Will be in Rome for 5 days early July with teen kids on their first trip to Europe. They want to see Pompeii on a day trip from Rome, which I understand is doable though a long day. I have been told to consider Ostia Antica as an alternative. Would be interested in people's thoughts as to the relative merits of each.
Posted by
seattle
2137 posts
Are you going anywhere other than Rome? When we stayed in Rome the first time for 6 days, we went to Ostia Antica. It made for a great day trip. We liked the fact that Ostia Antica is usually not too crowded and a lovely atmosphere. To me, Pompeii would make for way too long of a day.
Posted by
San Francisco California
17 posts
Hands down-Pompeii.
Penny wise Pound foolish to replace it with Ostica Antica.
Both have very unique, interesting, and important history.
Each is similiar but different. One ended suddenly and one became abandoned over time.
Both allow a dive back into time.
Your teens will be taking their first trip- it will either capture their minds for a lifetime or not. They will encounter Pompeii in school, magazine articles, etc over their lifetime. They will have a real life connection to the city- taking it out of boring history book by giving it physical meaning.
You do not want to hear for the next 5-10 yrs how they wanted to see Pompeii but went to ‘the other place’ instead.
They are many tour companies that run sameday bus tours out of Rome for reasonable fees. Yes their time in Pompeii will be limited but you will be sending them back 2000 yrs in time- it is a journey worth taking.
Depending upon their interst, after Pompeii, you just may find them requesting a quick trip to Ostica Antica later. It is a very quick train trip out of Rome. With an early morning departure they could run out to Ostica and be back in Rome by 1pm.
Posted by
1 posts
I have been to both and I agree with Cynthia. Pompeii is the winner. If you don't take a bus tour, I would suggest buying your Pompeii tickets online before you go and planning on 3 hours at the site.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16538 posts
I'll vote for Ostia Antica and save Pompeii for a future trip to the Amalfi/Naples area. It's going to be very hot in July, and Ostia will be a shorter, closer and less-expensive sampler to see if they are really all THAT into excavations.
The bus tours spend approx. 3.5 hours each way just getting to Pompeii and back, and the the scavi is HUGE. Just IMHO (and I've been to Pompeii twice; did it from much-closer Sorrento last time) that it's 7 hours of sitting on a bus that you could spend sightseeing in Rome. There's MORE than enough to see either in or closer to the Eternal City to fill your time!
LOL, half the people on this forum are looking for the places people have NOT heard of. This is a great opportunity for the teens to explore one of those!
My guess is that you might also be counting a partial, jet-lagged arrival day as one of your 5?
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
4602 posts
Agree with Cynthia-teens like sights their friends have heard of.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11776 posts
Pompeii is famous and the volcano’s destruction is a pull, but the site is really about Roman life at the time and tours do not stress the days of destruction. Your kids are probably th8nking VOLCANO and that is really a subtext. Ostia Antica is also about Roman life and how cities were designed and used. What the volcano did to Pompeii, time and the river did to Ostia.
So make sure your kids know this is a lesson in Roman history, culture, and lifestyle. While Vesuvius looms and the demise of the city was sensational, it is not what a tour of Pompeii is about. You all need to weigh 12 hour day and touring in the heat with the true interest.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11879 posts
If Pompeii and Ostia Antica were equidistant from Rome, then Pompeii is an easy choice. Factoring in the reality of proximity and not knowing what you are doing the other 4 days in Rome nor your before and after Rome activity, it may be more an endured experience than enjoyable experience to do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome.
If you do choose to do it, I suggest having a 'low key' day planned for the day after.
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
980 posts
I have been to both Pompeii and Ostia twice. I prefer Ostia as it’s enjoyable to walk around without the crowds at Pompeii. Because Ostia was not destroyed there are more complete buildings to see and the structure of the town is easier to see...kids will love the Roman public latrine and will demand photos be taken!
Both sites are worth visiting but be sure to hire a guide, especially for Pompeii as it’s such a huge site and you will get more out of your visit.