Train to Pompeii

[cynbar]

We are a family of 4 and have booked a private guide for our tour of Pompeii. The guide has suggested we take the train from the port in Naples. Can anyone give us some guidance and feedback for doing this? Will it be hard to navigate for cruisers who don't speak a word of Italian? Are the stations easy to find, easy to navigate? Would this add a lot of extra walking to our day, since I know we'll cover a lot of ground at the site? Any and all advice will be appreciated, this is a totally new undertaking for us.

[euro cruiser]

I can explain how to take the local train (the Circumvesuviana) but first I have a suggestion - use the public bus.

 

The bus is easier to get to from the port (about a third of a mile, on foot, inside the port area), this depot is the start of the line, so no standing on the street looking for the bus, and there is a ticket office at the depot.  You can purchase both your outbound and return tickets (andata e ritorno) there in the morning.

 

Also, with the bus you are pretty much guaranteed a seat (because most cruisers don't know about this option) and the AC works.  Neither is true with the Circumvesuviana train.

 

Once at Pompei it's a short walk (two-tenths of a mile) from the bus stop to the main entrance of the ruins.

 

There is a bus from the depot, called Varco Immacolatella, at 8:00 that arrives to Pompei at 8:35.  What time are you meeting your guide?

[Thejuggler]

Rome2rio is the site for all public transport queries.

 

We have used the train from Sorrento to Pompeii and it was easy enough. No need for Italian as the ticket staff are dealing with thousands of passengers a year from all over the world asking for the same tickets.

 

The trains on the line are old, busy, no aircon and not that reliable, but its a nice trip.  
 

Pompeii is huge, its all in the open air so take plenty of water and snacks, a hat and sun lotion if visiting during the summer as it could be 85+ degrees.

 

 Don't try and do it all, you will know when you have had enough!

Edited March 26 by Thejuggler

[euro cruiser]

Rome2Rio is only a good start, it's riddled with misinformation and it is incomplete, so you're only ever getting part of the story.  Always double check anything you learn from that site.

 

Also, adding to my first post about the bus, you could take the bus to get to Pompei and a train (either the Circumvesuviana or Trenitalia) to get back to Naples if you like.  The same ticket that works on the bus will also be good on either train.

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

Rome2Rio is only a good start, it's riddled with misinformation and it is incomplete, so you're only ever getting part of the story.  Always double check anything you learn from that site.

 

I wanted to add my emphatic agreement with this. 

 

It's a starting point but can at best only give you an overview or suggestion to work from.

 

[acrane]

Piggybacking on this, does anyone have thoughts on taking a taxi vs taking the bus, assuming the cost isn't an issue? Is it hard to get a taxi to agree to give you more than 2 hours at the site?

[marazul]

5 minutes ago, acrane said:

Piggybacking on this, does anyone have thoughts on taking a taxi vs taking the bus, assuming the cost isn't an issue? Is it hard to get a taxi to agree to give you more than 2 hours at the site?

Not at all if you pay whatever they are asking.  

[euro cruiser]

It's not hard to get a driver to give you additional time.  I would go into the negotiation with a number firmly in mind, then you can decide if what he asks seems reasonable to you.

[CruisingClaire]

We don't speak Italian but muddled our way through to take the train to Pompeii from the Naples port.  Here are my tips:

 

 From the Naples cruise ship terminal at Stazion Maritima Molo Angioina (for Celebrity cruise line), we took a bus (be careful since one will only take you to the airport) to the Napoli Centrale Train Station around 7:30 am.  You will need Euros or a credit card.  Downstairs is the Napoli Garibaldi station with the Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi station at 8:26 am (be careful there is a Pompeii train station which is 9 km away and had more trains going to it) which is about a 30 minute ride, but the train was 20 minutes late, so it took us about an hour to get to Pompeii. It is only two stops away plus one where the train does not open the doors. Another older train came by but luckily a station attendant told us it was the wrong train. Trainline is a good app for seeing train schedules and buying tickets and we bought our tickets a few days before.

