Pompeii tour advice

In April 2022, we booked our Pompeii private guide through Askos tours. I know there are people who will say you only need a couple of hours in Pompeii and/or that Herculaneum is "better", but we were obsessed with visiting Pompeii and spent nearly 6 hours there. A different and equally excellent Askos guide showed us Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae on another day.

https://www.askostours.com/

Instead of staying in Naples to visit Pompeii, consider staying in Pompei.

We had good luck using a guide who was hanging out at the entrance. They charge by the hour and may have a min but don't remember. They will tailor the tour to your time and interest. We (4) opted for a three hour light overview. And then hung around for another three hours or so to retrace some of our steps and linger at some of the sites longer. We thought that gave us a excellent for feel for the site and then had time to return to areas we had walked by quickly earlier. There is one cafe and set of restrooms inside so plan accordingly.

If I book a tour that includes transportation from Naples, it saves me having to take the train there myself. On the other hand, if I get myself there and book a tour that picks up directly at Pompei, then I'm not limited to the just the amount of time they might include in the itinerary. Is it easy to take the train there from Naples?

We visited Pompeii as part of a cruise shore excursion. I just used the Rick Steves audio guide.

It's easy to travel from Naples to Pompeii. If you are intimidated by the Circumvesuviana commuter train, there is also the Campania Express.
The Napoli Unplugged site is great for Naples tips.
https://www.napoliunplugged.com/naples-circumvesuviana-railway
https://www.napoliunplugged.com/campania-express-tourist-train-to-herculaneum-pompeii-and-sorrento

Deb, the train from Naples can be something like a Fellini movie! Strange and wonderful characters, someone singing/begging and of course PICKPOCKETS. Unlike most trains in Italy, it is a bit grungy, and it does not always run to its timetable. But it does the job and gets you from Naples or Sorrento to Pompeii. Just be aware of your surroundings and keep you hand on your purse! You could consider staying in Sorrento, I really liked it there. Pompeii is just about at the halfway point between Naples and Sorrento.

Staying in modern Pompeii city to visit Pompeii Scavi is like staying in a Disney hotel to visit the Magic Kingdom. Except there are no Princess Breakfasts or Space Travel Experiences at your hotel. And nothing to do at night except look at the site that closes at dusk.

I’m planning to stay in Naples. Speaking of which, any Naples hotel recommendations in walkable, but NOT hilly neighborhoods?

I've been looking for group tours of Pompeii for our visit in April. I'm at the point now of waiting until we get there and hire someone on the spot. I don't know your budget but I've found hiring a driver from Sorrento to Pompeii is outrageous. We're getting quotes of €140 for a two hour tour and €180 for the transportation. Since Pompeii is halfway in between Naples and Sorrento I'd think the transportation costs might be similar.

Deb, check the fantastic Hotel Piazza Bellini first--it is very popular. It is walking distance to the old town and the archaeological museum. I'd look in its vicinity and along the waterfront.

Staying in modern Pompeii city to visit Pompeii Scavi is like staying in a Disney hotel to visit the Magic Kingdom. Except there are no Princess Breakfasts or Space Travel Experiences at your hotel. And nothing to do at night except look at the site that closes at dusk.

I don't believe the writer of those mean-spirited words has ever actually stayed in Pompei. We found a great selection of restaurants, including one with a Michelin star that we could just walk into without a reservation. We're not the sort who look for night life beyond a great restaurant, and a bar in a lovely square by the cathedral with families, students, and whoever having a great time.

If the foregoing is not your thing, then Pompei is indeed not for you.

Can you stay in Sorrento instead? It is worth the extra hour train ride from Naples. It is very relaxing, orange and lemon trees throughout I can remember smelling them on a windy day. Naples was very hectic for me I only stayed 2 nights there and 6 nights in Sorrento (day trips to Capri, Amalfi Coast too) and I can't wait to go back.

We usually don't do tours either, but did select one for Pompeii and were delighted that we did. I would also recommend a visit to Herculaneum. Smaller but wonderful.

Rick Steves has an arrangement with Mondo Guides for shared tours. They seem reasonably priced and the groups are small. Here’s the website https://www.sharedtours.com/:

We just booked a guided group tour at the ticket booth. After we purchased the tickets we were told to stand in a particular spot and off we went. The guide was very knowledgeable and took us to the major sites. The group was small, maybe 12 people.

Allan, are you not considering the Circumvesuviana for your Pompeii day? I agree that this train is very difficult and unpleasant with luggage. (We did it, but opted for a car transfer on departure!) But if you are sleeping in a hotel in Sorrento, the train is a trivial (and extremely cheap) excursion to Pompeii, stopping right across the street from the Porta Marina entrance to the ancient site. You do have to buy your tickets at the newsstand by the station in Sorrento, and validate them just before boarding.

Since the rate for a one-way transfer from Sorrento to the Naples Rail Station is probably 140 Euros or less, you have to consider the time spent by the driver waiting for you at Pompeii, instead of making money transporting other people. His time isn't "free".

We are booked with tours of Italy for a small group in late April but we have to get from the port to the ruins and back on our own.

What tour operator did you book with?

Allan, are you not considering the Circumvesuviana for your Pompeii
day?

That's exactly what we're doing. We're tentatively booked with https://www.sharedtours.com/ on April 18th at 9am for Pompeii and a Naples tour on the following Saturday at 3pm. It's tentative, because the tours only take place if 6 people sign up. So far only the two of us. If it doesn't work out, then we'll hire a guide at the gate. Also thinking of adding the 3pm Herculaneum for on the 18th.

We were in Pompeii some years ago. The hotel we stayed at in the town of Pompeii is now closed. We found nice restaurants in the town. This was very convenient. Before you go, read the book "Pompeii" by Robert Harris. It's historical fiction and gave us a lot of background about life there.
We spent a long time there to find the actual sites that are in the book which made seeing them very interesting. If you pick up a licensed guide at the site you can ask them to show you certain sites from the book as well as their usual highlights.

Have a great trip!

It’s called Tours of Italy

Scot, do you have a specific website for Tours of Italy? It's a pretty generic name and brings up tons of different websites.

Thanks.

Try to email them at [email protected]. That’s the email we got confirming our tour for walks of Italy.

My mistake. It is Walks of Italy

Thanks Scot, I was able to find the information. This looks like a 3-hour small group tour (a lot of others I've found are only 2 hours), and sounds pretty good. When you get back in April, I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on the tour.