Pompeii tours, opinions on these options.

While I do not recall the cost being that much, I will share that I took the train to Naples and transferred to the local. We arrived at Pompeii at 11AM. We ate for over two hours at a restaurant outside the Ruins and walked the Ruins for 5 hours with an audio guide. We were back to Rome at our hotel at 11PM. It was leisurely, and very enjoyable. I enjoy independent travel as much as possible. Why be told: when, where, and with whom to go with. Happy travels!

David:
A quick check of Trenitalia indicates that if you can score mini fares by buying early, and if you take 2nd class, the Rome-Naples-Rome trip could be as low as E308 for all 4 of you, about $407 with current exchange rates. (Mini fares vary from day to day and train to train). The Naples-Pompeii-Naples portion is less than E8 each. That would be about $448. From personal experience, I think a guide is well worth the money. We took the tour with Gaetano Manfredi, whom Rick Steves recommends, and the E200 was well spent. (Go look at his website.) He makes history come alive in a way you cannot do with an audio tour or self-guided. Pompeii tickets are E12 I think. So your total would be something like $730 depending on exchange rate and mini fares. Once the tour is over, you are free to wander as you wish in the ruins. Your E600 day-trip tour from Rome is really about $792 by comparison. Two options about the same price. You are right: It's more than you'd think but the highspeed (expensive) train makes it possible to do this in a day-trip.

Once you get to Pompeii you'll find many guides waiting at the entrance to offer their services. You pay them less about 50 Euro (can't remember exactly, probably less) for a 2 hours tour to get an overview of this huge site. And then you still have time to explore at your own pace.

There really is no need to pay 1100 for a day trip to see Pompeii. Check out the trenitalia sites for the mini fares. These are fares that can save you up to 60% by booking in advance. The high speed train will take just over an hour to get into Naples and you can get the mini fare for as low as 32 euros depending on the time of travel. You can also book the ICN or IC trains which takes about 2 hours for 11 euros each. This will save you a ton of money and not take that much more time. You can book a guide on site and barter for the price and amount of time you wish to spend with him/her. Also, there are some very good audio guides of the site which you can use. Donna

Thanks all. I view guides as more expensive versions of Audio guides. Is there value there? I think so in some cases. Laurel, Do you mind if I ask a few questions? Did the Gaetano tour feel rushed? I've read most of the comments on TA and get the sense that he moves very quickly. Was everything covered to your satisfaction? Was 2 hours enough? Were questions encouraged and answered in enough detail? How many were in your tour, any teens? Thanks.

Gaetano does move fast: if you do. He gauges his pace to his clients. We are fast walkers and feel we missed nothing crucial. You also have the opportunity to self-guide after his 2 hour tour of the major sites. He does not do "tour groups." If you hire him, he is yours and only yours for the 2 hours, so your group of 4 gets this well-educated private guide. All of our questions were answered to our satisfaction, but I have to admit we are widely read on Pompeii. (Do read Robert Harris' book of the same name before you go, as well as at least run through Wikipedia. It will help a lot!) Do be sure everyone wears seriously sturday, practical shoes. Pompeii (and Rome!) can be hard on feet and ankles. This is not a place for flip flops.

We did Pompeii as a day tirp from Rome, using mini fares and a private guide. It was the only time during our entire trip I splurged on a private guide, and it was well worth it. The site is so vast, a guide really gets you off the beaten track.
We used Lucia (her contact info is on Trip Advisor based in Sorrento), and paid 130 euro for 3 hours- a great price and she was fabulous. We would recommend her ten times over.

What was the mini fare when you took it? When I've looked, the price is 36€ for the mini fare - that's a savings of a mere 9€. (Or maybe I'm doing something wrong) The slow train is half the price of the fast train. We've got a group of 7 going (this is a 3 generation trip) and are probably going to take the slow train to save money.

@Dina: The mini fares vary depending on day, time, available seats, etc. Order as far in advance as you are able to for the greatest savings. I input three random dates in March and April and came up with €9 to €13 discounts on a €45 2nd class fare. That's 20% to 29%.

Laurel - Thanks for the quick response. @David - do you have any children under 12 traveling with you? If so, I've discovered you get a discount of 50% for the kids and 20% for the adults traveling with them, which works out better than the Mini fare. Plus, there's a tad more flexibility in re-booking. Fortunately for us, we have two kids under 12. I've figured out that our least expensive option is to book one kid with my parents and one with my husband and I (and our older child).

My boys will be 13 and 15 when we go. We are still looking at a tour guide as a splurge.