Rome and the coast - advice sought.

jhiker

Posted on tripadvisor also...
Good afternoon. First time poster in the Italy forum.
We are a married couple living in the UK, late 50s, and planning a first trip to Italy in summer 2016. Somehow, we've never got round to Italy and it's time we put that right.
We often take our summer holidays in the Greek islands and have travelled to SE Asia several times. European trips have often been on 'packages' but sometimes planned independently, and I don't mind putting in a bit of legwork. Preferred accommodation either self-catering or B&B in what you might call 'modest' hotels. Not looking for luxury - we would prefer to compromise on accommodation and splash out a bit on eating and exploring. Fond of architecture and archaeology but we'd also like to spend some time at a coastal resort.
So, having got that out of the way, I could do with a bit of advice....
Let's say a 10/14 day trip in July next year is on the cards. Ideally we would like to spend four or five days in Rome and then move on to somewhere in the Sorrento region within striking distance of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I'm not sure whether to dive in and start planning this myself or whether I'd be better off trying to pick up a two-destination package. Are these quite common?
Can we fly to Rome and out of Sorrento/Naples or should we head back to Rome after the coast?
Are there UK companies that specialise in two-centre holidays - any specific recommendations?
What would be the ideal base for the coastal part of the trip?
We're happy to use public transport where possible but car hire would not be out of the question - is it expensive in Italy?
We also fancy Sicily, but probably not this trip - maybe next year!
Thanks for reading. Any advice welcome, and I'm sure I'll have more questions!

ibizafan_2

Sorry, can't help on your main question. We went to Rome for four days in September (loved it) but didn't go on anywhere else. However, hope you find time for Sicily soon, as I've been twice and there is so much to see and do. I can't recommend it enough. I really think that Italy is the jewel in Europe's crown for me. It's got to be one of my favourite places in the world.

bigadaj

Well like most things you can diy or employ someone to do it.

Flights are easy, budget airlines fly to many destinations, easiest thing is to search on skyscanner and that will give you options for which airports are available.

Tripadvisor gives good info on hotels, and trains are good in Italy if often not too quick. Man in seat 61 provides info on train travel, though be careful around Italian train stations as they are not salubrious and pickpockets are common, though shouldn't be physically dangerous.

Driving would be challenging for many due to the Mediterranean style driving of the locals.

There are many coastal options in Italy, cittavecchia near to Rome, or there is Rimini on the Adriatic which is close to Ravenna which is incredibly impressive for its Roman and Byzantine history.

zagfles

When we looked at packages they were a rip-off, about 3 times the cost we paid doing it ourselves. Packages are usually good value for a bog standard holiday destination like a week in Benidorm, but anything out of the ordinary they're usually expensive.

You won't need a car, the public transport in good in Rome and also around Sorrento. Just get a train between them, maybe with a flight into Rome and out of Naples. There's a local train which goes round Vesuvious from Naples to Sorrento stopping at Herculaneum and Pompeii, and there are lots of buses and ferries from Sorrento to Amalfi coast destinations.

Have a search here for the Sorrento area it's been discussed a lot, also have a look at the tripadvisor forums which are excellent for destination specific info.

Voyager2002

Just a thought, but at that time of year Rome might be uncomfortably hot. Could you go during Autumn or even Winter? July might be a good time for the North of Italy, which is also fabulous: Firenze (Florence), Pisa and Siena are every bit as good as their reputations; not to mention Verona, Bologna... the list is endless.

pollypenny

We love Italy, but take voyager's warning: Rome is very hot in July. weve done it by getting up early, sight-seeing fir a while, then hiding away in a cool restaurant for a long lunch before starting again.

April was much better. Rome is quite easy to get around, though.

mgdavid

bigadaj wrote: »

..........
There are many coastal options in Italy, cittavecchia near to Rome, or there is Rimini on the Adriatic which is close to Ravenna which is incredibly impressive for its Roman and Byzantine history.

You may have missed the OP's criteria of a coastal resort handy for Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which are a good couple of hundred miles south of Rome, not north !

bigadaj

mgdavid wrote: »

You may have missed the OP's criteria of a coastal resort handy for Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which are a good couple of hundred miles south of Rome, not north !

No, just an alternative which is closer and given the time of year might be better. They discuss Sicily as well, and have never been to Italy so I considered this as an alternative which includes their primary interest of coats,a resort with history and archaeology, there are many others.

Blue264

I did this exact trip in March for my 50th birthday (but flew onwards to Barcelona for 4 more nights), but I had been to both locations before many years previously. Perhaps if I gave you our itinerary it might help you in some way?

Direct flights to Rome

TAM but from Fiumicino airport to Rome Termini train station € 4 each. Terravision also do this route.

http://www.tambus.it/?lang=en

http://www.terravision.eu

4 nights at the Radisson - 5 mins walk from Termini and had a large balcony and the hotel has a rooftop swimming pool, but there are tonnes of impressive hotels all around the city. Rome's underground is very cheap and clean.

Italo train from Termini to Naples € 16 each and took just over an hour http://www.italotreno.it/en

Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento. To be honest, I wouldn't use this with luggage in July. There's a regular shuttle bus service from Naples airport to Sorrento for about € 11 each which takes in some fantastic coastal scenery. Or get a taxi to the port and sail into Sorrento.

My favourite Sorrento hotel is the Minerva, but it was closed in March so stayed at the Sorrento Apartments which were great.

Shuttle bus back to Naples airport and direct flights back to the UK.

Must dos which are great value for money are the Naples airport shuttle, local bus service to Amalfi and onwards to Ravello, and the ferry to Capri or / and Ischia.

If you do the bookings yourself, you will save a small fortune on what holiday company's would charge.

skint_chick

We've done this trip too - in September though because July is really hot! But if you're willing to brave the heat then it's relatively easy to book it yourself and fly into Rome and home from Naples. We spent 5 days in Rome then caught the train to Naples (2hrs) then the Circumvesuviana train on to Sorrento (45mins). We also took the bus back to Naples airport so that's another option. It's really easy to get to Pompeii and Herculaneum as the train goes to both and is cheap, we also got the bus round the coast, and took the boat to Capri as well. A car would be a bad idea because the roads are very bendy and it can be a bit scary going round a corner and a bus is coming towards you really fast.


You can book the train between Rome and Naples in advance online - although I had some issues with getting my card accepted - or you can go to the station in Rome when you arrive and get the tickets then. We bought the bus tickets online in advance, but there were people who turned up and paid on the day. This type of holiday would be relatively easy to book yourself and probably cheaper too!

Ladyshopper

I was in Rome for a couple of days in July. It was uncomfortable hot, to the point I didn't get half the stuff done I wanted to. Good excuse to go back, but I wouldn't go in the heat of summer again.