Take a day out of your Rome vacation to get acquainted with Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii. This day trip to Pompeii includes a steady-paced hike up Mt. Vesuvius (summer only) or a visit to Naples (in winter) and an expert guided tour of the UNESCO-listed digs at Pompeii. Breath in the history of the ancient city and admire artifacts that date back to the infamous Mt. Vesu. You also have the option to select a Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Positano day trip from Rome, which combines three of the most famous and beautiful sites in Italy in a single day.

Day trip to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii from Rome with a Skip-the-Line Access
Hike up the side of the volcano and walk along its ridge, gazing into the crater
Drink in dramatic views over the Bay of Naples
Upgrade to Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Positano Small-Group Day Trip from Rome in a private, air-conditioned coach (visit to Mount Vesuvius or Naples not included).
Explore the ruins of Pompeii with a local expert archaeologist guide

What's Included

Round-trip transport from Rome in a private, air-conditioned coach
Skip-the-Line Access & an expert archaeologist guide at Pompeii
Mt. Vesuvius National Park Entry (April to mid-November), if Pompeii & Vesuvius option selected
Free time in Naples (until March 2023), if Pompeii & Naples option selected
Free time in Positano (early November 2023 to March 2024), if Pompeii & Positano option selected
Amalfi Coast drive and Positano, if Pompeii, Amalfi & Positano option selected
English-speaking expert tour leader for the day

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo, Roma RM, Italy
At the center of Piazza del Popolo, by the large fountain with the lions and the obelisk. The nearest metro stop is Flaminio (Line A). Our City Wonders coordinators will be wearing blue City Wonders polo shirts or jackets to be easily recognizable at the meeting point.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Hop aboard your coach in central Rome, and travel south in air-conditioned comfort to Italy’s Campania region. As you travel, listen to tales about the colorful southern Italian area and Mt. Vesuvius.

After the volcano’s infamous AD 79 eruption, lava and volcanic ash destroyed the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Evidence of those ancient streams of lava is still evident in the area.

First head from Rome to Pompeii. Once a thriving Roman city; today the town is best known for its UNESCO-listed archaeological digs, which are home to a wealth of relics. See incredibly preserved fossils and other ruins, plus plaster imprints of the town’s victims who were buried for years.

See the remains of the Forum and Teatro Grande, where some 5,000 people could once be seated. During your self-guided tour, learn about day-to-day life for the Pompeii locals as you wander streets where ancient shops, cafes and even brothels could be found.

Enjoy free time for sightseeing.

Then, journey to the infamous volcano. Step out of your coach for a steady-paced, walk to Mt Vesuvius’ summit, from where the most breathtaking views await. Make your way over trails covered in pumice rock and ash, before some free time to gaze down into the caldera and across the Bay of Naples.

Finally, head back to Rome by coach and finish with a drop-off at the start point.

Please note: Mt Vesuvius is inaccessible from mid-November to March. During this time, the hike is replaced with a visit to the iconic City of Naples. Take a panoramic bus tour and have some free time to walk around the city center.

City Wonders (Pass By)

Pompeii Archaeological Park

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Vesuvius National Park

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Amalfi Coast (Pass By)

Positano

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REQUIRED FROM ALL PASSENGERS: You MUST provide all passenger names at the time of booking in order to visit Mount Vesuvius or you may be refused entry.
During summer months in rare cases of inclement weather or strikes, the crater of Vesuvius may be closed to visitors, therefore, if this is the case, it is replaced with a visit to Positano where you will get free time to explore the city.
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Until March 2023 the Vesuvius isn't accessible and it is replaced with a visit to the city of Naples with panoramic bus tour and free time.
From early November to March the Vesuvius isn't accessible and it is replaced with a visit to Positano where you will get free time to explore the city.
Option to upgrade to Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Positano Small-Group Day Trip from Rome with private coach (Mt Vesuvius or Naples not included)
Please be advised that in the case of events beyond our control, we may need to adjust our itinerary to ensure the safety, quality, and satisfaction of your travel experience.
Travellers should have a strong physical fitness level
The hike up to the crater of Vesuvius requires a good level of general fitness. The walk is uphill at a 14 degree angle and takes roughly 20 minutes.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:Are restrooms available onboard the bus?

A:Restrooms are not available on the bus, however, your driver will make stops to allow for restroom breaks.

Jun. 2023

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Marilyn_S

Our guide Roberto and driver Julio were fantastic. We felt like we were well taken care of throughout the trip. Roberto gave great information but also gave time for travelers to spend time absorbing the beautiful scenery.

Reviews

4.5

5,081 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 5,081 reviews

A big day out with great organisation

Dalany_W, June 2023

We went on the Pompeii tour with the added option of the Amalfi Coast. The organisation was very impressive and our guide was energetic & very passionate. The bus was comfortable (with functioning air con) and with regular stops. The guided tour around Pompeii was very informative. The Amalfi Coast section was incredibly busy (very touristy) and the tiny, windy roads wouldn’t suit everyone (!) but the drivers were good. It is a long day of travelling but you see a lot and we would rate it for value for money. We’d certainly book onto another of these tours!

A site to see

KRISTEN_T, June 2023

Memorable day at Pompeii, with beautiful historic views. Lunch was good, but we had to eat on the bus because there was nowhere to sit. We had limited time in Positano, but it was beautiful! It was a very long day and the tour ended up being around 14 hours.

Great tour with the Amalfi Coast option

Katy_S, June 2023

Our tour guide, Mario, was fun and entertaining. He had lots of interesting stories he shared along the way. The coach ride was comfortable and the stops along the route were all well planned and organized. The expert-guided tour at Pompeii with Lily, was very good. The one thing we would have liked that we didn't have was time to go into the gift shop after the tour, however, I believe we had to skip it because we got delayed in traffic on our way there.

Outstanding trip and guide!

Marilyn_H, June 2023

The trip was a long day but amazing. Our guide Barbara was very experienced and knowledgeable. She made the trip fun and we not only go to learn about and experience the volcano close up and the amazing ruins of Pompei but Barabara educated us on Italian food, culture and history. Outstanding day!

A great trip!

Ulrika_S, June 2023

This was a great trip! Our bus guide was very serviceminded but his english was not at the standard it should have been in my opinion. Neither was the guides at Pompeji. A piece of advice: Do not accept the bus guide’s lunch offer after your tour of Pompeji. You are probably better off getting your own lunch at Pompeji. The trip up to the top of Vesuvius is rather straining but the view is worth it! It’s a good thing to bring a rain coat or umbrella. Over all it is a really interesting and beautiful trip, worth the money!

Peter was great

Jennifer_c, June 2023

The travel guide was fabulous. Peter had a great sense of humor and he gave additional tips. The Pompeii guide could have gone slower for some of our older guests, but Peter was fabulous!!!

Peter did a great job...

Erica_W, June 2023

Peter did a great job sharing stories & making it interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and especially climbing Mt. Vesuvius.

Don’t waste your money.

ALEX_C, June 2023

Overall it was “okay.” Not worth $700.00 for a family of 4. Basically you’ll be in a bus for 10 hours of the day. The bus is freezing. You’ll have one stop for bathroom breaks each way, and about 1-2 hours at Pompeii and Positano. Rent a car and do it yourself, or find something else to do. It’s a waste of money. The guide was very nice, Mario. However, he did not speak English very well and half the time we had no idea what he was saying. You’ll get offered pizza/pasta towards the end of the tour in Pompeii. It’s 15 euro for a small pizza and drink. The owner of the pizza restaurant is rude and hates tourists, so after you line up to get your pizza and drink, make sure you exit the building, if not, you’ll be scolded like a child, even if you’re just using the bathroom or waiting for your minor children to grab their food. Not a great experience. For what we paid, the food should be included. They don’t even offer a bottle of water. Would not recommend. Oh and before I forget, they’ll have a stop at a small lemoncello factory- If you use the bathroom there- take notice that they have 8 stalls, only two are unlocked and they remove the toilet seat covers for those two stalls. One of the employees told us that they do that so Americans don’t use the bathrooms. Pretty nice, huh?

Amazing experience

Peter_B, June 2023

Tour guide was excellent! Totally worth the price! Climbing the volcano was tough but well worth it!! The views were amazing!! Pompeii and the guide there were both also amazing! Incredible day!!

Well worth the cost.

Greg_R, June 2023

A view into life 2000 years ago at Pompei and an exillerating trip to the Amalfi coast with an informative and enthusiastic guide.

Nice and fun...

ThirupathiReddy, June 2023

We had fun. The trip was good and so was the guide and driver too. There is walking but it was good 👍 👌

Great trip - would recommend

Aaron_S, June 2023

Fantastic visit to Mount Vesuvius as well as Pompeii. No guide for the hike up to Mount Vesuvius but the view from the top towards Naples was amazing. Definitely not for the faint of heart either as it is a fairly steep grade (roughly 560 feet climb in elevation over a bit under a mile). My son and I thought it was great though the downhill climb was trickier making sure to keep good footing. Great tour through Pompeii though it got a bit rushed (only slightly) due to the incoming rain at the end. Just started to sprinkle at the end. Our guide was wonderful and took us on a very interesting tour through the ruins of Pompeii. It did keep up at a good pace though so for those that like to dwell a bit at each of the points through the ruins, it would have been probably a bit fast. Warning though that the bus trip and day is long. The bus was fine (kept reasonably cool) but it is a long trip there and back. As to why four stars versus five stars, the guide was meh. Bit of talking here and there but just meh. He did tell us he would take us to a good restaurant unlike the tourist traps by Pompeii but the restaurant he took us to seemed to be the worst tourist trap of all (20 Euros per person for mediocre spaghetti, a modest salad, sherbet (not Ice cream), and a drink. The stopping point where you could use the restroom / buy food was an absolute tourist trap as well.

Not What I had Hoped For.

Lena_E, May 2023

The trip was okay in general. Our tour guide was nice and knowledgeable. Our day started with a slight glitch because our original bus driver called in sick. It took about 30 minutes for a different bus driver to arrive, so certain parts of our excursion were cut short (break on the road and lunch in Pompeii). Before reaching Pompeii, we stopped at a place that had mediocre food, bathrooms, and items catering to tourists. Several other tour buses also stopped at this location. Our next stop was Pompeii. There was any doubt that tourist season was in full gear. There were tour buses and people everywhere. I would definitely NOT do this type of group tour again during high peak tourist season! Pompeii was much too crowded and was far less enjoyable because of it. Our Pompeii tour guide also didn't seem particularly enthusiastic, probably for the same reasons. Because of our late start, we were only given 45 minutes to find lunch. We were given the option to eat at a restaurant our guide pre-booked, but we opted to do lunch on our own since 20 Euros for an entrée, soda, and gelato seemed a bit steep...and because of the timing, we were strongly advised not to order the pizza (which is what we really wanted). We found a pizzeria about 5 minutes away but had to eat our food very quickly in order to get back on time. Once back on the bus, we were again delayed because a couple decided they wanted to stay in Pompeii instead of returning to Rome. Then the drive to Mount Vesuvius. It was a beautiful drive and the highlight of the tour. Luckily, all the tourists were still in Pompeii, so it wasn't AS crowded. It was about a 30-minute hike in each direction, and it was cooler because the rain clouds were rolling in. I would advise you to wear appropriate footwear because the trail is all sand and small rocks...looks deceptively easy but was very slippery in spots. We got back to the bus just in time before the torrential down pour of rain. About one hour into our 3 hour drive back to Rome, we had to stop at the same place as in the morning. There had been an accident on the highway which caused a one hour delay. In the end, instead of arriving back in Rome at 7:30 pm, the morning delay and accident on the highway delayed our return until 9:00 pm. In general, I would rate this tour as average, despite events occurring that were beyond the tour guide's control.

Dont take this tour!

