Excursion Plans for Livorno, Civitavecchia, and Salerno

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My bf, his family and I are on the August 9th sailing of The Serenade of the Seas. For the most part, I prefer to DIY wherever possible as I don't enjoy being stuck with a tour group and like to explore on my own. That being said, my bf is a little apprehensive about train times, etc. So, we tried to compromise and here is what we have come up with. Any ideas and advice would be appreciated:

 

Livorno -- Ship Excursion (Florence / Pisa On Your Own). ($99/pp)

This excursion will take us into Florence and give us 3 hrs and 45 mins there. Our plans in Florence are to see the Accademia (buying tickets in advance), see the Duomo, grab lunch and explore a little bit there. Then, we go to Pisa, and have a half hour free time there. I'm assuming this would not be enough to climb the tower, so we'll just look around, get the typical tourist-y shots, etc.

 

Rome -- Private Coach Transfer ($89/pp)

This will bring us to the train station and put us on a private train to San Pietro. The cost is ridiculous compared to a BIRG ticket, but bf felt it would give him more peace of mind. We've been to Rome before and loved it so we want to make the most of our time there. As it is a Sunday, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel are closed, so our plan is to see the Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Collosseum (buy ticket in advance), and Catacombs during our time there. Any advise on howto get to the Catacombs?

 

 

 

Salerno -- Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano

Iffy... Bf's mom does not want to do any private tour excursions, so we haven't been able to book RomeinLimo like we wanted... But, the cruise excursion we want is $345 per person!!! Even if we just got the RomeinLimo excursion for the two of us, it is still cheaper than the RCI excursion! So, we are leaning towards booking the Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano RiL tour but we have not done so yet.

 

Thoughts / Ideas / Advice? As this is my first cruise, I'm really eager to make sure we are using the msot of our time in Europe!

[euro cruiser]

I really don't see the benefit of the private train, particularly on a Sunday when you wouldn't be sharing the public trains with commuters. If you plan to visit St. Peter's you'll at least have reason to be in that part of the city at the end of the day (you won't be able to visit the basilica during mass in the morning), but in the morning you've have to get from the San Pietro station to your first stop. Add to that the shortened day (the private train leaves later than the public trains and returns earlier) and I just don't get it.

 

There are several different catacombs you can visit just outside of Rome but not all are open on Sunday. You can use the bus or take a cab (it's about three and a half miles from the Colosseum).

 

More info here:

 

http://www.domitilla.info/

 

http://www.catacombe.org/uk_index.html

 

http://www.catacombe.roma.it/en/index.php

[cruisemom42]

Rome -- Private Coach Transfer ($89/pp)

This will bring us to the train station and put us on a private train to San Pietro. The cost is ridiculous compared to a BIRG ticket, but bf felt it would give him more peace of mind. We've been to Rome before and loved it so we want to make the most of our time there. As it is a Sunday, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel are closed, so our plan is to see the Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Collosseum (buy ticket in advance), and Catacombs during our time there. Any advise on howto get to the Catacombs?

 

 

 

Salerno -- Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano

Iffy... Bf's mom does not want to do any private tour excursions, so we haven't been able to book RomeinLimo like we wanted... But, the cruise excursion we want is $345 per person!!! Even if we just got the RomeinLimo excursion for the two of us, it is still cheaper than the RCI excursion! So, we are leaning towards booking the Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano RiL tour but we have not done so yet.

 

Thoughts / Ideas / Advice? As this is my first cruise, I'm really eager to make sure we are using the msot of our time in Europe!

 

Count me as another that doesn't get the allure of the private train in Rome, but it appears you've made up your mind already and the cost in money isn't too much. (It's the cost in time that would bother me more.)

 

That said, Sunday is an ideal time to visit the Appia Antica, the ancient Appian Way where the most popular and visited catacombs lie. This is because the road is closed to most vehicular traffic on Sundays. A taxi can still get you where you need to go, however.

 

Because your time will be at a premium, I suggest you take a taxi there after your visit to the Colosseum (as this is the closest spot on your itinerary to the catacombs). Do have a look at the links provided above and decide which one to visit so you can tell the driver where to drop you. I think all 3 of them are pretty close to each other, at least I know that two of them are.

 

If you have the time, it's worth walking around for a bit on the Appian Way. There are a number of ancient Roman tombs to be seen, as well as some of the original paving. Closer to the city you can also visit the Quo Vadis church. I believe Rick Steves has a walking itinerary in his Rome guidebook.

 

You COULD take a bus to the catacombs, but with a short day, this does take a bit of extra time. I can give the bus info I have, if you want it.

 

I'm not sure how easy it will be to get a taxi back after you visit the catacombs/Appia Antica. I'd suggest making a deal with your taxi driver to return and pick you up at a certain time (and perhaps to take you to the San Pietro station to meet your train if time is short.)

 

 

 

For Salerno, have you had a look at your roll call? Someone there may be setting up a private tour of the Amalfi Coast that you and your bf could join.

[euro cruiser]

August on the Amalfi Coast road is a nightmare. If your goal is to visit Positano, rather than to drive along the coast road, you might do better to get there by ferry.

 

I'd get to Pompei as early in the morning as possible. You're not going to beat the heat, but you can get ahead of the worst of it.

 

If you are willing to use the train, you can get to Pompei from Salerno in less than half an hour. From the Pompei train station (Trenitalia) to the Anfiteatro entrance of Pompei is a half mile walk (10 minutes, for most people).

 

You can see the layout of Pompei on this map. The train station is in the D6 quadrant and the Anfiteatro entrance is at C5.

 

You could then exit Pompei at the Porta Marina entrance/exit (C2 on the map) which is right next to the Circumvesuviana train station.

 

The train from Pompei to Sorrento take about a half hour. From Sorrento you can get a ferry to Positano.

 

The trick is getting a ferry from Positano back to Salerno, you need to check the schedules and be careful of the times, or pay for a cab back to Salerno (about 30 miles).

 

The current ferry schedule can be found here: http://www.salernostazionemarittima.it/pages/arrivi-partenze/orari-traghetti-amalfi-e-positano.html