I really want to visit Mount Vesuvius. I am looking for any recommendations you have. Is it better to drive than to take a train? If train, what's the closest city that I need to get to? How do I get to the mountain? I would like to hike it, so any tips from hikers? Any recommended hotels close by? Sorry lot of questions. Any recommendations you might have, however minor, will help me make some decisions.

Thank you in advance.

Come on friends....somebody ought to have some information. Any good website links with this info will help me too....

We took the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Pompeii, then from Pompeii to Herculaneum.

Just outside the Herculaneum (Ercolano) station, there were vans for hire to take us up to Vesuvius.

The trip up the mountain is quite a ride--lots of tight switch-backs, and great views.

When you get up to Vesuvius, you can hike the last path up to the crater view.

I don't know when you're going, but in February, when we were there, the temperature was much colder on the mountain than at the bottom!

I think you'll have a great day there.

Byrd

Take Circumvesuviana railway to Ercolano. Then the Transporti Vesuviani bus from there to the car park from where you can begin a climb that takes about half hour to the crater.

Or, take local bus #5 from close to the train station until the end of the line. Then walk a few hours through the lava fields.

It's quite simple to drive up. From the large parking field, there is the climb that Byrd refers to. At the crater, there are English-speaking guides to provide background info. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy the view. Before going, read "Pompeii" by Robert Harris.