Fitting in Pompeii?

Two hours for Pompeii is a BARE minimum at what I would call a brisk pace ( or skipping a LOT )

Perhaps look at a trip to Ostia Antica while in Rome, rather than shoehorn Pompeii in on your way to somewhere else.

Don't think you will never come back. It will be blazing hot, and I'm with hubby--I'd need to decompress after days touring with a group. Two hours will be too brief--spend that money on a dinner, etc.

I'm sure it's a good tour company, but they are asking a (market rate ... I'm not saying it's a ripoff) fortune for something backpackers and budget travelers do for 20 Euros each, plus Pompeii admission fee. (I'm neglecting the Freciarossa train from Rome here ... )

We could give better advice if you told us whether you have been to Europe before and your age, and whether you have any experience or desire to continue "free and independent" FIT travel. (The opposite of FIT is 265 Euros plus 320 Euros.) What time is the flight home?

The other issue is family policy-making. You make it clear that he doesn't care about Pompeii. Accept it. You have to decide how much you care. Because I'm interested in the arts and architecture, I wanted to go to Pompeii all my life, but we put it off until our fifth or sixth trip to Italy. We went to three ancients sites in one week, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Villa Oplontis. We're both glad we did. We didn't hire a single tour guide. (That is NOT a conclusive statement of what YOU should do!)

The heat warning is very accurate. In August and September, I'd go to Pompeii only at opening time. I'm sure Ischia will be very nice, but it's a schlep from Rome. I don't mean to remotely compare the places, but because we've been to the Caribbean (not to mention Sitges, Madeira, Opatia, and so on) about 20 times, I would not bother with 2 days in Ischia on such a short trip. You will spend much of that last day in transit, like the trip to Ischia. (We slept five nights in relatively dull Sorrento for the convenience of daytrip transit.)

Your mentioning that you would sleep in Ischia if you could fly home from Naples the next day worries me - It's not a realistic approach to FIT travel in southern Italy.

I suggest passing on Pompeii. You need to spend more than two hours there.

Also, a private car to Pompeii for 265 euro is a rip off. There is a train that goes from Naples to Pompeii for less than 10% of that cost.
Also, paying for a tour of Pompeii (320 euros) is ridiculous. There are guides at Pompeii for way less.

Ok, so we're in our early 40's and this will be our first international trip.
Our flight home leaves on a Monday, Sept 16th at 12:50pm.
We picked Ischia because we wanted something a little more out of the way, relaxing. It seemed reachable via 1hr fast train ride and 1 hour ferry boat ride both of which we thought would be interesting.
We're not made of money, but willing to splurge for a nice trip being that this will be our first real vacation together since having kids (11 years ago). I figured the travel company services come with a healthy upcharge. I'm debating whether it's worth it to have their help, or if we'd be happier sorting out the details for ourselves (and saving money) but there's so much I don't know.

Sally, I hope you understand that I did not mean to be insulting when I said you couldn't sleep in Ischia the last night! You have to be in line for the airline check-in no later than 9:50 AM. No debate. That's why I asked about your level of travel experience.

I'm going to step back and suggest that you go to your public library and find our host's guidebook for any European country (but especially "Rick Steves Italy" or "... Southern Italy and Sicily", of course) for any year. Just look at the general guidelines for European travel. You'll get the train website addresses and hints about this and that. I don't mean more than skim it, the first time. He also talks about things like Jet Lag. But it will help you answer the question (which I can't ... ) "Can I do this by myself, or do I want to pay for it." There's a huge time and angst difference between doing it yourself and having it put in front of you on a platter. After 50 business and pleasure trips to Europe, it's not so scary for me, just time-consuming.

I was NOT slamming Ischia (which I have not been to, only Capri.) I was just talking about a ten-day vacation! YOU know what you like, much better than I do!

