Planning my time to hike Mt Vesuvius (+Herculaneum+Pompeii)

You must have the power of Superman and the endurance of the Long Distance Runner!! Pompeii would take me all day, I'd use another day for Herculaneum and a large chunk of yet another day for Vesuvius. But - I'm in my 50s and move slower than when I was 20. BTW - just because the ship is expected to dock at 0700 doesn't mean it will and doesn't mean that you will be off it at 0700.... It sounds to me like you may have bitten off quite a mouthful on this one for one day.

I don't think there's any way possible to see all three sites in that short amount of time. You have a good amount of time to spend in Pompeii or you could visit Herculaneum in the morning and visit Pompeii in the afternoon but I don't think you'll be able to visit all three. I think you're trying to cram too much into too short an amount of time. Donna

We took a bus tour from Sorrento to see Pompei and then climb Vesuvio. We leave around 8AM, got to Pompei, took a guided tour (it was wonderful!- and we aren't much into bus tours). Finished around lunch time. Hopped back on the bus and they drove us to Mt Vesuvio. We walked up to the ticket office, showed them the tickets and started to walk up. It's NOT a climb...it's a walk, but then we are from Colorado (in our mid 50's). We enjoyed the walk up, not a lot to see, but the crater and the view of Naples...and we tried to see Pompei from there, but it was difficult! We had a bit of time at the summit, then walked back down. I think we were back in Sorrento by dinner time. That being said, I think you could do both Pompei and Vesuvio, but not Herculaneum in one day. I think the travel time between the two was less than 2 hours.

Have you considered a private driver? This would maximize your time by not having to wait for trains & then get from each train station to each destination & then backtrack to the train station, etc. Even with a driver, your plan is probably too ambitious but you might contact a few drivers & ask their opinion. I personally would choose 2 of the places & not all 3 & have a more leisurely day. There are a lot of highly rated car/driver companies so e-mail some & see what they say.

We did train fr Rome, walked fr the train stn to Herculaneum (about 20 min away), stopped for (what else) pizza on the way back to the train stn (at the time, there was nowhere to even get snacks at Herc, so prepare before you go - don't go hungry), outside the stn, there are companies/tours where you get a van ride up Vesu about 4/5ths of the way, then walk up to the top - I think we had maybe an hour...one tip on Vesu - wear good footwear - the ground is very loose and rocky - sandals would prob be murder - good closed toe shoes - sneakers/hikers would be better.

Yeah, are you going to both H and P to say you did I it? Pick one or the other and then the hike, hope the trains don't go on strike!

heu, no. We are never planning trips according to others and it is really not a matter of "bragging". In order to do a go trip, we have to plan well, and this is the stage I am at now, which is part of the fun of travelling. The original idea was Pompeii and NAples, which we abandonned than reading more, we found that Herculaneum would offer a real nice and different take on the event/life back then then Mt Vesuvius became a must in the head of my kids (19 and 21) so just trying to reconcile MY current plan, is: train to Pompeii or Erculano (TBD)early in am then bus to Vesuvius to avoid heat and crowd (cruise line excursions do Pompeii first and then Vesuvius) then go to Pompeii, visit.
And depending on time reminaing, stop at Herculnaneum on our way back to Naples