Stlmoondog

Could someone help me with a brief itinerary for a trip my husband and I are planning for our 60th birthdays this summer?

We have flights booked RT from the US to Rome from August 6th to August 20th.

We have two weeks and would like to see the following areas:

Rome - 1 night
Almalfi Coast
Sorrento
Capri
Cinque Terra
Tuscany Wineries
Rome - 1 night

We have been to Rome once before for a day so we would like to spend an evening there when we arrive on the 7th and then take the train down. We are open for suggestions, cities that are must sees, number of days to spend in each area, and best route to take. We don't mind driving some but know that where we can take the train it would be easier and faster. Thank you for any suggestions or companies to help me with my planning.

Travel_Nerd

It would help if you provide background info on both of your interests, activity level, etc.

Moderator1

Welcome to Fodors. We removed your post from an old topic and created this new thread.

KayF

Sorrento, Amalfi Coast and Capri are all in the same area so you'd need to decide which town you prefer to stay in and for how long. I'd stay in the one place, even if it's a week. You can book a day tour to Capri but last time we were there (a long time ago) we stayed in Sorrento, which we loved, walked down to the port and bought tickets on the next ferry over to Capri. On an earlier trip, we were on a tour and went to the Blue Grotto. We all had to get from a larger boat into a very small boat, in the open sea, with not much help. Both boats were rocking and we were being rushed. We had a few minutes in the cave.

You can get local buses to the various towns along the coast. Amalfi was lovely and there is another bus from there that goes uphill to Ravello. Wonderful views from Ravello.

From the Amalfi Coast to Cinque Terre is a fairly long trip. You could break it up with another stay somewhere in the middle but that eats into your time. We had a few nights in Orvieto, just north of Rome. You could leave the Cinque Terre for another trip or skip the wineries. Towns you could check for the wine tasting idea are Siena, Lucca or San Gimignano. Lots of other places of course. If it was me, I'd use public transport for the whole trip. Use Google Maps for distances and bus/train ideas. Seat61 website has all the train information you will ever need.

Not sure if you know that August is the month where most Europeans go away for their main holiday. It's also likely to be very hot. I'd try and book accommodation soon.

SusanP

Welcome to Fodors.
Not only do most Italians take their vacation in August, a great many of them go to the Amalfi Coast/Capri or Sorrento (which is a good place as a base but is not technically on the Amalfi Coast). Just so you know, it will be very hot and very crowded. Cinque Terre is at the other end of the country and will be mobbed.
Is there any chance you can change your flights? Since you seem to have little interest in Rome (although one day spent there isn't even a drop in the bucket), it doesn't make much sense to fly in and out of there. You waste time and money getting to where you want to go and then getting back to Rome to fly out, so even if round-trip to Rome is cheaper, it might not be with these extra costs. With the itinerary you want, it makes more sense to fly into Naples, do the Amalfi Coast, somewhere in Tuscany (many choices), Cinque Terre if you must, then maybe end on Florence or Milan to fly out.

Jean

August 15th is the biggest summer holiday for Italian families. If you don't already have lodging reservations in your budget range in any of your water-adjacent destinations covering the week of Aug. 10-18, you might be out of luck. I'd work on finding availability somewhere for that week, and then organize your itinerary around that destination. You might not be able to do everything on your list.

bilboburgler

If I have to go to Italy in August I tend to go where the crowds are not. Your choices are the best places but at the worst time. Either reconsider or expect to spend time and money finding out how crowded

bvlenci

I think Sorrento would be a good place to stay. It's not actually on the Amalfi Coast, but it's very convenient to get to and convenient for a trip to Capri. If you prefer to stay right on the Amalfi Coast, I would choose one of the smaller less well-known towns, to avoid the worst of the crowds. Someone else can advise you better about places to stay.

To get there from Rome, you would take a high-speed train to Naples. Then you could take a different train (the Circumvesuviana) to Sorrento, and, if you're going further, a bus or boat to your destination. I would consider hiring a private driver to take you from Naples to your destination.

As someone has already said, the Cinque Terre are a long way from the Amalfi coast. It would be an eight-hour drive or a very long slog by public transportation. If you really want to do this, I would suggest flying from Naples to Genova. (Ryanair has a direct flight.) You would still have the trip to Naples from wherever you're staying, and the trip from Genova to the Cinque Terre, so it would be a somewhat tedious day.

I myself wouldn't go to the Cinque Terre in high season. This photo will show you why.

https://images.app.goo.gl/nrPn6GHmftc5MLcTA

You can see that people are wearing coats, so it's not even in the summer.
​​​​​
A car is not much use on the Amalfi Coast or in the Cinque Terre. Traffic is horrendous in August and parking is scarse. On the other hand, a car is very useful, almost necessary for a visit to rural Tuscany. If you prefer not to rent a car, you could stay in Florence and take wine/gourmet tours from there. (Be sure to choose small group tours.)

It's hard to advise you on the amount of time to spend in each place. It would help if you tell us something about your interests. Also tell us how many nights you'll have in Italy. 13 nights is 12 full days, of which at least 2 will be travel days.

It will probably be very hot everywhere.

bvlenci

It's true that August is the month when most Italians go on holiday, but not many go to the Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast. Many go to the mountains, or to a beach resort, or to one of the great lakes, like Lago Maggiore.

