euro cruiser

I think it depends on what you're looking to see/learn. Herculeneum is fascinating but not as a substitute for Pompei; the only thing it has in common with Pompei is that it was destroyed on the same day, by the same explosion. Everything else is different, starting with the type of town it was (a small, seaside resort type town vs. a large, fully functioning city), the way it was destroyed (ash and volcanic mud, vs. gas and lava), and how it was discovered and preserved. They're both worth your time and attention, it's a tough choice to make but port days force that. I agree that a licensed tour guide is essential for bringing the sites to life. Guides in Italy must study for years and pass comprehensive tests in order to get their license, they know what they are talking about. At Pompei it's easy to join a small group tour, or arrange a private one, at the entrance: Guided tours - Pompeii Sites It's a little more difficult at Herculeneum as they don't guarantee that guides will be available, as they do at Pompei.

Here are the primary transportation options on your own: SITA bus from Piazza Immacolatella (four-tenths of a mile from the cruise port) to Pompei, the stop is two-tenths of a mile from the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins. This is the closest public transit option from the port and it's the fastest way to get there. The downside is that there are only a few runs each morning. Bus schedule here. Circumvesuviana local train from Porta Nolana (1.3 miles from the cruise port) to Pompei Scavi. You can use the tram in the street in front of the cruise port to get to the station. The stop in Pompei is just around the corner from the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins. The only upsides to this option, in my opinion, are the frequent schedule (two each hour) and the closeness of the stop to the entrance/exit. Otherwise it is wildly overcrowded, hot, few seats available and a pickpocket's dream. Circumvesuviana schedule here. Trenitalia train plus bus from Napoli Centrale (1.7 miles from the cruise port) to Pompei, followed by the Trenitalia bus to the Pompei Scavi stop on Viale G. Mazzini (the same place the SITA bus drops off), two-tenths of a mile from the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins. Trenitalia information here. City Sightseeing Pompei Shuttle bus from Piazza Municipio/Largo Castello (six-tenths of a mile from the cruise port). The stop in Pompei is right at the Porta Marina entrance. This is much more expensive than the public transportation options (prices start at 20 euro per person) and there are set times that cannot be changed (if you leave at time A you must return at time B), but it's more comfortable for some folks. City Sightseeing web site here. It's probably obvious from the way I've written this, but in my opinion the SITA bus is the best alternative. It's close to the cruise port, there's a ticket office at the bus depot (buy two tickets in the morning, so you have the return ticket in hand), the bus starts from this point so it generally leaves right on time, you are almost guaranteed a seat, the AC works (at least in my experience) and it's fast.

I have not done this excursion (nor any other to Pompei, for that matter) but I can affirm that it is very, very easy to do this on your own. There are bus and train options to get there and back as well as a slightly more expensive shuttle bus that avoids public transportation, if that's an issue.

Yes from the Trevi Fountain to Piazza Navona but no from the Golden Tulip to Trevi. If you make a google map they'll give you the most direct route, but it's all on streets with lots of car traffic. I prefer to take a slightly more convoluted route so I can walk by a couple of my favorite churches along the way (San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane and Sant'Andrea al Quirinale), a quick lesson in Baroque architecture by two masters (Borromini and Bernini). After this, head across Piazza del Quirinale and down the stairs to Via della Dataria, then a right onto Via di San Vincenzo and you'll walk right up to the fountain. Total distance is one mile (vs. nine-tenths of a mile for the slightly more direct google route) but so much nicer and more atmospheric.

You are looking too far into the future. There is a bi-annual system update in early June, regionale trains (which means almost all of the trains between Messina and Taormina) will be the last loaded into the system. All you can do is keep checking until they do load them.

It will probably be loaded into the system before June, but it's impossible to know. All you can do is keep checking.

This came up on another thread but I thought I'd repost it here, since this is about the train to Civitavecchia. You can now buy the bus ticket from the Civitavecchia station to the cruise port when you buy your train ticket. Simply choose "Civitavecchia Porto" as your destination rather than Civitavecchia. The price is the same for the bus (6 euro, more than the entire train ride from Rome!) whether you buy it from Trenitalia or buy it on the bus, so the only difference is the convenience of not fishing around for cash on the bus.

Trenitalia does a system wide update twice each year, in December and June. Regional trains, a category which includes the Civitavecchia Express, will be the last trains loaded into the system. At any rate, the CE has not been such a success that you need to buy tickets so far in advance. There is no financial benefit to advance purchase, the fare for this special train does not vary.

Civitavecchia is the only working station, so if you choose Tutte Le Stazione (all the stations) it will default to Civitavecchia. Civitavecchia Porto gives you the trains with a Trenitalia bus connection to Largo della Pace, the port entrance with the free shuttles to the ships.

The trains between Messina and Taormina are all regionales, which means you'll get on, you just may not get a seat. Also, Trenitalia now sells a combo ticket, train to Taormina-Giardini followed by a Trenitalia bus five minutes later that leaves you at the bus station in Taormina. It's very simple. Normally I would not advise purchasing regional tickets in advance but since itinerary is limited by the number of seats on the bus, I would go ahead and buy it if you decide to go this route. The fare is 6,30 euro each way, which I imagine is a boatload less than the cruise line's on-your-own tour.

