6 days in Naples or 3 in Naples, 2 in Rome, before Milan?

[AvidBee]

I'm going to be going to the Formula One in Monza in September, and we have decided we want to make a bit of a holiday of it.

The thing is, we can't choose between basically a week in the sun and by the sea before travelling up to Milan, or splitting between Naples then Rome.

Which is better? Which would be the better choice?

6 days in Naples itself you’ll be bored after about a day, it’s interesting but not very touristy. Unless you did a day Naples then a few days south - amalfi, sorrento etc. Rome on the other hand you can never have enough days in

? Verona / Venice / Siena / Bologna / Florence / Lucca / Rome / Pompei / Amalfi Coast / Turin / the lakes… and more. So many possibilities to choose from! Naples wouldn’t be anything but a lunch stop and mooch, if that. Depends what you like really.

I agree 6 days in Naples itself would be too much, we did 2 nights and it was more than enough.
Close by is Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Pompeii....

We're after a beach-y trip, but I'll do some research! I didn't realise Naples was so boring haha

I had a week in Naples before Christmas, using it as a base for day trips as well as spending time in the city - I didn’t get bored, but then we’re really interested in the ancient sites so there was a LOT to see. We could easily have had another day climbing Vesuvius and, if it had been earlier in the year, to see Capri too.

Personally, I don’t rate Milan much compared to pretty much any other Italian city I can think of. For that reason, I’d either swap Milan out with another northern city or stick with your plan to split between Naples and Rome.

Beach y is a bit tricky in Italy ! You'd be looking at places like Cattolica, Viareggio, etc or some of the lakes or Sorrento with bathing platforms

Ischia is easily accessible from Naples, for something a bit more beachy and Pompei is a good day trip from the city. Have you thought about the lakes? We stayed in Desenzano once, though it was a long time ago. Good for day trips to Verona and Venice as well as other places around Lake Garda, and was on a train route to Milan for the GP.

If you've never been to Rome before, do Naples and Rome.

Naples is more of a city break than a holiday destination, so imagine you're going to Glasgow or Manchester or something. 2 days will give you enough time to soak up 'the vibe'.

Although you could just stay in Sorrento (direct short train from Naples) and have the more traditional holiday bit there for a few days. It's really lovely and sunshiney.

If you're remotely interested in art or history or even just wandering around one of the most magnificent and unexpected cities on earth, then 6 days is just about enough to scratch the surface in Naples. As replies above show, you don't have to worry about being surrounded by tourists either...

I love Naples - so much to see and do, and it's a great base for exploring other places - if you wanted to do a day at Pompeii or Herculaneum, ferry to capri, etc. it's so easy from there.

Two days in Naples and that was enough for me! Rome is fab, easily spend a few days there - or if in Naples anyway, going down the coast to Positano/capri etc might be lovely?

Naples is dirty and rough - I absolutely love it but it is not idyllic, pretty, relaxing, scenic or beachy.

Watching with interest as me and my daughter are doing pretty much the same thing! Looked at Silverstone tickets and decided Monza with a holiday was a better bet! My daughter worked Silverstone last year and made decent money so she'll probably do the same this year.
We are planning a few days in Nice, a day trip to Monaco, then into Italy, a couple of days in Rome, then Milan before Monza

Yes, I liked it but DH not so much. I'd describe it as edgy.... it's chaotic, dirty in places, full of graffiti - but also vibrant and exciting.

In that case maybe Amalfi Coast. Positano is gorgeous

Nothing wrong with Milan! Plenty to do/see and IMO a lot nicer than Naples.

@AvidBee i would possibly do it the other way around. Como is half an hour on the train from Monza, you can stay further up the lake for your sun holiday (buses or ferries from Como), then travel to Monza, a couple of days in Milan then go down to Rome. The beginning of September is still quite hot here, so I would leave the sightseeing until afterwards, if you can with your holiday dates.

Ischia is lovely if you want a beach vibe. And 1 night in Naples maybe - i love Naples though no-one else seems to. Ischia Blu resort is amazing. I'd avoid Rome this year because of the Jubilee.

Thanks everyone!

Ah, didn't realise about the Jubilee. Will it have died down in September?

Naples a bit rough and ready - food no where near as good as Rome.

I’d do one/two nights Naples including Pompei and the rest of the time in Rome. These are city breaks though. There some nice places along the amalfi coast with some tiny beaches but I wouldn’t call it a beach holiday. Capri is lovely for a couple of nights if you can withstand the expense.

Think it's already been said but I wouldn't do more than 1 day in Naples, I didn't think it was a nice place at all and so many more beautiful places in Italy

Blimey, anyone bored after one day in Naples must be in a diffferent dimension to me. The city itself is fascinating but it is also literally on the doorstep of some of the most famous sites, scenery and treasures in the entire world. Like Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis. Then there's the Amalfi coast (the subject of countless films and novels) along with the almost legendary islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida. I do agree that if you're specifically looking for a "beachy" experience then it wouldn't be top of the list, although the colours of the coral sea are exquisite and there are of course some very pretty beaches all along that coast. The food, coffee and wine is something else too.

We spent a week in Naples, but used it as a base for day trips so it wasn’t too long… but I wouldn’t recommend spending any length of time in Naples - it’s a bit, urm, rough…

We did Pompeii, Capri and Sorrento as days out plus a couple of days in Naples itself and enjoyed it. It wasn’t beachy though, but it was sitting in cafes and seeing sights in the sun.

Cinque Terre or Ligurian Riviera might be more beach and interesting. There are direct trains to Milan.

Our thing is we'll be staying in Milan for the race weekend - the idea of trying to travel into Milan with the amount of people going to the race isn't pleasant!

This. I had a week in Naples and apart from one day in Pompeii, spent the whole time exploring the amazing city. It's quite raw in parts and I really liked the fact that it wasn't as touristy as some other spots in Italy. Also, good food is so so cheap there, and the people are lovely!

I guess it depends if you want a sanitised, touristy version of Italy or not. Either version is fine!