So over the past 15 years or so, my vacations have pretty much been centered around wherever my kid’s competitions have taken him to. So now that he’s finally off to college, I’m finally taking advantage of being able to travel on my own time. We managed to snag a $315 RT between SFO and Rome FCO (brief stop in Frankfurt) in late April for 8 days, which was too good to pass up. I think the weather should be ok.
I’ve been in Rome once before, in a November, only for 1.5 days. Stayed close to Termini. I’ve seen most of the major stuff in Rome in brief, so looking for ideas for day trips this time. Pisa/Florence worth it? Naples? Pompeii? Amalfi Coast? We won’t be driving. Probably staying close to Termini again even though parts of the area is pretty yucky. Never tried Airbnb overseas before, not sure if it is worth it or not. No need to go to Venice or Milan, trying to stick mostly to the south and middle if possible. Sicily is probably too far away.
Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, and Capri would top my list for excursions. Amalfi Coast may be a bit of drive though depending on how far down you go and may be worth doing an overnight.
Can you do overnights elsewhere instead of using Rome as your base for the whole trip? Florence and Naples/Amalfi/Capri/Pompeii would all be great trips via train from Rome but best not done in 1 day.
Florence is always worth it. As is Pompeii. But if you can’t fit it all in, consider Ostia or Hadian’s Villa, both an hour or less, depending on how you go.
Pompeii definitely makes a good day trip and is well worth it. Florence has way too many wonders to see in a single day. You need to spend two or three days in Florence…
I would consider Pompei a possible day trip, but Sorrento and Amalfi Coast are not. It’s difficult to get around the Amalfi Coast without a car. You have to do a lot of research and find the right bus and ferry routes. I have driven the Coast twice in a car in way way off season and it was still a white knuckle experience because scooters zoom in and out from all directions, while hugging a skinny road hanging on the cliffs with a zillion hairpin turns.
Renting a car in Italy is expensive due to insurance requirements, toll roads, etc. you need an international driving permit and there are ZTL zones in historic centers where you cannot take the rental car.
You could arrive Rome, go straight from airport on a train to Naples, spend night, do Pompeii next day in the morning, then train down to Sorrento. Base in Sorrento 2 nights and take ferry to Capri or a lovely ferry down the coast to Positano (if they are running in April). A lot of things shut down in off season.
That would leave 4-5 nights in Rome.
Personally, I would end your trip stationed in Rome rather than having to have the stress of making it to the airport from somewhere out of town. That first day off the plane will be a killer but you got yourself to your furthest destination and you can work your way back to Rome. There are many day trips from Rome including a train ride to Orvieto in Umbria to get a taste of the countryside and the hill towns in central Italy.
There are wonderful small 1 bdrm vacation rentals (not necessarily Airbnb) in Rome. No need to stay near Termini.
Florence is always worth a visit. Lucca and Siena are other fabulous towns in Tuscany, but generally it’s much better to see Tuscany with a car. Pisa is overrated in my opinion. Pompeii is great but the logistics of the Amalfi coast may be too much for a short trip. I wouldn’t make day trips but would split the time between Rome and another area.
I’ll admit this: I don’t like a jam packed itinerary. I prefer to settle in, feel like I belong there, am not a tourist, don’t have to see every town or four star site around. It’s easy to spend a week just in Rome. But even so, I take down days. I like to find the nooks and crannies, maybe revisit a restaurant or go to outdoor markets, buy cheese and wine for a lunch back in the hotel. Sit in bakeries, and people watch. Or spend only a medium time in a museum, knowing I can go back another morning. Kinda, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
The exception, imo, is when you may never get another chance at an out of the way place. I’d put Pompeii in that category, but perhaps the only extra run-around.
This may seem odd to some, but Rome is entrancing and maybe you don’t want to short change it with too many side trips. YMMV.
I agree, I could spend many days wandering in Rome. Because I live on a coastline, I don’t really go to Europe to see a coastline or the sea. So I wouldn’t go out of my way to see the Amalfi Coast, but that’s just me. Since OP mentions it (and everyone seems to have it on their list ) I threw in my 2 cents of trying to drive and get around the coastline
Coralbrook, for me, this realization came when I travelled with a friend who literally had a checklist. “They say I have to see XYZABC.” While he ran from spot to spot and figured out how to get to some remote corner before sundown, DH and I had time to absorb. But I do understand travel is always YMMV.
