Advice on planned trip to Pompeii / Erculano

[mimosa1]

Hello,

I would dearly love to take my 8 and 6 year old to Pompeii / Erculano in May, with potentially a day trip (?) to Capri depending on cost. Plus a day in Naples as it sounds like the best airport to fly into. Has anyone done a similar trip who could offer advice?

It's the first time we'd be going on holiday "just us" as opposed to wider family trips, which are lovely, but naturally involve a lot of compromise. I'm very excited and have started to plan!

Thank you for any and all advice!

Timely thread op. We are flying out for Easter (4 nights). Looking forward to everyone's tips 😃.

We are flying into Naples and staying at the Abalon Resort Hotel in Pompeii. All I can say from the pictures is that the hotel LOVES colour!

I’ve taken my children to Pompei for a day trip, they were 3,5 &7 and were all fascinated by it. We had a tour guide who talked us through everything and was very informative. Make sure you wear trainers or shoes like that as surfaces can be very uneven.

im actually currently planning a day trip to Capri for later in year with them. You can already book the ferries for then. There are 2 that are fast ferries at 50 mins and one slower at 1hr 20min. Looks like it advisable to pre book .

Naples as a city I wasn’t impressed with. Wasn’t very clean, drivers insane and literally just come at you when using the proper crossings !

Pompeii is brilliant but I'm not sure your 6yr old will want to climb for ages to get up Vesuvius (if indeed you wanted to. If you do don't wear good shoes. The volcanic ash will ruin them) Capri is a bit of a tourist trap(!) but do try to go on a boat trip to go INTO the blue grotto - expensive but so worth it) Prepare your children so they understand the significance of what they are seeing.

Hi - we did a trip there in October (as a couple) and loved it!
We stayed in Sorrento and took a boat to Capri and a train into Naples (several times). We did Ercolano but not Pompeii as we heard that it's vast and less well preserved than Ercolano (which was covered in mud, not lava, so you can see more of the buildings and some furnishings and even skeletons!)

Pompeii is very big and not much shade so good to go early or later in the day although you do need hours t there. We actually preferred Herculaneum, much smaller and more interesting. We also paid for a personal tour guide who was wonderful although be careful with young children as he had no embarrassment talking about the prostitution and bath houses where women would have sex!

Yes Naples is not very nice in parts - we went to St Elmo's Castle, which had a fantastic view over the bay of Naples and the city. Capri town is a tourist trap - we preferred Anacapri.

@Star81 Italian drivers are like that. If you're not on a pavement you are fair game. Don't ever rely on pedestrian lights - there IS NO right of way for pedestrians EVER

We were going to two years ago but just to warn you it is a long hike in heat and people were saying Pompeii is a little sad/disturbing (but if you obviously are excited to see it then go for it). I adore Italy but Naples the city is very rough, very poor and a lot of people hanging around, would never recommend.The countryside is just mind blowing though, so so so gorgeous!

One tip that I was given was to check out the cruise schedule for Naples and to visit Pompeii on a day with few, if any, cruise ships in port as it helps to cut down the crowds https://www.cruisetimetables.com/naples-italy-cruise-ship-schedule.html

May is a lovely time to visit. Warm but not too hot.
Capri is beautiful but eye wateringly expensive, even a coffee can be three times the cost on the mainland, sometimes more. Lots of designer shops there.
The blue grotto is astonishing in its colour.
Ercolano is better preserved than Pompeii (and I do prefer it) but Pompeii is so vast it is mind blowing and they haven’t discovered all of it yet. Be warned that there are a lot pick pockets outside the gates of Pompeii.
Another site is Paestum which is lovely with a quiet charm, just overshadowed by the other two but it is much much quieter.
I love the area and we have family property in the area so have been many many times.

Ooh we are looking at Sorrento again this time with day trips. Is it easy by train or should we book through the holiday company? Is Herculaneum and Ercolan the same place?

Herculaneum was great and very interesting, but Ercolano (the modern town) was really horrible! Grumpy people in every shop and restaurant.

I stayed in Sorrento and took the train which goes from Naples to Sorrento via both Herculaneum and Pompeii.

I was there late September and it was still too hot really. Didn't fancy doing both places so I chose Herculaneum.

It is a lot of walking for both Pompeii and Herculaneum, not much shade or facilities at either. If you dc are Roman enthusiasts maybe but otherwise leave it a few years. Capri is lovely but expensive and probably a bit dull for kids.

