Anyone been to Pompeii?

[CocktailQueen]

Thinking about travelling to italy next year by train. Does anyone have recommendations for where to stay near Pompeii? Also, where are nice beaches in Italy? Thanks!

I'm hoping to go there too, so watching with interest.

We visited Pompei from Amalfi. It's a longish train journey but amalfi is lovely with alot if nice trips and walks and even a small beach. Pompei is much more wonderful than I thought it would be too.

I went to Pompeii last year. We stayed in a villa on top of the cliff, overlooking the sea between Amalfi and Positano. It was fantastic. Both places have lovely beaches but get very crowded in the summer. There's lots of accommodation in Amalfi, but a lot of it tends to be a along the coast road.
We drove to Pompeii as it was a very quick drive. Pompeii is extremely hot, dusty and packed with tour guides who think nothing of shoving you out of the way to get their party through the doors before you. Take a hat and loads of water.
I would go back to the Amalfi coast in a heart beat, it's beautiful.

Hmm, thanks all!

Sorrento? Easy to get to Pompeii by public transport from there.

We stayed in Sorrento many moons ago, which is a quick train ride away. No real beach and quite touristy but definitely logistically easier for trips than the Amalfi Coast. Amalfi resorts are pretty steep on the cliffs.

A long, long time ago (about 12 years) we stayed in Hotel Diana - it was great. Easy access to town (near excellent restaurants ) and walking distance to ruins - absolutely gorgeous breakfasts a swell (I can still remember lemon-cream croissants - yum!)

We stayed just outside Sorrento a few years ago. The beaches are very small and very crowded and you have to pay to use them. We just stayed by the pool on days that we weren't doing other things. To see Pompeii properly I strongly recommend that you have a guide. Also, wear really comfortable shoes.

We stayed in Sorrento too. Visited Herculaneum and Capri easily from there (for more Roman stuff), plus lovely boat trip to Amalfi.
It was only Easter so too cold for beaches 😀.
Yes, agree with good shoes and guide as recommended by Bunbaker.

We stayed in Sorrento this year to do Pompeii but I wasnt particularly impressed. Expensive and very English. There is a town nearer to Pompeii but I can't remember the name. Make sure you do Herculaneum as well. Smaller and more manageable.

You could stay in Naples and get the coastal train to the sites. We only did one night in Naples but it was amazing.

Mary Beard has a programme on Pompeii on Thursday. It might be interesting to posters here.

Have it on record.

I must admit that I was a little underwhelmed by Sorrento. There is nowhere nice to walk around as the streets are so busy and there is so much traffic. You can't walk along the cliff edge because the hotels are built up right to the edge. Our hotel was nice and the food was great, but Sorrento isn't a place I would rush back to.

I have, stayed in Positano, got the bus to Sorrento and then train to Pompeii.

Sorrento I find very underwhelming, like a pp.

Herculaneum is all round more impressive than Pompeii, I'd really recommend visiting both.

Also stayed in Naples, where we stayed was lovely and you could easily get to the sites by train.

However you do not want to be staying in central Naples, near the train station. Arrived there on our way back from the coast to the airport. I felt genuinely unsafe during the short time we were there.

Check out San Felice Circeo - its a beach resort half way between Rome and Naples, popular with Romans, we holidayed there a few years ago for a week. We took the train from there to Pompeii and back in a day. Pompeii was very very hot but totally fascinating, take bottles of water as its super expensive anywhere near the site.