How long to stay in Pompeii

[mbleackl]

Our ship visits Naples in May and we are trying to decide how long to spend in Pompeii that day. Pompeii looks quite huge. Most tours only spend 2 hours there before leaving to do the Amalfi Coast or visit Capri. Another place I'd like to see is Herculaneum. I don't want to get ruined out, but this might be the only time I get to this area. A little scenery would be nice too but secondary to me. So I want the best of all worlds.

 

Would like to hear views from folks who have visited the area.

[Wilba]

Hi! 2 hours is more than adequate for Pompeii. The Taxis/Buses will drop you off at the bottom of the 'hill' & await your return. The uphill walk is fairly demanding in the summer heat, as the surface is large stone blocks, polished by years of tourist traffic. The heat is considerable in the height of summer & no real shade, so take water supplies & is not recommended for anyone with a disability. I doubt whether you would feel a need to be there any longer once get there. This is where a taxi is a better bet than the Ships Tours as you can move on at will. Sorrento is a very worthy trip I would recommend, plenty to see & enjoy. Regards

[Keith1010]

Two hours will be fine. Not sure what time of the year you are going but if it is in the summer two hours would be about as long as one might want to be out in the heat. It is a great area to see and highly recommend it.

 

Keith

[Paul S]

I visited Pompeii independently as part of a land tour in October 2006, when the weather was quite warm, and I suspect likely to be comparable to May.

 

I suggest that two hours is the absolute minimum to see Pompeii properly without feeling rushed (one of the reasons I try to avoid ship's cruises).

 

We hired audio headsets which we found were fine for us. There are several suggested itineries, starting at two hours and going up to (I think) eight hours for a full day.

 

Allowing for a drinks and toilet stop we spent about 2 1/2 hours actually on the site doing the two hour tour, but to do it in this time left off part of the suggested route. You will also need to allow a litte extra time for actually getting onto the site, buying tickets, etc., and also getting off.

 

We went on to visit Herculaneum the same day, travelling between them by the Circumvesuviana train. It's quite a long walk downhill from the station onto the site, and another long uphill walk going back, about fifteen to twenty minutes each way. We spent about one hour at Herculaneum. I could have spent longer, but my wife was rather tired by then.

 

You may want to also try to get to the National Archeological Museum in Naples, to where some of the best artwork from Pompeii has been taken and put on public display. There is very little in the way of artwork or other artifacts left in situ at Pompeii.

 

Depending on hour long you will be docked and how long you spend in each place, it's quite possible with private transport to do Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Amalfi coast in a day.

 

Paul S

[rebeccalouise]

It depends if you are the type of person that just wants to go somewhere to say they have been there.

 

I did Pompeii with a tour and two little kids in late July of this year. It was very hot but we had brought plenty of water with us. Even with the heat- I was sorry that the tour was only two hours.

 

Pompeii is huge! There is NO way you can cover it in Two Hours if you really want to see everything. I would love to go back just to keep exploring.

 

One thing- this is a fantastic place to take kids. They love it and love exploring.

[KandCsailing]

One thing- this is a fantastic place to take kids. They love it and love exploring.

 

But there are some building where you do not take your kids, because there are some large mosaic murals of huge phallic symbols. Very funny for the adults, but they would take way to long to explain to kids.:o

[cruisemom42]

I was there in November when the heat was not an issue. I could've easily spent the day in Pompeii, but I'm much more interested in ruins than in the Amalfi coast scenery.

 

I'm not sure it's necessary to do both Pompeii AND Herculaneum. What I'd suggest is doing one or the other (Pompeii of course being much larger), and then going to the Naples museum, as the other poster suggested. In that museum you will find all the statuary, mosaics, frescoes, pottery, etc. that has been removed from these two sites. It's impossible to get the full picture without doing the museum, IMHO, even if you're not normally a museum person.

[terumim]

i love history and exploring... and we spend 5 hours walking around and still didn't see everything....

 

some people are just a quick look and thats enough for them...

 

we took the train up and it was great, i don't do ship tours... i don't like having to go in a group of 30-35 people or more...

 

if you have children i am sure 2 hours would probably be enough, they don't usually like looking at building after another that doesn't really look like anything..

 

Tonia

[Kindlychap]

But there are some building where you do not take your kids, because there are some large mosaic murals of huge phallic symbols. Very funny for the adults, but they would take way to long to explain to kids.:o

 

If they know what they are, then it's too late.

 

If they don't know, then it doesn't matter.

 

My sister in law took her five year olds. I'm sure that they'd have had a wonderful time looking at pictures of penises. They loved the "dead people" as they referred to them.

 

Chill.

 

Matthew

[mad4mky]

We just went to Pompeii. Two and a half hours is plenty there.

 

The Amalfi Coast was amazing. Just beautiful. Positano is not to be missed! :D

 

While I am very glad to have seen Pompeii (and we did hire a guide)--I would have been even more upset to miss the wonderful Amalfi Coast. The scenery, the food...the Mediterreanean. This was our favorite day/part of the whole trip! :D

[Andym]

2 hours will give you a quick overview in Pompeii. We have spent a total of 12 hours there in 3 visits and still have things we have not seen.

The site is huge .... huge.

It doesn't matter how you get there, ships tour, train, taxi, the site is the same, the guides are the same, you get the same guided tour with a private guide as you do with an organised tour.

I would opt for Herculaneum, you can get there on the bus which leaves from right next to the ship and stops right outside the ruins. The site here is much more complete and compact and you will get a better feel for life in the times.

 

The phallic symbols are everywhere in Roman life, it was a sign of good luck while dissipating danger in those days. Explain it to the kids, don't shy away from it.