POMPEII · BAY OF NAPLES
Frozen streets, the rim of the volcano, the bay below.
Two thousand years inside a buried Roman city, the crater rim that put it there, and a coast of cliff villages and lemon groves an hour south.
Only here
Three things you can only do on the Bay of Naples.
A Roman city dug back up complete, the active volcano that buried it, and the better-preserved sister site next door. Each one specific to this stretch of coast under Vesuvius. Plan the rest of the trip around them.
Two thousand years on pause
The City Frozen by Vesuvius
Pompeii is the only Roman city dug back up complete. Streets, frescoes, body casts, loaves of bread still in ovens. Walk the same paving stones the residents walked the morning Vesuvius went up in AD 79. The right archaeologist turns the maze of ruins into a Roman afternoon.
- 1 Pompeii Small Group Tour with an Archaeologist
- 2 Pompeii and Herculaneum Small Group Tour with an Archaeologist
- 3 Skip the Line Guided Tour of Pompeii led by an Archaeologist
Up to the rim
Mount Vesuvius, Up Close
The volcano that buried Pompeii is still active. Drive up to a thousand metres, then walk the crater trail and stare down into it. Naples and the Bay spread out below. On a clear day Capri sits on the horizon. No other Italian volcano lets you walk a live rim.
- 1 Pompeii Guided Tour & Horse Riding on Vesuvius with Lunch
- 2 Private Day Tour to Vesuvius, Herculaneum & Pompeii with Pick Up
- 3 Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius Small Group Tour
The smaller sister
Herculaneum's Wooden Beams
Pompeii's neighbour caught a different kind of eruption. Pyroclastic surge sealed Herculaneum without burning everything. The result: wooden roof beams, carbonised second-floor rooms, and marble shopfronts you can walk past. Smaller than Pompeii. Often the better visit.
- 1 The Ultimate Ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum Private Day Trip
- 2 Naples: Pompeii & Herculaneum Day Trip – Small Group Tour
- 3 Pompeii and Herculaneum small group Excursion from Naples
If you only do one
Start with an archaeologist.
Pompeii is 170 acres of ruined streets. The right guide reads the inscriptions, points to the bakery still set up to bake, and turns the maze of stone into a Roman afternoon.
The classics
Pompeii's Most Popular Tours
Skip-the-line entry, archaeologist-led walks, Vesuvius hikes, Herculaneum half-days. The trips most travellers come to the Bay of Naples for.
By place
Pick a stretch of the Bay of Naples.
Pompeii for the ruined city. Vesuvius for the crater rim. Herculaneum for the wooden beams. Sorrento, Positano and the Amalfi coast for what comes when you're done with the past.
By tour type
Or pick how you want to do it.
Archaeologist-led if you want the stories. Private if you want pace control. Skip-the-line if you've only got the morning. Walking, family-friendly, sunset, or wine on the slopes of the volcano.
How much time
How long to give it.
Pompeii rewards however much time you can spend on it. A morning if you're cruise-stopping, a full day if you want the stories, two if you want Herculaneum as well. The volcano takes another half-day.
Short on time
If you've only got the morning.
Past the queues at the Porta Marina, straight to the Forum, the Theater and the House of the Tragic Poet. Our shortlist for a tight Pompeii morning.
Pace control
Just you and the guide.
A private archaeologist, your own walking pace, and the route adjusted to whatever you're actually curious about. Three picks we'd send a friend to.
On the slopes
Wine on the volcano.
The same volcanic soil that buried Pompeii grows the Lacryma Christi grapes today. Vineyard visits combine with a Vesuvius half-day. Our shortlist for the volcano-and-glass afternoon.
When the past is enough
Days down the coast.
Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, Sorrento. Limoncello, lemons, lookouts and cliffside towns that have nothing to do with Vesuvius. Three picks for when you want a non-ruin day.
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