I see that there is a shuttle bus tour and if you add on a 2 hour guided tour it is $123. I see that the other option is to take the train.
How do you buy the train tickets? Do you purchase them in advance and how do you purchase them? About how much would it cost for the roundtrip train tickets and admission and a guided tour. Is it simple to navigate the train system ? Thanks in advance for the advice!
Posted by
3124 posts
For a day trip from Rome, I'd say the price of the shuttle bus & tour is worth it. Saving money by going on your own means stress & hassles. Unless there's been a major change in rail service since I was there, you have to change trains in Naples.
You may have better luck than I did, but when I went on my own, the ticket I was sold turned out to be wrong, so I had to wait in line in Naples and deal with a grumpy ticket agent while the train I wanted to take left the station. I was staying in the town of Pompeii for a couple of nights, so it wasn't a big deal, but if it had been a day trip my schedule would have been seriously compromised.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
To get from Rome to Pompeii, you would need to take a train to Naples central station and then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii. At current FX rates, costs per person would be as follows:
Frecciarossa (high-speed) train to Naples - €45 x 2, or about $105 r/t, or Intercity train to Naples (but takes about 50 minutes longer each way) - €27 x 2, or about $63 r/t. You might save about 1/3 by buying advance tickets, but then you're locked into a specific return train. You could also use the Italo train, with prices being similar to Frecciarossa.
Circumvesuviana train - €2.60 x 2, or about $6 r/t.
Admission - €11, or about $13.
Private guide - around €110, or about $129. Cost of private guide would be divided by number of people, possibly limited to 4.
Depending on the exact circumstances, it could cost you less than or more than $123 to visit Pompeii on your own.
Posted by
New York
95 posts
We did Rome to Pompeii on our own last November (Thanksgiving Day) and it was very easy. We are two adults, no kids, and are well-traveled and used to public transport. It was a long day, but we didn't mind because we were going to Pompeii!
The thing that would frustrate me most about the shuttle plan is that you only have a two hour guided tour. We were at the site 6.5 hours and didn't see everything we wanted to. it is HUGE. The weather was gorgeous and it was a wonderful day. We are already planning our return.