Stlmoondog

Thank you so much for your response. I realize I didn't put many details into my original questions but your information was very helpful. We actually are flying into Rome but then want to take the train down to Sorrento. We thought we would stay a few nights in Sorrento and perhaps visit Capri one day and the Blue Grotto. It sounds to beautiful. Then we would go over to the Amalfi side and stay there maybe 4 days. We have been to Amalfi only once and for just one day stop on a cruise so we would definitely like to revisit that area. I have heard wonderful things about Sorrento also. I am not sure if this is too much time down in this same region but we do love to see the picturesque views and beach areas. From there i thought we would take the train all the way up to La Spezia and stay one night in Cinque Terra as we have also seen this area one day on the cruise but want to revisit and actually explore all 5 towns. I am not sure which one we will try to stay at but perhaps Manarola? We have enough time to spend 2 days / 1 night in Cinque Terra and then head to the Tuscany region. We are thinking of staying in the town of Siena if able to visit some of the wineries and region there. Would you recommend having a driver in this area or renting a car? We would like to visit Florence one day and perhaps stay one evvening in Florence to enjoy its culture before heading back to Rome to head home.

So my question is - are these adequate amount of days for these areas or too much / too little in some? Would love your advice.

Fly into Rome - August 6
Take train from Rome to Sorrento - 3 nights
Travel to Amalfi - 3 nights / 4 nights
Train to La Spezia - Cinque Terra - 1 night
Train to Florence / Siena - 3-4 nights
Train to Rome - August 19
Fly to US - August 20

SusanP

It's not too much time in the southern area if that is what you're interested in. Sorrento is a good spot for connections.
The outlier is still Cinque Terre. You're going to spend a good part of a whole day getting there. It's a very long trip for only one night staying there.

KayF

Agree with Susan that it's a lot of travel to Cinque Terre for very little time. I'd either go there for longer and skip Siena and Florence or not go at all on this trip. Save it for another time. We stayed in Manarola for 4 nights and in hindsight, 3 nights would have been enough. Lovely area but villages built into hillsides so be prepared for huffing and puffing. We were there off-season and it was busy then.

For the wineries, doing a small group tour with a driver might be fun. Hiring a car yourselves to visit is a bad idea, unless one of you doesn't drink?

janisj

Welcome to Fodors. Unfortunately your Cinque Terra plan simply doesn't work. The fastest journey from Amalfi to say La Spezia will take between 7 and 8 hours. Then the next day from La Spezia to Florence is another 2.5 hours. All that travel will give you a scant few hours for the Cinque Terra. Plus the area will be an utter madhouse.

bvlenci

The trip from Amalfi to Manarola would take at least 8 1/2 hours by public transportation. First you would take a bus to Salerno. Then you would have to go to the train station, which is about a 6-minute walk from the bus stop. (Maybe you could get a taxi, or get a driver to take you from Amalfi to Salerno.) Then you would get a high-speed train to Florence. There are some direct trains from Florence to La Spezia, but sometimes you have to change in Pisa. From La Spezia you can get a train to Manarola. If you leave Amalfi at 7 AM (or earlier, depending on how long it takes to get to the bus stop) you would be in Manarola between 3 PM and 4 PM.

The trip from Manarola to Siena would be shorter, but almost as tedious. You would get a train to La Spezia, then another train to Florence, and finally a bus to Siena.

As an alternative, you could get a train from La Spezia to Pisa, then another train from Pisa to Empoli, and finally another train to Siena. The trip would take between 4 and 5 hours, so you'd probably have to leave before noon. You would have almost no time to see the Cinque Terre, and you would spend two days of your vacation hauling suitcases on and off trains and buses. If you decide to do this, you should travel with as little luggage as possible.

Did you see the photo I posted above? Reading the article I see it was taken at the beginning of November. The 1st of November is the All Saints holiday, so there may have been more people than a week before or a week later, but you can be sure it would be worse in August. The first time I was in the Cinque Terre, it was about 20 years ago on a rainy day in October. I swore I would never go back. I said to my husband , "Can you imagine what this would be like in the summer?" We did return a few years later, as part of a group trip with our local ski club, and it was just as bad. The crowds have got much worse since the cruises have been arriving in La Spezia.

raincitygirl

I would put all 6 nights in Sorrento instead of splitting them between the 2 places. Sorrento makes a nice base and you can see towns on the Amalfi plus Capri from there. I'm not sure if you know there is no train from Rome direct to Sorrento? You can take the fast train from Roma Termini to Naples (Napoli Centrale) and then go downstairs to get either the Circumvesuviana ( more of a commuter train) or the newer tourist train-the Campania Express to Sorrento.
It would make more sense to fly into Naples and fly home from Florence or Pisa. If you fly into Naples there is a bus from the airport direct to Sorrento.

I agree with others that trying to go to the Cinque Terre especially for just one night is not a good idea. I avoid CT like the plague, it is just too crowded for me and there are better places in Liguria, but for you, it is just way too far out of your way.
For your wine tasting in Tuscany it can be nice to go with a small group tour. I did a fabulous one in November out of Florence with Grape Tours; they offer a number of itineraries. tuscan-wine-tours.com
They leave from the owner's very nice wine and cheese shop.

ekscrunchy

Agree in full!
Skip CT. Too much travel for too little time there. And packed!!!!