Day trip to Pompeii from Rome: Plan Yourself or Take a Tour

Pompeii is an incredibly popular archeological site. If you’ve started looking at your trip to Rome it’s probably crossed your mind to visit Pompeii. The great news is it’s possible to day trip to Pompeii from Rome.

It’s not hard to plan yourself but there are plenty of options for tours as well.

I’ve DIYed my day trip to Pompeii from Rome twice. One of those times was with family on their first trip to Europe.

I’ll tell you how to do it and when to consider hiring a tour instead.

Why Visit Pompeii

Pompeii was a Roman city with an estimated population of around 11,000 or up to 20,000. The citizens had some warning that an eruption was coming in 79. But, not so much that everyone could leave in time.

After the volcano erupted, Pompeii was covered in volcanic ash and volcanic debris.

It was frozen in time by the debris.

You can still see the marble-coated serving counters of the restaurants that were popular since most Pompeiians didn’t have kitchens.

There are chariot ruts on the roads, frescos are still intact on the walls, and mosaics still decorate the floors.

Advertisements and campaign ads are on the walls of some street-facing buildings. You can see where they were in the construction of a temple.

It was fascinating to see road projects halted, with part of the road looking brand new and part of the road with deep chariot wheel ruts.

Walking through the city of Pompeii makes it possible to imagine what life may have been like so many years ago.

Day trip to Pompeii from Rome- DIY Travel Edition

Pompeii is 240 km (about 150 miles) south of Rome past Naples. This is best done by train if you’re planning by yourself.

There isn’t a train that connects Rome directly to the archeological site. Getting to Pompeii Scavi is easy to figure out when you know how to navigate the change.

I highly recommend downloading the Tren Italia app for this trip. The app doesn’t have an English option (the website does). But, as long as you know the Italian cities/stations in Italian, it isn’t too much of a problem.

Leave Termini station in Rome early in the morning. It will take a couple of hours to get to Pompeii so you want to give yourself time.

Take the Frecciarossa train to Napoli Centrale in Naples. The trip takes an hour and fifteen minutes by high-speed train.

The journey is almost three times as long if you hop on a regional train. Don’t do that.

The Frecciarossa ticket will be between €20 and €50. Frecciarossa tickets are cheaper if you buy them in advance.

Set an alarm when you board so you can sleep without worrying about missing your stop.

After arriving in Napoli Centrale you’ll have to switch to a regional Circumvesuviana train.

Napoli Centrale is the hub for high-speed trains in Naples. It’s connected to Napoli Garibaldi station where the regional trains are. They’re more or less the same station. You don’t even walk outside when you switch. It is just the other side of the same massive complex.

Look for signs for Garibaldi and Circumvesuviana. The station is busy but is well-marked for these two things if you know what to look for.

The stations are connected by a passway, and you’ll ultimately follow the signs for Circumvesuviana. You’ll walk past subway entrances, and it’s tempting to think you’ve gone the wrong way, but you haven’t.

It’s quite a walk to the Circumvesuviana lines. It’s at the end of the station, so you’ll walk right into it. Follow the signs, and you’ll be fine.

When you get to the station for the Circumvesuviana, you’ll buy your ticket there for about €3.50.

Take the L1 train, and it will be about 40 minutes. You’re going to Pompeii Scavi for the ruins. NOT the city of Pompeii.

There are ticket machines, but there are also ticket counters where you can purchase your ticket. I recommend an agent so you can be confident you have the correct ticket.

You can buy a return ticket at the same time.

The trains leave every 20 minutes, so there are options throughout the day.

The regional train does not have reserved seats and is more like a metro train than anything.

Expect to stand if you’re traveling during a busy day. This train drops you right at the entrance to the ruins, with excellent views along the way.

Estimated Cost of a DIY Day Trip To Pompeii From Rome

Round trip Frecciarossa train from Rome to Naples- €100 (depending on when you book)
Regional Train from Naples to Pompeii Scavii- €7
Ticket to Pompeii Scavi -€16
Guide- €0 – use Rick Steeves’ Guide (more below)

Total -€123 (or as low as about €45)

The Best Option For a Day Trip to Pompeii from Rome

I love traveling by train. There is much less risk of motion sickness than on a bus, and it can lull you to sleep as you travel. Train travel is very relaxing.

The drive to Pompeii Scavi takes about an hour and a half longer than the train ride + changeover. So, unless you’re just really intimidated by trains I’d pick the top option above and avoid the bus.

With a tour, your time at the ruins is often shortened since you’re at the mercy of the guide and the group.

If you’re used to traveling and can get there on your own it will be a bit cheaper and you’re in control of your day.

If you aren’t an experienced traveler opt for one of the tours. There are several ways this day can go wrong. It’s not a good first-day trip from Rome. Even if you don’t have your best experience on a group trip it’s better than being lost or stranded!

Entrance to Pompeii

If you opt for a tour your entrance will be covered.

The park is open daily at 9:00 am.

The closing time depends on the time of year you’re visiting. Check out their website before you go so you know when closing time is.

Tickets are €16 per person. Unless it’s peak season you’ll likely be fine buying your tickets on arrival but if you don’t want to risk it you can buy early.

