Volcano Travel · Tour
Pompeii in Two and a Half Hours, then Vesuvius at 1,280 m
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
SorrentoThe departure is early, which is the operator's answer both to the traffic on the Sorrento road and to the queue at the gate. Pompeii is two and a half hours with a guide, in a shared group. The route goes in through Porta Marina, the most monumental of the seven gates, and takes in the Forum with Vesuvius standing behind it, the Macellum, the baths, the Temple of Jupiter, the House of the Faun with its Alexander Mosaic, the Lupanar, the Basilica, the Large Theatre and Via dell'Abbondanza, the main street of the city. Lunch is free time on the way out of the site, and it is not included. Vesuvius comes after. The vehicle climbs to 1,000 metres and the last 200 are walked, on a surface that is loose and uneven the whole way. The crater rim stands at 1,280 metres. From there you look down into the mouth of the volcano and out over the Bay of Naples, with Capri and Ischia in the distance. The meeting point is the IAMME IA! office in Piazza Tasso, behind the statue of Torquato Tasso, by Bar Fauno and next to the Fattoria Terranova shop. Arrive fifteen minutes early.
What's included
- Official Local Guide in Pompeii
- Full Transport: Round-trip travel from a central meeting point in an air-conditioned vehicle
- Headphones in Pompeii to hear the guide clearly in 10+ groups
- Skip-the-line admission to Pompeii Archeological Site and Mt. Vesuvius (€11,68)
Itinerary
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Piazza Torquato Tasso, 16, Sorrento
Meet the guide by the entrance of the IAMME IA! office, behind the statue of Torquato Tasso, near Bar Fauno and next to the Fattoria Terranova shop. The early departure is what keeps you ahead of the traffic and the crowds.
Please meet your guide at the designated meeting point for…
Meet your guide at the appointed place for an early departure. Going before the rush is what keeps you ahead of the crowds and puts you on the sites while it is still cool. Arriving fifteen minutes early makes the start easier for everybody.
Archaeological Park of Pompeii
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage site, stopped in 79 AD by the eruption of Vesuvius. The streets are preserved to a degree that few Roman sites can match, along with the villas and their frescoes, the temples and the theatres of what was a working city.
Enter the city through Porta Marina
The way in is through Porta Marina, the most monumental of Pompeii's seven gates, built for travellers arriving from the sea. The guide explains the double-arch structure, which kept pedestrians and carriages apart, as you pass under it.
Foro de Pompeya
The Forum was the centre of the city, and the remains of its temples and public buildings are still standing round the square where the political and commercial business happened. Vesuvius is visible from it, which is the photograph everybody takes.
Macellum
The Macellum stood on the Forum and was the provision market of Pompeii, one of the busiest places in the city. It was built in several phases, and the earthquake of 62 CE, which wrecked much of Pompeii, damaged this building too.
Stabian Baths (Terme Stabiane)
The Forum Baths sit behind the Temple of Jupiter and date from just after the veterans' colony was founded by Sulla in 80 BC. Men and women had separate entrances. On the men's side there is the apodyterium, the changing room, used also as a tepidarium for warm baths, along with the frigidarium for cold and the calidarium for hot. Like much of Pompeii, the baths were badly damaged in the earthquake of 62 AD.
Tempio di Giove Capitolino
The temple was the Capitolium, matching the one in Rome, with statues of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva set high enough to be seen by anyone crossing the Forum. Vesuvius stands directly behind it.
Lupanar
The Lupanar is the best known brothel in Pompeii, and the reason is the erotic paintings on its walls. Lupanar is the Latin for brothel; this one is also called the Lupanare Grande.
Casa del Fauno
The House of the Faun takes up an entire city block, which makes it one of the largest private houses in Pompeii. It is named after the bronze statue of a dancing faun found in the main atrium. The Alexander Mosaic came from here, showing the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia. Two peristyle gardens and floor mosaics throughout give a fair idea of what the wealthiest families in the city were spending their money on.
Via dell’Abbondanza
Via dell'Abbondanza was the main street of Pompeii, the decumanus maximus, running east to west from the Forum to the Porta Sarno. It was crowded and loud, lined with shops, workshops, cafes, snack bars and places to eat and drink.
Basilica
The Basilica covered 1,500 square metres and was the most lavish building on the Forum. Business was done here, and justice was administered here.
Teatro Grande
The Large Theatre was built into the slope of a hill, the Romans using the natural dip in the ground to make an auditorium divided into five sectors. Greek and Roman tragedies were staged on it.
Archaeological Park of Pompeii
On the way out of the Archaeological Park there is free time for lunch, either a quick traditional snack or a sit-down meal at a local restaurant, before the road up to Vesuvius.
Vesuvius National Park
The crater rim stands at 1,280 metres, with the Gulf of Naples below it. The path is uneven underfoot the whole way up. After the eruption the mountain was given the name of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and of metalwork.
Bay of Naples
At the summit, the guide takes you round the rim of the crater. The view from there covers the Bay of Naples, the Mediterranean, the city below and, on a clear day, Capri and Ischia out in the distance.
Sorrento
After the day, back into the coach for the return to Sorrento, down the volcanic slopes with one last view over the Bay of Naples, and back to the point where you started.
Piazza Torquato Tasso, 16, Sorrento
Not included
- Food & Beverages: 1 hour free time for lunch at your leisure
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
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- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Duration may vary due to traffic condition or unforeseen circumstances
- In case we know the Mt. Vesuvius gate will be closed, we will offer as alternative the skip the line ticket to visit the archaeological site of Herculaneum
- Group tour not suitable for cruise passengers
- Skip-the-line cannot be accommodated on the 1st Sunday of the month as in Pompeii no skip-the-line tickets can be purchased.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, fr, es.
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Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor