Pompeii/Vesuvius Tours

Rick's guide is VERY out of date and needs to be updated. I just visited 2 weeks ago. Several sites on the map are closed (the Baths, two of the villas, the way to the lead pipes is closed) or moved (the bodies aren't where Rick said they'd be). It's clear that newer things have opened since Rick's map was done like a different bath/spa location. Body casts were sort of hidden in various villas and we just kind of stumbled across them.

His guide doesn't even mention the Antiquarium museum, which is where we were told most of the bodies have been moved.

It was really disappointing to see that Rick's map fell so far short. I just chucked it by the time I found a 4th site that wasn't open to visitors like Rick's map said it would be. For the guy with the "best selling Italy guide book" - it should have been done better.

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR POMPEII MAP, RICK STEVES.

You'll do better taking your chances with the official Pompeii map http://pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/map-and-guide-to-the-excavations/ or booking your own tour guide.

Rick's books are out of date because of Covid. They are updating them as we speak. For Pompeii I would highly recommend a guide anyway.

We used a guide from a service where we bought the ticket. It was a group tour. The group was fairly large and they divided it. We were happy with it.

Regarding any shortcomings in the RS guidebook, that all is not as published is true of ANY guidebook as things can change the minute a book comes off the press! That's one of the reasons many of us advise using an attraction's own website for the most current visiting information, such as hours, entry fees, closures, etc. A site like Pompeii is particularly vulnerable to shifting closures as preservation, restoration and excavation efforts move from site to site, sometimes with little warning as the whole thing is pretty much open to the elements. Heavy rain, for instance, might threaten a fragile structure to the point of being unsafe and needing immediate shoring up, thus a need to close it.

So, I'd go with the official map and guide linked above. It's much easier for the park to quickly make changes to an online guide than to a printed one, and even then you may encounter changes due to sudden, unforeseen circumstances. I will say that the scavi is vast and complex so if not up to doing considerable reading in advance, a tour is advised to make efficient use of your time. Some RS posters have reviewed this Mondo shared "Pompeii Walk" tour positively:

https://www.sharedtours.com

Personally? I don't see the need to climb Vesuvius in addition to visiting Pompeii. Seeing it loom menacingly (It's still active!) over the remains of a city it destroyed was more poignant for me than had I been standing near the summit but you may feel otherwise. :O)

We did Pompeii and Vesuvius in one day, and it ws too much for my husband who is older than I am. Plus, looking over the lip of Vesuvius was a big let down. We enjoyed Pompeii, although my husband thought Ephesus in Turkey was more interesting.

Ah, johnanddoc. I didn't see that your post was over a month old, and that you may have taken your trip already. I guess you curiously hadn't received any responses until yesterday? Did you end up taking a tour at Pompeii or going it on your own?

Yep, we got back last week. Great trip. Thanks.