Traveling to Florence, Rome, Naples/Amalfi Coast and Sardinia in 14 days

I'm flexible on the date - October, June or August could work as well. This is my first time in Italy and I definitely want to visit Florence and Rome. I'm meeting a friend who lives in Sardinia (that's how she spells it) and I've heard wonderful things about the Amalfi Coast. I'm in the very early planning stages, but this is the Southern part of Italy and I'm hoping I can make a nice time of it! I'm coming form North America - I live in the Washington, DC area.

These are my suggested number of nights for each location you mention:
Florence: 3 nights (if you want to use Florence also for day trips to Tuscan towns then you need to add one night for each day trip)
Rome: 4 nights
Naples/Amalfi Coast: 4-5 nights
Sardinia: 4-5 nights on the ground (minimum)

Leave the city you return home from (most likely Rome) for last. You can go to Florence first thing upon landing, even if you fly to Rome (there are trains from Rome to Florence every 20 min and the trip is 90 min).

Sardinia is a very large island with limited public transportation. So unless your Sardinian friend can take you around by car, you will need a rental car. Sardinia is famous for its beautiful sea and beaches, so it is best enjoyed in Summer. It is a very popular destination for European tourists in Summer, so prices skyrocket in July and especially August. I recommend you avoid from Mid-July to late August to avoid crowds and high prices. End of May to early July is good, as well as September. October can be ok, but weather can be iffy at times, especially the second half of the month. May is generally good, but sea water is still a bit cold, if you plan to swim in the sea.

I don't recommend you travel from/to Sardinia via ferry. Your vacation is very short and the ferry from Cagliari to Naples takes 15 hours. You can fly.

Vueling Airlines has seasonal flights from Florence to both Cagliari and Olbia in Spring through October, although not every day of the week (July-August flights are almost daily). Check the Vueling website for the dates you intend to fly. There are also flights from Pisa and Bologna to Sardinia.

From Sardinia to Naples there are even more options from any of the 3 Sardinian airports (Cagliari, Olbia, Alghero). Ryanair, Volotea, Easyjet, all have flights from Sardinia to Naples (most are seasonal however).

I’ve made 11 trips to Italy and visited all the places you mention. I think you’re trying to cram too much into two weeks time. Italy is a country that should be savored, not rushed. I would either eliminate Naples and Amalfi or Sardegna. Remember that your day of arrival and departure shouldn’t be counted as touring days. If you go to Sardegna, please don’t waste over half a day on the ferry. Plan on flying into Florence, taking the train to Rome and flying from Rome to Sardegna. Then fly back to Rome for your flight home or fly to Naples and fly home from there.

Unless going to the beach is an absolute deal breaker, I would definitely avoid the mobs and heat by visiting in October.

Sounds like terrific fun! It's a long ferry but I suspect you've already noted that!

P.S. Gentle reminder:The standard English spelling for Sardinia is Sardinia. Just like Rome is standard English not Roma. The OP asked about transportation and not whether to drop a stop or whether Amalfi is worth visiting or whether it was too hot or crowded or too filled with souvenirs .They asked if anyone else had done the same itinerary. They didn't ask what the correct minimum number of days for any of these places. I too give unsolicited advice and I worry that when I do it can be interpreted differently than I intended. I know people travel at different paces and have different goals. When they ask if "this is too much", they generally want comments on pacing. When they don't, I am hesitant to assume it is appropriate to comment on that aspect of their plans. Most people take it all in stride though and of course the expertise and wisdom and passion found on this forum is great! Cheers!

David, you and the Webmaster are both right. But when someone makes an obsolete plan, like long-distance Mediterranean ferries, a No! is a kindness, not a rebuke.

I agree that the mediocre shore- time of the AC is unneeded on a trip with Sardinia. And leaving out Venice (Yogi Berra: Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded) is a huge mistake. Most US beaches are superior to most Italian beaches.

Fair enough Tim!

When I see a group trying to talk someone out of a stop like the Amalfi coast (which is amazing!) and sounding negative, I often unnecessarily come to the rescue and fail to improve the situation. But you know me! Always tripping over my own feet!

