My husband and I will be taking the RS 10 day tour of Italy at the beginning of September. Starts in Venice then to Florence and ends in Rome. With our work schedules we are not able to fly in earlier as some have suggested however we do have 4 days after the tour ends and would love to see more. I have been looking at Sorrento and Capri and the surrounding areas. Would love to hear what you all think. I have the RS guide book and he makes it all sound wonderful. So hard to choose
Julie
I think Sorrento and the surrounding area would be a good choice. From Sorrento you can take a bus or taxi to towns on the Amalfi Coast or a boat to Capri. Either trip would easily use up a day. Sorrento is "different" for an Italian city. They have learned to cater to the British and English-speaking tourist. It's beautiful and walkable.
Now you could go somewhere else in Italy and it would be amazing. But don't over look the fact that Rome itself has a lot to offer and you could easily spend the four days there and not see everything. It really is one big open air museum and has so much to see and do! You may want to go back to Italy and go to the south on a separate trip and not use up travel time as I would think you are flying home from Rome and woud have to go south which has travel time and then back up to Rome to go to the airport. Yes, it can be done but that is up to you. You could also go to Florence and take the train up to Florence which is easy and not too long on the train. Have a great time whatever you choose.
I think it will be much better at the end versus before the tour. You will feel comfortable and may have even picked up some Italian! Early September on the Amalfi coast would certainly be a nice capoff, but it's hard to go wrong.
Are your flights already booked out of Rome?
We have not booked tickets yet, however we will be going to Munich to see friends and going to Octoberfest so we want to be near a train station to get to Munich after the 4 days
September in Italy tends to be hot, so heading to the coast, such as Sorrento, makes sense. But I suggest making reservations soon.
I know there are flights from Naples to Munich, so that could work well.
Ahhh some new details of your trip.
Here are some other ideas.
Since at some point you need to head North towards Munich perhaps after at least one extra day in Rome stop at the Cinque Terra (some say it is similar to the Sorrento area). or North to the Berner Oberland area of Switzerland then it is a fairly short distance to Munich.All this could be done via the train.
I have not taken the Venice, Florence, Rome tour but have taken 9 other RS tours. Along the way, you are likely to see some smaller cities and towns, but mostly with quick stops or passing through. My suggestion: wherever you decide to go, head for some villages, small towns etc. It is a very different feel from the "Big 3."
Two days in Rome on the RS tour is insufficient to see Rome. You will also likely be tired from the tour. Stay in Rome, relax, and actually see it. If you get bored, which I can't imagine, take a day trip to Naples or Orvieto. IMO
We absolutely love the Amalfi coast, so I would highly recommend that after your tour. If you're wanting something headed back up towards Munich then consider the Dolomites. We loved hiking in the Alpe Di Siusi and staying in Ortisei. Or Bellagio on Lake Como.....
I would spend those 4 days in Sorrento. You can take a bus down the Amalfi coast. There may be ferries to Positano or Amalfi, depending on your dates. You could certainly do a day trip to Capri. Take the train to Pompeii. All this without changing hotels. It would be a lovely way to end your visit to Italy.
Then return to Naples and fly to Munich.
I would go to the Cinque Terre, a delightful string of 5 villages perched on the hills right on the coast. We spent 2 nights there and enjoyed exploring the trails and each town has its own charms. Our hotel was in Monterosso and had good restaurants and a relaxed vibe.
Judy B
We did that tour October 2015 and definitely SORRENTO! It was a gorgeous, wonderful ending and such a different part of Italy.
Def save a couple of days to spend in Sorrento . . . but we also took a train to Herculaneum which was one of the highlights of our 3 weeks in Italy. We ripped out the Herculaneum section of the Rick Steves Italy book to take with us . . . and it was perfect. Tells you how to easily walk there from the train and how to tour Herculaneum. We also did a day tour to the Amalfi Coast which is also a must do. It was one of the prettiest drives we have ever been on and we stopped in 3 towns. You can easily take the train to Germany from Naples-- the train to Sorrento for 4 nights was so easy. That RS tour is so wonderful.
