Getting to Pompeii and Vesuvius on a day trip from Naples
Follow this symbol! |
You can catch the train from the main central station at Piazza Garibaldi. There’s a metro stop inside the station. Arriving at the station, follow the Circumvesuviana signs. The Circumvesuviana line is on a separate network to the Italian mainline and you can only buy tickets for stops on the line through the Circumvesuviana counters. It costs just 2 euros 60 for the 30 minute trip.
A Pompeii street |
To get to the ruins from the Santuario stop, go straight ahead when you exit the station. Then turn right after the church and go straight on down Via Roma. The entrance is about a 5 minute walk from the church on the right.
A Pompeii zebra crossing (raised stepping stones allowed people to cross the street without stepping in waste water and rubbish flowing in the street) |
While it was worth it, for a more budget visit, from the main entrance, you can get an audio guide. There is also a greater possibility of splitting the cost of guide with others, more of whom will be arriving at this entrance.
To Vesuvius
There is a local bus that runs up to the volcano, but when we were there it didn’t appear to be running. Instead, we walked down to the main entrance – about a 15 minute walk – where a couple of different companies run a shuttle bus up to Vesuvius. We went with Tramvia, which cost 12 euros for the return trip and runs 3 times a day. We caught the last one of the day, which was at 2.40pm.
Vesuvius’ crater |
The entrance to the volcano cost 10 euros and we were given an hour and a half there. This was just about enough time to walk up, soak in the views, walk round the top and walk back down again.
Another company Busvia charges 22 euros, but this includes entry to the site and so essentially, its the same price.
Getting back to Naples
The Tramvia bus was heading back to Pompei after Vesuvius, but after a confused multilingual discussion with the driver, we discovered that it was going to Naples after that. For no extra cost, we were able to stay on the bus. It dropped us off at the main train station, where we started the day.
A doable day trip?
It’s definitely a doable day trip from Naples to see both Pompeii and the volcano that destroyed it, but start early to make the most of it.
‘Foro’ square inside Pompeii, with Vesuvius looming in the background |
Related post:
Exploring Naples
13 thoughts on “Getting to Pompeii and Vesuvius on a day trip from Naples”
I loved visiting the ruins of Pompeii. It's such a humbling experience!
Thanks for sharing! Naples and the surrounding area are definitely high on our travel wishlist. Maybe 2016 will be the year we get there… So many places so little time! #theweeklypostcard.
We visited Pompeii but didn't get to Vesuvius. There's so much to see in this amazing ancient city. We were surprised by how much had been unearthed and preserved.
Haven't been to Pompeii, looks like it's worth a visit and good to know that it is doable as a day trip from Naples. #TheWeeklyPostcard
We took the train from Naples down to Sorrento which we used as a base, and then did a daytrip to Pompeii from Sorrento. Even then, we didn't have time to go up Mount Vesuvius as we lingered so long amongst the ruins. Rick Steves has a free audioguide you can download into your smartphone. We found it very informative and handy.
Great guide! I'll visit the Amalfi Coast in April and I want to take a day trip to see Vesuvius and Pompeii (or Herculaneum, haven't decided yet!). Did you like the trip to Vesuvius? It's what I'm most excited for.
I know! So interesting. I'd love to go back and explore a bit more.
We really liked Naples too. Great food and really interesting city! Thanks for stopping by!
It is amazing. Fascinating too to see the casts of the human bodies and the animals, particularly seeing Vesuvius looming over the city in the background!
Definitely worth a visit and we enjoyed having a guide to show us around.
I saw someone with a Rick Steves guide book, when we were there. Are his books pretty popular in the US? Haven't seen them in the UK? Good tip and good way to get hold of an audioguide. Do you have to pay for it?
I can well imagine spending a few more hours just exploring the ruins. Really interesting.
Yes we did like going up Vesuvius. Amazing views from the top! And it was steaming a teeney tiny bit! Pompeii was really interesting. We didn't go to Herculaneum, although we were told that although its smaller some parts of it are better preserved.
We also went to Capri and the Amalfi coast … posts to follow!!
Thanks for this guide! I hope to do a south of Italy tour in the near future and Pompeii and Vesuvius is definitely on the itinerary.