Volcano Travel · Tour
Pompeii with a Guide for 2h30, Then the Last 200 m up Vesuvius
An early start out of Naples, which is the point: the site is cooler and emptier before the coaches arrive. Pompeii comes first, two and a half hours of it with a professional guide, and the entry is skip-the-line. The route goes in through Porta Marina and takes in the Forum, the market, the baths, the Temple of Jupiter, the Lupanar, the House of the Faun with its Alexander Mosaic, the main street, the Basilica, the Garden of the Fugitives and the Large Theatre. There is free time for lunch on the way out. Then Vesuvius, the volcano that nearly finished the town in 79 AD. The coach climbs to 1,000 metres and the last 200 are on foot. At the top the crater is on one side and the Gulf of Naples on the other, with Capri and Ischia out on the water. The meeting point is the entrance of the Starhotel Terminus. The guide wears Iamme ia! branded clothing and carries a red flag. Be there 15 minutes before departure.
What's included
- Skip the Line Access
- Round-trip transportation with AC vehicle
- Headphones in Pompeii to hear the guide clearly in 10+ groups
- Official guide in Pompeii
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- Priority access to Pompeii Archaeological Park and Crater of Mt. Vesuvius (€11,68)
Itinerary
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P.za Giuseppe Garibaldi, 91, Napoli
Meet the guide at the entrance of the Starhotel Terminus. They wear Iamme ia! branded clothing and carry a red flag. Arrive 15 minutes before departure. Leaving early in the morning avoids the traffic and the crowds.
Please meet your guide at the designated meeting point for…
Meet the guide at the appointed place for an early departure. Leaving ahead of the rush keeps you in front of the crowds and out of the worst of the heat at both sites. Arriving 15 minutes early makes the start easier for everyone.
Archaeological Park of Pompeii
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii is UNESCO World Heritage, and the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD is what preserved it. The streets are intact enough to walk as streets, the villas still carry their frescoes, and the temples and theatres that ran the city are still standing. Few places give a closer look at Roman daily life.
Enter the city through Porta Marina
Entry 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, which separated people on foot from carriages. The walls it sits in are massive enough to make the point about Roman scale without anyone having to say it.
Foro de Pompeya
The Forum, the centre of the city, where the main temples and public buildings stood and where politics and trade happened. Crossing the square you have Vesuvius on the skyline behind it, which is the photograph most people take here.
Macellum
The Macellum stood on the Forum and was the provision market, one of the busiest points in the city. It was built in several phases. The earthquake of 62 CE that 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 Sulla founded the veterans' colony in 80 BC. Men and women had separate entrances. The men's side has an apodyterium, the changing room, used also as a tepidarium for warm baths, plus a frigidarium for cold and a calidarium for hot. Like much of Pompeii, the baths were badly damaged in the earthquake of 62 AD.
Tempio di Giove Capitolino
The Capitolium, with Vesuvius behind it and statues of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, built on the model of the one in Rome. The statues were set high up so that anyone crossing the Forum could see them.
Lupanar
The Lupanar is the best known brothel in Pompeii, and the erotic paintings on its walls are the reason. Lupanar is simply Latin for brothel; this one is also called the Lupanare Grande.
Casa del Fauno
The House of the Faun takes up a whole city block, which makes it one of the largest private houses in Pompeii and one of the richest. It is named after the bronze dancing faun found in its atrium. The Alexander Mosaic came from here, showing Alexander the Great against Darius III of Persia. Two peristyle gardens and floor mosaics throughout say the rest about the money in this city.
Via dell’Abbondanza
Via dell'Abbondanza was the main street, the decumanus maximus, running east to west from the Forum to the Porta Sarno. It was the noisy part of town: shops, workshops, bars and places to eat, one after another.
Basilica
The Basilica is the richest building on the Forum. Business was done here, and justice administered.
Orto dei Fuggiaschi
On the way to the theatres the route passes the Garden of the Fugitives, where the plaster casts of 13 people caught trying to escape the eruption lie where they fell. It is a quiet stretch, and it leads straight into the cultural quarter of the city.
Teatro Grande
Coming out of the Archaeological Park there is free time for lunch, whether that means a traditional snack eaten standing up or a proper sit-down at a local restaurant. It is also the last chance to rest before the slopes of Vesuvius.
Archaeological Park of Pompeii
The crater edge at 1,280 m, with the Gulf of Naples below. The path surface is uneven, which is worth knowing before you set off, and worth the effort once you are up.
Vesuvius National Park
The rim of the crater at the top of Vesuvius, walked with the guide. From up there the Bay of Naples is laid out below, the city with it, and Capri and Ischia sit out on the water. It is the most famous volcano in Europe, and the view explains why people keep climbing it.
Bay of Naples
After the day the coach takes you back to Naples. The guide covers the last of it on the way down the volcanic slopes, with a final look over the Bay of Naples, and you are returned to the point you left from.
Naples
After an unforgettable day of history and heights, settle into your comfortable coach for the return trip to Napples. Explore with your guide the final highlights of the journey as you descend the volcanic slopes, enjoying one last view overlooking the Bay of Naples. It is the perfect time to unwind, review your photos, and relax as we bring you back to your original departure point.
P.za Giuseppe Garibaldi, 91, Napoli
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
- The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
- Group tour not suitable for cruise passengers
- In case the Vesuvius will be closed, we will offer as alternative Skip-the-line tickets to visit Herculaneum Archeological Site
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, fr, es.
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