I've read what I could find on this subject & will provide some details - We want to visit one of the sites when we leave Sorrento on the morning of Oct 04, 2024. We plan to go to one of these sites & stay overnight before heading back to Rome the next morning on Oct 05. Our flight for Canada departs FCO on Oct 05, 2024 at 20:15 so we need to be there no later than 17:15 (transiting thru CDG). I have some mobility issues - so ease of accessibility is a big thing. And both of us are very fair & burn easily. Once we decide on which site to visit, should we stay in the same town as the ruins we are visiting? Thanks in advance for recommendations - much appreciated!
Posted by
430 posts
Stay in Sorrento and see either site as a day trip, there is no good reason to change accommodations. Changing accommodations will be more of a hassle and waste more time than just returning to Sorrento for another night. As far as what site to see I prefer Pompei over Herculaneum. J
Posted by
OP
Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
126 posts
I should add that staying an extra night in Sorrento is not an option as there is no availability where we will be staying. as we have to go somewhere we thought we’d start slowly heading back to Rome by doing a ngt either in Pompei or Herculaneum. We’re not interested in staying in Naples b/c we will be there prior to our visit to Puglia & before Sorrento.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7941 posts
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions
This is an interesting and unusual request. People do post here about sleeping in modern Pompeii, but I personally would not. Hundreds of people have posted here about excellent luggage storage at both of these sites, and I've never noticed a single complaint or negative experience. (We came from our hotel in Sorrento and returned there.) It could be sunny and hot in October, but we were there (both) in May.
I can't see any reason to sleep in Pompeii (unless your travel style calls for an 8-hour visit, which some posters here endorse), but Herculaneum seems a much smaller city to me. Hard to get lunch on the street outside normal meal hours. (And BTW, no food in the ancient site.) But it also has little to do, besides the ancient excavation. If you had not ruled out Naples, it seems to me that would be a very appropriate place to sleep, and a tiny bit safer for training and flying the very same day, in a country that does not have ... German ... efficiency. There really is a lot to do in and around Naples. Virgil's "tomb"? Cave of the Cumaean Sybill? Just to cover one more option, you could go to Tivoli and see Villa d'Este, if you can book it and fit it in. I presume there are hotels there. We went by train the first time from Rome, by bus the second time.
Edit: There are many levels and speed of train from Naples to Rome. Be sure you know that advance-purchase discount fares for the fast Frecciarossa service cannot be changed or refunded, and are valid for the single, chosen, departure time. I'm sure there are plenty of Airport Express departures from Roma Termini. Perhaps you want to learn where the less-abled seating is before boarding a possibly crowded Airport Express.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4626 posts
I prefer the Pompeii ruins, but based on your circumstances I'd lean toward Herculaneum. There are a few hotels close to the train station on the walk toward the ruins. You may want to check if a hotel will allow you to check your luggage early. *you'll also find more shade in Herculaneum.