Italy and travel within the country

Kailash

looking at going to Rome for 3 days and then possibly travel down to sorrento
has anyone got trains within the country before (on that route even?)
i think you have to get a bus from Naples to the amalfi coast?

i always wanted to see Rome, so not sure whether to take the hassle out of it and just do a city break to Rome and then travel acbk another time and do another part of the country.

any opinions on Italy where to go what to do are welcome.

FishDUDE

I've not done it yet but I do fancy flying to one city then getting the train to another then flying back, this site London to Italy by train from £69 | London to Venice Florence Rome,  Naples & other cities always come up when I look into it. I quite fancy Amsterdam to Rome doing night trains and stopping along the way but I think flying is much cheaper.

homer timpson

Spent a week in Rome 5 years ago and got a 1st Class train carriage to Naples, very reasonable price - absolutely the way to go.
A train from within Naples station goes straight to Sorrento (the last stop on the line), we got off at Piano de Sorrento the stop before. It stops at every single station between Naples and Sorrento, including stops for Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Cheap as chips fare - search "Circumvesuviana train".

One word of warning - after the air conditioned carriage from Rome, think of The Warriors movie and you'll get an image of the plastic graffiti 'train' that turns up for your onward journey to Sorrento - the only air con is when it is moving the short time between stations!! We took the bus on the way back to Naples Airport. Both legs were an adventure

Kailash

did you book both trains in advance or just the rome naples leg?

homer timpson

We booked the train to Naples in advance - 3 days into our week in Rome. First class is highly recommended.
We also did a day trip to Orvieto from Roma Termini - a beautiful village on a mountain top accessed from below via a venicular railway. Breathtaking views.

Naples to Sorrento was booked on the day at the station - they run every half hour.

Homer

reiteration

A word about the Bay of Naples/Amalfi Coast area.

To get there., yes obviously take that train from Rome ( or vice versa ), or fly in if that's how you're doing things, but for the stay in the area, you do not need to stay in Naples itself and you should not ! I made that mistake myself, having split my hotel time 50/50 between Naples and Sorrento further to the south.

Understand :
1) Naples is generally horrible
2) What great excursions you can do from Naples ( and there are great ones ) can be done from Sorrento instead on the same Circumvesuviana train system.
3) Sorrento is nice.
4) What there is really worth seeing in Naples can be done as a day out from Sorrento, if you can be bothered.
5) Sorrento gives quicker access to the Amalfi towns.

Combining Rome and the Bay of Naples/Amalfi Coast really works. There's enough for a forthnights trip here, a packed 10 days or whatever. If only a week, I'd use Naples purely as a waypoint to Sorrento ( without coming back for an excursion there ) and get on with better stuff south in your limited time. If you only have a week, I'd just do Rome as a stand alone city break some time, or combine it with something else when you have a longer time. A week in the Bay of Naples/Amalfi coast alone would do it decent justice and make a nice weeks holiday, but trying to do both in the time would be too many compromises and too much pressure.

Btw, a tip for Sorrento. Rather than take a hotel with a tempting looking brochure view from up on a hillside, take a place down within easy walking of the train and bus station. The basis of your stay in Sorrento is excursions after all so it makes sense to give yourself this convenience at the start and finish of each. Thinking about it, most of your day time activity would be out on trips and using the pleasant little town of Sorrento mainly in the evenings.
Train - Pompei, Herculaneum ( and yes, do both ), Vesuvius ( add on bus ), Naples if you must
Buses south - Amalfi Coast towns Amalfi, Positano and Ravelo
Boats - from the town centre located harbour - Capri and other islands. Boats to/from the Amafli coastal towns, which you can use in combo with the buses, for variety and times that suit.

For heavens sake don't go when its too hot or in highest season, as the pretty little places get crowded out and the buses get mobbed ( standing pax sardines like )

Steviebhoy

3 days isn't right for Rome.

Its fine if you know you're coming back, be it as a stand alone city break or combined with something else. But if you were thinking you'll "do" Rome on this trip in three days, I think you'll just end up annoyed at yourselves. Pressured, compromised, missed out on.

Give it five days or four as a bare minimum. IMO

Steviebhoy

Wiki, about the Circumvesuviana train system :

Circumvesuviana - Wikipedia

Btw, there is also a hydrofoil from Naples to Sorrento, or certainly used to be. Useful ( maybe )/fun/different for your initial transfer to Sorrento.

Steviebhoy

yep, we got a good deal on groupon the other years for 7(?) nights in italy for 209 quid including flights and trains... we stayed in rome, Florence, and Venice and had a great time...we had reservations on the trains and they were comfy...

the only downside for us - was the hotel in Florence (was some way out from the centre) so we booked one in the centre at our own expense...we had got talking to another couple and they said they had checked out the hotels online and decided to do an upgrade and thus not losing out...

sneakyweeone

Drove down to sorrento on our honeymoon 13 years ago.... picked up car near Collesium, nearly knocked someone down within minutes... a bit bonkers... great drive down though.
Go to Pompei & Herculaneum.. worth it... Capri was great.. Naples is really iffy... I wouldn't
Enjoy