Getting to Pompeii and Vesuvius on a day trip from Naples

When I was researching our trip to Italy, I struggled a little to find clear information on getting to the Pompeii archaeological site from Naples independently. And more importantly how easy it would be to get from there to Vesuvius and then back to Naples.

Luckily, when we got there, it was, (as you can imagine for trip done every day by thousands) very easy. This post describes just how easy.

From Naples to Pompei

The Circumvesuviana rail service runs from Naples to Pompei about every 30 minutes. 

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. 

Pompei Scavi Villa Misteri or Santuario

Ideally, you want to get on a train that stops at Pompei Scavi Villa Misteri (Scavi means archaeological excavation in Italian), as the stop is just outside the main entrance to the ruins. 

A Pompeii street

Without realising it, we ended up on a train that stopped at Pompei Santuario and not Scavi. If this happens to you, it isn't really a problem, as its only a short walk from this stop to one of the entrances (although its a bit of a longer walk to the main entrance). 

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.

Getting a guide around the ruins

There are more options for a guide at the main entrance outside of the Pompei Scavi Villa Misteri station than the entrance closest to the Santuario stop. We still found a guide at this entrance though and paid 90 euros for a two hour tour (for both of us). 

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

You need two hours or more at Pompeii (we were there for three) and archaelogical buffs will want to plan their visit carefully, so they get to see the parts of the site they want to see. Its very easy to get from Pompeii to Vesuvius and although we could have lingered a little longer, the hour and a half that the tour gave us was just about enough. It takes around 25-35 minutes to walk up to the rim (then you need 30-40 minutes to walk around and 20 minutes to get back down again).

And finally, Pompei or Pompeii?

While researching our visit and even while we were there, I became a little confused by how many i's to put at the end of Pompei(i). In case you were also wondering, Pompei is the modern day town, which forms part of the Metropolitan City of Naples. Pompeii is the ancient ruined city, located in Pompei.

Related post:
Exploring Naples