Rome to Pompeii_Train or Private Car?

[endymion6942]

I will be spending 8 nights pre cruise in Rome with my wife and 2 teenage sons. :D

 

 

We want to do a day trip to Naples and Pompeii. Here's my problem. I am unsure if we should try and take the high speed train from Rome to Naples Central, changes trains to Pompeii and back to Naples. Eat pizza. Go to the whatever in Naples. Get back to the train and get back to the apartment we are renting in Rome.

1. I do not speak the language.
   
2. I hear from the boards that Naples is rough as far as street crime.
   
3. I am worried about something happening to my wife and kids. (I am 6'6" 270 lbs, so I can take care of myself)
   
4. I am worried about getting lost and not being able to communicate.
   

The other option is a private car taking us to Naples and back at 500 euros.

 

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[euro cruiser]

If you don't mind spending the money, the car service is the easiest option. You could also rent a car and do it yourself for far less money. On the high speed train you'd be looking at around 300 Euro transportation for four of you. If you decide to drive yourself (quite easy, have done it many times) and you want to stop in Naples on the way back, the easiest thing to do is park at the airport and take the express bus into town.

 

As for your other questions, Naples is a wonderful city where I (small, female, middle age) have often stayed on my own (as recently as two months ago), renting apartments, walking and taking public transit all over town. Of course there is crime, as there is in every city of the world, but do you really think cruise ships (especially those loaded primarily with Americans) would stop there if it was truly as awful as some people would have you believe?

 

Getting around and communicating is more an issue of preparation. Get yourself a good map, read up some on where you want to go, and feel free to ask all the questions you want of those of us who have been there and done that, as they say.

[LovesSicily]

I would opt for the private tour. Once you arrive in Naples you have to transfer to the Circumvesuviana to take you to Pompeii. It will save a lot of time and wear and tear especially if you do not speak the language by having someone drive you directly to Pompeii and Naples.

 

Naples is a gritty, chaotic city and can be off-putting for some. Street crime is not an issue if you use common sense and pay attention to your surroundings.

 

The archeological museum in Naples houses many of the objects taken from Pompeii plus other displays.

[euro cruiser]

Once you arrive in Naples you have to transfer to the Circumvesuviana to take you to Pompeii. It will save a lot of time and wear and tear especially if you do not speak the language by having someone drive you directly to Pompeii and Naples.

I agree that the car service is certainly the easiest method, but the entire transfer in Naples by train is one set of stairs and a long hallway to walk. It's not exactly a hardship.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Get a price up front on a taxi from you hotel. That is the best way to go IMO. I did the train but that means getting to the train station. They don't like to speak English and it dirty. For a family of four the round trip taxi is probably not much more than the train. But get a price upfront.

[euro cruiser]

Get a price up front on a taxi from you hotel. For a family of four the round trip taxi is probably not much more than the train. But get a price upfront.

From ROME? I don't think so.

[-Lew-]

 

...the entire transfer in Naples by train is one set of stairs and a long hallway to walk. It's not exactly a hardship.

My concern is the driving time to and from Pompeii. Google Maps estimates it at 2½ hours each way...that's 5 hours of your day. The high-speed train can do Rome to Naples in 1 hour 10 minutes. The Circumvesuviana to Pompeii is a 40 minute ride. Total round trip time via rail would be about 3 hours 40 minutes.

 

The cost of the train would also compare quite favorably with that of a private car service at €500. That's about $700 at today's rate of exchange...not a small amount of change.

 

I did this route in 2009 after disembarking a cruise in Civitavecchia when we traveled by train to Sorrento via Rome. I can tell you it would be a very easy trip with no luggage to worry about.

 

Lew

[LovesSicily]

I agree that the car service is certainly the easiest method, but the entire transfer in Naples by train is one set of stairs and a long hallway to walk. It's not exactly a hardship.

 

 

You misunderstand my statement. The walk itself is not the hardship. endymion states that he does not speak nor read Italian, just maybe, hiring a driver would increase his comfort level and add more enjoyment to his trip.

[euro cruiser]

I think we all agree that the easiest and least stressful method is the car service, the trade off is primarily cost. The other things you give up are probably only important to a small segment of travelers (the satisfaction of accomplishing it yourself, the experience of traveling among the people, stuff like that).

 

And I did misunderstand LovesSicily's comment, sorry.

