Has anyone made the hike? We would be going with some kids and a baby in the backpack. The youngest on foot it is wild 5 year old boy. Is it a hard walk? It is worth while?
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
24 posts
Hi Michelle,
We hiked it in September of this year. It took about 1 hour to get to the top, and 30 minutes to get back down. It was beautiful up there, and we could have spend more time, but the buses only run every hour, so you have to time it right. You could see the steam coming up from the inside, and the views were great. However, bring a jacket, it was alot colder once you got to the top. Also, the bus ride was a little akward, we got on outside of Pompeii, and the bus stops at a "store" before taking you to the hiking point. We had to wait at the "store" for 30 minutes, and then the bus driver pulled over, flagged down another bus, and made us change buses. It was a little weird...
Audrey
Posted by
louisville, ky
2 posts
The hike from the base of the volcano is 3+ hours one way at a quick pace. However, you'll probably be relieved to know that you can take a bus about 9/10 of the way to the top. From the point where the bus drops you off it'll probably be about 25-30 minutes of moderate up hill walking to get to the rim with the kids in tow. From there it would take about an hour to walk all the way around, which isn't necessary.
If you're alone and in decent shape, the walk isn't a problem at all, and it's extremely worth while. With a baby on your back and kids, maybe not so much. One disgruntled child could turn this from an extremely rewarding trip into a nightmare. I would say it really depends on the kids and how many there are.
In my opinion, if you have one kid who does't care much for rocks or hiking you will wish you didn't go. I'd recommend either going without kids, taking only one or two with you, or waiting several years for them to grow a bit.
You can find a bus schedule on the park web site. Don't count on the bus being on time going up or down.
Good luck!
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1895 posts
As the previous poster noted, I agree that this hike with a wild 5 year old probably isn't a good idea. As in all of Italy, there are no protections from falls, I'd hate to see a little kid fall into the crater or roll down the side of the mountain.
The side are pretty steep, the hike isn't that hard (but then I'm from Colorado and our hikes are 14K!)
We did this as part of a tour to Pompei. The bus dropped us off at the start of the trail, not at the bottom of the mountain. The hike took us 30 min max. The trail is really rocky/shale like texture, very dusty. It is cold on top, a coat or wind breaker is a must. I did see some Italian women walking up in high heels. Those ladies are amazing!
So, I agree, do it without the kids and save it for when they can better manage.
It was fun to gaze into the crater, and to imagine that day it blew....we had a really hard time finding Pompei from the top, but the view of Naples and the bay was really pretty.
Posted by
OP
Vicenza, Italy
319 posts
Thanks for the advice. We took our trip last weekend. We got to the spot toward the top of the mountain, but it was closed because of a storm. The kids were happy to be 'on' a volcano and they got rocks to take home. There was no way they were going to let us take the trip without at least driving up the mountain.