Rome, Venice,Pompeii

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silverfoxcc

Original Poster:

7,683 posts

144 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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Got permission from Mrs Fox to have a few days away. So Heres what i fancy

fly to Rome
Day to Pompeii by train
Train to Venice, and overnight stop , back to Rome
Fly back

So is Rome Walkable eg walking times Vatican-Trevi Fountain. Colesseum etc doing all the touristy sights

And Ditto Venice. Due to B awful return flight times from there to LHR intend train out from Rome arr about midday hotel for the night and then leaving Venice by train back to Rome about the same time for the evening flight home. so are the Venice walkable as well.From 12-6 on arrival and 09.00-12.00 the day after, am i allocating plenty of time? ( no gags about good swimmer etc please!!! Heard tem all from the 'friends' i asked. Thought PH would be a better place to enquire!


RVVUNM

1,913 posts

208 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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You will get a good idea of what Venice is all about in 6 hours, just been and 5 hours was enough.

Shnozz

27,422 posts

270 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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Just checking in here to read the replies. I'd like to take my mum on a similar trip.

Voldemort

6,087 posts

277 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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Ditch one of Pompeii or Venice would be my advice.

You must have looked at the map: it'd be like flying to Birmingham to go first to Stonehenge and then up to Edinburgh for a night out...

You might have a look at using a sleeper train, if they run the routes you need, to save a static night but unless you're a massive fan of Italian trains I'd stick to one or t'other. And I'd go to Venice of the two.

Gareth1974

3,408 posts

138 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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If there aren't any decent flights back from Venice, Milan airports might be a better option than going back to Rome? Fast trains run Venice to Milan. You might even find a flight from Verona (a nice place for a look around too), which isn't that far from Venice by train.

TartanPaint

2,981 posts

138 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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I would ditch Venice and Pompeii completely, and focus on Rome. You could spend a month there and not do all the things which need to be done.

Save Pompeii for another trip when you can also take in Vesuvius and Herculaneum. You can't do Pompeii area justice with a day trip. Need a weekend at least really.

Venice... well, I wouldn't go back, but I guess it's worth seeing it once. For a day. Don't go in summer though; it stinks and it's crowded and it's not a pleasant experience. And don't go there from Rome. That's nuts. Would I waste 2 days of a trip to Rome to see Venice? Would I heck.

The Leaper

4,937 posts

205 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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Spent a week in Venice and the islands...not enough time!

Rome in a day? Must be nuts!

Pompeii in a day is fine, but I think better still is to be based in Sorrento and get the short train ride direct to Pompeii, then you get to experience the two places. And you can also go to Naples for Herculaneum. Best of all arrange a day trip to Paestum which in my opinion is the best of all the three sites, that is if you're into remains be they Roman or Greek.

Verona is good too, and close to get to Venice, Padua, Modena and Ferrara for example.

Personally, after 12 years of trips to all parts of Italy I think your proposed trip is a non starter for the reasons said by the OP regarding Birmingham, Stonehenge and Edinburgh. Better to go to one, maybe two places to be based and then fan out from there each day. It's surprising the number of places you can do this in Italy!

R.

steve2

1,771 posts

217 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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This post has come at a perfect time for me as i am looking to taking a 4/5 day break to Rome in late October.
Has anyone got and good recommendations re hotels.
Sorry to hijack the thread Silverfox but may be of use to us both

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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Pompeii is amazing, but depends how into Roman history you are. We spent a whole day there.

Herculaneum is worth a visit - better preserved, but smaller and about half a day to do it justice.

MentalSarcasm

6,083 posts

210 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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We did a week in Rome and still had stuff left at the end that we'd had to miss.

That being said, you can see all the "essential" sites in a weekend, if you're both quick walkers and book your tickets online before you get there (queues for the Colosseum are very long), and as long as you don't want to include the Vatican in it.