Felix_M, May 2023

Close almost Bus crash on small mountain side winding road. Saw my life flash before my eyes. No information from guide on why Positano site walkways chosen first. Insulting comments when asked about Amalfi coast scenic tour being dropped from itinerary. Rush thru small streets for no apparent reason because shuttles back to bus were late. Rush thru Pompeii and didnt get chance to see amphitheater where Pink Floyd once played. Horrible recommendation from guide on pizza selection for meal.

Great day trip!

Helen_G, May 2023

It was a long day and it’s a lot to see both Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius in a day, but it is worth it. On the day, we were unlucky the bus driver had to cancel, but the new driver along with our wonderful guide Mar Ann helped to make up time after a 45 min wait. Marie Ann was informative about Rome and the areas we visited and gave us lots of tips and did her best to ensure everyone was happy. A delightful lady. However, it was a shame the guide in Pompeii was more interested in getting us in and out of the ruins as quick as possible so we could make the lunch stop. Apart from directions he did not provide any background to the events of Pompeii or its discovery and pointed out the obvious for example: a bread furnace and when he was asked questions replied with either google it when you get home or gave some loose answer. I am pleased I had researched the history prior to the trip and I would have liked to have spent more time in the ruins as there were many parts including the amphitheater I would have liked to have seen, rather exit for a packed tourist lunch restaurant, where my husband waited almost an hour for his lunch and had to eat it in 5 mins! Unfortunately we didn’t realise this when we were asked if we wanted go to the restaurant and once we had left the ruins we couldn’t go back in. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the trip to Mount Vesuvius (take a rain mac and suitable shoes) and the company of our guide. We were stuck in a very long traffic jam all the way back, so a long day, but I did enjoy and glad we went. My advice is to ask the guide to stay in the ruins. Give them your radio headphone and take a packed lunch. Also very much recommend Marie-Ann - thank you

Tour guide, Claire &...

Nancy_A, May 2023

Tour guide, Claire & driver were wonderful. The tour had too much time sitting in bus. I may have misread information, but my friend and I ditched the tour bus in Positano, and enjoyed a day on the beach & arranged our own travel back to Rome. Tour started @ 730 am in Rome, by 130 pm, we had just arrived in Positano. Tour bus would travel on to Pompeii, then Rome. Just a personal choice if how we wanted to spend our time.

Skip this, do Pompeii on your own. Disappointed.

Danielle_W, May 2023

Pompeii was cool, but the trip overall was a disappointment. We booked a 7:30am tour and it was running late, the bus to pick us up was late. You WILL spent more time on the bus there than you actually get in the tour. Not worth it when you can take a train and be out right at Pompeii entrance in an hour. They rushed us through the tour, cutting stuff out and you don’t even see a quarter of Pompeii. You get rushed in to stand in line to see the brothel and one famous cast then get rushed out. NO time to wander or look at anything else. NO time to souvineer shop. Then you get pushed into having lunch from a terrible restaurant where you are giving 3 options to choose from, no local food or famous pizza option it was mediocre cafeteria food at best and no one’s meal came out at the same time. Leave and have lunch on your own. We then were supposed to get shuttled to mount vesuvius and have only 1 hour to hike up take a picture and hike down to be back on the bus for 3 more hours. My husband and I ended up just leaving the group and going to do the sites on our own and trained back. Which was much better and got us back to Rome sooner. The guide was difficult to understand, could not stay on topic or clearly explain things. Overall I would love my money back for the experience that we missed by being on this tour.

Excellent guide, good tour

Robert_R, May 2023

The primary guide was outstanding. Angela is worth her weight in euros. She made the trip extremely interesting and was very effective at keeping us in schedule. It was an efficient trip that delivered as advertised. It was well worth it.

Positano was exceptional!

Dave_E, May 2023

Enjoyed Positano!!!! Excellent, wished our guide in Pompeii was better, not informative, VERY difficult to understand, rushed us and didn’t allow time for pictures. I have been before and found our Pompeii guide lacking

Great guide

eugene_z, May 2023

Excellent time with excellent guide. Super knowledgeable and made learning experience fun. No issues with booking and communication

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