Pompeii Day Trip from Rome
December 10, 2023 4:26 AM Subscribe
We are visiting Rome for a week in February and have already booked a hotel there for the whole stay. Since its our first visit, we'll primarily be exploring the city, however we're keen to see Pompeii.
I have looked at the basic high speed rail to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii, but would like to ask if this is logistically feasible / enjoyable as a day trip?
Are there other better options such as an organized tour from Rome or from Naples?
In general we have been happy with exploring tourist sites independently - - is Pompeii suited for this or is a guide worthwhile? Will the crowds or weather be a factor in February?
I have looked at the basic high speed rail to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii, but would like to ask if this is logistically feasible / enjoyable as a day trip?
Are there other better options such as an organized tour from Rome or from Naples?
In general we have been happy with exploring tourist sites independently - - is Pompeii suited for this or is a guide worthwhile? Will the crowds or weather be a factor in February?
I would not try Rome to Pompeii as a day trip. The distance from Rome to Pompeii is too far. The Pompeii site is huge. You will want to spend some quality time there. Day trip from Naples is probably doable.
It's been eight years since I've been and I still think about our trip all the time. Have a good time. Enjoy Rome and the stuff near Rome. Rome is amazing and you could easily spend a week or more there alone. Thousands of years of history, art, fine food. Don't spread yourself too thin! You will have an amazing, memorable time so don't pack in too many overly-hectic travel scenarios!
posted by SoberHighland at 7:07 AM on December 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
It's been eight years since I've been and I still think about our trip all the time. Have a good time. Enjoy Rome and the stuff near Rome. Rome is amazing and you could easily spend a week or more there alone. Thousands of years of history, art, fine food. Don't spread yourself too thin! You will have an amazing, memorable time so don't pack in too many overly-hectic travel scenarios!
posted by SoberHighland at 7:07 AM on December 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I took a one-day coach trip from Rome to Pompeii many years ago. It was about 3 hours on the coach each way, which was quite comfortable. The problem was that the coach tour, while headlined as a Pompeii tour, actually only spent a couple of hours there, and then after lunch went around the Amalfi coast, complete with a stop at a cameo factory (which presumably had an arrangement with the bus company). The day was long enough (9 am to 9 pm, as far as I remember) that if we had spent all the time in Pompeii it actually would have been a good overview.
A random check of present-day coach tours suggests that they're still doing the same: headlining Pompeii but spending the afternoon going up Vesuvius or around the Amalfi coast, or into the centre of Naples, so really only suited to people who want it tick it off a list.
(Why didn't I go and stay nearby? I was a young solo traveller with protective Italian relatives who considered Naples and its environs to be total bandit country, so I considered discretion to be the better part of valour).
posted by Azara at 7:35 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
A random check of present-day coach tours suggests that they're still doing the same: headlining Pompeii but spending the afternoon going up Vesuvius or around the Amalfi coast, or into the centre of Naples, so really only suited to people who want it tick it off a list.
(Why didn't I go and stay nearby? I was a young solo traveller with protective Italian relatives who considered Naples and its environs to be total bandit country, so I considered discretion to be the better part of valour).
posted by Azara at 7:35 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I "did" Pompeii as a day trip from Rome some years ago and enjoyed it; but it was with a small group, which meant that we were driven directly to the site and back, and may have already had the tickets... Doing it by train on your own adds in quite a bit of time and variables. You COULD do it, probably, yes. But it would be a tiring and probably annoying day, and you'd be hurried at the site and not get to see everything. (And be aware that in general stuff in Italy closes early in the winter, I don't know the exact times at Pompeii but I have most definitely found sites closed that were marked to be open, on winter afternoons.)
(You won't get to see "everything" anyway because the excavated site is very large; but many of the highlights are actually situated quite compactly -- something like 5-6 hours is enough for a highlights day, in February.)
There are any number of operators offering a day excursion to Pompeii from Rome, check Tripadvisor.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:35 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
(You won't get to see "everything" anyway because the excavated site is very large; but many of the highlights are actually situated quite compactly -- something like 5-6 hours is enough for a highlights day, in February.)
