Visiting Vesuvius and the archaeological site of Pompeii are two must-do’s during your stay in Naples. Only 25 kilometers separate these two Italian place, so you can visit both in 1 day.
We spent a lot of time organizing our visit to the Naples area. We have put together all our tips for visiting Vesuvius and Pompeii on the same day in this article: how to organize your visit? where to buy your tickets? where to park? what to do there? ….
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Where is Vesuvius and Pompeii (map)?
Vesuvius and Pompeii are only a few kilometers south of Naples.
To give you an idea of the distances, about 22 kilometers separate the center of Naples and the parking lot of the volcano. Then, 25 kilometers separate the parking lot of Vesuvius and the archaeological site of Pompeii.
You can easily visit Naples as well as these two sites during the same trip.
How to visit both sites in 1 day?
Several options are available to you depending on your time and your desires:
➡️ You can rent a car or take the bus from Naples, then spend the morning at Mount Vesuvius and the afternoon visiting Pompeii. Afterwards, you can choose to sleep in Pompeii or return to Naples. We explain everything below.
➡️ In order to save time and make your life easier, you can book your ticket for an excursion that combines a visit to the archaeological site of Pompeii and Vesuvius in the same day. Pick up is possible from your hotel, train station or port.
In the morning, you will walk around the incredible site of Pompeii with your guide, in French, who will give you explanations and anecdotes, then after your meal (included), you will have 1h30 to go up, around the crater and back down. Then your driver will drive you to Naples.
Your ticket for this tour includes transportation, entrance tickets, guides and lunch for a very attractive price.
In short, you won’t have to worry about anything, neither your transportation nor your tickets. The other interesting point is the presence of a guide who will accompany you throughout the day and during your visits, the story, and especially the anecdotes of a professional will bring you a better reading of the sites.
We tell you more about it below, most of the other visitors walk around the site with the help of a guide. We were very surprised, because on both sites, there are very few explanatory panels even though Pompeii welcomes 3 million tourists every year.
How long do you need to visit each site?
In order to visit both sites in the same day, we advise you to spend 1h30 at Vesuvius and then 2 to 3 hours at Pompeii. If you organize this day yourself, we advise you to prepare your itinerary well in order to see a maximum of buildings in a few hours.
Vesuvius: in the morning
We advise you to start your day with Vesuvius, because it is the closest site to Naples and it is also quicker to visit, so you can take full advantage of your afternoon to visit Pompeii.
How to get to Vesuvius from Naples?
- Car: if you have rented a car, from Naples you can reach the Vesuvius parking lot in about 40 minutes. As already mentioned in our previous articles about Naples and its region, we advise you to be vigilant, because driving in this city is sporty and the traffic rules are not always respected. The Vesuvius site has a parking lot, places along the road, to be reserved in advance on the official website (price 6€). Then, a shuttle will take you up to the beginning of the hiking trails (3€).
To compare rental prices we recommend the RentalCars site which compares the price of hundreds of car rental companies to find the best price. To give you an idea of the price, we found a car for 50€ per day, at Naples airport.
- Bus: to reach Vesuvius, you can take a bus from Piazza Piedigrotta ( EAC company) in Naples, count about 10€ one way for 1h30. The bus will drop you off at the public parking lot and then a shuttle bus (3€) will take you to the ticket office and the beginning of the hiking trail.
Where to buy tickets for Vesuvius?
You can buy your tickets and reserve your slot on the official website (in English or Italian). We advise you to book in advance, as the number of visitors per day is limited.
If there are no more tickets available on the day of your visit on the official website, don’t panic, you can book an excursion with a driver from Naples (+ guide on site). Agencies reserve seats in advance.
Our tips for visiting Vesuvius
We have written a complete article following our visit to Vesuvius. We have put together all our tips (buying a ticket, parking, hiking trails on a map…) and we explain the mistakes you should not make if you go by yourself.
- Before arriving at the site, you must absolutely reserve your tickets on the official site and your time slot. If you arrive without a reservation, you will not be able to access the site even if you have already paid for the parking and the shuttle…
- Download your tickets before you get to the site, because the connection is very very bad at the ticket office.
- Make sure you wear good shoes and remember to bring warm clothes, because at altitude the wind can be cool.
Pompeii : the afternoon
We recommend that you spend 2 to 3 hours visiting the archaeological site of Pompeii. From November 1st to March 31st the site closes at 5pm and from April 1st to October 31st the site closes at 7pm.
How to get to Pompeii from Vesuvius?
- Car : if you have rented a car, from the Vesuvius parking lot, you can reach Pompeii in about 40 minutes.
- Bus: to reach Pompeii, you can take a bus from the parking lot at Vesuvius(EAC company), it costs about 10€ each way for 1h30. The bus will drop you off at Piazza Anfiteatro in Pompeii, right next to the entrance to Piazza Immacolata. We advise you to start with this entrance which is less frequented than the main entrance.
How to get to Naples from Pompeii?
- Car: we reached the site with our rental car, several free or paying parking lots are available next to the archaeological site.
- Train: Both cities are extremely well served since several train lines connect them. The fastest way is to take the Circumvesuviana train, at the “Pompeii Scavi dei Misteri” stop, 500 meters from the “Porta Marina” entrance., and then stop after 45 minutes at the “Napoli Centrale” station.
Where to buy tickets for Pompeii?
High season is from May to October and during school vacations. We recommend that you purchase your queue-cutting tickets + audio guide in advance online, in order to save time and avoid waiting in line for long minutes before entering the site.
Lhe price of the entrance ticket to Pompeii is 18 € (+1,5€ for administration fees), full price. All the information on the discounts (for 18-25 years old, the entrance is only 2€) on the official website in English or a ticket cut file on this website in French.
Our tips for visiting Pompeii
We have written a complete article to visit Pompeii with our itinerary to see the main monuments. Here are some tips from the article:
- Plan your itinerary in advance, in order to see as many buildings as possible, as the site is huge.
- Don’t hesitate to book a guided tour, as there are hardly any explanatory panels on the site. (generally, the duration is 2 hours)
- Take away, enough water and food, as there is only one snack bar on site. The fountains on the site do not always work. For the record, our guide indicated that many fountains were present on the site, we ran out of water in the middle of our visit…
- A small backpack , because it is forbidden to enter the site with a bulky bag.
Where to sleep?
➡️A Pompeii : We stayed at Il Vecchio Fauno, located 5 minutes walk from the ruins, the city center and the train station. Our room was spacious, clean and well decoratedAs an added bonus, there are paintings on display in the hotel’s common areas. The breakfast is complete to take or regain strength (+ free parking).
➡️A Naples: we recommend the Garibaldi Rooms hotel, the location is ideal right next to the central station (perfect for taking the train or bus to Pompeii or Vesuvius), and the airport shuttle stop (to pick up your rental car). The hotel is in the heart of the historic center so you can visit Naples on foot.
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