Rome really needs proper time to dedicate to it as there's so much to explore. If you're there for a week then yes you can include Pompeii, but I wouldn't combine Rome and Venice in the same trip.

CharlesdeGaulle

26,091 posts

179 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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Either Rome or Naples. To try both is to replicate the Japanese coach-load of tourists doing Europe in a week.

Both cities are lovely, and worth the effort, but don't try to do too much.

Be aware that the cruise ships dock in Naples and disgorge a gazillion people into Pompeii, so try and do that at different times from them.

JQ

5,691 posts

178 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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We've done Rome twice and Venice once. Totally underwhelmed by Venice and we'd never go back. Rome however, we've probably got another 3 visits before we'd get bored. We loved the place. I'd dump Venice and spend more time in Rome. Having never been to Pompeii I can't comment.

toon10

6,140 posts

156 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Rome is very crowded and there is so much to see a day simply isn't enough. Vatican City is more of a tick list of things you should see as you are there but it's so busy you just feel like cattle. I enjoyed Rome for the sights and the history but it's not somewhere I'd want to go back to in a hurry. I'd say 3 day minimum to get everything in and still have time to enjoy the atmosphere, food and drink of the more chilled out evenings.

I haven't been to Venice but the couple I was with have and they much preferred it.

The Leaper

4,937 posts

205 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Odd isn't it? We'd never go back to Rome but we'd go back to Venice anytime!

R.

TartanPaint

2,981 posts

138 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I suspect time of year might have a lot to do with it. Visit either when it's busy and hot and you're going to have a bad time. Try Oct/Nov and I'm sure you'd enjoy them.

Caterbroon

73 posts

129 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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I've done Rome three times and Pompeii once. I would go back to Rome again in a flash, just love it. WE stayed in the Trastevere area which was great and not full of tourists. More a residential part but lovely old streets with restaurants, bars and cafes.

We travelled from Rome to Pompeii by train (via Naples) which took about 2 hours. I wouldn't want to do the return trip in a single day as there is so much to see in Pompeii. We flew home from Naples. Airlines don't charge any extra flying into and out of different airports.

Corpulent Tosser

5,459 posts

244 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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Been to Rome three times and will go back, you can walk to virtually all the tourist stuff, well we did but like walking, an additional benefit of walking is you come across some great places by walking just a little bit off the main tourist track.

We took a day trip by bus to Naples and Pompeii, the downside was we didn't get as much time at Pompeii as we would have liked and didn't do Herculeum.

Venice is good but the main tourist areas are very expensive but there is plenty to see, small bit of advice though, don't wear shorts or you won't get into the Basilica.

Someone mentioned Verona, we did a couple of days Verona, then flew to Rome for 5 days and flew back to Verona to spend a week at Lake Garda, the south end, Sirmione in particular is really good.


unrepentant

21,212 posts

255 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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I'd fly into Rome, spend a couple of days at least there and then go to Florence and Siena. Much more workable than trying to get up to Venice. Combine Venice with the Itslian Lakes on your next trip.

The Leaper

4,937 posts

205 months

Saturday 30th July 2016
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Wife and I did 5 nights in Siena and 5 in Florence in May this year. Flew in/out of Florence, got the train between the two cities, about 1 1/4 hours journey, dead easy.

R.

silverfoxcc

Original Poster:

7,683 posts

144 months

Sunday 31st July 2016
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OK having a rethink on this, still want to do the three, but instead of a Rome-Venice return. the BA flight from LHR to Venice gets in mid morning, so will have the pm ( Day 1) and the AM (Day 2) then train to Rome that afternoon evening. gives me three 2 days to do Rome and one for Pompeii, i am an early rise so the first train out to Naples is no prob and last one!! back type of thing
Mrs Fox thinks the outside eating is a bit expensive, dont want Michelin star quality, but i work on the assumption 'If the locals use it, then it cant be that bad'!! sort of off main drag establishments type of thing. Any comments?