Hi, I will be in Rome last week of June and want to take a day trip to Pompeii & Mt. vesuvus however I cannot find a tour that does both. Most trips seem to be by car - I wanted to go by Train to spend more time there.... Can I get a good guided tour once in Pompeii? Has anyone used the Tour group out of the hotel that RS recommends? Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
You can do Pompeii on your own by rail although it will be a long, hot day.
Take a high-speed train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale, then walk through the station to the adjoining Napoli Garibaldi station and purchase a ticket for the local Circumvesuviana train, Naples- Sorrento line. Validate your ticket in one of the time-stamping machines before getting on the train! You’ll get off at the Pompeii Scavi Villa dei Mysteri station right in front of the site; it’s about 30 minutes from Naples.
http://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule
To get back to Rome, just reverse the process. There are guides at the entrance for hire. We could see Vesuvius very clearly from the scavi so we didn't feel the need to do the hike to the top.
Posted by
OP
28 posts
Thank you, thats what I was thinking. I figure it will be a long day but it is the one must see site for my son!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
The site itself is enormous and there's very little shade so it's likely to be quite hot. Wear a hat and sunscreen, very comfortable shoes, and bring water bottles! We bought a book at the entrance for our exploration instead of hiring a guide.
"Pompeii 2000 Years Ago and Today" is an especially good one as it includes lots of illustrations of how different of the buildings would have looked like back in the day, and includes a map with numbers which correspond to the (many) numbered sights covered in the book.
The fastest trains from Rome will get you to Naples in a little over an hour.
Posted by
OP
28 posts
Thank you for great advice!