[Hlitner]

Lets try to put this in a little perspective. A taxi or private car from Rome will probably cost at least 500 Euros for the round trip whereas the trains will be a fraction of that cost. You will not even have to walk outside the train station in Naploes (unless you want to walk around some of the city). Once you get to Rome you simply buy a ticket on the Circumvesuviania Line to Pompeii Scavi. That line runs trains every 30 minutes, no reservations are necessary (or accepted) and its really no hassle. Its a pretty simple trip to get to Pompeii, so it just comes down to whether you want to spend the money to hire a car.

 

Hank

[rebeccalouiseagain]

So sorry... I was thinking Naples to Pompeii. Forget my previous post

[endymion6942]

I would opt for the private tour. Once you arrive in Naples you have to transfer to the Circumvesuviana to take you to Pompeii. It will save a lot of time and wear and tear especially if you do not speak the language by having someone drive you directly to Pompeii and Naples.

 

Naples is a gritty, chaotic city and can be off-putting for some. Street crime is not an issue if you use common sense and pay attention to your surroundings.

 

The archeological museum in Naples houses many of the objects taken from Pompeii plus other displays.

What I really have in mind is Pompeii, Pizza, the Museum, a good dinner in Naples, and back to Rome.

 

I am staying in the BLUE APARTMENT (you know where I mean). How big of a hassle is it to get from there to the train station? And if we get back late, what about getting back to the apartment.

 

BTW I have been meaning to e-mail you, but my main computer crashed bad and I am using the computer at work on Sunday.:o

[lisiamc]

Get a price up front on a taxi from you hotel. That is the best way to go IMO. I did the train but that means getting to the train station. They don't like to speak English and it dirty. For a family of four the round trip taxi is probably not much more than the train. But get a price upfront.

 

OK, why should they like to speak English? Are they English? Or American? Erm... no. They're Italian. They should be able to speak Italian, and I am certain that they do.

 

I also expect that perhaps they haven't learned much English. After all, it's not their responsibility to learn it. And yes, some English is taught in school. But I took seven years of French in school, and I can just about order a sandwich in French. I'm taking Italian lessons every week, and I'm still not very fluent.

[euro cruiser]

What I really have in mind is Pompeii, Pizza, the Museum, a good dinner in Naples, and back to Rome.

 

I am staying in the BLUE APARTMENT (you know where I mean). How big of a hassle is it to get from there to the train station? And if we get back late, what about getting back to the apartment.

Via Giubbonari is quite near Largo Argentina, where you can get a number of different buses to Termini station (Piazza dei Cinqucento). There are at least two express buses I can think of (#40 from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, or the H from Via Arenula) and several locals (like the infamous #64).

 

It won't be hard to get a bus from Termini back to Largo Argentina, even late at night. It's a popular stop.

[LovesSicily]

What I really have in mind is Pompeii, Pizza, the Museum, a good dinner in Naples, and back to Rome.

 

I am staying in the BLUE APARTMENT (you know where I mean). How big of a hassle is it to get from there to the train station? And if we get back late, what about getting back to the apartment.

 

BTW I have been meaning to e-mail you, but my main computer crashed bad and I am using the computer at work on Sunday.:o

 

Scott:

Not a problem, e-mail when you can.

Not a big hassle, you can go to Largo Argentina and get a taxi up to Termini. It's a bit of a hike from the apartment and you probably don't want to start your day that way. I would return the same way, just make sure you come out the main entrance of Termini and go to the taxi stand in front of the station, you always want the white taxi with the Comune di Roma on the doors. Return to Largo Argentina. You can't hail a taxi in Rome as you can in the U.S., you either have to go to a taxi stand or call for one.

 

What you have planned makes for a long day but you probably know that already. Our visits to Pompeii and Naples were from Sorrento, using the Circumvesuviana. Once you are back in Naples you can take the Metro (from the train station) to the Museum, you want the Piazza Cavour stop and the Museum is a short walk up the street.

Deb

[euro cruiser]

Once you are back in Naples you can take the Metro (from the train station) to the Museum, you want the Piazza Cavour stop and the Museum is a short walk up the street.

Or you can follow the tunnel from the Cavour stop to the Museo stop.

[endymion6942]

Scott:

Not a problem, e-mail when you can.

Not a big hassle, you can go to Largo Argentina and get a taxi up to Termini. It's a bit of a hike from the apartment and you probably don't want to start your day that way. I would return the same way, just make sure you come out the main entrance of Termini and go to the taxi stand in front of the station, you always want the white taxi with the Comune di Roma on the doors. Return to Largo Argentina. You can't hail a taxi in Rome as you can in the U.S., you either have to go to a taxi stand or call for one.

