Need a One-Day Tour from Rome to Naples & Pompeii

Jo, You could easily do that trip on your own, and hire a Guide at the sites. However, precise planning will be important! One method would be to take an early train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale and then Circumvesuviana to Pompeii. Pre-arrange a Guide at Pompeii ( Gaetano Manfredi is outstanding! If you don't want to pre-arrange, you'll probably find that you'll be approached by Guides as you make your way to the ticket window. Following the tour, take the train back to Napoli Centrale and then local transportation to the centre of Naples (be sure to read the "caveats" in the Guidebook regarding Taxi's). I don't think you'll have a lot of time to dwell in Naples, but it would be worthwhile to tour the Archeological Museum as that would connect to some of what you saw at Pompeii. There are Naples Guides listed in the book. You may have time for a brief look around Naples, and perhaps supper. Take a later train (~21:00) back to Roma Termini. It will be a LONG day, but if you don't mind the hours it is possible. Happy travels!

A day trip from Rome to Pompeii is very easy to do on your own. It only involves 2 trains. You catch the train to Naples at the termini station in Rome. There are trains that leave Rome every hour so that is never a problem. Once you get to Naples, follow the signs and the crowds downstairs to the commuter trains. Along the way you can stop at any newsstand to buy your tickets. Take the train heading in towards Sorrento, usually binari (platform) 4. There is a map of the stops inside the door of the train and the stops are announced so just keep track of where you are. There are also signs as you pull into each station so it's very easy to tell where you are along the route. The pompeii scavi stop is about a half hour trip from the Naples station. Once there, the entrance is just a 5 minute walk up the street. You can hire a guide once on site. If you wish a longer tour just bargain with him/her and let him know what you wish to see and how much information you wish to get. The site is huge so plan on a good amount of walking. Wear good, supportive shoes as the cobbles are very uneven and twisting an ankle is not unheard of. Doing it on your own affords you the most freedom. You see exactly what you want and don't have to do any of those cameo shops. You come when you want and leave when you want. I've done this trip many times and have even done it with just Me and my 10 year old daughter. It's very easy to do and being able to explore the site on your own is wonderful. Please consider this instead of a tour from Rome. It'll save you time and money. Donna

It would be best to take the train to Naples and have your guide pick you up from there. It would be cost prohibitive and a waste of time to arrange a tour guide from Rome.

Jo, on a first visit, I find I enjoy/understand ancient sites much more with a well educated guide (even sites I know a fair amount about). I've had great experiences with Context Travel (search for Context Rome to get to their right part of their website). They have several trips to Pompeii from Rome. I've taken about a dozen of their walking tours, in several cities, and have always had a great experience. Very small groups, experienced guides with appropriate academic training, native speakers or excellent English, and the ability to adapt the tour to group interests. And they don't take you shopping. Sometimes their prices are a little higher than the bigger bus tours, but the difference is trivial, given the difference in experience (and the overall cost of the trip). And the guides are far better trained/educated than what you'd usually pick-up at the site.

We are looking at this tour http://www.walksofitaly.com/tour_bookings/tour_listing/3/3 based on our delight in a Vatican tour last month by the same company. I found Walks of Italy to be very willing to work with you and the guide we had was amazingly well-informed and entertaining. You would still have to get yourselves to Pompeii or Naples (read the tour details), but Walks of Italy would take it from there. We're going again in April 2012 and will hook up with Walks fo Italy for Pompeii.

Have you investigated the much much shorter trip to Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii?

I second Context Travel...We did this trip from Rome at the end of our 27 days and itwas comforting as well as informative to have the services of the guide from Termini. In Naples we were picked up by a private driver to Pompeii and Francesca escorted us through the site painting a picture of the culture and life as it existed in 79 AD. From there we were driven back to Naples and she escorted us through the streets, stopping for a pizza lunch and a visit to a limoncello store to see how it was made. We also went to the Archaeological Museum and were then escorted back to the train station where she waited for us to board before leaving. Context is more expensive but this was our only chance of seeing this site and I had been waiting to get there since I was 9. My husband who is more frugal than I raves about this trip.

After getting some more information from Chris of Tyler, TX and Sherry, I was very much interested in the Context Travel - and yes, it is very expensive, but it sounded really comprehensive and fun. Alas, the ONLY day we would have to go there is on SUNDAY, May 22, and they are not available on Sunday. So, I need more suggestions on a one-day trip, preferably with a tour company or guide, from Rome on Sunday to Naples and Pompeii. I would prefer to have someone tell me what we are seeing as we travel along the way and give us any historical (or other type) information. Thank all of you for your comments.

Jo How many are in your group? Did you check the Private Tour? They are available on Sundays or at least seem to be. When I went there was no scheduled trip for the day that I could travel - it was for the day before or after...I can't remember - so I emailed them and they changed the date and it worked out for 4 others to join as well...I would email them and see what they can do. You can call them as well...they are based in Philadelphia.