Traveling by train from Rome - Sorrento - Naples - Assisi

How do I find rail schedule and prices from Rome to Sorrento

Use these sites for trains
http://www.trenitalia.com/ (this one you need to use the Italian spelling of the name of the city)
https://www.trainline.eu/ (this one you do not)
Rome to Naples
Naples to Assissi

Use this site for Naples to Sorrento http://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule

The train from Naples to Sorrento can be a challenge - it's old, dirty, crowded and frequently questionably safe. have you thought of taking the boat? For me it's relaxing, great views and becomes part of the vacation. the Sorrento Insider web site will give you the schedule. In Sorrento I always stay at il Nido which is up on the hill above town. Spectacular views and frequent shuttle bus to/from the center of town.

Naples to Assisi is going to be a long day for you especially if you are doing the museum and cappella. From Naples the Freccia to Rome is no problem - the trip is fast and service is frequent. Rome to Assisi will take a bit of schedule searching. Service isn't that frequent. Try for direct service into Assisi - if you miss the connection you're stuck for a while. The trip is long, about 2 1/2 hours, but so very worth it. I'm in Assisi every year (this will be 15) for a 2 week music festival. It's an amazing place! We all stay at Hotel Sole. 2 stars, simple and honest. The restaurant is one of the best in Assisi. Very near Piazza Comune, which is where you want to be.

Have you considered flying into Rome and out of Naples so you're not backtracking? I personally wouldn't bother driving since these cities are well connected by train. Trains are faster (except for slower regional trains) because they don't have traffic jams to contend with, so it will be a more relaxing and cheaper experience overall.

The train from Naples to Sorrento is a local train called the Circumvesuviana. Some people would avoid it at all costs, but I didn't see any big deal about it. If the locals use it daily, than so can I. You just need to watch your valuables, which is true everywhere.

Have you considered going to Assisi before Rome? It might be better, especially if you are going to be in Venice or Florence.

Also consider how much time you will have in Sorrento. If you really only want to see Pompeii and the Museum, it makes more sense to stay in Naples. Going to Sorrento adds about 2 hours travel time each way. You use 1/2 day to get to Sorrento, so you have an afternoon/evening, then one full day to visit Pompeii and ?? (it's about 1 hour each way from Sorrento) and the next morning you're up early to travel to Naples.

If you really only want to see Pompeii and the Museum, it makes more
sense to stay in Naples.

I totally agree with this comment. I am not sure if people purposely avoid Naples because they've only heard good things about Sorrento, but honestly, it makes much more sense to stay there. Consider the Chiaia or Mergellina districts along the waterfront. I bet the hotels will cost much less than Sorrento as well. Don't drive to/in Naples unless you're a very experienced driver and can tolerate traffic, scooters, etc coming from every direction.

Thanks to everyone for your input - we are now considering driving ourselves from Rome to Naples, seeing the Archeological Museum and the Cappella Sansevero then driving onto Sorrento and staying two nights - seeing Pompeii our one full day & then driving to Assisi - Does anyone have experience driving north of Sorrento to Naples? I'm concerned about that road being dangerous & narrow. My husband says he can drive it - any comments about our driving plans?

I'm looking at Google Maps for driving routes - I have seen this statement on several of the routes - May include roads or turns with time based restrictions - what does that mean?

I assume that warning means that there are roads on which you cannot drive during certain (probably peak or commuting) periods. In my area there are roads that are limited to carpools (multi-occupant vehicles) during rush hour, for example. Many travelers to Italy who do not research the driving rules ahead of time end up receiving traffic tickets after returning home for straying into ZTLs (zones with limited traffic, usually meaning only residents are allowed) and bus lanes.

we are now considering driving ourselves from Rome to Naples, seeing
the Archeological Museum and the Cappella Sansevero then driving onto
Sorrento and staying two nights - seeing Pompeii our one full day &
then driving to Assisi

Take the train. Naples is not a place you want to tackle with a car if you're unfamiliar with driving in Italy (traffic is insane there) and a car in Sorrento/Amalfi Coast can be more headache than help. In fact, as your profile says that, "...from Rome we want to stay in Sorrento 2 nights and see Pompeii & in Naples the Archaeological Museum & the Cappella Sansevero", I wouldn't stay in Sorrento at all if everything you want to see is in or near Naples. Take the train to Naples and stay there. With just 1.5 days/ two nights you don't have time to see what's on your list for Naples + Pompeii+ Sorrento/Amalfi Coast.

