Rome in Limo…….. Are we overextending ourselves?

[maggietaggie]

We are spending 5 days in Rome prior to our cruise .  I have booked two day trips from Rome.  One to Pompeii and Sorrento and the other day from Rome to Siena and SanGimignano.  Areas we will not get to on this trip and will love to see as will probably not be back to Italy.

My question is for those that have used Rome in Limo, or have been before, I know it’s long days with long drives so is it too much or doable?  I have heard fantastic things about this company and are  using them for other tours in Rome as well during our time in Rome but just want to make sure we are not stretching ourselves with two long days.  Thank you in advance for all your opinions. 

[cruisemom42]

Those trips both will involve long rests in the car, e.g., getting there and back. I imagine you would do as much or more on your own just walking around Rome for the day, so in my opinion it's not "too much".

 

(I also would suggest that you try doing some things on your own around Rome. RIL excels at providing transfers and day tours but there are many other options in Rome where the actual "getting around" is not the hard part -- e.g., many other companies that give good private tours, rather than having to hire a guide separately.)

 

[CruiserBruce]

Where does your cruise stop? Florence or Naples? If so, you could do one or both of those trips with those port stops. It would be less time just driving, and more time for the sights.

 

Otherwise, the distances aren't huge. I definitely think you could do them. It might leave you with more of a memory of driving, rather than Italy, tho.

[maggietaggie]

Rome to Greece. No other stops in Italy.

[CruiserBruce]

Well, I guess given the options in your posts, I would say you are committed to spending some time on the road. Rome in Limo is a great operation...they will make it a fun and informative couple of tours.

[euro cruiser]

No matter how good RIL is, they can't travel as fast as the high speed trains.

 

It would be a MUCH better use of your time to take a fast train from Rome to Naples and Rome to Florence, then have your car service pick you up there and return you to the train station at the end of the day.  That will significantly lessen the amount of time in the car.

 

Rome to Sorrento is about a three and a half hour drive if traffic is normal (google maps consistently underestimates travel time in Italy).  High speed train from Rome to Napoli Afragola takes one hour, plus about 90 minutes by car to Sorrento.

 

Rome to San Gimignano by car is about three and a half to four hours.  High speed train to Florence is an hour and forty minutes, plus a little over an hour by car to San Gimignano.

[CruiserBruce]

8 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

No matter how good RIL is, they can't travel as fast as the high speed trains.

 

It would be a MUCH better use of your time to take a fast train from Rome to Naples and Rome to Florence, then have your car service pick you up there and return you to the train station at the end of the day.  That will significantly lessen the amount of time in the car.

 

Rome to Sorrento is about a three and a half hour drive if traffic is normal (google maps consistently underestimates travel time in Italy).  High speed train from Rome to Napoli Afragola takes one hour, plus about 90 minutes by car to Sorrento.

 

Rome to San Gimignano by car is about three and a half to four hours.  High speed train to Florence is an hour and forty minutes, plus a little over an hour by car to San Gimignano.

But time hotel to train station,  train station to hotel, and being at the train station a safe few minutes in advance...pretty much evens the time. Plus unless carefully planned, you won't learn anything on the train, like you would from a driver.

 

Overall,  it's a wash. 

[euro cruiser]

Guess we'll just disagree on this.  Unless one is very slow, or very far from a main station, I don't think it's a wash but you make a good point that the time savings aren't as great as I implied.

 

Moreover, you can eat during a train ride and use the bathroom without making a stop, saving some time.

 

Finally, I think you'll get the best of a driver's input in an eight hour day, no need to stretch it into twelve or more hours.

[Gracie115]

On 12/1/2022 at 7:56 AM, maggietaggie said:

We are spending 5 days in Rome prior to our cruise .  I have booked two day trips from Rome.  One to Pompeii and Sorrento and the other day from Rome to Siena and SanGimignano.  Areas we will not get to on this trip and will love to see as will probably not be back to Italy.

My question is for those that have used Rome in Limo, or have been before, I know it’s long days with long drives so is it too much or doable?  I have heard fantastic things about this company and are  using them for other tours in Rome as well during our time in Rome but just want to make sure we are not stretching ourselves with two long days.  Thank you in advance for all your opinions. 

 

I can certainly understand you wanting to see these areas, especially San Gimignano, but as others have said you will be riding for at LEAST 6-8 hours that day, 3-4 each way. So how much time will you have at the sites you want to visit?  Will an hour or two be enough for you? We recently took a transport from Rome to Pisa area which took every bit of 4 hours. If we had it to do over we would look much more seriously at the high speed train.