There are any number of operators offering a day excursion to Pompeii from Rome, check Tripadvisor.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:35 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't have personal experience, but I've been told Herculaneum is a better visit than Pompeii because there will be less crowding usually.
posted by wellifyouinsist at 7:59 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by wellifyouinsist at 7:59 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have done this as a solo trip, about five years ago, on the same rail options. Took the earliest option out, and left when Pompeii closed. The train back to Rome had an issue, so I ended up getting back at 2 am, after a confusing talk to the station master in Naples. (Actually, come to think of it, the train to Pompeii also had an issue, and we were bussed for part of it.)
Even with all of that, was it worth it? Yes, absolutely. No regrets, I had always wanted to see Pompeii. It was rushed and hectic, but I had no other option due to timing, and I wasn't sure if/when I'd be back in Italy again. But then again, I tend to do short hectic trips like this, so I was fairly comfortable with dealing with any hassles that might arise, and moving quickly. If you or your travel companions do not enjoy travel like this, then no, I would not recommend via rail. It required brisk walking to the site, brisk walking in the site, and then brisk walking back to the station, and a lot of looking at the clock and mental planning.
posted by umwhat at 8:23 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Even with all of that, was it worth it? Yes, absolutely. No regrets, I had always wanted to see Pompeii. It was rushed and hectic, but I had no other option due to timing, and I wasn't sure if/when I'd be back in Italy again. But then again, I tend to do short hectic trips like this, so I was fairly comfortable with dealing with any hassles that might arise, and moving quickly. If you or your travel companions do not enjoy travel like this, then no, I would not recommend via rail. It required brisk walking to the site, brisk walking in the site, and then brisk walking back to the station, and a lot of looking at the clock and mental planning.
posted by umwhat at 8:23 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
We did this about a decade ago. Four adults and four children,
Fast train to Naples, slow train to Pompeii. It worked.
We didn't do a guided tour. There were certainly "guides" hanging out downstairs at the Naples train station, where they would intercept you as you went looking for the slow train. Worried about getting scammed or whatever, we declined their services. But they felt more like drivers than guides, don't think they were going to walk us around the site and such, just get us there and back.
We had two under 10 year olds, and Ms. Windo had what turned out to be a broken ankle, so it was enough to spend the time we did. And Pompeii has pretty great informational signage.
OTOH, we went to the Colosseum, might have bought our way past the line, but also didn't get a guide. We did however at one point come up on a group that did have a guide. And we were able to hear him. And he did have interesting information to share. We floated around near this group for a while...
So depending on your group.
And there is a crazy amount of cool stuff in Rome. Our hotel was near the Vatican, so we checked it out. Turned out that the morning we went there, the Pope was giving a speech. And it was Francis, not Benedict. Which was pretty cool. Also, for something different, the Capuchin Crypt in Rome is pretty gnarly, if you can handle being in a place encased in skulls and bones.
posted by Windopaene at 8:25 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Fast train to Naples, slow train to Pompeii. It worked.
We didn't do a guided tour. There were certainly "guides" hanging out downstairs at the Naples train station, where they would intercept you as you went looking for the slow train. Worried about getting scammed or whatever, we declined their services. But they felt more like drivers than guides, don't think they were going to walk us around the site and such, just get us there and back.
We had two under 10 year olds, and Ms. Windo had what turned out to be a broken ankle, so it was enough to spend the time we did. And Pompeii has pretty great informational signage.
OTOH, we went to the Colosseum, might have bought our way past the line, but also didn't get a guide. We did however at one point come up on a group that did have a guide. And we were able to hear him. And he did have interesting information to share. We floated around near this group for a while...
So depending on your group.
And there is a crazy amount of cool stuff in Rome. Our hotel was near the Vatican, so we checked it out. Turned out that the morning we went there, the Pope was giving a speech. And it was Francis, not Benedict. Which was pretty cool. Also, for something different, the Capuchin Crypt in Rome is pretty gnarly, if you can handle being in a place encased in skulls and bones.
posted by Windopaene at 8:25 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I highly recommend the YouTube channels of Professor Garrett Ryan titled "Told In Stone" and "Scenic Routes to the Past". Garrett has an extensive set of short videos on various sites related to the Romans, including Pompeii and Herculeanium, from a protagonist perspective so you can get a tangible sense of the visit. You can learn a lot of in depth facts and about sites and history so you don't miss what you want to see. He recommends reputable guide tours. He is very knowledgeable and very funny and the same time. His clips are lavishly packed with photographs and illustrations so you get a tangible sense of his narrative. I hope this is helpful. He looks at his comments regularly, so you might even be able to ask him for his take directly.
posted by effluvia at 8:45 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by effluvia at 8:45 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I did not go to Pompeii during my week-long solo trip to Rome a few years ago, mostly because it felt like trying to shoehorn in too much in too little time. I did, however, go to Ostia Antica, a short 20 or so minute train ride from downtown Rome, and it was amazing. Like Pompeii, it's a Roman city, well-preserved although not as extensive as Pompeii, or so I gather. That said, it was worth it for me to get a taste of an ancient city without the time investment of getting to Pompeii from Rome.
