Pompeii DIY

[Lucky Lady 13]

Last year we took the express bus to Herculaneum as we had been to Pompeii on a previous trip. The bus stopped at Pompeii first. The driver told us his schedule so we knew when to catch the bus to return to Naples. The bus picks up and drops off at the cruise terminal parking lot. It was very easy and inexpensive.

 

Did you need to order tickets to the bus beforehand or can you get them at the cruise terminal? Do you know if the bus runs on Sunday? Thanks!

[mousefan73]

Is it better to order Pompeii ticket online ahead of time? I found the site 

https://www.ticketone.it/biglietti.html?affiliate=ITT&jumpIn=yCalendarView&doc=artistPages/tickets&action=tickets&fun=artist&key=988882$11530718&nextJumpIn=yCalendarView&language=en

 

or are lines ok buying tickets when we get there?

[PelicanLvr]

OP is a "first time cruiser" and Naples is a notoriously tough city (verified by my own experiences there)...not a place I would recommend they take public transportation a long distance.

 

Also in Pompeii you will miss so much of what's to see without a live guide.   

 

So bottom line, Yes it is possible for experienced travelers to get there and get in to Pompeii on their own.  But, do yourself a favor and go on a tour of some kind.  You will get so much more out of it and the transportation will be taken care of. 

 

Sometimes, to get the most from certain sites, you should not do it on your own.  Visiting Pompeii for the first time off a cruise stop in Naples is one of those times.  Do a tour!

 

 

[euro cruiser]

Well, to each his/her own.  There are always tradeoffs, certainly the easiest way to visit these places is with a private tour (car service).  The tradeoff in this case is money as it's also the most expensive way.

 

A non-personal tour is less expensive but you give up control over your time, which is limited and precious on a port day.

 

For those who are comfortable with it, public transportation is the least expensive way to do it and the second most flexible (after a car service or taxi) as there are constant runs throughout the day on multiple different lines.  There are both bus and train options all on the same ticketing system, so the same ticket can be used on any of the lines.

 

As for tickets to Pompei, you can purchase them on line ahead of time from the official site but when you get there you still need to go to the ticket office and exchange the voucher for an actual ticket.  This line is typically shorter than the ticket purchase line, so that's a plus, but most of the time the ticket purchase line moves pretty quickly anyway.

 

By the way, the home page for the official Pompei web site warns visitors not to purchase tickets from sellers in the piazza at Porta Marina, they are not official sellers and they change more than face value for tickets.

 

Ticket One is the official site for purchasing tickets:

Pompei link -  http://pompeiisites.org/en/buy-tickets/

 

Herculeneum link - https://www.ticketone.it/biglietti.html?affiliate=ITT&erid=988880&doc=artistPages/tickets&action=tickets&fun=artist&language=en

 

 

[dogs4fun]

We prefer to DIY in both Pompeii and Herculaneum and have always used the Circumvesuviana train from Naples Porta Nolana. Been there multiple times and have never had a problem. Audio guides are available and there are usually guides available that you can hire on the spot. Lots of info here:

https://www.rometoolkit.com/naples_visit/naples_pompeii_sightseeing.html

https://www.rometoolkit.com/whattodo/pompeii_visit.html

 

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, PelicanLvr said:

OP is a "first time cruiser" and Naples is a notoriously tough city (verified by my own experiences there)...not a place I would recommend they take public transportation a long distance.

 

Also in Pompeii you will miss so much of what's to see without a live guide.   

 

So bottom line, Yes it is possible for experienced travelers to get there and get in to Pompeii on their own.  But, do yourself a favor and go on a tour of some kind.  You will get so much more out of it and the transportation will be taken care of. 

 

Sometimes, to get the most from certain sites, you should not do it on your own.  Visiting Pompeii for the first time off a cruise stop in Naples is one of those times.  Do a tour!

 

 

 

I understand your intention to provide a warning, but I also will have to say that many first-time Naples travelers manage it just fine (e.g., my sister and BIL, with my help planning), and many prefer doing things on their own without a guide. Pompeii is such an iconic site and there is a wealth of information about it that can be accessed in advance to provide background (documentaries on YouTube, books, movies, TV shows...), as well as good guidebooks and maps available at the site. 

 

In fact, the information available at the site is really good compared with many sites I've visited. Be sure to ASK for the detailed booklet with descriptions and get a map (where you get your tickets). They aren't always proffered if you don't ask for them.

 

[iancal]

It is so very straightforward to go on your own via the Circumvesuvia.

 

The station is close by.  The only three things to be aware..getting on the right train (just watch the sign on the first car), getting off at the right stop (the second Pompei stop), and being VERY aware of your person on the train because is is frequented by pick pockets off ALL ages.

