We are planning on hiking up Mt. Vesuvius the first week In Oct. A friend said we MUST take hiking boots because it is quite steep with very loose pumice gravel. RS doesn't mention any concern about what shoes to wear. What do you think? Also, we plan a day trip, taking an early train from Rome, then hike Mt. Vesuvius (I have been told to take the bus that goes about halfway up, then hike to the top), and then hope to have time to see Herculaneum. Doable?
Posted by
Chicago
8227 posts
In may depend on what kind of shape you are in. To tell you the truth I was there last May (and I am around 50 and physically fit) and did it in Birkenstocks closed toe (like clogs but don't wear these as you will get rocks in them). You do not need hiking boots just something with a firm sole like Birkenstocks. My sister ended up with a swollen ankle as we combined the hike (which only takes about 10 minutes to get to the crater) with a visit to Pompeii afterwards. But her shoes did not have a firm sole. They rent walking sticks up to the crater if you need one also. The host at our bed and breakfast said we looked tired after Vesuvius and Pompeii in one day. But we had a shorter distance from Sorrento to go than the one you are planning from Rome as daytrip?
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16695 posts
Catherine, you do not need hiking boots but you do need a sturdy closed-toe (so that the sand/gravel doesn't sneak in) with a good tread to combat slippage. Trainers would be fine, and you need a solid shoe for the rest of your sightseeing in Italy anyway. You'll be walking on everything from cobblestones to smooth stone that can be deadly slippery on a wet day.
I am hiker and have trekked all sort of conditions in low-topped shoes/trainers, and I'd do the same for Vesuvius. If it's helpful at all, scan through reviews/photos of the climb on TripAdvisor? There are lots of mentions of the need for sturdy footwear, and photos of people wearing trainers or low-topped hiking shoes (plus some of folks with some poor choices on their feet!)
Posted by
Jersey Shore
339 posts
We did it last May. Took the bus from Pompei Scavi station to the "almost" summit. We both wore jogging shoes. No problem. The trail is well wore. There is, of course, alot of volcanic pebble, but we were just fine. We did not hike down to the bottom, so I can't speak to that part of the mountain.
Posted by
Truro, NS, Canada
3943 posts
I wore my Blundstone boots - I wouldn't take special footwear just for the hike, but I wouldn't wear sandals or backless shoes - it is pretty loose gravel (my feet were moving around in my boots a bit and I had to keep stopping to pull my socks up)...so I'd make sure to have something comfy and that you can lace up well. I was mid 30's at the time, and in OK shape - I found I had to stop a lot to catch my breath (and also admire the gorgeous views).
As to doable - yes, we did it back in 2008. We went on a Sun, took an early-ish train from Rome, did Herculaneum first, had lunch, then did Mt V and were back to Rome by about 7 or 8 pm. (And this includes getting off the wrong stop for Herc and having to wait almost an hour for the train to take us back to the correct stop.) At the time, Herc didn't have anywhere to get a snack (I believe they do now), and I'd recommend taking a big bottle of water with you to stay hydrated, and maybe some granola bars if you tend to get 'hangry' (as I do).