Two centre holiday with Rome

[rookiemere]

Next October we are thinking of flying to Rome for a week , spending a couple of days sight seeing then combining it with somewhere relaxing. But where?
We will be with DS who will be 11 and ideally it would be within 2 hrs drive of Rome, in the countryside and have access to a heated pool.
Any suggestions please.

Watching with interest as we also have an 11 year old and are thinking the exact same holiday!

We spent 5 days in Rome with our teens when they were about the same age and to be honest could have done with longer as there was a lot to see and do. just a bit worried that trying to 2 centre it might make it all feel a bit rushed. if you had 10 days then think this would work better.

i think longer in Rome would be better too. Then there's some lovely hill towns near by you could go to.

Lots to do in Rome.

If you do want to go somewhere else what about Sorrento? Ferry over to Capri and also a visit to Pompeii, Vesuvius etc. 3 hours drive.

Oh great some responses - thanks all.

We arent great city visitors so I know we wont see everything in Rome in a few days, but hopefully do the highlights. I have now found a return flight from Pisa so we will split our time between Tuscany and Rome.

Change of plans. we are now flying into Naples and back from Rome and will split our time between the two. OllyBJolly or anyone else do you have any accommodation recommendations for Sorrento or that area please ?

The Amalfi coast is gorgeous - Sorrento is a practical and easy to get to choice but it's over developed and there are (in my opinion having been a couple of times and travelled up the coast) nicer places. I'd recommend swapping Amalfi for Sorrento for a nicer experience!

Sorrento or Positano for sure!

I have been reading another thread about Sorrento so I am thinking Positano. Are the major tourist attractions like Pompeii and Capri doable from the Amalfi coast and whereabouts is good ?

Yep, Capri and Pompeii very do-able from the Amalfi Coast. I loved Pompeii in particular.

Going up Vesuvius is also very cool!

now just trying to find accomodation looks nice

Is it worth hiring a car or is it better to use trains when in position or sorrento ?

Personally I'd train (and bus) it. There are frequent services and you can book the train element in advance really cheaply online. The coastal roads offer some dramatic scenery but they're a bit hairy! Sorrento is better for public transport than Positano (but that personally is about all its got going for it!)

Thanks Sjane. DH likes "exciting driving" so I suspect we'll end up hiring a car anyway unfortunately.

We used the train and bus and both services were excellent. Sounds fab!