Stephen

Hello everybody, we are planning Rome in October. How difficult is this day trip and what is the best way to do it? Thanks for all replys.

gina

Stephen! It's not difficult at all! Just do it! Take a train to Pompeii and take a taxi to the entrance to the ruins. It is very important to plan to buy a guidebook outside of the entrance. Otherwise, you won't know what is going on because nothing is labelled. It's worth it. The train from Rome to Pompeii is about 2 hours. You'll be glad you did. Gina

Lydia

Walter <BR>Would you PLEASE send me the "old e-mail" as well? Also wanting to do the train trip to Pompeii. THANX

Rosemary

Walter, <BR>Would you PLEASE send me the "old e-mail" as well? Also wanting to do the train trip to Pompeii. THANX <BR>

Bill Fleites

Walter, It looks like you have a third customer who would appreciate it if you could send that old Pompeii E-mail to. <BR>Thanks in advance.

Jan

Walter, <BR>We are planning trip to Rome in November and would like to get your "old e-mail" about the train to Pompeii. <BR>Thanks, Jan

[email protected]

I have to agree with Gina, you really do need a good guidebook. I wouldn't wait until I got to Pompeii, though; I would buy one in advance and read it ahead of time, perhaps on the Rome/Naples train. <BR>www.fs-online.com to get you to Naples; the earlier the better. Plan your tour in advance so you tour the parts far from the station first, and finish up near the station. <BR> When the train drops you in Naples, follow the human tide (or the signs) downstairs to the Circumvesuviana ticket booth. It's really easy to find. The CV is a private line and you'll have to buy a separate ticket. Make a note of the Pompeii/Napoli schedule when you buy your ticket. <BR> I had lunch at the Naples train station to kill time waiting for the CV, and it was a good thing I did! I don't remember seeing any sort of place to eat at all at Pompeii. I got the impression that eating on the actual Pompeii site was forbidden (isn't it nice seeing Pompeii without MacDonald's drink cups littering the ruins, spoiling the effect?). Plus, I was busy the whole time sightseeing; I could not have seen the site and eaten lunch as well. <BR> For best use of time, I'd eat on the train. You can buy food on the train or pack a meal and eat it on the train, as the locals do. <BR> Enjoy!

Bill Irving

Is it just as easy to get to Herculaneum(SP?) from Rome? I have read articles & seen things on TV that suggest that Herculaneum would be the better of the 2 sites to visit. Has anybody been to both sites? Is Herculaneum, in fact, a better site to vist than Pompeii? Is it worth trying to visit both sites? <BR>

hycinth

Bill, <BR> If you follow the instructions for gettting to Pompeii from Rome, you would pass Herculaneum en route to Pompeii; the station is called Erculaneo, I think. The name of the stop is the Italian equivalent of Herculaneum; you'd probably recognize it when you saw it. Not having done Herculaneum myself, I couldn't tell you if it was easy to reach from the CV station or whether it was better than Pompeii. I can assure you, though, you can't do both on one day trip from Rome. You'd have to pick one or the other, or you'd have to do two day trips. Or, you'd have to overnight in Sorrento or Naples, doing one the day you left Rome, and the other the day you returned to Rome. <BR> I thought Pompeii was spectacular. If you have to pick one or the other, I can't imagine you would be disappointed by Pompeii. Whether it is worth both is sort of up to you. Why not post a new topic --Herculaneum --who's been there? and see what you get? <BR> If you do go to Herculaneum, please post and tell us what you find!

Walter

Jan <BR> I mailed out the other e-mails, but yours was bounced back. e-mail me if you want and I'll send it. Regards, Walter

Walter

Bill-Herculaneum <BR>To add to my previous post, the Rome-Naples early (best) trains are Depart6:10-Arrive7:57, D7:10-A9:02, D8:10-A10:00. Bill it's *possible*. Doublecheck but my guidebook lists that Pompeii's open 9-1hr before sunset, 8pm june/july and 3:45 nov/dec. I'll assume the summer. Arrive Naples 7:57, take the Cs train towards Sorrento, get off at the Ercolano stop (15min). Exit station into small parking lot (take taxi or walk), a street *starts* at the parking lot and heads 500m downhill towards the Bay of Naples, at the end of this st. is the entrance to Herculaneum. Herculaneum 9:30-12, while walking back to station grab some food, take the Cs to Pompeii (20min), start touring Pompeii ~1:15/30 leave ~6:30 (or later), catch a ~8pm train and in Rome ~10pm. If you think you'll never go back I would do both, 2 1/2hr and 5hr there isn't ideal but it's not bad. To save time I would think about hiring a local guide, I've seen them outsides the gates or perhaps you could arrange (via guidebooks or internet) one in advance. Good-Luck, Walter <BR>p.s. there is a (tourist) restaurant, snackbar, gift shop, w.c. in the Pompeii site.

Mustangs81

Since I will be going to the Amalfi Coast including Pompeii, I have been following this very helpful thread. Can I suggest "The Independent Walker's Guide to Italy" by Frank Booth? It gives good information on getting to and walking Capri and Amalfi and I assume some of you will be visiting those areas as they are in close proximity to Pompeii.

Paul

Walter, <BR>Please forward me as well your old E-mail on the details of the Pompeii train trip. Thanks!

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For Scott.

Thyra

Hi Stephan, I can't stress enough! Hire a guide when you get to Pompeii!! We did and it was amazing. It was kind of pricey but they have a set price no matter how many people go, so if you connect with another couple of people it should be less. Our guide was a delight, he was full of amusing stories and new every stone of Pompeii and why it was there and a story about it. He pointed out things that other people were just walking right over! I wouldn't have done the trip without our guide, it enhanced the experience to have this wonderful little old Italian gentleman give us a slice of his cultural heritage.

Joanna

Gina, I'm stumped by your recommendation to get a taxi from Pompeii station to the site. I can't remember it being much more than a 5 minute walk!

George

Just back from 2-1/2 weeks in Italy including a day trip to Pompei from Rome. We caught an 8 a.m. train to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana to Pompei. We were at the main gate by about 11 a.m. Switching trains in Naples was fairly easy as many others have noted. Maybe we were over-prepared for the worst Naples could offer, but the crowd seemed pretty grungy to us. Note: when you get to the platform heading for Pompei, there are two different trains. Don't take the one that is going to Pompei. That takes you to the modern town of Pompei. You want Pompei-Mestre which stops right outside the gates of the ruins. When you come out of the little station, you turn right and walk maybe 30 yards to the entrance. If you turn to your immediate left, there's a campground with a very nice little restaurant with a full menu and excellent bathrooms. We came to appreciate nice bathrooms as we traveled around Italy. If I had this to do over, I wouldn't hire a guide at the front gate. We did @ $90 for four of us for two hours. His knowledge and tour was very cursory. We got more out of using the book after he dropped us off. We thought we were being efficient, but I'd skip the guide next time. Another note, the place is huge! I'd definitely buy a book and take some time in the shade of a tree to figure out what seem to be highlights and then just wander. It's fabulous. We caught a 6:30 train back to Rome and were eating dinner near the Spanish Steps around 9:30.