Pompeii day trip

In my opinion, no. You'll spend 5 hours in transit and the high speed trains will run about 70 euro per person roundtrip. Visit Ostia Antica instead, it may not be as well known but it is impressive. Of course if it is your dream to see Pompeii then make the effort and cross it off your bucket list.

Possible and worth it IMO. On my third trip to Rome I was bound & determined to make it to Pompeii. It was a place I always wanted to see. So glad I did it.

I like to visit Pompeii and find it worth the trip. It will take about 2 hours each way so you'll need to start early and stay as late as you can to visit the ruins. I think it really depends on how long you'll be staying in Rome. If it's less than 5 nights I would say to skip the trip but if it's more then a day trip to see Pompeii would be a nice break from the city. Donna

Bill, I always recommend that you take the train to the new town of Pompeii the evening before you want to tour the ruins and stay overnight. You can be at the ruins early in the morning, before it gets too crowded and too hot. Spend as much time as you want and then you can take the train back to Rome. I feel like this is a more relaxing way to visit the ruins, you get more time there and for us it was more enjoyable. We enjoyed the Hotel Amleto which was 1/2 block from the Cathedral and Piazza in town, which is a nice place for a glass of vino and people watching. Which every way you decide to visit, I hope you have a great trip.

Pompeii is easily accessed from Sorrento which sits high on the jagged cliffs overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean. Pompeii is a definite site to see, but if you have to wear yourself out by doing the all day marathon then no, it's not worth it. Book a couple of nights in Sorrento and then train to Pompeii Scavi on the Circumvesuviana in just a few short minutes. While in Rome do Rome...and possibly Ostia Antica. Make Pompeii enjoyable and stay in Sorrento while visiting.

We did it with no problem. We took an early morning train to Naples then the Circumvesuvius (or something like that) the rest of the way. We spent a good part of the day in Pompeii and saw all we wanted to see. We actually left Pompeii mid-afternoon and got back to Rome in time for dinner. We didn't feel rushed at all. If you want to see Pompeii, it's definitely "doable."

If you train down and have time consider taking in Herculaneum as well as Pompeii. The ruins are better preserved.

Personally, I think doing Pompeii as an overnight is a waste of time. Most people won't go back to the site on the second day so you've really wasted a few hours changing hotels for nothing. The only time I would do it as an overnight is if you wanted to see Herculaneum and the archaological museums as well. This would justify an overnight. If not, consider it like going to the beach for the day. You get up early, drive for 1.5 hours, spend the day at the beach and leave in the evening. You'll get to tour at your own pace and leave when you choose to. I've done it several times with various friends and family and whiles it's a long day it's certainly not a hard day. It's really a matter of what you like to do. If you'd prefer to just hop on the train one morning and go you can or if you'd prefer to take it a little slower and spend the night in Naples or Sorrento you can do that too. It really is a personal choice as to if it's worth it or not and I don't think there is any right or wrong answer. Donna

It's quite easy to do in a day. We left about 8 and got back at 7. No rushing, just a relaxed pace. I would not stay overnight, just too much of a hassle to change hotel and dragging luggage.

Whye doesn't this website make a permanent home for day trip to Pompeii? This same question is asked everyday! It is doable, but long and takes planning. There is no shortcuts, but I did it last March and it was fine, fun, and exciting, and went off without a problem.

Bill, To cut down on time and $$ try (Italotreno.it) They have trains that run from Tiburtina station to Napoli Centrale for E20,00 takes 1H08m Pick your time, then go to (Vesuvian.it) to see when the next circumvesuvian E4,oo leaves for Pompeii

Todd, LOL, maybe we should have a website for the most asked questions about each country, say Stonehenge in UK, Versailles in France, etc. Anyway, my answer to question if it is possible, yes and worth it, yes in my opinion. I seem to remember fast train from Rome to Naples, we can never remember price, was hour and half and train from Naples to Pompeii a half hour, that price is about 5 euro, I think we remember because it was so cheap. Nice thing is that it is in same station as train from Rome, just downstairs. If you want to do it, go for it, just remember to wear very sturdy shoes. The ruins are about 500 feet from train station but be sure to get off at what I think is the second stop in Pompeii.

Ok, guilty of heading way off topic here, but I think it would be cool if this helpline had a coding system for the type of traveler you are. It seems like a lot of the disagreements here have to do with travel style, not the relative merits of the destination in question. All the styles are valid, but knowing which one would make it easier to offer useful advice. Here's my proposal for a 3 star ranking method :) * = take it nice and easy, soak up the atmosphere, park and play, "spend the night at Pompeii" ** = moderate pace, new location every 3 days, want to cover the major sites plus a few off the beaten track, "Pompeii is a long, but doable, daytrip" *** = Energizer bunny style, love active 12-hr days, get bored strolling or sitting in cafes, "hey, if you head out early, you can see Pompeii and still have time to do something else in Rome later that day"