Thanks everyone. Great tip on the cruises! Sounds like staying in Sorrento and doing Herculaneum are the right calls.

If you go to Pompeii walk/bus/taxi into Pompey town. The square near the Holy Rosary church is big enough for the kids to run around. With a nice cafe. The church has a tower - you can pay to take the lift up and it’s a great view over Pompeii ruins. Helps to give a different perspective. The church is also very pretty.

can i just add my opinion?
i really didn't like Sorrento much . We stayed in Nerano which is a small seaside town you can see Capri from there.
We took a boat trip there it's very beautiful as was the grotto
it was easy to get to all the main sights from there .
We did nhireca car which we were very terrified about but along the amalfi coast the traffic was so heavy you definitely a guide in pompeii and an umbrella for shade as there is none at all there.
never got beyond 10 miles per hour.
Agree re naples very atmospheric but i don't think i'd fancy it much with young children
was one of my favourite trips ever !!
have a wonderful time xx

We're going at Easter. We're staying in Sorrento, and haven't made any plans further than that but I'm starting to think about the details so we don't waste time when we get there!
I'm thinking of a day in Pompeii, a day in Naples and the rest pottering around locally.
My DH and DD might tackle vesuvius, while I peruse the coffee shops!

Yeah I didn't like Sorrento itself. Really liked the little town we stayed in. Sorrento was super tourist trap and not very big. By the sea was more like buy the sea with crammed in loungers to rent on little jetties.

I'd do Herculaneum over Pompeii - it's cooler in the heat, its better preserved too and a lot smaller. Pompeii is quite a lot of walking.

As for Naples - drop it. I thought everyone exaggerated when they told me how awful it was. they didn't. it's dirty and smelly and not a lot to see there,

Another one saying that I couldn't leave Naples fast enough.

Haven't seen Herculaneum yet, but Pompeii fascinating. There are audio guides and these were good, may appeal to kids. I think there was also a recording aimed at younger listeners. The crossing by boat to Capri is apparently often on the rough side and hotel staff seemed to hint that if it wasn't, you'd got lucky.

I think Sorrento and Herculaneum are a very good choice, having been to all the places you mentioned with kids age 8-11, except Capri. Both are on the train line from Naples. Herculaneum is much more manageable than Pompeii.

Give Naples a chance though, it gets a bad press but we all really loved it! As soon as you’re away from the train station (in the arse end of town) it’s a great city to explore. And the best pizzas in the world!

Our kids managed Vesuvius fine from half way up - great experience to climb a live volcano. Sorrento is gorgeous for a short break, as is the rest of the Amalfi coast.

I can’t wait to go back one day!

I'm well travelled, but Naples airport was the 1 place I'd wished I'd pre-booked a private car/taxi. I just felt the taxi drivers they were laughing and trying to rip us off!

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and stayed in Naples itself. It was DH and myself- no children. I didn't wear any necklaces, just simple earrings and swapped my real wedding rings for a claires cheapy. Pickpockets can happen anywhere, but I'd heard of scooters stopping and pulling necklaces off.

From Naples, we caught a local train to Pompeii- it was straight forward and cheap. There are many 'tour guides' hanging around outside offering their service. We didn't use one, but you can say you'd like a 1, 2, 3hr etc tour and negotiate a price. You can of course get a booked tour from Naples if that is preferrable. Travelling there ourselves, meant that we could leave whenever we wanted. Ideally take a packed lunch. From memory, the nearest cafe was expensive and very busy. I got a map beforehand and roughly planned out the houses/things I really wanted to see.

A few stops on the train, heading back toward Naples is Heracleum. Smaller than Pompeii, but it could easily be done on a different day.

I've seen many documentaries about Pompeii and was expecting to see plaster cast bodies all over the place and frescoes. This isn't the case at all. Nearly every single mosaic and thing of interest is in the museum in Naples! Including many of the plaster casts. Yes, actually going to Pompeii itself was great- but I found the museum much more interesting. Note that there is a secret room in the museum where you need to be 18 to enter. It contains all manner of things with a sexual nature- a statue of man having sex with a goat, sexual frescoes and giant penises!

We stayed at Hotel Correra 241. Off the main road, down an alley way, at 1st it looked locked up- but it was safe, quiet and felt a world away from the hustle of Naples. It was down the hill from the museum, and 5mins to the train station- so a great location. Within Naples itself, we walked everywhere- museum, markets, restaurants etc.