From Naples on your 2nd day, take the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii. Yes, it's a battered commuter train but it's how the locals get around, it's cheap, and will get you to Pompeii in about 30 minutes. Thousands of tourists do it every year. Keep your valuables under wraps, as you should do on public transit anywhere at all in Italy, and you will be fine.

Can't help you with the Naples-to-Assisi leg but based on your itinerary, I wouldn't drive this piece of it and wouldn't stay in Sorrento.

Part of the road from Naples to Sorrento is a toll road, I believe. Sorrento is a terrible place to drive a car - a system of one-way streets, and some streets with access only for authorized vehicles, and no city parking to speak of. I drove the Amalfi Coast but would never ever try to drive in Naples. The train from Rome to Naples is much faster than any road trip - and driving out of Rome would be a major headache.

I still say your best plan is to stay in Naples. Then you can get a train to Rome and from there on to Assisi (probably with one more train change).

I go back to my first question - where are you going to be before Rome? Assisi is pretty remote, at least by train. You could park the car at the train station and take the bus or a taxi up to the centro storico, but that's another place I woouldn't want to drive in (hillier than San Francisco, where I have driven many many times).

We start our trip flying into Rome for 3 nights; drive or train to Naples/Sorrento/Pompeii for 2 nights; drive or train to Assisi for 2 nights; drive to Tuscany for 5 nights; drive to Cinque Terre for 2 nights; drive to return to Rome to fly home. We are traveling with 2 other couples who do not want to go to Naples, Sorrento, & Pompeii, so we are doing that ourselves.

Your itinerary has you crisscrossing
Italy. A better path would be this.

RomeFCO>Tuscany>Assisi (as a day trip from your Tuscan base)>CT>Rome(drop car)>Naples>Rome.

If you don't want to drive on arrival day, spend your first night either at the airport (pick up your car the next day) or pick up the car and head to Tivoli (45 min) there's enough to keep you busy here at a more relaxed pace than Rome

https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/villa_deste

Keep all the Rome nights at the end, where you fly out of.

flying into Rome for 3 nights; drive or train to Naples/Sorrento/Pompeii for 2 nights; drive or train to Assisi for 2 nights; drive to Tuscany for 5 nights; drive to Cinque Terre for 2 nights; drive to return to Rome to fly home. We are traveling with 2 other couples who do not want to go to Naples, Sorrento, & Pompeii, so we are doing that ourselves.

Gerri makes my point. Take the fast train from Rome to Naples, stay in Naples for 2 nights to visit Pompeii and the Naples Archaeology Museum, maybe Herculaneum too. Skip Sorrento - it's not worth the trouble and time to get there just to spend your nights there. Then fast train to Florence to pick up the car for your time in Tuscany. It will be easier to visit Assisi with a car once you're in Tuscany. Drop the car when you ge3t to the Cinque Terre and take the train from there to Rome.

I am traveling from Rome to Sorrento. I am taking the fast train to Naples and then thinking about taking a boat to Sorrento. I am just wondering how hard this is. I would have to get from the train to where he boat is and then from where we get off the boat to our hotel in Sorrento. Is this something that is doable and easy or should we think of another way? We are going in July, just my husband and I.

Hi bagladyp -
It would be best if you started a NEW thread with your question as it's going to get buried in this old one, and yours is a different situation than the OP's. :O)

We stayed in this wonderful Naples apartment for 5 nights:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1874249

It's on the Via Atri, 1/2 a block from the famous Sorbillo's pizzeria on the Via dei Tribunali. Top floor, so lots of stairs, but a great view of the city below, other people's rooftop terraces, and the volcano. So much nicer than a hotel. We easily walked to the archeology museum (8 minutes), the Cappella Sansevero (4 minutes), many other interesting places, and the train station (22 minutes). We loved Naples. Loved the neighborhood.

I should say that we were there in November 2 ½ years ago, so I don't know what Naples is like in the summer. But I would think that if you stay on a central, pedestrian-only street like we did and walk everywhere, you eliminate all of the hassle of traffic, driving, metro, taxis, etc. that other people complain of when they describe their visits to Naples.

My only advice about Pompeii is to get there when it opens in the morning and to have a plan for what you want to see. You cannot see all of it.