To include Naples or not?

You will lose a lot of time each time you change locations. For that reason, and the limited time you have anyway, I'd say skip the nights in Naples. Since Pompeii is a must, do it as a day trip from Rome. It will be a long, long day as you'll have to leave very early and come back late. But, to my way of thinking, that will be better losing valuable time relocating to Naples and then back to Rome. Better to add that time to Venice and Florence.

I would leave the overnight stays in Naples if you are going to Pompeii. A day trip there from Rome is very long; you'll be traveling several hours just to get there and back. People do it, but it would be too long and tiring for me. You definitely wouldn't be able to see anything in Naples plus Pompeii in a day. The archeological museum in Naples is a great complement to the visit to Pompeii, so I suggest you keep your nights in Naples so you can do justice to Pompeii and hopefully the museum in Naples.

I see you've seriously paired down from your original plan. Good choice. I also think it would benefit from your idea to eliminate the Naples stay and just do Pompeii as a day trip. At least in April it shouldn't be too hot. And depending on the kids, you might also have time to visit the Archeological museum (or just go for pizza before heading back to Rome).

I'm planning on adding two days for Naples/Pompeii to a planned June 2020 trip. We just had a Pompeii exhibit here this summer, and one of the docents told me that the artifacts were all from the Pompeii Museum in Naples and the Pompeii site was mostly just the excavated city.

That said, if anyone can recommend a great inexpensive place to stay in Naples . . .

On our trip exactly 7 years ago (we went to Pompeii on New Year’s Day), we were staying in Sorrento, closer than Rome. We spent another day just in Naples, so it was 2 day trips, but we maybe lingered longer each day than you’ll be doing on your day(s). Definitely a “must” for us, too, but we avoided packing and unpacking if we’d done a specific stay in Naples, when the train made it easy to visit, then go back to our base B&B in Sorrento. As essential as Naples was, it was, frankly, our least favorite city of the trip, but still worth going for the day!

I love Naples, but with only 10 days (You will be uncommonly jetlagged on the 15th and you can't count the 26th as a touring day because you are leaving) you will be engaged in a whirlwind trip with 4 cities. You have only booked 2 nights in Venice, which amounts to only 1 sightseeing day there, 3 nights in Florence resulting in only 2 sightseeing days there, and only 2 nights in Naples, with only 1 sightseeing day there.

I would add another night to Venice, at a minimum, and another night to Florence. Skip Naples this trip.

I recommend that you use the Search box top center to read some discussions (average 1 per week) with people who want to make a daytrip to Pompeii from a visit to Rome. You may see that (especially on a short-daylight day) that it may not be realistic to do more than the ancient city of Pompeii (2 hour minimum, 4 hours "average", 8 hours for some visitors.

Your third-hand report about "just an old city" is worse than "internet truth"! That was a garbled and incomplete version of "The finest sculptures and frescoes have been removed from open-air exposure in Pompeii and placed in the museum in Naples. They were replaced with replicas in the ancient city [except for The Villa of the Mysteries, so far.]" To the naive visitor, there is NOTHING missing from their visit to the city of Pompeii! (Even the big-shot Metropolitan Museum of Art had to settle for facsimile of the Alexander Mosaic in their temporary Pompeii exhibit section, because it doesn't travel!)

In fact, it is much more important IMHO to visit the ancient city than it is to visit the Museum. However, if the museum has long hours (after Pompeii has closed for the day), you could certainly include it. It will be a long, tiring day, with many public transit "seats".

Note that the fast trains (Frecciarossa) service between Rome and Naples are MUCH cheaper bought three months in advance, but are then NON-changeable, NON-refundable rail tickets, good for a specific train only.

one of the docents told me that the artifacts were all from the Pompeii Museum in Naples and the Pompeii site was mostly just the excavated city.

I hope he was the type of docent that students call coach.

I think Naples is really worth seeing as a city of it's own, not just a place to pass through and spend a few hours......that's a big part of the appeal of Naples, IMHO. Stay there for a few days. It's a buzzing city, not just somewhere with a collection of sites to see, and going out in the evening in Naples to wander through the old city from piazza to restaurant to gelato stand was really nice. Honestly, I enjoyed it more than Rome (Rome had great sites of history and art, but as a city, it didn't have the same vibe).

