VISITING POMPEII AND MOUNT VESUVIUS

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This post is all about why you should visit Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

A visit to Pompeii and the volcano that engulfed it 2000 years ago is a fascinating history lesson that you shouldn’t miss out on.
Pompeii can be visited as a day trip from Rome, Naples, the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento. You can also visit Mount Vesuvius in the same day if you’re feeling energetic.

We decided to not rush so much, stay in Pompeii for a few nights and visit Pompeii one day and Mount Vesuvius the following day. If you have the time, this is how I would recommend visiting the area.
It allows you time to really soak in what the different sites have to offer and also, to visit the close by Herculaneum, which in another town that was buried under the volcanic ash of the 79AD Mount Vesuvius eruption.

This post is all about why you should visit Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

WHERE IS POMPEII?

Pompeii is in the Campania region of southern Italy, 15 miles south of Naples and 150 miles south of Rome. It’s 16 miles from the stunning resort town of Sorrento and 22 miles from the famous Positano, on the Amalfi coast.

Pompeii is halfway between Naples and Sorrento and not far from the Amalfi Coast, making visiting Pompeii an easy day trip from many locations in the area.

When I first started researching my trip I found it quite confusing as the archaeological site of Pompeii (you might see it referred to as Parco Archeologico di Pompei or Pompei Scavi on maps) is right next to the modern town called Pompei.

Mount Vesuvius towers above the area as a lasting reminder of the eruption in 79 AD that destroyed the ancient city. Mount Vesuvius is still an active volcano today and the residents of the surrounding area live under the threat of another eruption.

WHAT HAPPENED AT POMPEII?

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The force of the explosion blew the entire top of the mountain off, sending rocks, ash and dust over 10 miles into the sky. Many residents had fled the city but around 2,000 people stayed behind.

The city of Pompeii was buried under a thick carpet of volcanic ash, poisonous gases and superheated rock hit Pompeii at great speed. All of the people who stayed behind were killed and the city was seemingly lost forever under the volcanic ash and debris.

Almost 2000 years later, a group of explorers rediscovered the site in 1748 and they were surprised to find that beneath a thick layer of dust and debris, Pompeii was mostly intact.

The victims’ bodies had decomposed where they’d died, leaving body-shaped spaces in the hardened ash. Archaeologists were able to pour plaster into these spaces, revealing the last moments of the victims and creating Pompeii’s famous body casts.

Pompeii has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997 as a joint listing with nearby Herculaneum and the Villa Opolontis at Torre Annunziata.

VISITING POMPEII IN 2023

HOW TO GET TO POMPEII

Pompeii from Sorrento

If you’re travelling from Sorrento or one of the other resorts along the north coast, the easiest and cheapest way to get to Pompeii is to take the Circumvesuviana local train to the ruins. The train line runs between Sorrento and Naples and stops off at several stations including Pompeii. The best train station for the ruins is Pompei Scavi - Villa Dei Misteri. From Sorrento, the train takes between 25 and 30 minutes.

Pompei Scavi station is less than five minutes’ walk from the Porta Marina main entrance to the ruins.

The train can be very busy particularly in high season. Lots of tourists and locals use this train and it has a reputation for pickpocketing. I’ve never had an issue onn the train or never heard of any one first hand but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be vigilant. Keep your bags close to you and be aware of who’s around you.

An alternative to the Circumvesuviana train is the tourist train of the Campania Express. These trains take the same route as the Circumvesuviana but with less stops. They only stop at the popular tourist sites like Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento.

As you may imagine the Campania Express is a more luxe journey than the local train. There is air con, comfier seats and space for luggage. The journey is about 30 minutes quicker between Naples and Sorrento as well.

A round trip on the Campania Express from Sorrento to Pompei Scava – Villa Dei Misteri costs €25 per person.

Pompeii from Naples

If you’re travelling to Pompei from Naples you will need to head towards Napoli Centrale (often called Piazza Garibaldi after the square outside the station entrance). You can choose to head downstairs to the separate Napoli Garibaldi station and get a train on the Circumvesuviana.

A better thing to do though is to walk down the street a little to Porta Nolana station. This station is the start of the Circumvesuviana line (Napoli Garibaldi is the first stop) so you’ve got a better chance of getting a seat on what can be very busy trains. Most people get on the train at Napoli Garibaldi so if you board one stop before you guarantee yourself a seat. Whether you board the train at Porta Nolana or Napoli Garibaldi, get on a train that’s headed for Sorrento.

Pompeii from Naples cruise port (Stazione Marittima)

If you’re arriving in Naples on a cruise ship, you’re probably going to be docked at Stazione Marittima. If you were feeling energetic you could walk the 1.2 miles to Porta Nolana station on the Circumvesuviana line. If you’d rather take a bus, the airport bus leaves from outside Stazione Marittima and stops outside Naples Centrale station. A ticket costs 5 euro per person.