 

At the Pompei Scavi train station, there is a bathroom for 1 Euro (no seats on the toilet) with an attendant.  It is a 2 minute or less walk, basically across the street and down a little to the Porta Marina entrance gate where we were to meet the Walks of Italy Complete Pompeii Skip the Line Tour with Archaeologist Guide tour guide.

 

The Pompeii tour is definitely not accessible for people who need wheelchairs, walkers, or have trouble with walking on uneven surfaces or climbing steps. The stone streets in Pompei are not smooth but slightly uneven, and you have to climb down or up at times or cross between blocks on stone steps. There are wagon tracks cut into the stone as well.

 

After our guide got us our tickets around 10:40 am, we were standing, walking, climbing until after 2:00 pm where we finished the tour at a place where we could eat our own snack/drink or smoke. No smoking is allowed most places.  There were bathrooms downstairs in the gymnasium training area.

 

You need to bring your own bottle of water, and there are running fountains along the streets where the guide let us know where we could refill out bottle.  I just used my hand as a cup to sample "Pompeii" water. 

 

After the tour ended, we walked around some more for another hour, then took the 3 pm train back. It was packed standing room only with people with suitcases, and I am glad we left when we did to beat any rush hour since it is possible other trains would be too full to get on and we had a 6:30 pm be back on-board cruise time.

We took a taxi back to the ship. It was to the right when you exit the train station. To the left is where they drop people off and you cannot get a taxi on that side. The taxi ride back to the cruise terminal was 20 Euro. The meter said around 11 Euro but there is a cruise port surcharge we were told. 

 

On the taxi, I saw a sign for100 Euros to Pompeii for a roundtrip with 2 hours to see the site with 22.50  Euro for each additional hour of extra time. It will be likely more with 4 passengers, but it give you a comparison.  The Express train for the two of us was 30 Euros, so perhaps a taxi might be easier for your family.

[CruisingClaire]

On 3/27/2024 at 9:02 AM, acrane said:

Piggybacking on this, does anyone have thoughts on taking a taxi vs taking the bus, assuming the cost isn't an issue? Is it hard to get a taxi to agree to give you more than 2 hours at the site?

 

On the Naples taxi, I saw a sign for100 Euros to Pompeii for a roundtrip with 2 hours to see the site with 22.50 Euro for each additional hour of extra time. It will be likely more with 4 passengers, but it give you a comparison.  The Express train for the two of us was 30 Euros and even less for a normal train which took the same time.

[euro cruiser]

The fixed fare in Naples cover four passengers, there are extra fees for more than that.

[acrane]

23 hours ago, CruisingClaire said:

You need to bring your own bottle of water, and there are running fountains along the streets where the guide let us know where we could refill out bottle.  I just used my hand as a cup to sample "Pompeii" water. 

 

Do you know, can it be a regular single-use bottle of water, or does it have to be a reusable one? Another site I recently visited had a rule against bringing disposable water bottles inside, which is why I ask. Thanks.

[CruisingClaire]

I do not see any rule on the Pompeii website about single use water bottles: https://pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/regulations-for-visitors/  There was no one standing there to enforce anything anyways.

 

Most people had refillable water bottles and were using those, but we had just bought single-use bottles. My water bottle was still full of water, so I didn't want to refill it. The guide said they have modernized the pipes to the fountain, but it is a foreign country and I wasn't sure I wanted to drink a whole bottle of local water. There were restaurants and stands outside the Pompeii gates, so you could likely buy a bottle of water there as well.

 

You are not allowed to eat and smoke where ever you want; there are designated areas but you can drink water.

[LondonTowner]

In the port there is a bus that goes direct to Pompeii. It’s a red bus, simila r to the City Sightseeing HOHO buses

 

i think it costs about €20 return.

[euro cruiser]

Here is the information on the City Sightseeing bus:  Shuttle Bus from Naples to Pompeii (city-sightseeing.it)

 

The biggest problem is that you are limited to their times and you can only use the return that goes with your outbound run.  That's a lot of extra to pay (vs. 3,30 euro for the public bus or local train) to have less flexibility.

Edited May 12 by euro cruiser