Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii Hike Excursion Question

[OT-Miami]

Greetings fellow cruisers! We are considering the Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii Hike during our Oct 4 sailing on Allure. Does anyone have experience with this excursion? Any input is appreciated - TIA

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[robint]

Greetings fellow cruisers! We are considering the Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii Hike during our Oct 4 sailing on Allure. Does anyone have experience with this excursion? Any input is appreciated - TIA

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We did a Vesuvius/Pompeii excursion through Rome in Limo last July. We absolutely LOVED it. Warning: Climbing Vesuvius is HARD. You drive most of the way up, but then have to hike the rest of it, uphill, on a surface of what is basically lava dust. I likened it to running on the beach, uphill. My calves were not happy, and I was finding Vesuvius-dust in my shoes and between my toes for days! And be careful coming down--we slipped all the way down.

 

That said, it was absolutely worth it. You get to one point where there's a little shelter, and you can wait for a guide to take you the rest of the way, or go on by yourself--wait for the guide. He added a lot to our tour.

[depwife]

We did a Vesuvius/Pompeii excursion through Rome in Limo last July. We absolutely LOVED it. Warning: Climbing Vesuvius is HARD. You drive most of the way up, but then have to hike the rest of it, uphill, on a surface of what is basically lava dust. I likened it to running on the beach, uphill. My calves were not happy, and I was finding Vesuvius-dust in my shoes and between my toes for days! And be careful coming down--we slipped all the way down.

 

That said, it was absolutely worth it. You get to one point where there's a little shelter, and you can wait for a guide to take you the rest of the way, or go on by yourself--wait for the guide. He added a lot to our tour.

 

Have you done other mountain hikes in the states? If so, what would you compare it to? We just booked this excursion for our May 28th cruise. We have hiked Half Dome in Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and several trails in the Smokies.

[euro cruiser]

It's a whole lot easier than the Grand Canyon! The entire hike from the base to the top is only one mile! Yes, it's steep and the gravel under your feet can be unnerving at first, but I've taken a group of folks in their 70's and 80's up there in less than 30 minutes.

[lisiamc]

We did this about 10 years ago. Although the hike itself isn't too steep or long, it's the pumice that can make it challenging. When we went, there was a chap handing out walking sticks at the start. I took one to be polite, but on the way down, I was very grateful to have it, as it stopped me slithering down hill quite so much. I was more than happy to give him a Euro when he collected the sticks at the end. Wear closed shoes. That pumice gets everywhere, and if you wear sandals, they will never be the same again afterwards. Take a hat, since there is very little shade, and a bottle of water. Slithering through pumice is thirsty work! If it's not late July or August, consider taking a light jacket. It can be chilly at the top.

[euro cruiser]

Wear closed shoes. That pumice gets everywhere, and if you wear sandals, they will never be the same again afterwards.

Oh, yes. I don't think about this because although I've done this several times it has always been in the off season, but I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would be in sandals. Or worse, flip flops!

[depwife]

We plan on wearing hiking boots!! :)

[treesah]

We did the Vesuvius hike a couple of years ago. No issue. I saw a young lady wearing high heels. I don't think she made it to the top. Yes, definitely take the stick and tip the guy a couple of euros. We saw one of our dining companions on that hike. He was over 85, huffing and puffing but he made it.

[TruckerDave]

From where you start to the rim it is only a couple hundred meters vertically....but the trail is about a mile (I had my gps running watch as I wanted a "run" in Italy :D ) and it snakes back and forth up the mountain. The view at the top is unbelievable. You look right down into the crater and see steam still venting out. (The it dawns on you that it is still an active volcano and when you turn around and see how many houses and buildings are really close by...:eek: As others have said be careful walking and you will be fine...I stumbled and smashed my big toe on a rock on the way down.....it was a loooooooong and painful walk to the bus. We then did Pompeii after and my foot toe was throbbing so it was a tough rest of the day. But my toe was a nice shade of purple that night when I went bed. (I was not taking my shoe off until it was bed time. :cool:)