7 Important Tips to Visiting Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

This post is about Pompeii.

Thinking about visiting Pompeii or Mount Vesuvius on your next trip to Italy? Both of these destinations are perfect day trips from Naples or the Amalfi Coast.

You can hire a private car to take you like we did, you can book a guided tour, or you could brave the train system! 

Since we were flying into Naples and going straight to Sorrento, we decided to book a private car through Daytrip. Daytrip gives you the option to add stops along your ride which made it super convenient for us to visit both Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii in one day! I highly recommend booking through Daytrip if you are looking to try out a mix of guided and self-guided experiences.

Here I am going to give you the step-by-step guide on how to make your trip to Pompeii a success and how to hike Mount Vesuvius and!

How We Spent Two Hours in Pompeii! 

My biggest piece of advice for visiting Pompeii is to do your research if you are doing a self-guided tour rather than a guided one. Pompeii is a very popular tourist destination, so aside from getting there early, the best thing you can do when visiting is come in with a plan.

We made the mistake of not doing any research of what we specifically wanted to see before heading in. DON’T DO THIS! I recommend studying the map of the park online first, reading up about what sites might interest you most, and making your own little self-guided tour.

We had allotted ourselves two hours in Pompeii, and we didn’t even see half of what the park has to offer. That being said, we saw all we wanted and more. 

However, we felt a bit defeated by the end of it because we were running around trying to find all of the things that we wanted to see. It wasn’t relaxing. I honestly think even if you did have it all planned out, it still wouldn’t be relaxing.

The crowds in Pompeii are no joke. I’d be bold to say they’re worse than Disney World in the summertime. There are large tour groups everywhere which make you like you’re in a line walking up and down the streets.

Speaking of the streets! Beware that navigating in here might feel impossible. The signage is not great, and the map only helps so much. So please make sure your phone is fully charged because you will be using Google Maps to get around.

Positives!

Okay that was a lot of negativity I just threw at you, but we did want to visit Pompeii for a reason! The ruins here are shocking. Especially when you look up and see Mount Vesuvius looming above, you really get a feel of how life might’ve felt living there.

Let me tell you my favorite parts of Pompeii! These should definitely go on your list of must-see spots!

Fountains

The water fountains all around Pompeii are so neat! Some are still working which is so fun to an American who isn’t used to free public water. The faces on some are still so clear. It’s crazy to think how long the fountains have been standing!

Brothel

This one I was kind of shocked to see, but you have to go through it! It’s one of those things you don’t really think about ever being real until you’re walking through it. The rooms are so simple, but the real draw to the brothel is the artwork! I won’t give away the surprise, but I should warn against bringing impressionable children through this one.

Steppingstones

Honestly this was one of the coolest things to me! The actual sidewalks are much higher than the roads. This allowed water and waste to flow down the streets, and people still had a clean walkway around the city. The steppingstones in the center of the roads were like crosswalks!

Pompeii’s People

This was the sole reason we visited Pompeii over Herculaneum. My grandparents had visited Pompeii, and I have vivid memories of them showing me the pictures of the bodies cased in ash. It was so interesting to me as a kid that when I was planning this trip, I knew I just had to see them for myself.

Artistic Tiles / mosaics 

I was very surprised to find so much art still intact in Pompeii! From the colorful tiles at the local bar to the floor mosaics in the wealthy’s homes, there is a lot of color hidden in the ruined city.

Arena

Since this was our first stop in Italy, we had yet to see the Colosseum in its full glory, so Pompeii’s arena was very cool to see. It was so fascinating to actually standing in the center of the arena and look up towards the stands imagining the crowds that used to gather for entertainment. We also got to look underneath the stands to see where the holding areas were for the performers which is something you have to pay extra for at the Colosseum. 

Ruins with Greenery 

Overall Pompeii surprised me, but the thing I admired the most was the nature that grew around the ruins. Call me a romantic, but there was something beautiful about how this ruined city held so much death, yet nature continued to fill it with life. On the cynical side, it looked very much like the apocalypse which I thought was pretty cool too.

Well, there’s everything you need to see in this massive oasis of history. Remember to please plan accordingly. Expect lots of crowds. And enjoy walking on the rubble of a once beautiful city.

Pompeii vs Herculaneum

We had originally planned to visit both Pompeii and Herculaneum, but Herculaneum was closed the day we were traveling through (WEDNESDAYS HERCULANEUM IS CLOSED!). 

As much as I would’ve loved to have seen both, I think you can get away with choosing just one. From my research, Herculaneum’s ruins are much more intact than Pompeii. Also, because the name Pompeii overshadows Herculaneum, there is less of a crowd at Herculaneum.

The main reason I chose Pompeii over Herculaneum is because Pompeii has the people mummified in ash which as I mentioned before has been a strong childhood memory of mine. Having now seen them for myself, I would definitely go to Herculaneum over Pompeii on my next trip.

If you don’t have a particular interest in seeing Pompeii’s citizens, and you want to avoid the crazy crowds, I’d highly suggest Herculaneum.

All of this being said, I am so grateful we spent some time wandering around Pompeii. We did really enjoy ourselves getting to see so much more than we anticipated inside the park. And Pompeii really set a high expectation on the rest of the ruins we intended to explore on our Italian adventure!

Step by Step of hiking to the top of Mount Vesuvius! 

Where to Begin?

For the extremists, you can begin at the very bottom. You need to be in tip-top shape to conquer that feat. Which is why the park services made reaching the top a bit more achievable for those that don’t run marathons. 

How to Get There?

Whether you have a rental car, a tour bus, or a taxi, any mode of transportation can drop you off closer to the top! Be warned, the hike up from this drop off is still quite an uphill battle but at only a 2.5mi hike roundtrip!

What to Expect?

Once you reach the summit of Mount Vesuvius, there is a lovely path along the crater, so you can see every angle of the volcano. But don’t forget to turn around and admire the stunning views of Naples, Bay of Naples, and the beginning of the Amalfi Coast!

The coolest thing about the summit in my opinion is if you look closely, you can actually see steam still rising from the crater! It really puts into perspective where you are.

Final Thoughts

I recommend dressing in layers! The top is quite windy most days especially if you are smart and start your hike to the summit in the morning.

Our times tickets that we booked online, were for 10:30am, and there were already a few tour buses letting off big groups to hike to the top. However, when we reached the top, there was tons of space for everyone to spread out.

I highly recommend adding this as a day trip to your own Italian adventure! How many times can you say you hiked a volcano?

Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

Overall, I recommend both of these experiences to people who have interest in the historical event of Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. It’s an eerie yet exhilarating feeling walking through the real life places these stories came from.

Looking for more information about our Italian Adventure?

Check out these recent posts about the Amalfi Coast!

Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting the Amalfi Coast

Best Towns in Amalfi Coast

Tips on Hiking Path of the Gods and other hikes on Amalfi Coast

This post is about Pompeii.