Hi

I am interested in doing a Rome to Pompeii during my upcoming visit to Rome. Does anyone have any recommendations on a tour company? Or any advice on a particular tour? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Most day tours from Rome only spend 2 hours in Pompeii. Take the train from Rome Termini to Naples (cost about 25-30E one way - 1 1/2 -2 hours). In the Naples train station you go downstairs and take the local commuter train, Circumvesuviana, to the Pompeii Scavi stop (cost about 2E one way- 30 minutes). The ruins are across the street from the train station. There will be audio guides to rent or guides to hire at the entrance.

Hir TK - There are several companies which run bus tours from Rome to Pompeii - Vastours, Appianline, Carrani, Greenline ...

VASTOURS (Tour 13)
http://www.romeguide.it/vastours/

CARRANI (Tour 13)
http://www.carrani.com/gb/viaggi/tour13.htm

APPIAN (Tour 14)
http://www.appianline.it/italy2004/fuldayro.htm

GREENLINE (Tour15)
http://www.romeguide.it/greenline/greenline_eng.htm


A common problem with these tours is that for most people they don't allow enough time at Pompeii - usually only about 2 hours, as Kybourbon says.

They usually include a cameo factory visit and lunch en route - and you don't get to Pompeii till after lunch.
Some also include a short 30 mins. stop in Sorrento before returning to Rome.

It's all a bit rushed IMO - and not cheap; most charge approx. €100

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Alternatively you can do it rather more cheaply by public transport.

TRAIN

- If you go by TRAIN, with an early start you can be at Pompeii by opening time or soon after.

Take the train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale, then the Circumvesuviana train to POMPEII SCAVI.

For timetables see:
www.trenitalia.it (Rome-Naples trains)
www.massalubrense.it/circum.htm (Circumvesuviana)

[You could include Sorrento too - it's only 30 mins by train from Pompei].

BUS

- There are SHUTTLE BUSES from Rome in high season run by MAROZZI (approx. €29) and by ENJOY ROME (€45-55).

www.marozzivt.it/HomePage.htm
www.enjoyrome.com/shuttle_tour/pompeii.html

The MAROZZI Rome-Pompei-Sorrento shuttle service runs in summer, leaving Rome at 07.00(- deps. from outside Tiburtina station), arriving Pompei about 10.00.

The return Marozzi bus leaves Sorrento approx. 18.00 and Pompei approx. 18.45, arriving Rome about 21.30.

The ENJOY ROME Pompei shuttle returns to Rome earlier - for details see the above link.

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Hope this helps ...

Steve

Hi, We used a great company called Benvenuto Limos. They were awesome from the time we booked. Driver & car was excellent and we refer them to all our friends. www.benvenutolimos.com

I can recommend appianline tours listed by Steve above, if that type of visit to the ruins is your style. It will be a long day but considering the time on the bus, is not overly taxing on the body.

Emmalee - Benvenutolimos is based on the Amalfi Coast, not Rome.

Steve

Steve - Do you know anything about the new bus between the coast and Rome? It's listed on the Curreri website at the bottom of the airport shuttle schedule and says "new". It doesn't appear to be seasonal and the route starts in S. Agata with stops in Massalubrense, Sorrento, Piano, Meta, Vice Equense, Castellamare, Roma. 16E one way 30E round trip.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

I agree with Kyburbon. I recently returned from Rome with a side trip to Pompeii. I took the rail which was very easy. While I was standing outside the Ruins waiting for my family, a tour bus arrived. Like sheep to the slaughter they were told that they only had two hours. That did not include any meals they wanted. My family and I on the other hand arrived from Rome at 11 AM, Ate lunch (two hours)and walked the Ruins for 3-4 hours and returned to Rome at around 8 PM. Be a traveler and not a tourist!

Hi Kybourbon - No, that's a new one on me. (Thanks for the heads up ...)

It seems strange that they're setting up in competion with Marozzi - who have been running the Rome-Sorrento route for years. Even their timings are similar ...

Can't imagine there's the demand for 2 services - I wonder if Marozzi are dropping this route?

Steve

Bookmarking

www.romeinlimo.com

A memorable time never to be forgotten.

kybourbon is right, however, the early morning train from Rome to Naples I took was about 3 hours. Be sure to visit the Naples Archeology Museum - it has the stuff from inside the houses at Pompeii and is one of the best museums of its type in the world.

Naples is worth a visit as well, as much art and such as Venice or Siena (but the dirt and crime make it less charming).

The new AV trains from Rome to Naples take 1 hour and 27 minutes. They have been running a Due per Uno (2 for the price of 1) special on Trenitalia.
The ES trains take 1 hour and 53 minutes.

I didn't see Viatour listed. I have used their services in three different countries, including from Rome near the train station to Pompeii. Basically you get a big, air-conditioned bus with some background info in several languages to wherever you are going. The ride was about three hours each way with a brief stop at a convenience store/restroom at the half-way point- no shopping! We were deposited at the entrance and had over three hours to wander on our own, which, in the heat of mid-August, was plenty! I don't remember the price- it was reasonable, though, and nice to be able to fall asleep on the way back. If you- for whatever reason- do not want to include Naples- this might be an option to look at online. Their other Pompeii tours, as I remember, were the much more rushed, including shopping, variety. Pompeii was amazing!!!

Would it make more sense to stay down there and tour around that area, like the Amalfi Coast for instance, rather than return to Rome at night?

Has anyone taken the Context Rome tour of Pompeii? I know it's considerably more expensive but I know they are high quality and you get what you pay for. Is it also a matter of 2 hours there, and that's it, or, is it appropriately lengthy and detailed?

Context Rome puts you on the same train I mentioned above (AV), but instead of the local commuter train from Naples to Pompeii they use a bus. 2-3 hours in Pompeii and leave Pompeii by 1 pm to eat lunch. After lunch they tour the museum in Naples before catching the train back to Rome. Cost - 260E per person + 11E Pompeii ticket + 9E museum ticket = 280E = $366.

Do you buy the Circumvezia tickets when you go downstairs at Napoli Centrale, or can you purchase them ahead of time?

There's a wonderful explanation of the trains to Pompeii at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2 I've just printed them off my our trip.

26 hours and counting ...

Hagan - You buy the Circumvesuviana tickets before you go downstairs. When you get downstairs you are on the train platform.