 

And if you have time to spare after your visit to Pompei, go a few stops further to the end of the line and spend some time in Sorrento.  You might even consider taking the ferry back to Naples or doing it vice versa.

[euro cruiser]

29 minutes ago, iancal said:

getting off at the right stop (the second Pompei stop)

 

I'm curious about this comment, there is only one Pompei stop on the Naples-Sorrento line:  https://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/eavferro/NAPOLI SORRENTO L1.pdf

[iancal]

Pompei Scavi.  It seems to me that when you are on the train, the stop before Scavi has Pompei on the sign in addition to the station name.  Some people mistakenly get off.  In fact we first read about this in the Rick Steves book. 

 

Another option for Circumvesuvia users is going to Sorrento and then getting on the bus that goes along the Amalfi coast. There is often a long line up for this bus so the chance of getting a window seat on the right side can be low.  There are ferries back to Sorrento from some locations...but they depend on sea conditions.

[euro cruiser]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

Pompei Scavi.  It seems to me that when you are on the train, the stop before Scavi has Pompei on the sign in addition to the station name.  Some people mistakenly get off.  In fact we first read about this in the Rick Steves book. 

 

Interesting.  I've never heard of this problem before so I did a little research.  The stop prior to Pompei Scavi is Villa Regina, but that stop has only existed since June 2017, so I wonder if the Rick Steves book was actually referring to the stop before that, Torre Annunziata Oplonti.

 

The station sign at Villa Regina reads "Villa Regina Antiquarium" but there's a smaller sign on the wall that says "Scavi di Villa Regina".  I find it hard to believe that people mistake that for Pompei, but maybe they just read "Scavi" and act?

 

You can see a picture of the station and the signs here:  https://www.agro24.it/2017/06/inaugurata-la-nuova-stazione-circumvesuviana-villa-regina-antiquarium-sulla-linea-napoli-sorrento/

 

If you did make this mistake and got off the train here it would actually be faster to walk to the Porta Marina entrance to the ruins (1.1 miles) than to wait for the next train but you'd need a good map or mapping program because there's nothing easy or obvious about the route (I just "walked" it on google maps street view, there's no signage that I saw).

[iancal]

I really do not know and it does not matter.  The few times we were on the route there were tourists who got on the train at the station before pompei scavi because they inadvertently got off at the wrong station because of the signage.   Someone was kind enough to give us a heads up so that we did not make the same mistake.

 

All that matters is that you get off at the right stop!   We have gone up and down that route to Sorrento several times.  I would definitely prefer it to a bus trip or a worse a ships tour.  There are usually a few licensed guides standing around who offer their services.

Edited June 8, 2019 by iancal

[euro cruiser]

The prior stop, Torre Annunziata, has a sign that says Torre Annunziata on top and Oplonti Villa di Poppea (another name for Villa di Oplontis) beneath that, perhaps that what the Rick Steves note refers to?

 

Either way, this demonstrates the need to be prepared when you're using public transit in an unfamiliar location.  I like to know at least the last three stops before mine so I can follow along and be ready.  The easiest thing for visitors to do is print out the Circumvesuviana schedule (link above in post #35), that way you have all the times and can follow along with the stops.  It takes one or two pieces of paper, easy enough to carry or fold into the pages of your guidebook.

[iancal]

We don't bother with the paper or the schedule.  The trains are frequent.  As I recall there is a list of stations in the carriage.  As long as you know your stop, and the stop prior, then all will be fine.   No worries if you are headed to Sorrento since it is the end of the line.

 

If the train is crowded the last thing you want to be concentrating on or fussing with is a piece of paper.  Focus on your belongings and your pockets!

 

This is a very straightforward process.   Don't forget to keep your ticket handy.  There are the occasional ticket inspectors on the train.   We have probably done ten trips....had our tickets inspected only once.

[dogs4fun]

For those interested in DIY via circumvesuviana train to Pompeii, the name of the stop is Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri.

Photo of the Pompeii station: 

 

Additionally, I found this easy to use guide online - https://www.wikihow.com/Visit-Pompeii-from-Naples

And, the toolkit here:

https://www.rometoolkit.com/naples_visit/naples_pompeii_sightseeing.html

Edited June 9, 2019 by dogs4fun

[JBare]

On 6/8/2019 at 8:26 PM, iancal said:

I really do not know and it does not matter.  The few times we were on the route there were tourists who got on the train at the station before pompei scavi because they inadvertently got off at the wrong station because of the signage.  

 

The station before Pompei Scavi  is where trains diverge to either Sorrento or Sarno. The train that goes to Sarno goes to Pompei and not Pompei Scavi, maybe that is what passengers meant and why they were getting on at the station before Scavi.