stumbled upon Aug. 15 being Assumption Day...in what way, if any, would that impact my trip?

Thanks in advance.

If you were in Sienna on Aug. 15, it would be extra-crowded (and fun?) because it's Palio Day, but for Sorrento or Rome . . .

roger,

Thanks for the additional information. I agree with the others that you might consider going directly to Sorrento as that would be a great place to "acclimatize" to Europe. I also agree that it would probably be a good idea to arrange a private transfer from Napoli Centrale to your hotel in Sorrento, as the Circumvesuviana will be NO FUN while jet lagged on a HOT day. You could try the Monetti Taxi listed in the guidebook (I think the link I provided is the correct one).

Would something like this work......

• Aug. 9 - D1 - flight to Italy
• Aug. 10 - D2/N1 - arrive Rome / FCO; take Leonardo Express from the airport to Roma Termini (32M, €14 PP) and connect with train to Naples; although more costly, it would be better to buy tickets for both rail trips at the airport station. The tickets and compulsory seat reservations for the Freccia train from Rome to Naples are specific to train, date and departure time, so if you miss a pre-booked train (ie: flight delays or whatever), the tickets will be worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price (Base fare); on arrival in Naples, connect with car service for the trip to Sorrento.
• Aug. 11 - D3/N2 - Sorrento (I'd suggest taking one day to get up to speed before taking the trip to Pompeii or Vesuvius).
• Aug. 12 - D4/N3 - Sorrento (trip to Pompeii & Vesuvius- you'll have to use the Circumvesuviana for that, and I'm sure that will be an experience; watch your belongings carefully and be sure you're wearing Money Belts; you might consider hiring a private guide for Pompeii as you'll learn far more about the history; I can't recall the details of getting to Vesuvius, but I'm sure one of the others will be able to fill in the blanks on that).
• Aug. 13 - D5/N1 - train from Sorrento to Napoli Garibaldi (buy tickets locally) and then Napoli Centrale to Roma Termini via Freciia (if you're willing to commit to a specific train, you can get discounted tickets by pre-purchasing online); your Hotel appears to be very close to Termini station, so you should be able to walk (looks like a great hotel - way above my budget level though!).
• Aug. 13 - D6/N2 - Rome, touring (you might consider buying a Roma Pass, as that provides not only some transportation but also admission to some sights - check their website for details; you could also have a look at B.T.I. tickets which will provide transportation within central Rome for three days, but DON'T forget to validate prior to first use; you can buy those at stations or even from Tabacchi shops outside Termini).
• Aug. 14 - D7/N3 - Rome (for touring the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill, you can purchase a combo ticket at the ticket office on Palatine Hill or use the Roma Pass (I believe it covers that, but I didn't check).
• Aug. 15 - D8/N4 - Rome (if you're planning to visit the Borghese Gallery, you MUST pre-book and reserve a time).
• Aug. 16 - D9/N5 - Rome (for visiting the Vatican, be aware of the dress code. Ladies must have shoulders covered and as I recall men can't wear shorts. I've seen what can happen to those violating the rules and its not pleasant).
• Aug. 17 - D10 - return flight from FCO (take the Leonardo Express back to the airport or use a pre-arranged Taxi or Shuttle, which may be just as fast depending on traffic and time-of-day; if your flight is direct back to the U.S., you may be starting in Terminal 5 and that's a bit of an effort; I'm sure one of the others can provide the details on that).

There are lots of possibilities, and this is one suggestion.

Ken,

What a thoughtful, informative and generous set of suggestions and instructions. I marvel at the kindness of you and so many others on this forum willing to share their expertise/wisdom with rookies like me. So grateful!

roger,

I'm pleased to hear that the information was useful. Hope you all have a wonderful trip!

Buon Viaggio!

August 15 is a religious holiday and the traditionally the busiest travel week surrounds it (Italians going on vacation). Churches will be open but may have restricted visiting hours due to more Masses being scheduled that day; some museums and sights may be closed or have shorter hours. Restaurants and shops will be open, unless they, too, are closing for vacation. You can check the individual websites of the places you plan to see for their August 15 opening/closing schedules.

Thanks Zoe and all,

Just one update--we have booked our trip! First four nights in Sorrento, followed by four in Rome. Will be in Rome Aug. 14, 15, 16, 17--so thanks in advance for any tips on surviving the weekend/holiday chaos, given our goals to experience the big sights--Colosseum, Forum, and Vatican for sure...

Best to all of you who are so great in helping me out!

A taxi transfer from the airport to the train station in Rome will be less expensive than the Leonardo express.

In Naples, there is a shuttle service from Napoli Centrale to Sorrento. Price 100euro

http://www.sorrentoshuttle.com/shuttlebus-booking-page/

scroll down the page to rail station transfers.

Hi Roger -
Just a comment on the Roma Pass? If your concentration is on the Vatican Museums/St Peter's and the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine (a ticket covers all three), I personally wouldn't buy the pass as it would only cover the ruins and not the Vatican. Individual tickets for the metro BIT) or the three-day BTI passes Ken mentioned are easily purchased at newsstands, tobacco shops (tabbachi) and some bars. Validate each individual ticket in the stamping machines, or the pass the first time you use it. Also, the life of the pass is measured in calendar days and not 24-hour periods so activate it on the first morning of the three full days you have to use it.

Do pre-purchase your Vatican Museum tickets. You may do that here:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

With the rest of your time in Rome, there's oddles of free things to do and see so take some time just to walk about. I highly recommend popping into a few of the better churches (all free) for some big "wow!": Pantheon, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovannni in Laterano and Santa Maria del Popolo are just a few of those.

And eat gelato! Eat lots and LOTS of gelato!

You (like all of us) have limited time and I assume you don't like to stand in lines, especially in the heat of Rome. Ditto the suggestion right above mine about pre booking your Vatican visit.Do it now. nothing in your imagination could accurately describe the length of the lines so do get reserved tickets.

There is also terrific website called www.roninrome.com. click on "Sites and Attractions" and you will see very helpful and insightful suggestions regarding visiting the Vatican, including suggestions on what days and what hours to visit.

We visited in April in the middle of the week at a supposedly slow time, and although we reserved tickets and so had no line to enter, parts of the Vatican Museum were literally wall to wall people. I advise you to do a little bit of research, Google "famous art at the Vatican museum" or "Best of the Vatican Museum". take a look at what interests you so you can plan your visit and hit the highlights. I assigned each member of my family two of my favorites(ha ha), and each one of us found a photo of the item on Google, and put together a few pieces of information on each piece of art, easily found on Wikipedia, and we all share the information so we knew what we were going to be looking at.Is this the advice of art historian would give you? No, but it was a great way for us to see 8 different pieces of wonderful art, and avoid the crowds of tourists.

The Ron in Rome website also has other helpful information. If you are traveling with 3 other people in your family, maybe they can help you doing the research by checking out that website! Lastly, there are a million other sites to see in Rome, but if I could put a quick plug in for the Pantheon, along with Rick Steves free audio guide, I would advise a visit, which can last only 15 minutes if you are pressed for time but it is really unforgettable. Enjoy!