Will Pompeii be far to hot to visit in June

[Hohofortherobbers]

Anyone been to Pompeii in June? Is it insanely hot to think of visiting it then? Also looking for hotel recommendations in Sorrento if possible. Thanks

See my previous post - it was 10 years ago (which I’m astonished about, frankly). More recent visitors may have recommendations. All I can remember was an excellent place in one of the walled lanes a few streets back from the main drag where you entered through a ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant and the dining tables were dotted around a massive walled garden behind. It was magical.

We love the Foreigners Club. It has amazing views over the bay and the food is great.

There's a local gelato place near the station and nice restaurants at Marina Piccolo.

Us too. Not great for younger kids as built into a steep slope with little space to play, but great with older kids and views.

Is that the place to the right of the station concourse if you stand in the street looking towards the station? If so, it’s the place Lucia recommended.

Think so.

Was there two weeks ago. It was 25C, which is verging on too hot for me. Take lots of bottles of water - very limited opportunities to get anything at all once you are in the site.

June should be ok but there’s no guarantees,
We went in August and it was horrendous. And then years later at the end of May and it was very pleasant , it actually rained but it didn’t matter. Much better than unbearable heat.

I went last May when I was pregnant and nearly DIED 😂 I was like a vampire slinking from shady spot to shady spot because it was unbearably hot. I think it was around late 20s/ early 30s temp wise and we cleverly booked a tour for the hottest part of the day.

We are going next month. Staying in Naples. Naples seems to provoke a very strong reaction in people - it's either love or hate, but nothing in between it seems. I'm very curious as to how I will find it. Any restaurant recommendations? I want authentic, where the locals eat places, ideally.

Is this place in Naples? Is it a restaurant?

Oh, and Hortus, which is right outside the entrance, is unexpectedly good for lunch and fabulous spremuta!

The Foreigners Club is in Sorrento. There's a tourist info point there too.

Sorry also meant to say yes it's a restaurant but there's always lots of entertainment there too, live music etc.

I was there in June last year, and it was very hot, with very little shade. I certainly wouldn't take young children, and if you go, make sure you take plenty of water, far more than you think you'll need. I wouldn't have chosen to go in that heat, but nevertheless I coped and it was an absolutely amazing experience that I wouldn't have missed for the world. The shop selling lemon granitas at the exit was very welcome!

Placemarking

Completely depends. We went last year in July and oh God it was 40C. We had to sit on the ground at times it was baking. Doesn't help that Pompeii is essentially a giant open air oven.

Thank you for this thread OP! I was about to book Pompeii for a family trip at may half term… with two rather heat averse children. Might look at areas or countries further north I think!!

Much of the first time we went to Pompeii was spent avoiding the August heat and wandering around aimlessly with no real idea of where we were going or what we were looking at.

We got it right 2nd time. We went at a much cooler time of the year - June. And we booked a private guide. I would really recommend anyone going to Pompeii should do this. We saw places that normal tourists can't go to and he gave us a real insight into how the citizens of Pompeii lived.

As an alternative, you can get maps and audio guides at the entrance but you need to get there early before they all go. And do your research before you go.

Would anyone suggest Herculaneum over Pompeii as a site to visit, I hear its smaller.

Herculaneum is far better in many ways although Pompeii wins in terms of (far less well preserved) scale.

My order of preference (from most to least) would be:
Pompeii then Herculaneum
Herculaneum only
Pompeii only
Herculaneum then Pompeii (Pompeii would then feel like a disappointment).

Herculaneum has far more shady places to escape the sun. I went mid-September which was just right.

Go early to avoid the worst of the heat and the busy-ness. In both places there's a gathering place where guides attract people to their groups, setting off when they've collected about 10 tourists. In both places I found the guides to be essential and knowledgeable. I'm with @notangelinajoliein that the experience would have been far less meaningful without them.

I stayed in Naples which I found to be fine and travelled to and from the sites by this cheap commuter train service:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g187785-d8272952-Reviews-Circumvesuviana_Railway_Service-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

I love history and for me this was a holiday of a lifetime.

Don't overlook the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. It's packed with many of the treasures of the archeological sites and there's a lot of fantastic stuff to see, particularly the frescoes.

We went in June. It was hot but not unbearably so. Go early so you can pace yourself, avoid crowds in the forum and still see loads, wear a hat and drink plenty. There was a café on site when we went a few years ago, bit like a canteen but not stupidly expensive and a good place to rest if you are feeling the heat.
I second Pompeii first then Herculaneum. We did Vesuvius in the morning and Herculaneum in the afternoon. Vesuvius was cool and drizzly, Herculaneum was hot and sunny. I don't think that difference is too unusual so layers needed if you are doing them both on the same day. Ignore the restaurants touting for business outside the station. We found a great pizza place half way to Herculaneum (it's a fair walk from the station) nothing to look at but excellent pizzas at a good price.

I went in late May and it was hot but perfectly bearable, and I'm not a hot weather person at all. I also found that there was plenty of shade available and there's an onsite cafe which you can buy drinks at. It's expensive and I wouldn't bother with the food, but for a bottle of water, it's fine!

I found a shady spot next to the Villa of Diomedes and sat on a bit of fallen masonry watching lizards basking on the rocks on the sun. Despite the busyness of the site, it's possible to have moments of solitude when you hear nothing but the birds and can imagine yourself back in Roman times. I loved it and will definitely be back one day!

Oh no we're staying at the Atlantic Palace in September! When were you there?

Thank you for all the great tips!