Ostia Antica vs Pompeii - is it worth visiting both?

Have done both ( different trips) and enjoyed both. Not sure I would do both on the same trip, especially if energy level and endurance are a concern. Ostia is a much more manageable size , offers shade and presents many/much of the same elements of ancient Roman culture as Pompeii.

If you do choose to do Pompeii, I would not bother with Ostia.

Thank you Joe!

Visit Pompeii this trip. Save Ostia Antica for another trip when you’re not traveling south.

On one of our trips to Rome we went in late Sept, were there about this time, and it was very hot. Difficult to sightsee. Can you move your trip a few weeks later into October?

I’ve been to both and agree you should see Pompeii since you’ll be in Sorrento anyway. Ostia Antica is not nearly as impressive as Pompeii. Get to Pompeii when it opens so you can see it in the cooler morning hours, and before the tour groups arrive in full force. From Sorrento, a Circumvesuviana Train departs every 30 minutes and takes 35 minutes to reach “Pompeii Scavi Villa dei Misteri” ( Pompeii Excavation of Villa of the Mysteries) station which is the one you want. The other Pompeii station is for the modern city.

We have been to both.

Overall, we liked Ostia Antica better probably because of the conditions that day. We took a train out from Rome early on a Sunday morning in mid-May 2019. It was a very pleasant day without a lot of people. It was green and there were trees. The temperature was moderate and the place a manageable size. The layout of the town made sense. We really enjoyed it.

Last May, we stayed near Amalfi and wanted to go to Pompeii. Note that it's really not easy to go anywhere from the Amalfi Coast. There's ways to kludge together transportation, trains, buses, ferries, tours but it's a process. I kept trying to figure out a way to do it so we wouldn't be miserable. We settled on having a driver pick us up when we checked out of our lodging, take us to Pompeii, wait for three hours while we toured and then drop us at the Naples train station. It wasn't cheap but it was the easiest, most stress free way to put it together. He was a slow, conscientious driver on the windy, narrow road. It took a long time to get to Pompeii but nobody got carsick. The driver brought his grandson and they went for pizza while we were in Pompeii. That was cute.

What I can say about Pompeii is that I would like to go back again but maybe in the winter. It was boiling hot, dusty and crowded with tours. We thought we were prepared with hats, sunscreen and frozen water bottles. We didn't take a tour and I'm not sure if that would have been better or worse. The place is huge, there's no vantage point to figure out where you're at and the new discoveries we wanted to see were difficult to find.

I travel with my sister. She is usually the most resolute and uncomplaining of travelers. However, after less than two hours in Pompeii, she sat down on a shady ledge and announced, "I'm done!". She never does that. We made our way back to the meeting point and the driver was early. He had tried to tell us that three hours was too much. That's why I'd love to visit again on a cool, drizzly day.

As far as your energy levels, I understand. I contracted COVID about three weeks before we left. While recovered, my energy, especially at the beginning of the trip, was really low. Be aware that the Amalfi Coast is all about steps. Our apartment was 74 steps up from the street and there were ones with far, far more. You might want to think about that while planning. Maybe you could spend a night in the town of Pompei to get there early. I always pictured Pompeii as being in an isolated place but in reality, it's right in a town.

Hope this helps!

Based on your concerns about stamina, I would recommend Herculaneum over Pompeii. Pompeii is spread out over a much larger area and some of the walking in the most-visited parts is difficult because of very narrow sidewalks and very uneven street paving. Here are photos of what it's like. Herculaneum is better preserved and has a few shaded spots. It's still pretty hot and cloudless in September. It's a 10-15 minute downhill walk from the train to the entrance, which means uphill going back, but it's along a main street with cafes where you can rest and even get a meal. You can probably get a taxi to take you back to the train if need be.

Ostia was the port of ancient Rome. You won't see villas, colorful mosaics (there are lovely mosaics in B&W) or many frescoes. It's very interesting for a half-day trip out of Rome.

Whether you visit more than one site depends a lot on your level of interest.

I never hire guides, but that might be a way to cut down mileage and uneven stone roads inside Pompeii. There is no substitute for Pompeii.

Presumably Rome will give you an idea of your stamina level. Another idea is the modest-sized, but still important, Villa Poppea, also by Circumvesuviana, to gauge your abilities. And it's less work than Herculaneum, with only a short, level walk from the train. Don't forget that it's usually too risky to wake up in Sorrento (and impossible on the AC) the day of your flight home from Rome.

Do you know that Sorrento only has one, tiny, beach, next to the marinas? You may benefit from a big hotel with a private Gulf swimming boardwalk, if that's important to your visit,

Thank you all - @suki, @kenko, @CT, @chani, @tim! Your comments are very helpful. Even though I'm planning the trip now, I'll have to make that decision much closer to the travel dates to see how I feel. It is unlikely that we will get back to Italy so I'm trying to choose carefully.

To answer a few concerns - we do travel back to Rome the day before our departure and are staying near the airport to make that part of our travel easier.

I do know about the steps and did book our hotels in both Sorrento and Amalfi based on the accessibility. I'm hoping that my stamina will be up to a lot of walking by then. I live in Phoenix, AZ so I'm used to the heat :-), and unfortunately based on my job September is really the only time in the 2nd half of the year that I can take 3 weeks off. My doctor has advised that the fatigue could last 12-18 months so fall 2023 is hopefully my best opportunity.

Thank you again nothing beats hearing someone's personal experience.

I liked Ostia Antica, and if you're never going to go to Pompeii, why not - but having visited both there is, in my opinioon, little comparison.
Pompeii was the reason I wanted to go to Italy, I'd been fascinated by it since a child. I've been there 4 times, it never disappoints.

Having said that, I'm going to second what Chani said. If you are in Sorrento, and worried about stamina for Pompeii, then don't go. Do Herculaneum instead. I have spent nearly 20 years trying to decide which I prefer between Pompeii and Herculaneum, and have never been able to reach a decision. Herculaneum is much smaller, less spread out, lacks the "wow factor" of the amphitheater etc - but you get a real feel for the disaster. The burnt wooden beams, the charred beds, the meters of lava solidified into rock above your head.
I took my parents there after my mother had broken he hip a couple of months before, and didn't think she could do Pompeii - they both loved it. If you can, get to the archaelogical museum in Naples itself - so many of the treasures from both Pompeii and Herculaneum are there.

And a totally random piece of advice - the day you might have spent going to Ostia Antica - think about going to the Villa d'Este in Tivoli.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions

Thank you @TimW and @Tim, good suggestions. Villa d'Este is on my list of Rome day trip options so it's always nice to hear that people think the stop is worthwhile. And I was thinking about the Naples museum as an easier way to see the artifacts.

And thanks for the Pompeii/Herculaneum link, I will check that out next.

Do you spend a lot of time outdoors in the Phoenix sun in hot weather? Even when it's humid? There's a difference between what you do at home and what you do on a trip. Also, Phoenix is flat as a pancake. Few places in Italy are. That means walking uphill and downhill a lot. I'm not suggesting that you aren't up to it, I'm just pointing out what I would take into account.

Thank you @chani I am aware of the hills and surprisingly Phoenix is not flat we have quite a few mountains within the city limits. I have lived in several humid climates so I’m familiar with that as well.