I am working on my third trip to Rome in February 2015 along with my MIL (her 2nd trip) and my SIL (her 1st trip) and really want to do a day trip to Pompeii since I have not been before. I was looking at various tour companies (Dark Rome, Viator, etc) and thought Dark Rome had some good options for Pompeii and other tours. Normally I am a do it yourself planner and would take the trains but with my MIL (she is 72 but still in good shape) i would rather book a tour and be a little more relaxed. Has anyone had any experience with Dark Rome or any other tour company with Pompeii day trips?
Posted by
1 posts
Tracey:
I would definitely recommend taking a day trip to Pompeii with a tour company. Despite your mother-in-law's age, in general I would say a guided tour is a bit easier (Pompeii is about 2.5 hours from Rome), and coordinating a trip out there might be difficult. Viator isn't actually a tour company, they're a third party reseller. What that means is, you don't necessarily know which tour operator will be running the tour you book with them. Case-in-point, I took a couple tours earlier this year that I booked with Viator, and one tour operator was good, and the other wasn't so great.
I've actually taken the Pompeii tour with Dark Rome before and really enjoyed it. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, and my overall experience was very positive. Also, the group size wasn't too big and we didn't have wait in line for tickets, so that was a plus. Do some research, but I think Dark Rome is a great option if you want to take that particular tour.
Hope that helps.
Thanks!
Brad
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
Tracey, I took three different tours with Dark Rome in the fall of 2013, although not the Pompeii Tour. All these tours and their guides were excellent, and provided everything that was offered. I recommend the company. I would also support your idea of going to Pompeii with a tour group. Otherwise you are dealing with getting to a train station in Rome, then a train from Rome to Naples, then another train from Naples to Pompeii, and then everything repeated in reverse to get back. Even traveling on your own, it would still be important, I think, to get a guide to take you around Pompeii for a couple of hours. Not only do the guides have a lot of knowledge about the site, but they also know their way around the ruins so do not get confused or lost as you might on your own (I certainly did!) and likely know which sections are closed for repair or renovation.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I agree with the other posters – I used Dark Rome to tour Pompeii and Vesuvius and it was a good experience. I would've probably gone on my own, but the people I was with wanted to take a tour. One thought: Vesuvius was a challenging hike, a long ways uphill, a fair amount of that on lose gravel. I found it to be strenuous, and I'm a lot younger than your mother-in-law. So you may want to choose one of the tours other than the one that combines Pompeii and Vesuvius (although she could stay at a rest area at the bottom of the climb if you end up doing this one; the view is nice).
You'll also get a good view of Vesuvius from Pompeii, and there's little to be gained by trying to climb it.