Be sure to see the Archaeological Museum (yes, I liked that far more than Pompeii itself, but I've visited 2000 year old ruins before), and if you can, I recommend Capodimonte Museum (and the surrounding park) as well.

Have you considered going to Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii? It's an easy 1/2 day excursion from Rome by local train. Save Pompeii and Naples and so much more in that region for your next trip.

On April 22, sunset in Naples is at 7.20 pm. According to the official website, Pompeii is open daily until 7.30 in April. I would have said you will have time to visit the site and also the museum in Naples, but then I read one of the other responses that mentioned kids - so I looked for other threads of yours and found that you will have two children, aged 6 and 11, with you. That makes a huge difference for a very long, strenuous day

A day trip means getting up and out early.
0.5 hours from hotel to train station
1.5 hours to Naples (I added a few minutes to find the train and board in Rome)
0.25 hours to get to the Circumvesuviana train and buy tickets
0.45 to Pompeii (could be longer due to wait time - only 2/hour)

So that's about 3 hours until you get to Pompeii. The site is huge and even if you don't visit the outlying areas (I don't think the amphitheatre is worth the time and it's a really long walk to the Villa dei Misteri), you'll need several hours, including a lunch break. There are few places to sit and rest and walking on ancient cobbled streets or very narrow sidewalks is difficult in some places.

You'll want to allow enough time for the museum in Naples. The Circumvesuviana schedule isn't reliable (trains are often late). I don't remember how long it took to get to the museum from the train station. As I recall, it's a longish walk from the CV to the metro, but a short walk from the metro to the museum. There's a lot to see from Pompeii and the other excavated cities and other fine collections of ancient art and artifacts. With perfect connections, it's still roughly an hour of travel time. From the museum it's another 2 hours back to your hotel.

So at least 6 hours of travel, and an hour for lunch. A 12-hour day leaves you only 5 hours of sightseeing time and all of it on your feet. It's not easy for adults. How are your kids going to deal with it. Make sure they use the toilets when you pass them - they are few and far between. If you want to add a stop for snacks, and maybe dinner in Naples, you will either have less sightseeing time or an even longer day. If I were 6, I'd be cranky long before I got to the museum and if I were 11, I'd be either unbearably whiny or moodily plotting revenge. Hopefully your kids are better travelers than I was as a kid.

Lastly, most people by their train tickets in advance to save money. The full adult fare is €23 more than the super economy fare. so for 2 adults, the difference is €90. That reduced fare is often less than the discounted child fare also. (caveat - maybe there are cheaper tickets for round-trip or family fares). That means deciding in advance not only what day you go but also what time you leave and how long you stay.

Read Rick’s comments about Naples in the Italy guidebook. “Chaotic” is a polite term for “dirty and dangerous”. There are no (or limited) sidewalks or crossing lights in most of the city so you are sharing the narrow roadways with rude and aggressive drivers and (especially) motorcyclists. I like to get lost walking around and taking varied routes. Not a good idea here.

Transit is bad. Infrequent and overcrowded. Taxis are hard to find and harder to hail.

People are not threatening (like in Morocco), but Naples is not a place for many people. Pompeii and the Archeology Museum are easy day trips from Sorrento, albeit on the pretty nasty Circumvesuviano commuter rail.

I’m in the camp of not liking Naples. I’d add another day to Florence and Rome. 2 days of Venice was enough for me. I liked it, will be going back to take my sons in 2020, but 2 days was good.

If Pompeii is a must, I think you could get away with a 1-night stay in Naples. While I don't usually recommend 1-nighters, you might want to add a 3rd night to Venice and I'd take it from the 2nd night in Naples.

Pompeii is indeed a long day trip from Rome, and the excavation is complex and vast: much larger than many visitors expect it to be. 1 night would allow you to explore both the scavi and Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (there is no "Pompeii Museum") without exhaustion. Note that the museum is closed on Tuesdays. While trying to do both in one day is possible, it would be tough on your feet! :O)

http://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/

As far as Pompeii scavi being "mostly just the excavated city," there isn't any "just" about that! While all smaller objects and some mosaics and frescoes were removed to museums for protection from looting and deterioration, what's still in situ as far as architecture, function and decoration provides PLENTY to marvel over. Spend some time with the website (maps and guides) for an idea of just how much ground there is to cover and what you'll be seeing.

http://pompeiisites.org/en/
http://pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/map-and-guide-to-the-excavations/

Note that not all of the structures are open to visitors; those are listed here per region within the larger excavation:

http://pompeiisites.org/en/pompeii-map/

How long you might spend at the scavi varies per individual. I've been twice, and spent nearly 6 hours the 2nd time without being able to cover it all. Visitors with just passing interest or on limited-time organized tours spend as little as 2.

