We’re heading to Naples again in November, and want to see Pompeii and Herculaneum again, and other scavi sights if there’s time. The last trip was around New Year’s, more than twelve years ago, and while we also had a rental car, we frequently used the Circumvesuviana to get from our B&B in Sorrento to sights around the area. The train worked for the two of us back then, and was never crowded or a problem, except for the last day, heading to Naples with our luggage for a connecting train to Rome, and one unruly man who didn’t appreciate tourists with luggage on HIS train.
Now, in 2025, some reports about the Circumvesuviana, including from a private guide we’re planning on hiring for two days, suggest that it’s unacceptably filthy, crowded, and dangerous. Supposedly, as sitting is reportedly now nearly impossible, standing near the doors makes one more likely to be a victim of jump on, snatch-and-jump-off thieves. Does anyone have recent experience riding the trains, especially between Naples and Pompeii, and has the situation deteriorated to the point that you would completely avoid the Circumvesuviana?
Our prospective guide also suggests that Taxis are unadvised, as most drivers supposedly will scam visitors. That wasn’t our experience the last time, with a quick, safe, and fair taxi ride to the National Archeological Museum in Naples. We won’t be renting a car this trip, and is a private driver the only way to go, based on your experiences? Or is the Circumvesuviana a viable means to get to sights?