Is Naples within reasonable reach of Rome to allow for a one-day visit of Pompei in August?
What is the best transportation option and how much?

Yep Napoli iswithineasy reach of Roma by
train,and pompei hasit's own station.
Check WWW.Trenitalia.com for times,
you'llprobably haveto change in Napoli

It's a fairly easy trip on your own (~3hrs) with a change of trains in Naples and you are dropped off 50m from the entrance. Go to www.twenj.com click-on "Rome" and then "Excursions" on the sidebar. One minor mistake in the walking direction at the Naples Train Station. It's listed as the Garibaldi Station but it is actually the Centrale Station, same station just on different levels. Minor because at the Centrale you just go down 1 flight of stairs in front of Track 13 and turn left. At Galibaldi you go up 1 flight of stairs and turn right. From either one just follow the signs to the "Circumvesuviana". Also the prices are alittle dated with rail increases and the Euro-USD exchange. Regards, Walter
p.s. Pompei is the modern city and Pompeii is the ancient city.

Hi
I think that there is a bus tour to Pompeii, which might be more convenient.

See http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34385984

Much as I promote train travel in Italy, I'd agree with Ira and recommend a bus tour. Our train from Rome to Naples last October was more than an hour late leaving Rome. If I were on a single day tour plan, that ticking clock would have sent me over the edge. I suppose a problem with the bus or traffic could produce the same situation.... But at least you're not fumbling around the Naples train station looking for the connection to the Circumvesuviana.

I took the Enjoy Rome shuttle bus from Rome to Pompeii in March. It cost 55 euros for people 26 years old and older; 45 euros under 26. It was a relaxing bus ride with a stop for coffee, snacks, and a rest room on the way to Pompeii. No stops on the way back to Rome.

We had a bit over three hours to explore Pompeii on our own, which was just about right. We didn't get to see everything, but I ran out of steam and wouldn't have enjoyed it much longer.

You can find information at www.enjoyrome.com.

thks to everyone for your contribution so far. Great ideas!
- How about a rental car, especially if there are the six of us? Any attractive rates for large cars?
- Is the Vesuvius climb done by car or on foot?

can anyone advise the top spots to see during a 3-h visit of Pompeii?

thks for answering my questions.

Within the Pompeii site there are many highlights. We just wandered about and enjoyed coming upon the various houses, temples and theaters on our own. I wouldn't recommend any one particular thing over the others. You can get a map while you are there and enjoy discovering things for yourselves or you can hire a guide at the entrance, which might be fairly economical since there will be six in your group.

Hi
A guide is highly recommended for looking at Pompeii, to point out what's what. Guide books are also sold there.
Additionally, Rick Steves, of whom I am not usually the biggest fan, published a concise walking guide for Pompeii, he included it within one of his other guidebooks (Naples? Rome? Italy?)
I have some (credited) quotes from it in my Rome file; if you can't find it otherwise, email me at
[email protected]