My family of four will have fifteen days (not including flying in and out) in Italy. We're flying into Venice and out of Rome. I was hoping to possibly add a 3-day loop down to Sorrento/Pompeii and Positano. Would that be too ambitious? If anyone's done this I'd greatly appreciate any advice. So far I'm thinking three, four days in Venice, five in Florence, three down to Sorrento/Positano and then the rest in Rome. I've tried looking up train schedules/ferry times, etc. but if anyone has recently done this I'd appreciate your opinion. We're pretty active and love to travel but I want to make sure we're not spending all our time on trains. So far I've only booked one hotel in Venice, and i'm thinking to cut that from three nights down to two if we opt to add the coastal towns. thanks so much.
Kristen
Posted by
Dunwoody, Georgia
338 posts
I think you can easily shift days to add the Amalfi coast. I agree with the ealier post suggesting that you reduce your time in Florence, if you need to take a day from somewhere. Its been a little while, but I don't recall the trains between Rome and Naples and Naples and Sorrento taking that much time. I suggest staying in Sorrento because it has good connections to Naples and Pompeii. From there you can also easily take a bus down the coast (e.g. to Positano) for breakfast and a morning of exploration. Good luck.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
Flying open jaws or multi-city is a good strategy saving time and avoiding the need to backtrack. Here is my suggestion: Venice - 3 days Florence - 3 days Sorrento - 4 days
Roma - 5 days To save touring time you could take an evening train from Venice to Florence because it is about 1.5 to 2 hours. The ride to Sorrento will be more involved because you will need to go to Napoli and then transfer, which could easily take the better part of a day. The 4 days in Sorrento will really be 3 because of the travel time involved. The travel time to Roma will be less complicated and time consuming. If this seems too complicated I would save Sorrento for the next trip because you will want to return. Italy will seduce you as it does everyone else. You can also buy tickets from trenitalia.com and maybe you can take advantage of possible discounts. Using an American credit card seems to be hit or miss, but worthwhile if you can save some money. Buon viaggio,
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
From Rome, it's about 3.5hrs to get to Positano via the various transportation options. Here's a link to a nice graphic that shows your land options. The ferries are not shown. http://www.positano.com/images/getting-to-amalfi-coast-italy.pdf For the ferries, most only go to Sorrento. However, Metro del Mare does continue on to Positano and farther south to Salerno and beyond www.metrodelmare.net Note that there are two ferry docks. You need to get to the correct one.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11364 posts
RB's recommendation is excellent. 5 days is a long time in Florence unless you are renting a car and heading out to see hilltowns. Rome deserves more time than most people give it, and I think you'll appreciate the longer stays in Sorrento and Rome for end of your trip. I love Venice and would usually recommend one more night there, but as always, you have to balance.
Posted by
OP
salem, usa
4 posts
Thank you all so much. i've got some research to do, but i think i'll take your advice and try to work in some towns to the south. Now the next thing is getting my kids to pack light! i appreciated that graphic, too, RB.
thank you.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2374 posts
From Rome to Sorrento should take about 3 to 3 and half hours, depending on the train you take. We always take the slow train from Rome to Naples to save about half the cost. Slow train about 2 hours and train from Naples to Sorrento about an hour. I think you can also get a bus from Rome to Sorrento but we never did that. We stayed at Villa La Tartana in Positano, a lovely B&B right in town and room we had slept four plus room for a crib, it was very large and I think cost about 200 euro a night. You can find it on B&B in Positano. I personally would do the days in Florence, then Rome and then Amalfi and back to Rome the evening before you fly out. See what others suggest.