I do love a good coastline, anywhere, ( though we live a skip from the ocean) and I joke my family is seriously expert at short visits. But one can’t always do everything.
Florence is about 90 minutes by train. Even a short time there is wonderful and it’s very different than Rome. Focus on the Uffizi and Duomo, sit at an outside cafe, etc. Don’t sleep on the train. Lol, it’s a chance to watch the villages ad farms you pass.
Rather than Pompeii, I would go to Herculaneum. It’s better preserved, gives a better insight as to what a roman town would look like, has fewer tourists, and is smaller so it also doesn’t take as long to tour through.
I’ve only been to Pompeii, not Herculaneum, but I have to say the latter looks awfully fabulous from the pictures!
My favorite things from a trip focused on architecture were the Villa d’Este which has fabulous gardens. http://www.villadestetivoli.info/storiae.htm You want to see the fountains going. It’s about an hour from Rome.
I also really loved Assisi. Which is midway between Florence and Rome. It has lovely frescos by Giotto, but is also a lovely hill town.
I’ve been to Herculaneum, not Pompeii. We loved it, it really gives you a feel of what the village would have looked like. It takes about 3 hours to tour. We did it in 2, but had a taxi preplanned.
While in Rome, do the Travestere food tour. One of the highest rated. You hit unusual, unique places for food and drink tastings, stopping at one place for a little more of a meal. It’s 4 hours, and fun to tour with a small group.
I took one of my kids to Rome for 8 days in May a couple years ago. I still have a list of places we didn’t have time to get to.
It is possible to do Pompeii DIY in a long day from Rome or join one of many tours. We opted instead for Ostia Antica which was an easy DIY (my strong preference). You can hire day guides from Rome - we heard several guiding family groups, they sounded quite excellent. If I had traveled with DH, I would have hired a guide, but I thought this would be overkill for the interests of my young adult. I always do heavy research into what I am going to visit and I don’t think I missed much with just my background and the wander through the sight.
Another easy day trip, DIY or local guide, is Tivoli - ruins and Villa d’Este as mentioned by @mathmom.
I’ve been to Italy on several other occasions - I personally would not consider a day trip to Florence, Pisa or Amalfi Coast. Too rushed and too much concern about the return timetable for me to enjoy - but, obviously others have different travel styles and priorities.
Some special tours and entrances are available that need to be booked in advance - Vatican gardens, Scavi tour to St Peter’s tomb, etc and the Borghese Gallery. If interested, I suggest checking their websites for their recommended time frame for booking. I remember I booked the Borghese as soon as it was possible for our chosen date and others had already ready beaten me to our choice time.
It’s really going to depend on your travel style, but you have lots of options with 8 days.
Option 1: Stay in Rome and take day trips. I did a really long one to Pompeii and Positano. It was in early March and most of Positano was still closed for the season and wasn’t worth the addition. Make sure things will be open if you go to the Amalfi coast. Also consider Naples. I loved this city, but it never seems to get the same love that the more northern cities do. The Naples Underground tour is not to be missed IMO.
Option 2: Combine with a few days in Florence (this would be my vote). It is easy to take the train between Florence and Rome. There’s a lot to see and do in Florence (and the city is more compact and walkable than Rome) and if you really want to explore, there are options for day trips around Tuscany.
Option 3: The “I want to see it all” option. If you don’t feel the need to spend too much time in Rome and want to be on the go all the time, then I would suggest you fly up to Venice shortly after arriving. Spend 2 nights in Venice and then train to Florence. 2-3 nights in Florence, then train to Rome (making sure you arrive at least the day before your return flight to play it safe.)
My daughter is in Florence this semester and absolutely loves it. That’s where I want to go! But she’ll be traveling to see her brother in Beirut over break, so there’s no point in visiting her. DH and I will make it over at some point.
You can take the high speed rail to Pompeii for a day trip, and I really recommend doing that. Buy the tickets in advance, you can pay with your credit card. Well worth it, and not that expensive.
We rented bikes and pedaled all around the lovely Villa Borghese park above the Spanish Steps. Also, book tickets to go underground at the Colosseum in advance. Again, you can use a credit card.
You can buy combined tickets which get you into some excellent sites in Rome and are much cheaper than buying individual tickets. One is the Archeologia Card, another is the Biglietto 4 Musei, and another is the Appia Antico pass. They all save you money. If you will literally just be in Rome for 7 days, you can get a Roma pass, which includes transport.