Does anybody know how long of a bus ride it is from Pompeii to Vesuvius? Rick's book says 1 hour, other books say 70 minutes, others say 30 minutes. When Rick says the journey is 1 hour, I'm not sure if he means 1 hour ROUND-TRIP (which would explain some books saying the journey is 30 minutes) or if it's an HOUR UP and an HOUR DOWN. I understand that there are some bus companies that stop at a silly tourist trap store for 30 minutes, and I don't know if that's included in the 1 hour time he mentioned, although I doubt it. We are trying to fit in a trip to the crater followed by a trip to Pompeii for the ruins -- at least five hours at Pompeii, so I'm trying to figure out logistically if we can even make this trip to the crater and still have time to explore Pompeii fully before it closes at 7:30. The earliest we could catch a bus to the summit would be 10:10. I don't know how many hours to allow between leaving Pompeii for the crater and coming back from the crater because I don't know how long it realistically takes to get up there (30 minutes?) (an hour up and an hour back?)? Has anybody made this journey that can help me? Thanks for any advice!
Posted by
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
14 posts
Hello Julie,
I'm actually going to do this next week. I've been told that there are frequent buses from Pompeii to Mount Vesuvius and it is easier to catch one from there. They are public buses and not from a tour company. I'm planning to visit Pompeii first, then hike up the volcano. Search the forum for my Hiking Up Mt. Vesuvius post and you may get some hints. A poster told me there is plenty of time for both. Also, I found many references when I googled Hiking up Mount Vesuvius. Hope this helps.
Posted by
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
49 posts
Be very careful! The public buses ceremonially stopped running the day I tried to get up Vesuvius, and I ended up in taking a private (crooked) driver to the top. You can take the public bus from Herculaneum, which is shorter, or from Pompeii, which is longer.
DO NOT TAKE one of the vultures waiting to give you a "cheap" ride to Vesuvius from Pompeii. They are scam artists.
Let me know if you have any questions.