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I'm taking my teenaged son there next June. I have several questions:
Rome- how many days do we need to see all the main attractions?
Naples- he wants to see Pompeii so this is a must for us. Is two days enough?
Venice has always been on my go to list so I'd like to go there too.
I'd like to squeeze in Florence as well so we can see Pisa.
I'm leaning toward 4 days in rome, two each in naples and venice and possibly a day in Florence on the way back to Rome from venice.
Opinions? Recommendations for/against?
This is a 16 year old boy who isn't real interested in churches but loves architecture, ruins, history, etc.
I would add a bit more time in Florence and shave off a day in Rome. You will be passing Florence on your way to and from Venice. there is much more history and architecture in Florence than Pisa.
Do you already have your ticket? Are you flying in and out of Rome?
Are the 9 days counting travel time? That is, are the 9 days actually on the ground, not in the air?
Will you be driving or taking the train or a combination of both?
(Sorry for all the questions.)
Venice is kind of out of the way of your other sights. I probably would skip it. The train trip from Rome is at least 4 hours. So yes, if you must see Venice, stopping along the way is a good idea.
Some suggestions (assuming you are flying in/out of Rome):
Fly into Rome, spend 2 nights. Along with the typical Rome sights (you must see the Pantheon, Coliseum, Forum), your kid might enjoy seeing Hadrian's villa in Tivoli. (My teen sons enjoyed it.)
On the 3rd day, head south to Sorrento on the Amalfi coast. Make that your headquarters for 3 days. Take the Circumvensia train to Pompeii one day. You could take a hydrofoil to Naples another day to go to the Museo Archaeological (a lot of the good stuff taken from Pompeii resides there.) The third day, see some of the Amalfi coast...you could go to Capri, or Positano, Amalfi, or Ravello. The views are simply breathtaking. If you still want more ruins, there is also Herculaneum.
Next, head north to Tuscany. To me, Florence, while full of important art, is really kind of a zoo. We prefer places like Siena, Pienza, Arezzo, Cortona.
But you can pick a place and overnight there. Siena is wonderful in terms of architecture.
Then, Venice. Spend one night, spend another day, then take the night train to Rome. One more night in Rome, then head home--that's 9 days.
This is just one itinerary. There are alternatives (you could do Tuscany/Venice in the beginning, and the Amalfi/Pompeii at the end, etc) but I don't want to inundate you with info overload.
Other people will have other suggestions, as well.
Sounds like too much in too little time. Getting to and from those places takes time. It took us most of a day to get from Venice to Rome last year. We drove, but even the train would take about 5 hours, plus time to and from the train station. You could do an overnighter to save valuable daytime sightseeing time but it sounds pretty rushed and tiring.
When you don't have a lot of time in one place, it's worth it to spend a bit more and stay in the centre of things rather than on the outskirts and waste time traveling to the sights. In Rome, Florence & Venice we could walk out of our apartment door and be right in the thick of things.
We were in Rome for 6 days which was about enough. We had two teens who weren't interested in galleries and museums either. To be honest, neither were my husband and I as there was so much to enjoy just being in Italy. Just having a cappuccino or a gelato and strolling the streets enjoying the beauty and energy of Italy was so satisfying, versus standing for 2 hours in a lineup to see paintings. We'll do that another time, when it's just me and hubby. Plus, most ordinary churches had fantastic art and architecture by themselves. For free. No lineups. We all loved St. Peters (go up the Dome), the Coliseum, Forum and the Trevi Fountain. And the markets.
Just do Rome, Pompeii and Venice. Leave Florence/Pisa for another time. Or leave out Venice, if you must (but it's just too wonderful to miss!), and do Rome, Pompei, Florence/Pisa.
Florence is a decent place to base. It is two hours from Rome Termini. You can get to Venice SL (Santa Lucia) by train in 3 hours. Venice can be done in 1 day. You can go in the morning and come back in the evening. You will not waste any time getting a hotel there. Sleep on the train coming back to Florence.
I was planning to do an overnight flight to Rome on a Thursday and depart Sunday the following week so we'd have 9 solid days there.
A few years ago we spent 9 days in London and it was a bit much in one place which is just as bad as not enough time (I learned the hard way!!!)
I didn't realize there were overnight trains- that might be a great way to save a few bucks and incorporate sleeping time and dollars into travel time and dollars. I wasn't planning to rent a car and instead do the train thing- I don't even know what the driving situation is in italy- right or left side and such. I wouldn't mind renting a car if getting around is easy- and if driving is like it is here in the states. But I certainly don't trust myself to drive opposite of the way I do here. Any thoughts?
I would really hate to go to italy and not see Venice- but I'd be happy to spend a day, take a gondola ride and make it quick. And no, my son would probably make the vacation hell if I had him looking at too much art.
If you plan accordingly you can do Rome in 2 days. I might throw out Venice and concentrate on other areas. I opted to skip Pisa for Florence. If you are into the outdoors make a trip to Cinque Terre, it is beautiful. Lots of hiking, scenery and great food. Pompeii is worth the trip, just don't hop on the milk run train from Rome to Naples like I did, take the express. Think about staying in Sorrento or Positano instead of Naples it is very crowded. Where ever you go or whatever you do you will love Italy!!!
I wasn't planning to rent a car and instead do the train thing- I don't even know what the driving situation is in italy- right or left side and such..
The "driving situation" is ... insane. Left, right, doesn't matter, it's just insane.
My husband did the driving since he's used to that sort of driving. He's from Montreal where they're almost as feral when they get behind the wheel of their cars.
So take the train, which I have heard from many, is a great system. Trenitalia is the company - go online, check out the schedules, prices, etc. We rented a car because there was four of us and it was cheaper. With two, it'd likely be more cost effective to take the train.
Quote:
I would really hate to go to italy and not see Venice- but I'd be happy to spend a day, take a gondola ride and make it quick. And no, my son would probably make the vacation hell if I had him looking at too much art.
Yeah, I agree with you about Venice. For me, it was absolutely magical, and I'm so glad I didn't drop it off our itinerary. St. Mark's is breathtaking! I just loved Venice and still gaze fondly at my photos of it, which are part of my screensaver at home and at work. I loved the fact that it was a city without all that crazy car traffic like elsewhere, where you could stroll along in peace.
Yes, and about the art - lol! our two would have been the same. But that's okay because I found Italy was like a wonderful masterpiece on its own. There's "art" everywhere. Most of their buildings are art. Their bridges (i.e., Pont Sant'Angelo in Rome has statues by Bernini on it!). Even their shop window displays are art. When you're from a young, modern country, Italy is a sight for sore eyes.
You should probably not drive in Italy.. I did a house swap with a family in Manhattan. I have a 2 foot scrape in the side of my MBZ to show for it. She had emailed to say she put a "small" scratch and for "some reason" the gas flap will not open. Now she is calling my neighbors liars and that she didn't do all the damage.
The damage to the car is one thing. Implying that my neighbors who witnessed her scraping the car against the gate and helping her extract herself from it liars is another. She also stuck me with the embarrassment as my neighbors seeing how crappy Americans lie and fail to take responsibility. BUT I RANT:
You are much better served by taking the trains. You will be taken right into the centers of town and within walking distance to your sites. No parking AND gas is about 9 bucks a gallon (down from 10).
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