We will be spending a week in Rome and want to plan a day trip to the Pompeii area. Asking for opinions on whether to rent a car and explore on our own, take a train or utilize a tour company. Anyone recommend a tour company out of Rome?

Pompeii is a very long day from Rome based on the travel time alone. Unless you're renting a car for other parts of the trip I wouldn't do it for this alone.

If you search on "Pompeii from Rome" you will get quite a few threads on this subject.

In summary, Tour companies tend to have a limited amount of time at Pompeii itself, and often want to stop of at a "commercial opportunity" jewellery factory.

It can be done easily by train, but is a very long day. Go from Rome to Napoli Centrale, Change there for the Circumvesuviana (it is on the ground floor of the same building) to Pompeii Scavi.

Personally, I wouldn't drive - I have driven around Pompeii, and it is not too bad even though it is on the outskirts of Naples. The Excavations are fairly close to an autostrada exit and quite well signposted. Parking can be very expensive.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-a-budget.cfm

Train is your best option and it's really not that long of a day since the trains are faster these days. The fast train from Rome to Naples is only 1:10 and it's another 30-35 minutes by commuter train from Naples to Pompeii Scavi.

Marija, you beat me to it.

tony56, keep in mind that time of year matters: winter travel means shorter amounts of daylight in your days!

However the days don't come any longer than they are in June!

This may be of use for the only slightly complicated part of the rail journey, changing trains in Naples...

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-or-pompei.cfm

Peter

Thanks to all for the responses. Big thanks Brit...that lays it out so even I can understand it. Looks like we will spend a lot of time on the trains going to Pompeii then to Venice, on to Munich and finally Paris. I'm so use to traveling by car and doing the driving myself so this is going to be a different and enjoyable experience.

Fyi, in case it is of interest, EasyJet flies from Naples to Venice at relatively low cost; might be worth considering.

tony56, good luck and have fun with your train travel! It is indeed such a different, enjoyable experience, not only from driving (of course), but from US train travel.

My husband and I are also planning a day trip to pompeii when we go to italy in april and we are planning on taking the train seems the most comfortable and enjoyable way to take a day trip