I've been to this area several times - my advice is:
Stay in Sorrento. Yes, it's not the most picturesque place, has a heavy tourist element BUT it is an amazing transport hub that will allow you to access the region easily - by train you can get directly to Naples, Herculaneum & Pompeii. By bus you can get down the Amalfi coast to Positano, Amalfi etc & by ferry/boat you can get across to Capri, & down the coast to Amalfi & further on to Salerno.
I wasn't overly keen on Naples & wouldn't rush back - but it is a very marmite place.
I love both Herculaneum & Pompeii. They're very different though. Herculaneum was a seaside town covered in mud, hence it is much better preserved. The site is small & much more atmospheric in that the remains of the buildings are more complete. But your children may be disturbed by the skeletons on the beaches, & it is disconcerting to have the modern day Ercolano buildings towering above the site. Get the train direct, & once you get off ignore all the taxi drivers & tour touts, walk straight down the hill & the site is at the bottom of the hill. There is a decent visitor centre now with decent toilets (this wasn't always the case!).
Pompeii is vast - it was a city after all & only about a 3rd of it has been excavated. Again you can get the train direct, & the station is next to the main entrance. If you want to hire a tour guide or join one, they will show you round the most famous parts of the site - Forum, bodies, brothels, the best preserved houses/mosaics. However, you will only see a fraction of the site. Alternatively buy a guide book or hire an audio guide & walk where you want. We loved exploring the hidden gardens & building off the main routes. Wear decent supportive footwear & as others say there is little shade (some around the arena though). The bodies are fascinating but disturbing too.
Sorrento itself is a compact town - the old town with narrow cobbled streets is the main touristy bit. Lots of souvenir shops & restaurants with English menus. That's not to say they are crap but just be choosy in what you order. If you venture out past the train station there are more normal shops (supermarket, pharmacies, clothes, bakery etc) which are useful if you decide to do self catering or need to buy some medicine etc. There is a fantastic play park tucked away in the residential area called Parco Giochi Don Luigi Verde full of swings, equipment & rides.
You can get the bus (Sita) down the coast - this will take you directly to Positano & then goes on to terminate at Amalfi. Positano is beautiful, white, full of flowers but also full of steps! It is a vertical town stretching from half way up the mountain down to the sea. Very expensive & touristy shops jostle for space. Tbh Positano is probably best viewed from the water.
Amalfi has the next bus terminal - it is a lovely town with some nice places to eat & lovely shops that ring the main square. It has a good market too on market days. From here you can catch further buses on down the coast to Ravello, Minori, Miaori & further on to Salerno.
Ravello is definitely worth the trip & is famous for its 'Infinity balcony' - a balcony jutting out over the coast. It's both breathtaking & terrifying. Ravello itself is sleeping village, some nice eateries (but can be very expensive) & the two main villas & gardens to visit (Cimbrone & Rufulo). If you feel brave enough you can walk up/down to Ravello from Minori on the Path of Gods but it's approximately 1,800 steps.
Minori is a quieter town on the coast; it has a few hotels, a pebble beach & a cafe ringed square. It does have several very good restaurants & has a Roman villa you can visit under the modern day town. It also has great limoncello & a world famous pasticceria Sal de Riso (cake shop).
If you're feeling adventurous you can go further on down to Salerno where the Paestum site is. A huge site of semi- ruined Greek temples & a very interesting museum. But I've never gone there on public transport, so you might have to book a tour or investigate options.
Capri is a fascinating island. Capri town is beautiful but full of expensive shops & overpriced cafes/restaurants. Anacapri is much more affordable & you can get the chair lift from there.
I love this region - the food & ice cream are amazing, the people are lovely especially if you attempt to speak Italian - most will speak very good English but they appreciate the effort. Children are loved there too.

I echo a lot of what @APurpleSquirrel says.
I know this area pretty well. In Capri, I always do the fantastic walk up the hill to the ruins of Villa Jovis, with its spectacular views. It’s very atmospheric, and the walk and ruins always seem quite deserted of visitors.

Give Naples a chance though, it gets a bad press but we all really loved it! As soon as you’re away from the train station (in the arse end of town) it’s a great city to explore. And the best pizzas in the world!

Oh which station? The one we are planning is in the centro storico at piazza Navarro?