Italy
NAPLES – POMPEII – ROME – CAPRI
- 6 days
- singles, couples, w/ kids
- spring, summer, fall
A beautiful sightseeing trip that is packed with activities. Six days in the iconic Italian city of Naples. A city that may be a little intimidating at first, but then you'll fall in love with it. You'll discover its historic centre, both its world-famous and lesser-known sights. You'll taste a lot of Italian food and wine. You'll explore Pompeii, see Vesuvius. Take a day trip to Rome by high-speed train. Take a boat to the amazing island of Capri. It's a really packed six days. And if you've never been to Rome, you can extend your holiday by staying there a little longer. Plus, flights to Naples are often very reasonably priced, so it can be a less expensive holiday. The ideal time to travel here is spring or autumn – in the summer it will be very crowded and also quite hot, but you can swim in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, on the other hand.
Departure by train to Pompeii. Tour the whole area. Transfer and climb up to Vesuvius.
Today is dedicated to a day trip to Pompeii and Vesuvius. You can plan this trip in advance, but it is not difficult to arrange everything on the spot.
Pompeii is most easily reached by train. There are several options, but the best is to take the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii. Trains leave from the main station, lower platform – everyone will be happy to help you find it. From the hotel you can either walk or take the metro to the train station. The journey by train to Pompeii takes about 30 minutes. The train stops just a short walk from the ticket offices. Pompeii opens at 8:30am. Everything is beautifully described, including timetables here. Get off the train at the Pompeii Scavi – Villa dei Misteri stop and then just stick to the crowds as they will all go to the ticket offices and entrance to Pompeii.
You can buy tickets in advance online, which I certainly recommend (here – on the right hand side of the homepage). You can also plan your entire tour of Pompeii on this site. Pompeii is huge and so I would recommend spending the minimum of 4 hours here, possibly more. Download a map of the site on the website. Bring plenty to drink and a small snack. There is only one refreshment area, and it tends to be very crowded.
Once you’ve seen everything, it’s time to head to Vesuvius. You have two ways to get there. You can use the bus service, look for a bus stop in Pompeii called "Fermata EAV bus", it should be a short walk from the station where you arrived by train in the morning. The full directions are here. You will then take the same bus back to Pompeii (or Herculaneum) and take the train back to Naples. The advantage is that it is cheap – one bus ride is about 3 EUR. But the journey takes 50 minutes, you spend 2 hours at Vesuvius and then 50 minutes on the way back by bus and half an hour by train to Naples. An easier solution is to take a taxi. It’s not exactly cheap, but it’s very convenient and you save a lot of precious time. We managed to arrange with a taxi driver to take us from Pompeii to Vesuvius, wait there for 2 hours and take us to Naples – all this for 70 EUR. Which with 4 people wasn’t that bad.
Admission to Vesuvius is 10 EUR per adult. They are open until 5pm, July and August until 6pm. In March and November, they close at 4 pm. The walk from the ticket office to Vesuvius is uphill, of course, but it’s not too difficult.
Food during the day – it is better to take food and drink with you. There is a possibility to have something to eat in Pompeii, but don’t expect extra quality. Plus, there are big crowds of people. In front of the complex there are several restaurants where you can go for a late lunch, but I do not recommend it – the quality is pretty lousy, the prices are rather high.
Dinner – Today was a busy day and there was a lot of walking, so try the restaurant Osteria da Carmela, it’s a short walk from the hotel (route).
Alternatives: already been to Pompeii and Vesuvius? Go on a full-day trip to Procida Island.
Everyone knows the fate of Pompeii and it is definitely a good idea to visit here. The grounds are really extensive, and you can easily spend 4 hours or more here. Public dining rooms, palatial houses, baths, theatres, mosaics… it is all incredibly well preserved. If you come here in the summer, take enough water with you. There is a refreshment place in the area, but it can be quite far to get to from some parts of the large grounds.
It's a really big area, I've been here 4 times and each time I discovered something new.
Naples main train station. From here you can go to Pompeii or Rome. The station is the same as in most big cities. In the vestibule you can find the offices of the various railway companies – for example, a journey to Rome can be bought with at least two companies.
Tickets for both Pompeii and Rome are easily bought on the spot. It's even better for tickets to Rome, the lady who sold us the tickets told us what to do and how to do it. For example, how to use the ticket for a later connection than the one we bought, etc.
Vesuvius – a mystical mountain. A bus or a taxi will take you a short distance below the summit and then you will have a slightly challenging climb. But it’s worth it. The journey to the top is already a nice experience. Everything is spoiled a bit by the gift stalls, but the place is still worth a visit. The crater is impressive.
Buy your ticket online at the web link – on the left hand side. There is a very poor signal on Vesuvius, so either print out your tickets or save them to your phone.
A small and very good restaurant. Authentic food. Nice atmosphere. Good wines. Friendly service. A perfect place for dinner. Prices are reasonable.
Please note that reservations are required.
Niky Malečková
17.07.2024
1368
Our experience of a week in July on the Greek island of Rhodes