Happy travels!

P.S. The Amalfi coast is too crowded-- nobody goes there anymore!

In general 4 locations in 14 days is okay for 14 days but your plan has some logistical travel challenges. Both the Amalfi coast and Sardinia involve somewhat complicated travel logistics - one is ferry or bus and the other is best via a flight that may only be available on certain days. Also be aware that the ferry from Cagliari (very southern Sardinia) takes more than 14 hours to reach Naples. Sardinia is also an entire island so the location of your friend matters in terms of where you want to fly into and then travel out of. If they are on the north end of the island it is several hours of driving to reach the other end.

Since the Sardinia leg to visit your friend seems to be the non-negotiable part of the trip I think you should concentrate on that part and build out from there. Florence has flights to Sardinia on certain days and to both ends of the island so once you pin down where you need to fly to and when the set your Florence days before that.

Once you have Florence and Sardinia nailed down you can look into ferry or flight to Naples. For the Amalfi coast your best bet is train to either Sorrento and then ferry, bus or driver to the Amalfi coast towns or to Salerno and ferry from there. Naples airport is close to the city so flying in and then transfer to the train station is easily handled if you want to go right away or just into the city.

In general the easiest way to keep track of vacation days is actually to count by number of nights you are somewhere which also makes for easier tracking of reservations since you need to know where you're sleeping. Keep in mind that 3 nights somewhere is 2 full days with 2 days packing and travel logistics.

I'd lock down the places you know you'll be and then create a list of things you "must see" in each city and figure out how much time you want in each and then see how many days you can spend and make some choices.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod

Mluccia, I respect your expertise and I am sorry if I bugged you. I'll be again visiting the amafli coast in a couple months and I love it. (and yes, it can be nuts!)

My recommendation on the number of days for those locations is based on the GATP of the IPRSTF (Generally Accepted Travel Principles of the Intercommenters' Panel of Rick Steves' Travel Forum).

Then one is free to adapt to their own needs and interests. I would imagine that traveling to Sardinia is important to the OP since she has a friend to visit there.

Regarding the beauty of Italian beaches vs American ones, that depends on where one goes. I'm in California and beaches are beautiful, but if you get in the water you freeze your arse in 30 seconds. Hawai'i is a little better, but the waves are treacherous. If one takes the Italian beaches of northern Italy as an example, then yes, they are not that great. But Sardinia is not one of those, and their beaches are as great as many Caribbean islands.

IPRSTF council, huh?

Well played!

I am defeated. The day is yours!

P.S. I still think the Amalfi coast is worth the hassle but then I never did have much sense!

Thank you all - I really appreciate all of the suggestions/advice/commentary - it's all really helpful, especially since this is my first time visiting Italy. I agree that, with time being of the essence, flying is essential! I really don't even have time for the 8-hr ferry from Florence to Olbia. I'm a little unclear on the opinions re: the Amalfi coast and Venice? Essential or not?
Anyway, although it's a bit squeezed, I'm happy with these four areas! I will research the best way to get from Florence to Amalfi/Naples and then fly to Sardinia. After Sardinia, we'll finish in Rome. I'm going to try to do 14 nights to give myself a little extra time!

The classic "first trip" to Italy is Florence, Rome, Venice for good and obvious reasons. If you're interested in F,R,V and Sardinia there is absolutely nothing wrong with this itinerary.

I only cautioned about the Amalfi coast for logistical reasons and the extra time it takes to get there and get back so if your time is limited then I recommend sticking with places easily connected by train. I caution people the same way who want to do a the rural Tuscany hilltop town tour on a tight schedule. Be careful of how much you're spending getting from place to place because it takes away from the time you actually get to spend in those places.

If Amalfi is something you want to do - many people love it - then feel free to plan it out and go just be aware you may have to sacrifice something place else because of the travel time. And the travel can be less dependable - ferries are subject to weather and when there are fewer transport options it's easier to get bogged down or stuck in traffic.

