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Tour Pompeii enroute to Amalfi Coast from Naples

Posted by on

Good morning,

I searched the travel forum but came up empty. We will travel from Naples to spend a week on the Amalfi coast (small town near Sorrento) and I'm wondering if it's possible to tour Pompeii enroute to our destination on the coast. Does anyone have any experience doing so or have recommendations to make this happen? We would be a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children ages 8 & 11). We will already have been in Europe for over a week, fyi.

Additional question --- to book the fast train from Rome to Naples, can we book that directly through ItaliaRail or do we need to also have a Eurail pass of some sort in addition to booking the actual reservation for the fast train?

Many thanks,
Laura

Posted by
795 posts

DON'T use ItaliaRail, ONLY use the websites of the train operators, Trenitalia or Italo. Purchase your tickets there and the seats will be assigned (either automatically or selected specifically by you as I learned up the board for another fee) when you book.

Doesn't Pompeii have luggage storage? That would work if they do.....

Posted by
16358 posts

Yes, as Christine said, there is luggage storage both at the Pompeii Scavi-Villa dei Misteri Circumvesuviana (commuter train) station and at the scavi itself.

No, don't use ItaliaRail for the reasons already presented, and definitely don't buy a Eurail pass.

You are aware that you will likely need to take that train from Naples to the excavation or hire a private driver? As well, where exactly are you going after you leave Pompeii? Curious if you've worked out how to get there.

Good info for rail travel in Italy:
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm

Posted by
2456 posts

Laura, I was going to be a Laura too, but came out a Lawrence, back in the day when no one knew in advance!
A couple thoughts from my experience in the area, a few years ago:
The best “splurge” of my trip in Italy was taking a taxi from Naples to Sorrento, door-to-door from lodging to lodging. And I was just one person, makes much more sense for a family. Took just over an hour, cost about 100 euros at that time. Was a very relaxing trip, eliminated all shlepping of baggage, making connections, etc. Remember, if you travel by train, you also have the time, hassle and expense of traveling between your lodging and train station, at both ends of the trip.
I would take the trip to Pompeii on a separate day, either from Naples or Sorrento, 30 or 40 minutes train ride from either city, without baggage. There are experienced, knowledgeable and affordable guides available around the entrance to the ruins, you can “interview” a couple or more, to choose one you like and can easily understand their English.
If you are traveling in the summer, try not to be at the ruins during the mid-day heat, it can be very hot, with virtually no shade. Try to arrive first thing in the morning, cooler and less crowded.
I can enthusiastically recommend a paperback tourism book about Pompeii to you. Unfortunately I bought this in the shop in the train station as I left Pompeii, wish I had had it during my visit to the ruins. It contains a lot of information and current photos of many of the structures and spaces in the ruins, but importantly also includes artist renditions of what the major structures and places actually looked like back 2000 years ago, with people using them etc. Really brings the ruins into focus. It is called “Pompeii — 2000 years ago and today” by Bonechi Edizioni “Il Turismo”. It cost 12 euros when I bought it, some years ago. Don’t know if you can find it in the US, but certainly in Naples, Sorrento or Pompeii.
Finally, be sure to visit the Archeology Museum in Naples, which is where most the art from Pompeii is located, mosaics, sculptures, etc.
Enjoy your wonderful family trip to Italy!

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