We will be taking the best of Europe 14 day tour this coming May . We will be arriving in Rome 4 1/2 days before our tour starts. We'd like to experience as much of Italy as we can, but we've never been there so we are at a loss of what cities/areas to try to visit.
Any suggestions/recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
You could visit Naples and the Amalfi Coast.
I would be inclined to spend the time in Rome itself. There is so much to see there! The tour really only spends one full day there, and a couple hours of another.
Do you have your guidebook yet? Sit down with it and a calendar, and see how quickly you can fill up another few days.
Oh, and should you want a side trip, Ostia Antica is well worth the better part of a day, especially if the museum has reopened.
I agree with Jane! We spent 6 days in Rome this past May and could easily have spent 6 more. It may be too late to get tickets to the major attractions, but there is so much to see everywhere you go in Rome. We loved the Eating Italy Taste of Testaccio food tour (so much great food you won’t even need anything more than a snack for dinner) and that’s a neighborhood you won’t see at all on the RS tour. Climb or take the elevator up to St Peter’s dome. Visit the Pantheon using the RS audio tour…..Look at Rick’s book (or chapter) on Rome and take note of all the things the tour won’t cover. I understand the desire to see as much of Italy as possible, but if you try to do that you’ll waste a lot of time in transit. Save the other cities for the next time…. I promise you’ll want to return!
Welcome to the forum!
Another vote for basing in Rome with maybe a day or partial day or two trip. The tour only spends one full day plus an evening walk-about there, and the Eternal City offers a LOT to see. I see that a trip to Ostia Antica was suggested (very good idea!) and you might consider Tivoli/Villa d'Este or Castel Gandolfo as well.
Rome in May promises to be very busy and could be uncomfortably warm so being able to sightsee at less than a dead run would be a plus, IMHO. Spend some time with your guidebook to see what Rome offers that is of interest? What can you tell us about yourselves that might help us make suggestions?
People will tell you not to do this, but I would take a day trip to Pompeii. In Rome, if Basilica San Clemente isn't on your tour, you should go online and get a time to see it.
The reason many of us advise travelers who are not spending quality time on the Amalfi Coast/Sorrento/Naples to day-trip to Ostia Antica versus Pompeii is because it's so much closer to Rome and eats up less time dealing with transport. The bus tours from Rome> Pompeii generally take 3 hours or more, one-way, to get there (and the same back) for a mere 2 hours at the (VAST!) ruins. Some tours also include a drive along part of the coast - which means even more time sitting - and a stop along the way.
We're all different but I figure 7+ hours sitting on a bus as time that could be better spent exploring corners of Rome on foot. You'll also be getting plenty of bus time on your 14-day tour.
Pompeii can be done a bit more efficiently by rail ("fast" train to Naples; battered Circumvesuviana commuter train to the excavation) so ask if this is something you think you'd like to do?
Thank you so much to everyone who responded. The information is very helpful and I feel I'm making some headway now on the planning of the non tour days.
If you don't mind, a couple of more questions please :
1) what mode of transporation did y'all take from the airport to the hotel? There will be three of us so not sure if it makes sense to shuttle/taxi or bus???
2) Would you recommend keeping the trips to either Ostia Antica or Castel Gandolfo to day trips or are there enough sights to see/things to do in either place to keep us occupied two nights and one day?
Thank you
I always take the Leonardo Express train from Rome’s airport to Roma Termini, the train station that’s closest to the tourist sites. Download the Trenitalia app, and you can just buy your ticket on the app instead of waiting in line at a kiosk that tends to be slow. Otherwise, there’s taxis - just make sure you go to the official taxi stand & not someone who approaches you.
I like to explore, so my recommendation will be different. You will be going to Orvieto, the Tuscany region & Venice on your tour. I would suggest taking the train your next morning to Salerno. Take the Frecciarosso (fast train) options on Trenitalia - an easy, no train connections route for you, and you will be at Salerno by 10:30am if you take the 8:58am train from Roma Termini. If you decide to do this, purchase your train tickets a month ahead to save money.
From Salerno you can take ferries or the bus along the Amalfi Coast for a day or two of sightseeing. Positano & Ravello are my two favorites. Or, go the opposite direction one day and see the amazing Paestum Greek ruins. (Google photos of them!) It’s a 30-minute train from Salerno, and the ruins are a very short walk from the train station. This train is a cheap one - no need to buy a month or even a week ahead.
Those options would be a nice complement to the rest of your trip since the rest of your trip is inland except for Venice.
Full disclosure- I’ve stayed in 40 cities in Italy (yes, I love Italy!), and I think all of those pre-tour days spent in Rome would be an expensive choice & more intense than I would suggest if a friend was asking me for advice.
Ostia Antica is just a day trip from Rome. It’s actually located near the edge of Rome, taking a short train ride to reach it.
We also take the Leonardo Express to Termini, and then walk to our hotel from there. We've bought the tickets at the airport train station, not having had the app.
If your lodging is near the Termini Station, this is a very easy way to get into town. Otherwise, a taxi or shuttle might make more sense.