 

What you have planned makes for a long day but you probably know that already. Our visits to Pompeii and Naples were from Sorrento, using the Circumvesuviana. Once you are back in Naples you can take the Metro (from the train station) to the Museum, you want the Piazza Cavour stop and the Museum is a short walk up the street.

Deb

Or I have a driver pick us up at the corner (which is suppose to be close to the apartment, I think) and let him do all the driving and drop us off at night at the corner.

We would be hiring the driver for the whloe day (10 hours, I think).

If it will cost at least 380 euros to take the trains to naples, then the euros to take the other train. What is an extra 100 euros to have a driver at our beckon call to take us where we want.

Does this make sense, or am I stuck on stupid.:confused:

[cruisemom42]

Or I have a driver pick us up at the corner (which is suppose to be close to the apartment, I think) and let him do all the driving and drop us off at night at the corner.

We would be hiring the driver for the whloe day (10 hours, I think).

If it will cost at least 380 euros to take the trains to naples, then the euros to take the other train. What is an extra 100 euros to have a driver at our beckon call to take us where we want.

Does this make sense, or am I stuck on stupid.:confused:

 

How are you figuring that it will cost 380 euros for your train fares? I'm looking at the Trenitalia site right now, and second-class tickets for the IC train to Naples (the fastest) are 45 euro per person. From memory, the ticket roundtrip from Naples to Pompeii was not more than 5 euros per person. So.....50 euro times 4 = 200 euro.

 

And there are less expensive train options as well. These would about double your time on the train (1 hr vs 2 hr), but then again, I'm not sure that a driver would get you there much faster than the slower train, given traffic.

 

Of course, it's up to you. If the convenience is worth the $$$, then go for it.

[euro cruiser]

Or I have a driver pick us up at the corner (which is suppose to be close to the apartment, I think) and let him do all the driving and drop us off at night at the corner.

We would be hiring the driver for the whloe day (10 hours, I think).

If it will cost at least 380 euros to take the trains to naples, then the euros to take the other train. What is an extra 100 euros to have a driver at our beckon call to take us where we want.

Does this make sense, or am I stuck on stupid.:confused:

Euro 360 would be second class on the fastest trains. The cost would go down if you choose a slightly slower train coming back, or go up if you choose first class (not worth it in my opinion on the Frecciarossa trains, but that's me). The Circumvesuviana train cost is only another 22 Euro for the four of you, round trip.

 

Get a quote on the car, with all of the options you want (stopping in Naples may add to the fare, or may not, but I'd check that out), then do the comparison. It would absolutely, without a doubt, be easier to simply have someone pick you up and take you where you want to go, when you want to go there. If it comes down to 400 vs. 500 Euro, only you can decide if it's worth the additional 25%.

[euro cruiser]

How are you figuring that it will cost 380 euros for your train fares? I'm looking at the Trenitalia site right now, and second-class tickets for the IC train to Naples (the fastest) are 45 euro per person. From memory, the ticket roundtrip from Naples to Pompeii was not more than 5 euros per person. So.....50 euro times 4 = 200 euro.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop Cynthia ... I think they want to come back as well.

[cruisemom42]

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop Cynthia ... I think they want to come back as well.

 

 

Oops. :o

 

Sorry......I'd assumed that when I put in that I wanted a roundtrip, it would give me the total price. You'd think I would have learned not to assume with Trenitalia!

[euro cruiser]

Yeah, their round trip function is a little odd. You need to select the first train, then the next one comes up, but each are priced separately. In this case that can be important, since most of the return trains are not Frecciarossas, so they cost less (but take longer).

[LovesSicily]

Or I have a driver pick us up at the corner (which is suppose to be close to the apartment, I think) and let him do all the driving and drop us off at night at the corner.

We would be hiring the driver for the whloe day (10 hours, I think).

If it will cost at least 380 euros to take the trains to naples, then the euros to take the other train. What is an extra 100 euros to have a driver at our beckon call to take us where we want.

Does this make sense, or am I stuck on stupid.:confused:

 

No, you are not stuck on stupid. You have several options, none of them the right or wrong choice but the choice that is going to be the most comfortable for you and your family. It's your vacation and sometimes the extra cost is worth the peace of mind and comfort gained. If you spend extra money for that comfort and you come away with the feeling that you had a wonderful time and gained from the experience - it's worth it.

 

The driver will probably pick you up near the church (S. Carlo ai Catinari) which is right down the street on the left (turn left when you leave the apt. building).

 

We typically drive but have used trains, buses, group tours, private tours on our independant travels all based on what suits us best for the venue.