If the tour was longer than two hours, I think it might almost be worth the splurge for the ease of travel and mind (though really unnecessary--it's all pretty easy on your own). But you will likely be in the car longer than you are at Pompeii. If you will not have time for Ostia Antica while in Rome (which you could also see on your last day when you return to Rome), another compromise might be to visit Herculaneum (independently). It is much smaller and more manageable for a brief visit, plus it is closer to Naples. You could store your bags, hop on the train to and from Herculaneum, and then be on your way to the island.
I think two nights in Ischia will be a lovely way to cap off a trip, enjoy!

Hi Sally, and welcome.

This trip is soo easy to do on your own, and a lot less expensive.

Take an early train from Roma Termini>Napoli Centrale. https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html?

Drop your luggage in the Naples station. https://www.napolicentrale.it/en/service/detail/left-luggage

Walk downstairs to the Circumvesuvian commuter train. https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule

Tickets are €2,60 it takes 40 minutes to the Pompeii Scavi villa di Mistre stop.
5-10 minute walk to the entrance of Pompeii.
Tickets are €15, guide is €25.
Visit Pompeii then reverse travel back to Naples.
Pick up luggage then grab a taxi to the port, Molo Beverello. 15 minutes, under €25. Ferry to Ischia.
This is a beautiful island, be sure to visit at least one of the smaller towns.
Have a great time.

Edit to add

Sally, I'm throwing my weight behind Gerri's excellent advice!

Pompeii is not a difficult thing to do on your own (we have but from Sorrento and not Naples) and I think she has done a great job of encapsulating the process. I would just caution you not to leave Rome so late that you don't have enough time to take in the excavation (it's MUCH larger than most first-timer expect it to be!!!!) before needing to move on to your boat transport to Ischia.

I will recommend that you either get a good guidebook for exploring the scavi or download an audioguide. Human guides are also available at the entrance. It's a complex site so I wouldn't approach it without some sort of visual (book), recorded audio or live, escorted assistance.

Pompeii is truly amazing, and Gerri has given you great advice about getting there on your own. Do your research about this trip with all the guidebooks that are available at your local library! We were at Pompeii in May a few years ago, so I have a few suggestions. Bring a hat and small water bottles. There is barely any shady place in the scavi. Bathrooms are scarce as well. There is one food area that becomes very crowded at lunch time. You might want to bring a few snacks. The scavi is huge! A tour guide would probably be a good idea since you would see the most important sights. We didn't use one, and I had printed out a map and researched the sights I wanted to see. Even then, it was hard to find these places in the maze of streets.

If you have time in Naples, the Archeological Museum there has many off the frescoes and mosaics that were removed from Pompeii.

You are going to fall in love with Italy and want to return! Have fun!

NO! - - to half of what Gerri said - and Yes to the other :-)

If you only have 2 hours, hire a private guide.
THEN make sure you read about Pompeii (a lot) before you get there, so you have a foundation for the guide's info.
We didn't use a guide, so I'm supposing that you could find a good one via RS' guidebook.
I overheard guides telling silly stories. THAT would waste your time.

YES - to "you can take the trains and same a bucket of taxi money

I have not been to Pompeii, but I have done the Naples to Sorrento Circumvesuviana train, and I’ve seen the Pompeii Scavi stop (kind of like, I’ve stayed at a Holiday Inn Express😂? ). I think you should plan to do the travel logistics on your own, there’s no way in that I’d spend that kind of money with how easy the logistics are, but I’d book a guide for Pompeii itself, like maybe Mondo, that won’t break the bank if you just don’t feel like showing up. Do the logistics on your own, train from Rome to Naples and then Naples to Pompeii...and then back to Naples and take a cab or other transport to the port for the ferry to Ischia.

This is ultimate flexibility- see how you feel. We skipped Pompeii because we Just.Could.Not. We’re going to go next year, and will follow path that I described above.

When we visited Italy, my husband wanted to add a trip to Pompeii. I am so glad we did! We did spend a great deal of time there and did it on our own. I think the advice given by previous posters will allow you to visit without feeling rushed. I hope you have a fabulous trip.