I personally love Venice and will always go, but there are people who really don't like it and warn people off going there. But the reality is you will never know if you love a place if you don't go there and find out. You may visit Amalfi and decide to go back every year or you may decide "once was enough" and do something else next time.

This board is a great place for practical advice about trains, tickets schedules and then there are personally held feelings and opinions about places. The second is to be taken with as someone's opinion and not a fact since no one knows what you'll most enjoy on your trip.

That's why you have to go and find out...
=Tod

I'm skipping Venice and Milan, this time, because I often travel to England, France and Switzerland and can easily do an add-on flight to the northern parts of Italy.

Not saying it is right for everyone, but one reason we put off the AC (and more importantly, Pompeii et. al.) to our fourth trip to Italy is that sustained demand from cloud-stressed Limeys produces plentiful bargain airline flights to Naples. We paired it (five nights in Sorrento, not quite on the AC) with the Chelsea Flower Show. And I normally oppose thinking of the UK as part of The Continent when vacationing.

Miuccia, I love nothing more than sitting in a cafe and having a cappuccino or sipping a cocktail at an evening gathering spot or people-watching in an open area, when I visit a country. I feel and hope this itinerary with 3 to 4 nights in each place is feasible. I won't be staying with my friend in Sardinia, but she will give me suggestions of places to go. She lives in the northern part of Sardinia, so I will fly into Olbia. I'm really just trying to figure out whether I will go to Sardinia from Florence, Rome or Naples/Amalfi.

According to the GATP of the IPRSTF the number of nights recommended for Venice is 3 nights.

Of course you are free to adjust the number of nights from what the GATP recommends depending on your needs, personal interests and aspirations, however I recommend to spend a minimum of 2 nights in any location you plan to visit. Two nights give you at least a full day that you can devote to visit without having to worry about checking in and out of hotels, packing/unpacking, travel logistics.

For Sardegna (Sardinia in English), 2 nights are however too few, since Sardinia is more time consuming to reach, and is not a city but a region as large as the entire State of Maryland and the roads along the coast are curvy and slow (there are a couple of freeways but only in the not so interesting interior valleys).

If you can increase the number of nights in your vacation in order to have the recommended total number above, you can see it all and have a wonderful unrushed vacation with all the destinations you mentioned well covered.

Be aware that flying from the Amalfi coast to Sardinia actually means flying from Naples, and the Naples airport is at least 1,5-2 hours drive the Amalfi coast (and even more by public transportation), and that means having to sleep in Naples if your flight is early in the morning.

Florence has 3 flights a week to Olbia in June/Sept/Oct, and 6-7 flights a week (basically one daily) in July and August., Rome of course has the most options to anywhere.

I take it canoeing to Sardinia (or Sardynia in Polish) is not recommended.

Assuming you're actually asking @david,

Canoeing - or kayaking - around Sardinia should be amazing because of the shore and rock formations.
https://www.tofino.com/italy/kayaking-wild-sardinia/

With the exception of maybe southern Corsica (France) to northern Sardinia which is about 5 miles at it's narrowest I don't think canoeing to Sardinia is feasible. Civitavecchia to Olbia is 120 nautical miles and takes 5.5 to 7.5 hours on the ferry across open ocean.
Even in a small sailboat - <10m - I don't think this is doable as a one day trip.

=Tod

I'm eliminating Sardinia - yay! I will see my friend in Florence! Problem solved! Now, we just have three stops and won't be as crunched!!

I am so glad you're happy Tiffany now that you're in compliance with GATP of the IPRSTF, west coast division. (The east coast division doesn't approve of traveling to Sardinia at all on account of all the controversy on how to correctly spell it.)

Happy travels! You'll have a great time!

Let's call it Sardinia, since this is an English speaking forum. After all Sardinia is the Latin name the Romans used to call the island before the locals pronounced it Sardigna (pron. Sardiña, as in Spanish 'ñ' ) in their local dialect (hence the Italian "Sardegna").

And the controversy is hereby settled in accordance also to the standards to the World Travel Forum (or WTF). Now you can include Sardinia in your travel. I know it's hard to reach, it has practically few useful railways, and Rick Steves doesn't cover it for that reason, but it's beautiful.