On the subject of tour guides, I got a lot of mileage out of podcasts tours - in Italy I used Rick Steves (including his tour of Ostia Antica), but I'm certain there are many to choose from. Consider Voice Map, which makes use of GPS on your phone to guide you. It's a really clever, convenient, ingenious (in my opinion) way to see sights.
Have a great time!
posted by fingers_of_fire at 9:04 AM on December 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
On the subject of tour guides, I got a lot of mileage out of podcasts tours - in Italy I used Rick Steves (including his tour of Ostia Antica), but I'm certain there are many to choose from. Consider Voice Map, which makes use of GPS on your phone to guide you. It's a really clever, convenient, ingenious (in my opinion) way to see sights.
Have a great time!
posted by fingers_of_fire at 9:04 AM on December 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
I did this as a half day stop en route from Naples to Rome. Spent maybe 3 or 4 hours on site, and wish we could have had more time. If you do this, triple check the timetables for trains to give yourself plenty of time on site, not hanging out in the station waiting on a transfer
posted by basalganglia at 9:24 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by basalganglia at 9:24 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
If I may suggest an easy alternative - Ostia Antica. It’s about an hour from Rome on the municipal rail (cheap!), it’s 40 acres of really great ruins, there’s a nice museum on site, and it is rarely crowded. There are guides/tours available, if you seek them out.
It isn’t as opulent as Pompeii, as it was a working port. However, there are many great mosaic floors, a restaurant with “menu” intact, and a very well-restored amphitheater. I’ve been there three times, and loved it.
posted by dbmcd at 9:31 AM on December 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
It isn’t as opulent as Pompeii, as it was a working port. However, there are many great mosaic floors, a restaurant with “menu” intact, and a very well-restored amphitheater. I’ve been there three times, and loved it.
posted by dbmcd at 9:31 AM on December 10, 2023 [7 favorites]
Yeah I think this would be a big pain as a day trip from Rome. We visited Pompeii as a day trip from Sorrento, which I highly recommend because Sorrento is charming as hell, especially in the evenings.
We did not hire a guide, but I kind of wish we had? The signage isn't extensive or particularly informative. There were a few places where we got to eavesdrop on a tour for a couple minutes, and the tour-goers seemed like they were just getting a lot more context than we were. I would probably research it in advance to ensure you're getting a good guide, though, if you go that route.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 9:39 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
We did not hire a guide, but I kind of wish we had? The signage isn't extensive or particularly informative. There were a few places where we got to eavesdrop on a tour for a couple minutes, and the tour-goers seemed like they were just getting a lot more context than we were. I would probably research it in advance to ensure you're getting a good guide, though, if you go that route.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 9:39 AM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Another great archaeological visit in Rome is (if you have the time to plan it and reserve months in advance) the guided tour through the Roman mausoleums under St Peter's, culminating in the purported grave site of St Peter.
Otherwise, I enjoyed a visit to the roman houses on the Celio and of course the underground levels of S Clemente.
posted by sukeban at 9:47 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Otherwise, I enjoyed a visit to the roman houses on the Celio and of course the underground levels of S Clemente.
posted by sukeban at 9:47 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think you can do this on your own just fine with the trains, which are really a game changer. Seat 61’s Pompeii daytrip page has an excellent guide to the exact trip you want to make with photos of the journey and a video of the change in Naples. Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa high-speed trains are excellent - like Japan Rail Shinkansen delightful, and also outrageously inexpensive and very frequent for what they are. Of course, it is a full day, but to me seeing Pompeii and having dinner in Rome at, like, 8 pm or something when you get back is certainly no bad thing if you’re on vacation in Italy anyway, and Napoli Centrale has all the facilities you’d want if you end up there for an hour or so.
I went to Pompeii from Florence in November last year, and spent about three hours at the site on a torrentially rainy afternoon, and aside from getting a bit wet (the Roman sidewalks and elevated-stone road crossings meant my feet were dry!), the site was both hauntingly empty and dust-free, making the murals really pop.
