Pompeii

Walks of Italy tours have been consistently rated highly by Forum posters. Also recommended in RS guidebooks. In fact, I believe you can get a 10% discount by using a RS code when you book a tour. But even better, if you book today there is a 20% discount through WOI - they are having a sale on this tour today only. That's why I went ahead and booked 2 tickets today even though our tour date is not until fall.

chrisandtammyw, if your son likes to read, he may like the book "Pompeii" by Robert Harris. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know if it's appropriate for his age, but the book has been recommended on this forum by a few posters.

From my quick research, the Dark Rome tour includes a trip to the top of Mount Vesuvius. If your son is obsessed with Pompeii, I would think he would enjoy the "full" tour of Pompeii with the view at the top of the volcano - where it all started.

The Walks of Italy Tour does not include the Mount Vesuvius trip; however, it does include a bus ride along Amalfi Coast.

It's all a matter of preference - but if he's obsessed with Pompeii, he probably would enjoy the Mount Vesuvius part better than the Amalfi Coast tour.

I am in the initial stages of planning our trip to Italy. We plan on staying a few nights in the Pompeii area to fully experience Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum, and the Archeological Museum in Naples. We will most likely use a private guide since we won't need the transfer from Rome.

Have fun on your trip.

Consider Pinocchio Tours who specialise in Tours for children.

Thank you all. I think he would prefer the tour that includes Vesuvius also. Has anyone done both of these on their own on the same day??

Have done Herculaneum & Pompeii in the same day in that order with no prob but did not go to top of Mt Vesuvius.

Has anyone done both of these on their own on the same day??

We've done Pompeii on our own and it took long enough that we wouldn't have had the time (or energy) to do Vesuvius or the A.C. too. It covers a much bigger area than people expect it to, plus it's going to be PLENTY warm if you're going during the summer. We spent over 5 hours at the scavi itself, didn't cover it all, and what with adding transport time each way from Sorrento, it pretty much shot the lion's share of the day.

I know that most tours don't spend the amount of time there that we did, and that just the highlights are enough for most people but we were glad we'd allocated more than a few hours for this one: lots to explore. It's not impossible to do Vesuvius too but as you see it so well from the ruins themselves, I personally don't feel it's necessary. IMHO, Pompeii/Amafli in a day is squeezing in much too much but again, that's our travel style versus what might be right for someone else.

I did Pompeii on my own with intentions of going up Vesuvius the same day, but ran out of time. The last time slots for going up Vesuvius are fairly early, so if you plan this on your own, make sure to check the times ahead of time. I wish I would have made it up Vesuvius, but I wouldn't have done it at the cost of leaving Pompeii earlier than I wanted. There is too much to see there.

Pompei with children - you need to make yourself aware of what you're going to see BEFORE you get there with your kids. Pompei was a bit more than just average village life.

We raced through Pompeii in 2.5 hours because we had to take the train back to Naples for a light to Milan later in the day.

If I had it to do over again, I would have spent more time at Pompeii because it was quiet a change from the rest of our trip. It was a beautiful day and nice to meander around. The town is also quiet nice for a small lunch or coffee.

We spent tons of hustle time in Rome, Florence and Venice...this day isn't about "getting it done."

Same above goes for Lake Como, if you plan to go there. Let the day "slip away" and enjoy what you see.

...you need to make yourself aware of what you're going to see BEFORE
you get there with your kids. Pompei was a bit more than just average
village life.

I think what Tim is referring to are some of the carvings and 'interesting' murals in the brothels and some of the other buildings? What might be viewed as porn today were fertility/virility charms, ads and 'menus' for services one might have to choose from, possibly marital instructional manuals, etc. for Romans of the era - although certainly some could have been primarily for erotic value. They viewed sexuality a bit differently, and didn't see such images as inappropriate.

Other than a few which come to mind, I think most of them will go right over your youngster's head unless attention is called to them but it's probably a good idea to be prepared to answer some questions. :O)

Yes- I'm fully aware of what there is to "see" at Pompeii. I'm sure seeing the David in Florence will have a bigger impact on his memory.

OK, good to know that you've done your homework (good for you!) as that has come as a bit of a surprise to some other tourists.