Naples, Ostia, or Pompeii worth visiting? pls read on...

you can look up your total travel time by finding the journey time to Naples on the Trenitalia site based on when you want to go, then find the next train you can catch on the Circumvesuviana site and how long it will take.

If you're thinking about Pompeii I would really recommend going with one of the guides you'll find outside the entrance. I walked around the ruins with just the RS book and it was somewhat disappointing; if I ever go back I'd use a guide. Also I've been to both Pompeii and Herculaneum and liked the latter much better. The ruins are in better shape than Pompeii.

Pompeii is about 1.5 hours away. It is in Naples. It is a great day trip but plan to be gone all day. You will want to start early and come back late. The ruins are fantastic and if you can find the time, should not be missed. The trip is very easy to make. You take the train to Naples and then the commuter train to Pompeii scavi.

Ostia Antica is a nice trip that you can make in the morning. It is a half hour outside of Rome. The ruins are very nice with lots of trees for shade (something Pompeii is lacking).

I happen to like both sites. They are very different from each other and shouldn't be compared. I usually tell people if they can get to Pompeii they should go but if they only have a half a day they should see Ostia Antica.

Donna

As Donna said, you can't really compare the two:

whereas Pompeii was destroyed, Ostia was merely abandoned, so the sites are very different. With only 4 days in Rome I would suggest you visit Ostia. The ruins are very interesting, it won't be as crowded and there are shade trees which will make a big difference in August.

I've been to both and find Pompeii definitely more striking but Ostia more personal and certainly easier to access. Try www.ostia-antica.org for a great site.

Thanks all! I'd like to visit Pompeii. I'm just concerned about the time. I do expect it to take up one day; I just don't know how that day will play out in terms of 1) commuting and 2) whether I can see many (not everything, obviously!) things.

Orvieto is a 75 minute train ride and a really nice day trip. The Ville di' Este in Tivoli is easy to visit by bus. Hadrian's Villa is nearby, as well.

A few years ago we took a transportation only tour to Pompeii with enjoyrome.com and were satisfied with what it offered. The trip is 3 hours one way by tour bus. Pompeii in August isHOT, dry, and dusty. I liked the place, but it was hot.

Buon viaggio,

RB

Well, I don't think it is possible to see all of Pompeii in a day, even a very long day. I have tried and have never succeeded. It is a huge site, it was a real city after all. You will be able to cover a lot of the site and see things like the colosseum, the training area, the forum and some of the houses.

As for commuting, that is really easy. Just take the fast train to Naples. Once there follow the signs and the crowds downstairs to the commuter trains. Get on the one heading to Sorento. After about half an hour you will get off at the pompeii scavi stop. From there the entrance is 5 minutes up the road. You can get a guide at the entrance if you like or just use the map they provide. It really is quite simple.

Donna

We followed Rick Steves's guide book advice for a day trip to Naples and Pompeii from Rome. We took a Trentalia express train that left Rome at 7:25 to Naples. Then we took the circumvesuviana commuter train to Pompei Scava, where we were met by Gaetano Manfredi, who gave us an excellent private guided tour of Pompeii. we had a quick lunch. We then took the circumvesuviana back to Naples, and then took the Metropolitano subway to the Naples Archaelogical museum (our favorite museum in Italy) where we looked at artifacts that had been taken from Pompeii.
Then we walked around Naples, and had pizza for dinner at Antica Pozzeria de Michele (the birthplace of pizza margherita). (had a sfoliatella pastry and gelato for dessert. Then we took a train back to Rome that left around 8 or 8:30 PM (20:30).
It will be hot at Pompei in the summer. We were there in October. Wear a hat or carry an umbrella and bring water to drink. Go early in the day.
The morning train to Naples was an express and quick. I think it was 1.5 hours; the return train was slower.

^ thanks elinda. Your retelling of your experience is really helpful! I may follow suit. I'll have to consider the heat... when you said hot, do you mean 90 deg. Fahrenheit? or do you mean Death Valley, CA (115 Fahrenhait) hot? is it humid as well?

Either way, I'll be sure to wear a hat, sunscreen and maybe bring a small umbrella!

Naples is amazing! But consider the Villa d'Este or Ostia outside of Rome.

"The ruins are in better shape than Pompei" Ha Ha get it?

We just returned from Italy. We were in the same situation as to where to go. We chose Ostia instead of Pompeii because of the distance. I preferred Pompeii but don't think you can do it in a day. Ostia is a good alternative.We used Rick Steves'podcast to guide us.

We did Pompeii in a day and found it absolutely worthwhile and doable ... just catch the earliest train out that you possibly can. Also, I'd advise splurging and securing a tour guide or tour group to make the most of your time in Pompeii. Our only complaint was that, as history buffs, we didn't have as much context as we would have liked since we went independently through the site.

I suggest visiting Orvieto. It makes for a really nice day trip from Rome & in my opinion, there are some interesting things to see/do there. If you're set on visiting either Ostia or Pompeii, I would opt for Ostia. It will be very hot in August and my thought is that Ostia might be more enjoyable due to the trees and opportunities for shade.

Pomopeii! It is really amazing. But be warned - we went to Naples Aarcheological Museum specifically to see Pompeii artifacts and mosaics and the exhibit was closed. Darn!! That was at the end of May.

Felicity,

[I realize this topic isn't terribly new, but hopefully you haven't left on your trip yet.]

Death Valley hot. "But it's a DRY heat..." LOL

We went to Ostia in August - in our case, the 'quick trip' from Rome to Ostia took seemingly forever because everybody was riding the train to the beach; I think we stopped approx. every 17 feet to pick someone up...I was the only female not wearing a bikini (hallelujah!). Anyhoo, Ostia was definitely worth the trip - it was fun trying to imagine life there. And it's a manageable-sized site.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen, and bring lots of water and food/snacks. The museum was closed the day we visited; bummer, but that's Italy! No one at the site knew why it was closed...but that's Italy!

Go to Ostia instead of Pompeii/Herculaneum if that fits your itinerary better. If it's any comfort, comparing these ruins (or churches, 'quaint villages', etc.) is like comparing 1ct and 2ct diamonds. Ummm, nothing wrong with choosing the 1ct! LOL Still trying to get to Pompeii/Herc. though...

Have a great time, and go slow and steady in the August heat!

Visiting Pompeii was one of my dreams and I'm very glad I went. I normally like day tours since I like to come and go as I please but I took a tour out of Rome that stopped in Naples for about an hour and then went on to Pompeii. We got to see a few of the sights of Naples but didn't get bogged down there. As for Pompeii, having a guide is really the only way to appreciate what you see and was worth the full price of the tour. (By the way, lunch was included in our tour and was so much better than the box lunch you'd get in the US. Salad, pasta, chicken with oranges right off the tree for dessert.) Ostia is much closer and is less crowded, quieter and cooler but still fascinating. Each offers a view of ancient Italian life with Pompeii having the additional fascination of its destruction.