The hotel is at the train station (Termini). It's not a bad location, it's just not particularly convenient. If you're only there for one night it probably doesn't make a difference, but if you'll be there for a few days I'd consider changing for a more central location. For example, the Trevi fountain is a little less than a mile away. Going there from the hotel would be easy, coming back a tad more difficult as you'd be climbing up hill.

As to what to do, you need to consider some questions and decide what's most important to you. For example, will you be traveling with luggage? If so, know that the regional trains (which includes most of the trains between Venice and Trieste) have no seat assignments and cannot sell out. What that translates into is a very, very crowded train, probably standing for the entire trip, and difficulty keeping a close eye on your luggage. If the strike goes forward, how flexible are you? Flixbus usually sells out in a normal situation, under strike conditions it's highly unlikely you'd be able to get a ticket at the last minute. Would you be willing to pay last minute rates for a car service? If you are going to Trieste for a cruise departing the next day, there's no need to rush there in the morning. I would look at trains later in the day, after the strike is over, but I would limit my search and pay a bit more money for a train with assigned seats. On Trenitalia that means IC or Frecce trains. On Italotreno, which also covers this route, all seats are assigned. Right now Italotreno has one train departing Venice Mestre at 18:55 and arriving to Trieste at 20:56 for just under 10 euro. I'd grab that and be happy. Italy high speed train tickets| Italotreno.it - Official website

There is no train company called Italiarail, that is a reseller selling tickets on Trenitalia trains.

It's about 7 km/4 miles from Marghera to Piazzale Roma, the last road point in Venice.

Large ships cannot enter the Giudecca canal. If you are at port in Venice you will either be in the industrial port or you will be tendered. I don't know how accurate this list is, it's not an official publication of the port authority, but it says the Star will be porting at the Marghera industrial port that day: Venice (Marghera, Italy) cruise port schedule | CruiseMapper

There's always a chance of a strike being cancelled, many are. However, in this case I wouldn't count on it as this is a national strike, and it's on a Friday. I would see if you can change your tickets to an early morning train, or an evening one. Or simply buy new tickets and throw out the others. You are entitled to a refund on them but depending on how much they cost, it may or may not be worth the hassle to you to collect on them. You can continue to check the status of the strike on the transport ministry's web site here: Scioperi - mit2 Note that the strike runs from 9:00 - 16:59, so any train before 9 or after 5 PM will run. There are a few trains guaranteed to run even during the strike. You can see the list here: Regionale Friuli Venezia Giulia_sito.pdf (trenitalia.com)

I would wait until they are forcing you off the ship, around 9:30, so you're not (a) stuck among a thousand others who are racing to make flights or (b) stuck in inbound Rome work traffic.

So, if your arrival in Livorno is at 7 you'll lose nearly three hours of your day waiting for the pickup. I would consider the train.

Yes, you won't encounter any hills between the Forum, Colosseum, Trevi, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Vatican. At the west end of the Forum you could have an issue climbing up to Campidoglio, and of course the Spanish Steps would be an issue but you can enjoy the view of them from the bottom. You hit hills going up toward Aventine, or Giancolo, or heading up Via Nazionale or Via Cavour toward the train station.

Those are important bits of information (date and location) that may change the decision for you. The Trenitalia bus link only goes to Sorrento, so it would require an expensive taxi ride or another train segment to get back to Sant'Agnello. This option would be a fast train from Civitavecchia to Rome, a second fast train to Napoli Afragola, the bus to Sorrento, and finally a train or taxi to Sant'Agnello. This option would get you to Sorrento at 14:04, so to Sant'Agnello around 14:30 or 14:45. A little less cumbersome but more time consuming would be the IC train at 9:24, arriving to Naples at 12:29 (or shortly thereafter, IC trains are not known for precise adherence to schedule). Relax, maybe check your bags at the left luggage office in the station for a few hours, and have lunch. Retrieve your bags and catch the 15:37 Campania Express train arriving to Sant'Agnello at 16:43, about the time you'd be able to check in anyway. (Note: the IC train does not appear on the schedule because it's just too far in advance, only Frecce trains are posted at this point.) Or, for a little more money, pay for a car service from Naples to Sant'Agnello.

Did they give you pick up and drop off time details? For that price this is likely a shared ride, which may mean a shortened day unless the others are on your ship.

If you can get one to accept the short trip, it's only about a mile.

If you are traveling in the summer, Trenitalia also offers a bus link from Naples to Sorrento. Freccialink: Frecce + Bus in un'unica soluzione di viaggio - Le Frecce - Trenitalia

If you are looking at the 11:33 arrival in order to catch the 11:37 Campania Express train from Naples to Sorrento, that's too close to make the connection. The Circumvesuviana/Campania Express station at Napoli Centrale (called Piazza Garibaldi) is too far from the main track head to make this transfer. The next Campania Express to Sorrento doesn't depart until 15:37, so you would have time to enjoy the pizza Naples is famous for before going on, if you'd like. Campania Express schedule: Campania Express nuove tariffe 2022 sito_REV13062022_0.pdf (eavsrl.it)

As far as I know, for a cab you'd have to first take the free port shuttle to the Largo della Pace exit, then get a cab to go the one mile to the station. As for not seeing the 9:24 IC train, it's possible that you have used filters to limit your view to Frecce trains only, or that you are looking at a date too far in the future.