We will be visiting Pompeii in October 9th while staying in Naples.
Will the crowds still be heavy that time of year?
Is a visit in morning or later in afternoon better to avoid crowds?
Will a 2 hour guided tour be enough time to visit Pompeii and see the major sights?
We are thinking about private tour that includes 2 hour guides tour of Pompeii and Amalfi Coast. 8-9hr
The crowds should be reduced by Oct. When we were there a few years ago in Oct it was busy but not overly crowd. But it is also a massive site so it handles crowd well. We had a two hour guide tour that I thought was great but it barely scratched the surface. We then spent most of the day wondering through the parts we had missed and revisited some area to look more closely. A two hour guide tour would hit some of the high points but it will not cover it all.
We used the free RS audio tour and found it very helpful.
Had no sense we missed anything of value using the audio tour rather than a live guide. Wandered around more after as well
2 hours is a 'highlights" only tour. We spent 4-6 hours
We've been in early October, first thing in the morning, and it got busier as the day progressed. It wasn't a big problem due to the vastness of the site with the exception of some of the interiors - like the Forum Baths - where it's more difficult to spread out.
Two hours is a barely-scratch-the-surface visit but you'd probably get a fair amount of highlights. We spent 5+ (on our own) and didn't begin to cover it all.
I would go when they open. My visit was in February on a sunny day and it was pretty warm in mid-afternoon. In mid-October expect it to be hot, and there is not a lot of shade. It's a good idea to start with a guide for a couple hours, but then spend more time to see more. It is a very large site. One of the best bits is the Villa dei Misteri, that is a little distance beyond the ancient city walls, but well worth the walk.
One of the best bits is the Villa dei Misteri, that is a little
distance beyond the ancient city walls, but well worth the walk.
Echoing Chani here: do not miss that one! It also wasn't crowded because of the distance. And yes, it got plenty warm by afternoon.
We did a 3 hour guided tour using Walks of Italy and thought it was great. As others have mentioned - its basically a 'see the highlights' tour. The nice thing about the tour is that you're free to wander around on your own once the tour ends - you don't have to leave once the guide is down. My concern with an 'on your own' tour - or even using the Rick Steves ap - is that its easy to make a wrong turn or get lost inside the city. Its a rather large area that you're covering and its not like there are street signs to help with navigation. I think our tour costs about $65 - so for the three hours - we felt it was worth it. Another bonus was the tour guide is an archeologist. Hope this helps - and have a great trip!
I've been to Pompeii twice. Both times we used the RS audioguide. Both times we got lost. LOL.
Personally, next time, I would 1) listen to the RS audioguide in advance (maybe during my flight), and then rent their audioguide when on site. I prefer to do things at my own pace rather than join a tour.
The first time was mid-late September, and the 2nd time was mid-October. Crowd-wise, it was fine, both times, but less hot in October. We went in the afternoon. We stopped there during a private "Amalfi Coast & Pompeii" tour, so I'm pretty sure the coastal drive was first, and then Pompeii when returning to Naples. Our driver waited for us while we toured on our own.
Cheers,
Vivian
Consider seeing Herculaneum while in the Pompeii area. It is worth a visit. The Pompeii + Amalfi Coast tour sounds pretty good to me. It is hard to see the coast on your own on a short amount of time.
