Which day of the week to go to Pompeii?

I would avoid any free day anywhere. Too many locals. I would do Friday just to avoid any hint of a weekend crowd. Pompeii is huge and can handle big crowds easily. Train from Naples could get a little crowded.

yea that makes sense. Thanks!

Do ALL museums and the like offer "Free Days" on the first Sunday of every month? I'm kind of wondering what to do with our Sunday if all places are packed for free day.

Another option is Ostia Antica, which is closer and less packed with tourists.

Stephen, all of the STATE museums do. On a Sunday, I'd might go visit some churches (between Sunday masses) and piazzas: nice time to explore those while everyone is stuffed into the free sites. Also, I believe the Capitoline Museums are civic and not state museums, and are only free on the first Sundays for Roman citizens so I imagine crowds won't be as thick there.

Take a walk up the Aventine to see Santa Sabina and peer through the keyhole at the Priory of Malta: that's an area a lot of tourists don't make it to. Take a stroll through Villa Borghese, or through ruins at Portico d' Ottavia and around the Jewish Quarter. Head over the river for a walkabout of Trastevere.

Ostia Antica is a state site so will be free but should not be as overrun as the museums/monuments in central Rome so that's a possibility too. You shouldn't have a problem finding things to do!

Kathy gave great suggestions. Note that the famous keyhole is a few meters away from Santa Sabina. There is a beautiful little garden near Santa Sabina with great views of Roma.

In March we did Pompei on a Friday, taking the train from Salerno. Arrived at the Pompei station, which is still a good mile from the southern entrance to the ruins. No problem, it was a nice day, virtually empty given the time of year, and it was simply phenomenal. We had downloaded the RS podcast for Pompei and listened to it on earbuds as we walked around, and it was simple because the podcast is broken up by chapters. It was like we were in the show, seeing and touching things that Rick was describing in our ears.

When we left after 5 hours, we were at the other entrance, at Pompei Scavi. Rather than try and figure out the train or bus, we hailed a taxi, fairly expensive for 15 Euro, to take us to the Trenitalia station for our return to Salerno.

The thing here, Jay, is that there's a difference between crowds in Pompeii in March, when you went, and September, when Stephen is going. We were last there in October, and it was PLENTY busy. I think even a Friday in Sept, will be packed - although not as jammed as on a free Sunday.

I wouldn't try to talk you out of going to Pompeii, but as noted above, Ostia Antica is a viable alternative, especially if heat and crowds wear you out. You get 90% of the experience for 10% of the hassle. Check Rick's video "Rome - Backstreet Riches", starting at the 18:00 mark, for scenes of Ostia. Just as a teaser, here is a photo of the crowd at the entrance to Ostia Antica at mid-day a couple of weeks ago.

Except that I would strongly disagree that Ostia Antica and Pompeii are 90% similar. There are vast differences between the two sites. While Ostia Antica does provide a quiet, park like space and is generally cooler with lots of shade trees, it is not same as Pompeii other than a bunch of half destroyed buildings. If time is short or it is unusual hot, then Ostia Antica is a good option but Pompeii is Pompeii.

Kathy--I fully understand the difference between Pompei in March vs. early September. I was more importantly illustrating the distance from the train station to the entrances and back to Stephen, but I was coming from the south. The good thing for him is that he will be coming from the north, Roma Termini to Naples Centrale, then a change direct to Pompei Scavi, which is the main entrance, and where you want to be. Just under two hours altogether each way.

But I would get to Pompei as early as possible on that Friday to avoid the kind of crowds Kathy is talking about. And it could be pretty hot that time of year as well. We saw about 80% of Pompeii in 5 hours. It's massive, and great. Even if it's crowded it's worth it.

Thanks for input guys.

We wanted to go to the top of Mt Vesuvius, too. Would it make any sense to do Vesuvius in the morning and then do Pompeii after? I was thinking that might help avoid crowds... but then heat is an issue. Let's pretend it's a "cold" day for the sake of argument.

It was five hours for about 80% of it for us too, Jay.

Just IMHO but anytime there are multiple must-do's on the list, it's usually recommended to do the thing most important to you first in case you poop out or encounter some sort of complication. In our experience, Pompeii got progressively hotter and more crowded as the day progressed so we were glad we'd gotten there first thing. We were also good and ready to get off our feet after hours on uneven stone. Vesuvius involves a steep bit of a climb to the summit from where the buses let visitors off so maybe see what you feel like after Pompeii?

If it makes any difference, the cone is very visible from the scavi, and there's a poignancy to seeing it loom menacingly over the city it destroyed which wouldn't have had the same effect for me from the top.

We visited Pompeii 4 days ago (on a Monday) and Ostia Antica the following day. While the latter is great, there really is no comparison in my opinion. You should go to Pompeii if at all possible. It was crowded, hot, and more expensive transportation-wise, but it was absolutely worth it. If you are spending 3 or more nights in Rome I'd say that one day should include the Pompeii side trip.