Rome day trip - train to Herculaneum seems more practical then train or bus, to Pompeii. Most guided trips to the later show 2 to 3 hours on site - does not seem sufficient. If going to the first independently could spend 5 hours, for considerably less cost. Yes - I know a guided tour likely would make additional stops - but if the focus is on the ruins - maybe too much in one day? Seems several much touted guided tours from Rome require 4 to 6 hours total transport time. Counter-productive? Going North - looks as if Florence is a nice train day trip? Yes - I know, a long meandering post. Short version - am I 100% nuts?
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7278 posts
You don’t have enough time in Rome as it is
Why spend so much time in transit?
You could visit Ostia Antica in Rome, much easier/closer but will take away time from major Rome sights.
Assuming this is itinerary
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/italy-trip-8-days-rome-naples-venice-milan
Posted by
11647 posts
Save those antiquity sites for when you visit Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast on future trip. How much time do you have in Rome. Five full days is what I recommend for a first trip to Rome.
Posted by
Calgary
1745 posts
We did a day tour to Pompeii and Sorrento from Rome, and we loved it. Did we have time to explore every single corner of Pompeii? Of course not. However, we feel happy with what we saw and felt it was a good amount of time.
Considerations:
When we initially booked the trip, we were going to be there in May 2020, and we felt that the tour would be more manageable for us during a somewhat busy season. We also thought that amount of time in the hot sun would be enough for us. When we ended up taking the tour, it was November, and it was quiet and drizzly at Pompeii. We probably would have done it on our own had we initially planned to go in November, but we were using a credit from our cancelled trip.
We had 6 full days in Rome, so sparing a day for Pompeii was very manageable.
My husband really, really wanted to see Pompeii. It was the only request he made. I do the planning, but I always try to incorporate sights he really wants to see.
We live in Western Canada and are used to long drives. We enjoy looking at the scenery.
If we'd had only 2 days in Rome, there's no way we would have spent one of them doing this, though.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12006 posts
Short version - am I 100% nuts?
I do not have the qualifications to assess your sanity, but reading this and some of your other posts, it seems you are trying to put 6 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket. It does not matter what color the bucket is, there is no way a 5 gallon bucket will hold 6 gallons. The various itineraries I have seen you post seem to me to be trying to change the color of the bucket, rather than getting a bigger bucket ( more time) or accepting you have to leave a gallon behind ( not go 'everywhere')
Posted by
Colorado
471 posts
Joe, I love your analogy. I'm always looking for a bigger bucket!
Posted by
1 posts
There is a faster train to Naples that only takes about an hour, but even then leaves you with inadequate time to see Pompeii. We elected to put it on the bucket list for the next trip. Just returned from first Rome and Florence trip (8 nights) with manageable crowds and crisp weather in mid-March.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7988 posts
Florence is too far for a daytrip from Rome. Many people make their first two weeks in Italy (12 nights) Rome-Florence-Venice. How much do you like art on the wall? What month-Pompeii and Herculaneum are subject to extreme sun and heat, especially if you get there at 11AM or later.
train to Herculaneum seems more practical then train or bus, to Pompeii
What is your basis for this evaluation? Does it take account of the fact that Herculaneum is 15 steep downhill minutes from the Circumvesuviana stop, while Pompeii is directly across the street from its Circumvesuviana stop? Or is it that Herculaneum is smaller, so you'll see it all?
That's like saying that the Worcester MA Museum of Art is better than the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, because it can be seen completely in one day! Maybe you'd prefer Knott's Berry Farm to Disneyland for the same reason?
Posted by
Los Angeles
4874 posts
do not attempt to visit Worcester anytime soon ...
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12006 posts
Pompeii is 10 miles south of Herculaneum. As a day trip from Rome the travel time saving of going to Herculaneum vs Pompeii is not meaningful. You would use the same means of transportation to get to either.
Posted by
Huntsville, TX, USA
319 posts
I have done the day trip from Rome to Pompeii and it was wonderful. There are usually early trains to Naples so you can get started before dawn. I also visited Pompeii when our base was in Sorrento and that was lovely too. You just need to decide what you want to dedicate time to and do it. Regret free travel is the best travel. And remember, you will return one day so don't try to do too much!
Posted by
Truro, NS, Canada
3941 posts
We did a day trip to Herc on our first visit to Rome - and it was fine(ish.) We spent a few hours there, grabbed some pizza, took a van (from the metro or train station I believe, this was 2008) to Mt Vesuvius, walking up to the crater, and were back in Rome by 7 or 8pm. We took the fast train.
And this includes us somehow getting off the wrong stop for Ercolani, and having to wait a blessed hour for a train to take us back to the correct stop - it was a Sunday, trains were less frequent. We probably could've figured something out, but we didn't have a map or smartphone or anything, so we cooled our heels.
Certainly doable on your own. I mean, if you only have 3 nights in Rome, maybe don't, but you know what's important to you.