Suggestions where to stay fo 2-5 days pre-cruise with Civitavecchia departure?

[PaperSniper4]

We have spent enough  time in Rome. Wonderful city, but there is more to Italy than than Rome. The port is many miles away anyway. We are thinking of flying into "the area" several days earlier, seeing the sights, then taking transport to the pier. Any ideas where to stay? I'd not want to drive anywhere in Italy, so we'd be dependent on public transportation.

 

Doug

[MeHeartCruising]

1 hour ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We have spent enough  time in Rome. Wonderful city, but there is more to Italy than than Rome. The port is many miles away anyway. We are thinking of flying into "the area" several days earlier, seeing the sights, then taking transport to the pier. Any ideas where to stay? I'd not want to drive anywhere in Italy, so we'd be dependent on public transportation.

 

Doug

 

With Italy's extensive train network, you can pretty much go anywhere.  With possibly one night in Rome the night before the cruise to keep embarkation day simpler.  Where have you already been in Italy beside Rome?

 

Last time I was over there, I flew into and spent 3 nights in Venice before taking the train to Rome for one night and then on to the port of Civitavecchia the next morning.

[CruiserBruce]

Agree...there is many discussions about easy training to various places in Italy. Florence is a possibility. Naples, Venice, Cinque Terre (although somewhat challenging with cruise luggage). Many possibilities. You say you have been to Rome several times...where else have you been in Italy?

[PaperSniper4]

14 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Agree...there is many discussions about easy training to various places in Italy. Florence is a possibility. Naples, Venice, Cinque Terre (although somewhat challenging with cruise luggage). Many possibilities. You say you have been to Rome several times...where else have you been in Italy?

We spent about 7 days there in Rome. Then took a cruise with tours in Venice, Naples, and Florence.  The Rome hotel to Civitavecchia transit was a bit of a hassle.

 

We are also considering the alternate TA from Southampton. Hotel in Southampton or very nearby. Spend a few days seeing that part of SW England via rental car or train, then the cruise. We have also spent time in the UK <last time we stayed at a hotel in London>, but much less than in/around Rome. We also like the choices of Princess ships from Southampton (Crown and Sky) over Rom. We've sailed the Crown a few times; love those larger balconies...although they they are uncovered. Something to consider on a TA in October/November.

 

So many choices....at least on paper for now!😉

[CruiserBruce]

Any of those places...particularly Florence...desire more than a cruise day stop. So...I would suggest Florence. Easy to get to (90 minutes from Rome on the high speed train), lots of things to see and do, maybe even a tour to Sienna or other locations in the Chianti region. 

[cruisemom42]

If you want to stay in the area around Rome and don't want to drive, you'd be dependent primarily on trains with some bus links. Are you relatively light packers? I wouldn't want to drag a lot of luggage on and off trains and buses...

 

How many days are you thinking of spending in the region, and would you want to base yourselves in one place and then sightsee around that area, or would you want to move somewhere else each day?

[PumpkinPatches]

I really enjoyed my stay at Hotel Traghetto right across the street from the free port bus.  The pizza next door at Mastro Titta was ah-maz-ing.  

 

I won't even hesitate to stay there again for my next Med cruise.

[Hlitner]

Love the topic and I will forget COVID for the moment.   My goodness, you are in Italy and it is a fabulous country to visit.  In 5 days you could go just about anywhere in the entire country (and we have) and what you do is simply based on your own preference.  Rome is certainly the obvious choice for those who have never been....or many of us have been many times.  But then there are smaller towns (like Orvieto), Florence. the Amalfi Coast (and Positano). the Lake District. etc.  

 

What I would not do (and would never recommend) is that someone with 2+ days spend it in Civitavecchia!  Staying in "Civ" is OK for a pre-cruise night, but the port city is not among our top 100 places to stay in Italy.  And yes. we have spend nights in "Civ" but it was more out of necessity rather then desire.  Nothing wrong with Civitavecchia other then there are just too many other places (within Italy) that are far more worthy.