Guide Recommendations for Visiting Pompeii

I didn’t realize how gigantic this site is until I was there.

There are 9 different regions in Pompeii Scavi, and it is overwhelming even with a plan!

You shouldn’t expect to see every bit of the city in one day.
It’s too much, and it’s overwhelming and exhausting.

You need a plan before you go into the park. I highly recommend going with a guide of some kind. Pay for an in-person guide or use an audio guide.

There are audio guides available from the site but The Rick Steves Europe app is my favorite option.

Download the Rick Steeves’ Europe App, download the Pompeii Tour, and bring your headphones. Rick does a great job of giving you just enough content for it to be interesting but not so much that you’re overwhelmed.

Find the map of the site here and recommendations for the paths you can take in the park depending on how long you want to visit if you’d rather not do the audio tour.

Top Things to See In Pompeii

The best part of Pompeii is all that you can see!

You’re free to wander around the city as you please. Which is why a guide of some kind is a must. Otherwise, you’ll miss things down little side streets or in alleys.

I already mentioned that you should take note of the restaurants, frescos, and chariot tracks in the streets. But, these are specific landmarks I enjoyed visiting.

1. The Grain Mill

The old grain mill. The mills and the oven are still intact. It also takes you down a little Pompeii alley so the walk here to interesting too.

2. The Forum

The Pompeii Forum. This was a gathering place for the people. It’s surrounded by temples for various gods and goddesses.

3. Unfished Temple

Seeing the unfinished temple project brings to light just how quickly the eruption impacted life. It was mid-construction when the volcano erupted.

It feels like someone just pressed “pause” on Pompeii and now we get to walk through it in wonder.

4. The Theatre

The amphitheater still has some of the marble coverings on the seats so you can see what it may have looked like in its prime.

5. The Brothel

You can walk through the brothel and see pictures depicting the “offerings”. Maybe not the best if you have kids but it was interesting to walk through none-the-less.

I’ll refrain from posting a picture. It’s ancient but still graphic.

6. The House of the Faun

Home of one of the wealthy families in Pompeii. Walk through the complex and be greeted by a little statue of a faun.

There are beautiful views and mosaics still in great shape throughout the multi-room house.

One to Skip

Skip the arena. It’s kind of a long hike down to the arena. It was unfinished. If you’ve been to the Colosseum then this arena isn’t worth the time and energy to get to it.

Tips for A Day Trip to Pompeii from Rome

There are bathrooms in the park. The problem is that you could be 30 minutes away from them (or more) depending on where you are in the city.

Pack lunch, snacks, and a reusable water bottle. There are water fountains in the park that you can use to refill. Like, ancient Roman water fountains that pour out drinkable water.

There is also a small cafeteria, but the lines are long, and the offerings aren’t extensive.

Try to eat in the forum or the theatre.

I awkwardly ate my lunch on the bridge as I entered because I didn’t know there would be better options.

Wear your most comfortable shoes. It’s a lot of walking and the cobblestones are no joke.

Bring sunscreen or a hat. The sun can be brutal here and there aren’t many chances to get away from it.

A Note about the Plaster Casts

When archeologists initially discovered Pompeii and were excavating it, they realized there were empty spaces in what they were uncovering. They pumped in plaster so they could see the forms of those spaces as they discovered them.

That’s how they found that people were effectively buried in the ruins.

A few of these plaster casts are displayed in the ruins, but the primary collection is a museum in modern Pompeii.

It would be aggressive to try to see both in a day from Rome. If you want to explore anything beyond the main archeological site, you should consider spending more time in the area.

Should I Visit Naples on a Day Trip to Pompeii From Rome?

After arriving in Naples, you can choose to leave the station and explore or go ahead and hop on the train to Pompeii.

Several of the tours will have you spend some time in Naples.

The medieval part of the city of Naples is a UNESCO site and very cool to explore.

But, pack your lunch from Rome and continue on your way to Pompeii. I didn’t find Naples worth the quick stopover.

It makes an already long day longer.

What about Herculaneum?

Other archeological sites near Pompeii are included with its UNESCO status. Herculaneum is a smaller version of Pompeii but it may be more well-preserved. And, it sees smaller crowds than Pompeii does.

Most tours of Herculaneum leave from Naples. If you’re interested in both you should spend a couple of nights in Naples to have easier access to visit the sites.

The L1 Train that takes you to Pompeii Scavi also stops at Ercolano Scavi for Herculaneum. So, it’s also easy to visit on your own from Naples.

Pompeii Vs Herculaneum?

If you don’t love crowds and are okay seeing a smaller property Herculaneum is a good pick. It could be less overwhelming since it’s not as large.

But, Pompeii is the jewel of the collection for a reason. You won’t regret the trip and if you can get to Pompeii you should start there.

Is a Day Trip to Pompeii from Rome Worth it?

Yes.

I’ve never seen anything like Pompeii. It’s just on another level. It’s a part of history that you can experience here and nowhere else.

The Colosseum in Rome is a fantastic site, but Pompeii makes Roman life come more alive than the Colosseum does. You can see how to fit a trip to Pompeii into an itinerary in Rome. 

I loved it so much I’ve seen it twice!