I would just be conscious of the site’s winter hours, which are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Rome to Naples high-speed train is only 70 minutes and Naples to Pompeii Scavi is about 40 on the Circumvesuviana, so you could easily have at least four or five hours at the site if you wanted it. On the random Tuesday in February I looked at, the first .italo high-speed train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale leaves at 6:00 am and the first Frecciarossa south from Roma Termini leaves at 7:00 am; the last .italo from Napoli Centrale to Roma Termini leaves at 7:20 pm and the last Frecciarossa north leaves at 8:30 pm.
I had this “Pompeii: A Guide to the Excavations” PDF guide and did the audio guide and felt like I had a great day and learned a lot.
posted by mdonley at 10:05 AM on December 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I went to Pompeii from Florence in November last year, and spent about three hours at the site on a torrentially rainy afternoon, and aside from getting a bit wet (the Roman sidewalks and elevated-stone road crossings meant my feet were dry!), the site was both hauntingly empty and dust-free, making the murals really pop.
I would just be conscious of the site’s winter hours, which are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Rome to Naples high-speed train is only 70 minutes and Naples to Pompeii Scavi is about 40 on the Circumvesuviana, so you could easily have at least four or five hours at the site if you wanted it. On the random Tuesday in February I looked at, the first .italo high-speed train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale leaves at 6:00 am and the first Frecciarossa south from Roma Termini leaves at 7:00 am; the last .italo from Napoli Centrale to Roma Termini leaves at 7:20 pm and the last Frecciarossa north leaves at 8:30 pm.
I had this “Pompeii: A Guide to the Excavations” PDF guide and did the audio guide and felt like I had a great day and learned a lot.
posted by mdonley at 10:05 AM on December 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
I was just in Rome. We did a lot of research beforehand into whether it made sense to do Pompeii as a day trip. For the reasons many have stated above, we opted against it, albeit with a heavy heart. It just seemed too exhausting to do in a single day, and we also didn't want to eat up most of a day with travel.
If this might be the only trip you ever make to Italy, you may want to consider doing it anyway. But for us, we decided we'd save it for a future trip.
If you do decide to go, I definitely recommend some sort of guide, or at least an audio tour. It's hard to appreciate ancient ruins without one. Rick Steves has a Pompeii tour on his free app.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 12:08 PM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
If this might be the only trip you ever make to Italy, you may want to consider doing it anyway. But for us, we decided we'd save it for a future trip.
If you do decide to go, I definitely recommend some sort of guide, or at least an audio tour. It's hard to appreciate ancient ruins without one. Rick Steves has a Pompeii tour on his free app.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 12:08 PM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I did this exact day trip earlier this year and found it tiring but quite worthwhile. The fast trains between Rome and Naples really are extraordinarily speedy. We enjoyed a DIY tour of Pompeii with the Rick Steves app, and a self-guided tour of Herculaneum, too. It was a real highlight of our time in Italy.
posted by cheapskatebay at 12:42 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by cheapskatebay at 12:42 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I’d do it- just remember when darkness falls. We did a day trip where we walked through Naples for 2 hrs and got pizza, then took the train and back. We got off a train early so cut about 30 mins off our trip.
posted by sandmanwv at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sandmanwv at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
But, it is amazing. You have heard about it all your life! And then to see it. See the frozen bodies, yes. But, the tracks in the roads. And the food courts, and the amphitheaters. Just so cool...
(And the two oldest children disappeared while we were there. No cell phones, just start searching. (Pudding hot chocolate downstairs at the Naples train station). Was a very memorable day).
If I every go again, I agree that Herculeanium sounds awesome as well.
There is just so much really old shit in Europe, it's amazing to think about and see.
posted by Windopaene at 2:10 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
(And the two oldest children disappeared while we were there. No cell phones, just start searching. (Pudding hot chocolate downstairs at the Naples train station). Was a very memorable day).
If I every go again, I agree that Herculeanium sounds awesome as well.
There is just so much really old shit in Europe, it's amazing to think about and see.
posted by Windopaene at 2:10 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
We did it as a day trip in November 2017, as a private tour. A driver picked us up in Rome and drove us to Pompeii, where we met our guide (someone who worked on restoring frescoes there), who took us through parts of Pompeii and then to Herculaneum. The driver took us back to Rome. It was a long day, but worth it to us, but we did pay through the nose for it.
posted by telophase at 3:33 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by telophase at 3:33 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I did a day trip from Rome via the trains and I wouldn't have wanted to miss it. Joined a tour we found while walking up and it was worthwhile and not too long, then wandered about. Ate a margherita pizza in Naples on the way back.
posted by flimflam at 7:43 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by flimflam at 7:43 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is totally do-able. Whether you should do it, depends on other factors.