 

Hank 

[caripoo]

Positano....and the Amalfi coast...Capri

Edited March 19, 2021 by caripoo

[Hlitner]

On 3/19/2021 at 11:29 AM, caripoo said:

Positano....and the Amalfi coast...Capri

Love the Amalfi Coast.  Since we usually have a rental car our normal preference is to stay in the small town of Praiano which is a few miles on the Amalfi side of Positano.  There are a couple of decent hotels in Praiano with pretty decent prices and they have free parking.  When we want to go to Positano we normally just take the "Orange" local bus so that we do not have to hassle with parking in Positano.  There are daily jet boats running from Positano to Capri and the last time we were in Praiano we were able to get a shuttle boat from a small dock at Praiano directly to the pier at Positano where we walked a few feet to the Capri boat.  My advice about Capri (a favorite island of DW's) is to consider it a full day trip,  I think on a future trip we might actually stay on Capri for a couple of nights.

 

Hank

[Worldsurfer]

I concur with going to Florence. On our last trip landed in Rome, took the train immediately to Florence (a lovely trip through parts of Tuscany), went to our hotel, had a leisurely dinner at a nearby cafe and then went to the Accademia and Uffizi late afternoon and evening. That night we returned to enjoy a rooftop meal, and were up leisurely to climb the dome and other sights that were less congested. That evening, we took the train back to Rome to our hotel adjacent to the Pantheon. We rounded out that evening with another rooftop bar overlooking the Pantheon It sounds hectic, but it was pure heaven. We returned to Rome for three more days before setting sail. I couldn't recommend that itinerary more! 

 

[Hlitner]

On 4/8/2021 at 10:56 PM, Worldsurfer said:

I concur with going to Florence. On our last trip landed in Rome, took the train immediately to Florence (a lovely trip through parts of Tuscany), went to our hotel, had a leisurely dinner at a nearby cafe and then went to the Accademia and Uffizi late afternoon and evening. That night we returned to enjoy a rooftop meal, and were up leisurely to climb the dome and other sights that were less congested. That evening, we took the train back to Rome to our hotel adjacent to the Pantheon. We rounded out that evening with another rooftop bar overlooking the Pantheon It sounds hectic, but it was pure heaven. We returned to Rome for three more days before setting sail. I couldn't recommend that itinerary more! 

 

I became exhausted just reading your travel tale :).  In the future I would suggest spending a few days in Florence to catch your breath and further enjoy the charms of both Florence and some of the surrounding region (i.e. wine area of Chianti, San Gimignano, etc).  We have found Florence a fascinating city.  When we first visited (about thirty years ago on a port day) we were not big fans of Florence.  But on many subsequent trips (usually on self driving trips in Italy) we have grown to love the city as we have had time to explore back streets, smaller local restaurants, walking along the Arno, etc. DW and I now prefer Florence to Rome (I hope CruiseMom forgives me) although our real love of Italy is being outside the major cities driving throughout the country.

 

I would just suggest to fellow cruisers that there is a lot more to Italy then the usual major cities and port day itineraries.  Spending weeks or even months in this country can be very rewarding.

 

Hank

[Worldsurfer]

 

Hlitner, good input. Our adventure was anything but exhausting! On the trip I described, we reveled in the city and had plenty of time to relax in the piazzas, most especially the Piazza dell Signoria, Piazza del Duomo, and Piazza Santa Maria Novella enjoying the magnificent architecture, dining from rooftops, and lingering over the art. 

 

What helps is that we research and planned extensively in advance. On this particular trip, we saw the city on our own and visited the major sites in the evenings or mornings when crowds were all but non-existent. We had all of our tickets in advance and dined at our leisure, as you suggested, off the main squares. The time that most people spend waiting or in the crowds, or waiting for tour guides, we were visiting the places we love most. My point is that one really can see Florence in a couple of days if time-restricted and have a fabulous experience.

 

We tend to visit cities over a few days and then rent a car or take trains to the more outlying regions rather than zig-zagging in and out of cities. It is really a matter of preference;  you can't go wrong!