“Chaotic” is a polite term for “dirty and dangerous”.

There was nothing dirty or dangerous about Naples, and there are crosswalks and lights at major intersections (just like in most cities). I very safely shared narrow old-city streets with drivers who weren't aggressive (actually, they moved slowly and carefully in the crowds), but I agree that sidewalks are pretty much non-existent in the old city. But, that's true in Florence too, and in just about every other old-city in Italy that I visited. It was no more dirty than most other major cities, possibly less so, though it is crowded and noisy. It's not polished for visitors, because tourism isn't it's primary business, and so it might not have the best-dressed look that some people prefer.

Transit? No problem, though (like most cities) the buses and subways were crowded at commuter times. Some of the most beautiful subway stations I've seen anywhere, though. A much nicer subway experience than NY, at least.

Certainly, I never felt in danger, even wandering around as a solo woman. The old city was crowded, especially in the evenings and on Sundays (everyone was out walking the neighbourhood on Sunday), but I never felt that I nor my possessions were at risk. I'll admit I was surprised by that, since I'd been told that the old city of Naples was kind of "sketchy", but I didn't feel that way at all.

We only spent one, enjoyable, day walking around Naples. But we were never without a sidewalk (although it is perfectly true that without the bollards, cars would have hit more pedestrians ... It is completely wrong to describe Naples as chaotic and crime-ridden. That has to be the voice of a rural American with little experience in city life. Not too many meth or opiate dens in Naples, are there?

It is true that Southern Italy has suffered from underinvestment and poor governance for many decades. This shows in Naples. But it is not correct to say that anyone who has been to Paris, New York, and London should be afraid to visit Naples.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/surviving-naples

dleinweber must love pristine conditions - and, thus, subjectively 'hated' Naples

We were in Naples this spring and some towns in Provence this fall.
There IS a big difference between them, but Naples is good (if not great) on its own terms.

For this spring's trip, I looked at accomodations near the train station (which would 'make sense' to reduce time spend in moving logdign. However, It just didn't seem as pleasant as I wanted. So we stayed near the archeological museum. It was a nice area to walk at night and eat-out in.

The time spent changing locations and in long transits (train, bus, car ... rides) really eats into a day AND takes energy I'd rather allocate to enjoying a city. We are going to Italy again in April 2020. In "negotiations" with the friends we are traveling with, we are doing two one-nighters (ugh!) But then we will be doing two four-nighters and a two-nighter. The one-nighters will be pains.

However I’m thinking of removing the Naples stay and adding a night each to Florence and Venice and just doing a day trip to Naples / Pompeii from Rome (it’s still a must to visit). Given the must to visit Naples should I leave the overnight stays in Naples?

Is Naples the 'must' or is it Pompeii that is the 'must'?

You have a very busy schedule for adults, but adding in kids 6 & 11, I think will make for four frowny faces long before you reach Rome.

If Pompeii is the 'must', I would add a vote to the suggestion to see Ostia Antica. It is much more park like than Pompeii and saves a lot of travel wear and tear

If there is no option other than '2 night Naples or day trip from Rome', I see it as choosing between being hung with a new rope versus being hung with an old rope

The only positive I see about doing the day trip, is you will not have the bother of bringing your luggage along and getting to/from a hotel.

Good to see that you revised your original plan of flying in/out of Rome, to the into Venice, out of Rome plan.

