Rome to Pompeii day trip

We did a day-trip to Pompeii from Rome last November 4. It was a breeze and one of the very best days of our journey. We took the high-speed train from the Termini station, leaving at 9 am and arriving at 10:10 am. at Naples Centrali. In the train station (newly renovated last year), you take the stairs down one level to the ticket window for the Circumvesuvian Train. Buy a round trip ticket to Pompeii. I think it was about 4 euros each. Continue down the hall toward the Circumversuvian station, going to the platform that says Sorrento. The ride to Pompeii is about 35 minutes and the train goes 2 times an hour. It's not a sleek and modern train by any means, but it was great fun meeting other folks headed toward Pompeii. There are 2 exits at Pompeii; take Pompeii Scavi. After you exit, cross above the tracks on a bridge and walk about a block to the entrance. We hired a private guide after we arrived and he took us on a 2 hour tour for 115 euros. He was wonderful. After the tour we crossed the street and had lunch at a great little outdoor cafe. We arrived back at Naples by 4 pm but our train was not until 5:50. Wished we had stayed longer in Pompeii as it was a fascinating, beautiful place and a treasure for lovers of history, archeology, anthropology, and photography. We highly recommend this day trip!

Peggy, thanks for the reply.....we are considering doing this day tour in early July after the RS tour...Dave

A day trip to Pompeii from Rome is very easy to do but it will be a very long day. You must take the train from Rome to Naples, then change to the commuter train which is downstairs in the Naples station. The circumvesuviana train takes about half an hour to get to the Pompeii scavi stop. From there it's about a 5 minute walk to the entrance of the ruins. If you check the trenitalia website you might find some of the mini fares which can be as low as 17 euros for the trains between Rome and Naples. The circumvesuviana will cost about 7 euros round trip each. The ruins are large and there's not much shade so bring a hat and some water. Donna

Ostica Antica is an alternative to Pompeii and much closer to Rome. If you want to do Pompeii the most enjoyable way then head to Sorrento and spend a couple of nights. Pompeii is an easy 20-30 minute commuter train ride. Sorrento's dramatic cliffs overlooking the sea and Vesuvius from a distance as well as the Isle of Capri are definitely worth a couple of days.

All the definitive details are laid out in the RS Rome book. If you don't have it yet, you should buy it. Best wishes.

Hi Dave, We did this last October. Since we were on the tail end of our trip and we were exhausted, we took the easy way out and booked a bus tour. We were limited as to our itinerary but in the end, we were quite happy that we didn't have to worry about catching all the public transport. Rick does do a thorough job of explaining how to do it by yourself as well as all the comments here. If this is what you want to do on your trip, that is not a bad idea at all!