Once at Naples Centrale, you can either go downstairs to the Circumvesuviana station (Napoli Garibaldi) or walk 10 minutes down the street to Porta Nolana station. Porta Nolana is the start of the Circumvesuviana line (Napoli Garibaldi is the first stop) so you’re much more likely to get a seat. Board a train headed to Sorrento and get off at Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri..

Pompeii opening times in 2023

From 1 April until 31 October 2023 the site is open 9am to 7pm, with the last entry at 5.30pm. Access to some houses is restricted after 6pm.

For summer 2023 there’s a new “House of the Day” programme, where you can visit a house that isn’t normally open to the public. Each House of the Day will open at 9.15am and close at 6.20pm, with the last access at 6.00pm.

The schedule for House of the Day is:

Monday – Casa dell’Ancora
Tuesday – Domus of Marco Lucrezio Frontone
Wednesday – Forum Baths
Thursday – House of the Ceii
Friday – House of the Wounded Bear
Saturday – House of the Tragic Poet
Sunday – House of the Orchard

Pompeii is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

In the winter months (1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023), Pompeii is open Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm, with the last entry at 3.30pm. Access to some houses is restricted after 4.15pm.

TICKET INFORMATION

When you visit Pompeii I would recommend prebooking your tickets online to save you time and skip any queues there might be. You can go to the ticket offices at Porta Marina, Piazza Anfiteatro or Piazza Esedra. There are usually queues to buy tickets unless you go very early so save yourself the time and hassle when you’re there and prebook them.

If you fancy a freebie (and why not!) it’s free to visit Pompeii on the first Sunday of every month so if you’re around during that time you might want to save some money and visit then. A word of warning though - that day is ridiculousy busy.

They do have a system where if more than 15,000 people have arrived before 12pm they will close the ticket sales for an hour to allow the site to quieten down a little and some visitors to leave before letting more people enter. You can avoid the queues for free tickets by booking them online.

If you’re planning on visiting other places you can buy the Campania Artcard which gives you free access to many great attractions in the area including Herculaneum which is very nearby Pompeii and was also buried under the ash of the Vesuvius eruption.

Other sites you can visit with the Campania Artcard include :

National Archaeological Museum
Royal Palace of Naples
Castel Sant'Elmo
Certosa of San Martino
Royal Palace of Caserta
Paestum
Archaeological Museum of Capua.

FACILITIES AT POMPEII

There are many drinking water fountains at Pompeii so make sure you take your reuseable water bottle especially if you’re visiting in the summer as it get’s very hot and you will need to stay hydrated.

There are several toilets at various locations around Pompeii site.

You can buy food in the Pompeii Archeological site from a cafeteria near the Forum but I’d recommend taking your own food as it can get expensive and it’s just easier to have your lunch and snacks with you so you can stop whenever and wherever to eat.

The site is really, really big and trying to find the Forum when you’re ready to eat may be a challenge!

WHICH ENTRANCE TO USE FOR POMPEII

There are three different entrance gates for Pompeii, all with a range of facilities:

At the Porta Marina entrance (closest to the Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri train station where trains from Sorrento stop) there’s a ticket office, toilets and left luggage lockers.
At Piazza Esedra, a little further along from Porta Marina from the station, there is a bookshop and toilets. There’s a small police station just outside the Piazza Esedra entrance.
At the Porta Anfiteatro entrance (closest to the modern town of Pompei) there’s an ATM, bookshop, toilets and left luggage facilities.

If you want to take a tour of Pompeii without booking in advance, you may be able to hire an official guide at the Porta Marina or Piazza Esedra entrance between 9am and 3pm. There are no official Pompeii tours from the Porta Anfiteatro entrance.

TIPS FOR VISITING POMPEII

TAKE A WATER BOTTLE

It can get pretty hot in Pompeii, particularly in July and August so keeping hydrated during your visit is important. Luckily for us visitors there are drinking water fountains all around the main areas of Pompeii where you can frefill your water bottle with safe drinking water. The taps are also set over huge Roman troughs so you get to feel like a Roman filling up your bottle.

DON’T TAKE A BIG BACKPACK IN TO POMPEII

People have reported such a variety of experiences regarding backpacks. Some have experienced a high level of strictness regarding the size of a backpack they were allowed to take in and some have been able to take in pretty large backpacks.

The rules are that anything over 30x30x15 isn’t allowed. That’s a little smaller than a personal bag you’re allowed on a budget airline. There are a small number of luggage lockers at the entrance where you can leave your bags but honestly it’s better to just leave any bulky bags at your accomodation and just bring a small day bag with your essentials in.

As well as being for security, it’s also to reduce damage to the ruins themselves from people rubbing against the walls with their bags. There were a small number of luggage lockers at the entrance when I visited but it’s best to leave bulky bags at your accommodation. You’ll have a better time exploring anyway if your not weighed down by a big bag.

GET A MAP OF POMPEII RUINS

At the entrance make sure you pick up one of the free maps of the Pompeii site. I initially forgot to pick one up and within 5 minutes I was so confused so I walked back and picked one up. There are sometimes people handing them out or they may be at the ticket desk. Once you’re in the ruins there’s no way of really orientating yourself and it’s very easy to get lost.