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions. Yes we will be traveling as a family with our 6 and 11 year old. Very used to active on the go vacations - it’s how we vacation. We are used to be being on the go and having long days and soaking in as much as we can. However I feel confident we will be able to enjoy our trip. I cut out a lot of my original plans. I do plan on switching locations in the evening so we don’t lose parts of the day and the kiddos (and mom and dad) can rest. To those that asked Pompeii is a must - my son read all about it and is very interested in seeing it for himself. I think it would be a great learning for him after reading all about it. Naples is also a must as my husband’s ancestors are from there and we want to explore a little.
Sounds like it would be an incredibly long day trip. I’m thinking of doing 1 night in Naples. Rather than 2. Is there a recommended location?

Sounds like it would be an incredibly long day trip.

Only if you want to visit the archeological museum in Naples as well. You can travel from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale in approx. 1 hr, 10 minutes via fast train. From Napoli Centrale, you'd walk inside the station to Napoli Garibaldi and buy tickets (cheap!) for the Circumvesuviana commuter train to Pompei Scavi Villa dei Misteri station. That station is right outside the main entrance to the excavation, and the trip takes abt. 35 minutes. Going back to Rome, reverse the process.

https://www.visitpompeiivesuvius.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule

This takes less time than escorted bus tours that take 3 hours EACH WAY by road, although add a bit of time to get tickets in for the Circumvesuviana in Naples and catch the next train (they run abt every 30 minutes).

@Kathy that sounds doable for a day trip if we can walk around Pompeii for a few hours. I don’t think it’s imperative to visit the museum in Naples but perhaps stroll around a bit and grab a Pizza as CJean noted before heading back to Rome. This might be the better plan for us than adding a new stay in Naples. Is there parts of Naples worth exploring? Naples feels like the location I can find the least information and know the least on.

The RS Italy guidebook has a city walking tour of Naples that I enjoyed. Given your limited time you may have to do only part of it. It starts near the archaeology museum, so that's the part I'd cut out and concentrate on the old part - where you'll get to renowned L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (expect long lines at lunchtime and dinnertime but mid-afternoon to early evening should be ok). From there it's a 10-15 min walk to the train station. Note that if you are staying overnight, best to go first to the train station and store your bags, rather than return to the hotel at the end of the day to pick them up.

I think the Archaelogical Museum is the one absolute must-see in Naples!..........obviously very different strokes for different folks. YMMV.

Personally I find Naples to be a dump and I live in one of the most congested cities in Europe with more than its fair share of deprived neighbourhoods, I'm certainly no wide eyed country bumpkin.

If you really want a taste of Neapolitan housing estates then the TV series 'Gommorah' is an eye opener.

We did a trip last winter and chose Venice, Rome and Naples, skipping Florence since we were so limited on time, and I was really glad that I spent 3 nights in Naples (also 3 nights each in Venice and Rome. We flew into Venice and home from Naples, so it felt very efficient. I probably preferred the time in Naples over the time in Rome, on the whole. Rome felt much more congested and busy to me.

We spent an afternoon at the museum, a whole day in Pompeii (couldn't get enough - loved it) and then spent most of a day to go to Paestum. In Naples, we had really good meals, walked all around, took the subway and the circumvesuviana and always felt safe. If your son is really interested in Pompeii, it's worth staying over 2 nights and giving it a full day

In each city, I wished I had a 4th night so as to have three whole days. But we will be back, I'm sure.

I think your plan to travel between locations on late afternoon, early evening trains makes a lot of sense with 2 kids in tow. I'd keep this on your trip from Florence-Naples.

Keep the one night in Naples. You and the kids will be much more refreshed after a good nights sleep. Pompeii can be exhausting. Find a lodging close to the station, go out and have a Napoli Pizza. Then the next morning head to Pompeii dropping your luggage at ...

https://www.napolicentrale.it/en/service/detail/left-luggage

Sunset this time of year will be at 18:47, so head back to Rome in daylight. There's a train,
FR# 9658 that leaves Napoli at 16:30 arriving 17:40. 1H10m. Giving you 7 full hours in Pompeii/Naples. Without leaving Rome at the crack of dawn.

I wouldn't take them to the Archeological Museum after Pompeii... sensory overload.

Here are some things they might enjoy.

Castle dell'Ovo, let them run the ramparts here, Plazzo Royal, Gallery Umberto, both good for a walk by and the Bourbon Tunnels ( underground tour). These are all within 3 blocks of each other. Take the bus from the station to the Castel.
I think it's #151.

https://www.unicocampania.it/files/mappe/Napoli2016.pdf