Rome is incredible. It is easy to burn 5 days there and still leave feeling like there is so much you didn't see. We go to Rome every January and each time we see something new! Last time for example we went to the Diocletian Baths and to the Basilica di San Clemente, among other places. The latter was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen.
That said, Pompeii is definitely its own thing. An entire Roman town that you can walk through! When we went a few years ago, we actually went twice over two days. It is actually pretty big. But you can absolutely get a sense of it by walking around for a few hours as a a day trip.
The signage isn't very impressive so if you go independently, as we did, be sure to read up on it beforehand. We had a list of houses/places we wanted to see and enjoyed wandering randomly through the town trying to find them.
If you will be back to Italy soon, I'd day to save Pompeii for another time. It is best seen by staying in Naples or nearby, visiting the Archaeological museum in Naples - which houses Pompeii artifacts as well - and going to other sites like Herculaneum or Villa Poppaea.
If you won't be back soon and you are fascinated by Pompeii, then do it! With the new fast trains, you can be at Pompeii in 2 hours or so. Thats easily enough time to spend a late morning, early afternoon there and be back in Rome for dinner. Pompeii is, if anything, under-rated not over-rated and with all the new discoveries they have made since I was last there, I'm itching to go back myself.
posted by vacapinta at 12:33 AM on December 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Rome is incredible. It is easy to burn 5 days there and still leave feeling like there is so much you didn't see. We go to Rome every January and each time we see something new! Last time for example we went to the Diocletian Baths and to the Basilica di San Clemente, among other places. The latter was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen.
That said, Pompeii is definitely its own thing. An entire Roman town that you can walk through! When we went a few years ago, we actually went twice over two days. It is actually pretty big. But you can absolutely get a sense of it by walking around for a few hours as a a day trip.
The signage isn't very impressive so if you go independently, as we did, be sure to read up on it beforehand. We had a list of houses/places we wanted to see and enjoyed wandering randomly through the town trying to find them.
If you will be back to Italy soon, I'd day to save Pompeii for another time. It is best seen by staying in Naples or nearby, visiting the Archaeological museum in Naples - which houses Pompeii artifacts as well - and going to other sites like Herculaneum or Villa Poppaea.
If you won't be back soon and you are fascinated by Pompeii, then do it! With the new fast trains, you can be at Pompeii in 2 hours or so. Thats easily enough time to spend a late morning, early afternoon there and be back in Rome for dinner. Pompeii is, if anything, under-rated not over-rated and with all the new discoveries they have made since I was last there, I'm itching to go back myself.
posted by vacapinta at 12:33 AM on December 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I agree with the folks noting that it's technically possible, but not the best way to do the trip. If it's your only chance to see it, go for it, but you miss a lot by not being able to see the artifacts in the museum in Naples, which add a lot of context. Or you could opt for Herculaneum, which is smaller.
I think with five days I would go for Ostia Antica, because it's a metro ride from Rome and is very cool in the same way as Pompeii. However, my appetite for rushing and hassle may be less than yours.
posted by PussKillian at 6:46 AM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think with five days I would go for Ostia Antica, because it's a metro ride from Rome and is very cool in the same way as Pompeii. However, my appetite for rushing and hassle may be less than yours.
posted by PussKillian at 6:46 AM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I would also suggest Ostia Antica rather than Pompeii.
posted by Akke at 6:55 AM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Akke at 6:55 AM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
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Which brings me to tours. One thing about archaeological areas in the Mediterranean-- probably other places too-- is access. Most of the places I've visited in Italy or Greece, it was good to have a tour director scouting things out. Places close down for a week, trains go on strike, what have you. In Pompeii, we were on a university-based tour and were taken into some houses and things that were closed to the walk-up tourists. If you can find a tour, I think that would be a real help with the limited time you have.
With that being said, if your expectations are reasonable, it could be worth it for you just to get down to that area and walk around. It's fucking breathtaking to be in the shadow of Vesuvius.
posted by BibiRose at 6:52 AM on December 10, 2023 [2 favorites]