Yes, thanks for your help. I'm going to limit my trip to Florence, Rome and Naples/Amalfi Coast, so I'll be fully compliant and able to do 4 nights in each area! The next challenge is figuring out a good central spot to stay in in the Naples/ Amalfi Coast area that will allow me to get to the premier spots with relative ease!

Sorrento.

Not on the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento is on the northern side of the Sorrentina Peninsula while the Amalfi Coast is in the southern side), but, thanks to the Circumvesuviana train and the buses, it is logistically convenient to visit the Amalfi Coast, the island of Capri, Pompeii, and even Naples and Herculaneum. Maybe not as quaint as touristy (and pricier) Positano, but a nice town nevertheless.

There isn't much debate about whether Sorrento has the best transport options for travel with a daytrip on most days. Some will chime in that Salerno is, at least, not a "postwar, purpose-built, reinforced-concrete Resort Town", which is a fair description of Sorrento. Also, Sorrento is not a "beach town", it's built on a cliff. But Salerno, while making Paestum easy, makes everything else "farther away."

But our five nights in Sorrento, view of Vesuvius from our bed, were just right for our travel style. Ambasciatori hotel. The local Search Box (blue, top left) will produce HUNDREDS of informative posts on the decision points you have mentioned.

It is important to reckon with how over-touristed this area is, and how expensive taxis and car services can be. That's important because most bus stops will have a line that is longer than will fit on the next, half-hourly, bus.

Many of the ferries to/from Sardinia are overnight, and so you can save a hotel fare, and travel while you sleep.

However, I agree that this is way too much to do in 14 days. I think it works much better to leave off Sardinia if you are limited to 14 days. Sardinia is a fascinating place but sort of weak compared to other areas of Italy in many ways. It's famous for beaches, blue zones, and 5,000 year old stone houses.

Your enjoyment of Florence and Rome might depend on getting tickets to attractions in advance. Otherwise you might easily get locked out the Ufizi and the Roman forum. I personally find Rome kind of unpleasant and chaotic. Overly touristy, crowded, usually lousy food.

Naples is not really a great place to visit IMHO - although had some good food there. But Sorrento and Positano are amazing, as is Pompeii and Hercolana. Capri and Amalfi are great too, and you can take a ferry to Salerno, then take high speed train back to Rome or Florence.

From Florence you can rent a car and visit many wonderful places in Tuscany which are mainly reachable by car.

Rail rider, this is helpful - thanks. I've eliminated Sardinia - only doing Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast and surrounding area. For 13 or 14 nights, how would you break down the days? I'm still in the very early stages of planning this trip, so this forum has been extremely helpful - thanks to all!

• In order to get the best experience and be, somewhat, centrally located in the Amalfi area where do you think it best to stay between Sorrento, Positano, Pompeii, Hercolana, Capri, Naples and the Amalfi Coast proper? Also, what's the best way to travel to the Amalfi area from Florence or Rome (I'll also check out Rome 2 Rio)? My current plan is to start with Florence or Rome and work my way down to the Amalfi Coast.

It is not true that "there is nothing between Rome and the Amalfi Coast area", but places like Tivoli (for example) are best seen as daytrips from Rome. The AC (and even Sorrento, not on the AC) is rather far from Rome.

IMHO, it is a mistake to believe that Positano (or Maiori, or any other paradise of provincial Itally) is "central". Transportation in this area is too crowded and fitful to consider the actual AC towns as places to make daytrips from. Even Positano takes much smaller ferryboats, which are "farther" from Capri, say, than Sorrento. Amalfi is a ferry terminus, it's fair to say. But I didn't particularly like it as a place to sleep.

You are just not going to run into elderly widows wearing black and carrying a basket on their arm, on the AC.

This newsboard has hundreds of discussions of where to stay in the area of the AC, much more information than you can garner from one inquiry thread like this. They can be filtered for two years old or less, but really the facts don't change much from year to year. It only gets more crowded, from May to September especially.