Hi all,
We are traveling with 2 kids (10 & 8). We want to visit Pompeii and hike Mt Vesuvius on our way from Rome to Sorrento. I am not finding tours that will take us through this whole journey and with luggage. What is the best way to do this? I have read in Rick's books that you can take a train from Rome to Pompeii ruins (connecting through Naples). It sounds like there is luggage storage at the train station in Pompeii Scavi. Has anyone attempted this and do you have pointers on what time slot to buy for Pompeii and how to get over to Vesuvius and back for our luggage? This seems like it will be our most challenging day in Italy, but we want to make the best use of the time. Thank you!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7469 posts
Welcome!
What time of year is this trip?
Pompeii can be brutally hot- there is NO shade- and just a few hours there is exhausting. We spent over 3.5 hours and didn't see it all. Left because it was pouring down rain.
I wouldn't want to visit/hike Vesuvius after that. You can see Vesuvius looming over from just about everywhere in the area.
I assume you could take a taxi from Pompeii to Vesuvius.
How many nights do you have in Sorrento? Might be better to visit Pompeii and Vesuvius (if you must) as a day trip from Sorrento- very easy to do, no worries about storing luggage, etc.
Lots of threads addressing how to get from Rome to Sorrento- if you do a search of this forum you'll get lots of info.
You will be taking a fast train from Rome to Naples- then transferring to a local train- Circumvesuviana- to Sorrento (or Pompeii- same train).
Posted by
OP
3 posts
We’re going at the end of May. How hot does it get there in late May? I’ve read only 70s-80s F which is quite comfortable to us. Are the conditions worse than that?
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7469 posts
Impossible to predict weather
Could be 70 could be 90
Could be pouring rain as it was for us in May 2019
The transportation part is easy
Go to Trenitalia site
Decide which train you will take from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale
From there you take the Circumvesuviana-can’t purchase those tickets in advance
Get tix for next train when you get there
Be sure to validate
The Circumvesuviana leaves from lower level station in Naples
Here’s the schedule but keep in mind it is often late
https://www.positano.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule?timetable_route=sorrento_napoli
Purchase your Pompeii entry tickets on the official site-
There’s no timed slots, just 3 diff entry times in am-your ticket is good all day
You can hire a guide at the entrance if you want
You could probably just get tix when you get there, don’t think it sells out and no advantage to pre purchasing
Store your bags at Pompeii station or at Scavi
After visiting Pompeii take a taxi to/from Vesuvius
Then take Circumvesuviana to Sorrento from Pompeii
You’ll need to eat at some point so carry a bag lunch or eat at Pompeii
Be sure to read all about the Circumvesuviana-it gets very crowded, you may not get a seat, traveling with luggage can be difficult-just be prepared for that
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks Christine! That’s super helpful. I didn’t realize you could take a taxi to the Vesuvius entrance. At least we wouldn’t have to book that in advance!
I am leaning towards locking in some train and Pompeii tickets now and only doing Vesuvius if it ends up working out. It’s hard to say how long my kids will want to spend walking around the ruins. Sounds like we need to go in with a flexible attitude and see where the day goes.
We only have 3 nights in sorrento before leaving Italy unfortunately. Wish we could stay longer.
Appreciate the help!!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7469 posts
There might also be a shuttle from Pompeii to Vesuvius -
Here you go
https://www.visitpompeiivesuvius.com/en/bus-schedule
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1049 posts
Kim,
My husband and i are doing something similar, except we are going from Rome to Positano. We arranged through Mondo Guides a private driver to pick us up at the train station in Naples, drive us to Pompeii (we will do a tour at Pompeii with one of their guides for 2 hours) and then drive us to our hotel in Positano. It is pricey, but since we were going to take a car service from Naples train station to Positano, adding the extra tour didn't add significantly to our costs and it is a bit more efficient use of our travel plans.
Posted by
Washington DC
28716 posts
You can find actual, historical, day-by-day weather data for most places of tourist interest on the website timeanddate.com. I like to check the five most recent years, because there can be a lot of year-to-year variation.
Pompeii weather May 2022
Pompeii weather May 2021
Pompeii weather May 2020
Pompeii weather May 2019
Pompeii weather May 2018
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16846 posts
Kim, be aware that tickets for Vesuvius can only be purchased online, and that they are timed entry. This is the link to ticketing:
Don't try to buy them AT the park as their internet service is reported to be very weak, thus people not being able to acquire tickets or it taking an extraordinary amount of messing around to do it. You may also arrive to find tickets sold out; I see that there are already calendar dates that are grayed out. The one available toilet is reported to be pretty awful, have a long line, and requires a purchase at the shop to use it. Wear sturdy, closed shoes with a good tread as the surface of the path is loose enough to easily slip. If you haven't done so already, browse through some pages of reviews on TripAdvisor to get an idea of what is involved? :O)
Personally, I would skip it and just do the scavi, which is VAST. You can see the cone (or what's left of it) very clearly rising over the city it destroyed, and it made a bigger impression on us from that perspective than had we been ON it.
You didn't mention it but you're not trying to do this right off a long flight to Rome, are you?