Pompeii (with disabled relative)

[Ponderingtosk]

I’ve always wanted to go to Pompeii.

I watched the big dig program on it last night and got very excited. Trouble is DH is not fantastically mobile, needs a sleep most afternoons etc.

I found the Hotel de Sole right near the gates of Pompeii on google earth and am wondering IF we could go, Fly London to Naples, get a taxi to the hotel. I can trot all over Pompeii to my hearts content and DH can come and go 🤞as he pleases.

Anyone done something similar? I’m not used to booking holidays, we normally just go somewhere in the UK.

wondering what the pitfalls might be (got really fleeced in New York before Covid for a taxi to the airport) so would be good to know tips on travelling there.

thanks

That makes perfect sense. When my Mum was very unwell we did things like this a lot (Rome rather than Pompeii) In fact when the pressure was off, and she knew she could rest and nap as often as she needed to, she often had more energy.

I would LOVE to go to Pompeii - hoping for a day trip when we're in Rome in October maybe.

Of course you can go. If you are struggling use a travel agent or see if there is official transfers that you can pay upfront , go enjoy, My friend went last year said it was incredible

No specific advice on your situation but wanted to say definitely go. I've been to a lot of different countries and have seen my fair share of Roman ruins, but Pompeii is on a different level. You really feel like you've been transported back to Roman times. If you can also visit Herculaneum. It's got a very different feel/character from Pompeii (more densely built up and higher buildings) and feels even more 'real'.

The Amalfi coast is only a short drive away if you fancy a few days hanging out by the sea. It's gorgeous. A boat trip to Capri is a great day trip, although I'm not sure how navigable the island itself is for someone with mobility problems. It's fairly steep. My top tip for getting around would be to get the smallest possible rental car. The roads are narrow, bendy and really stressful to navigate with a larger car. We got a free 'upgrade' to a larger rental car and regretted it instantly!

In general I've found Italy similar to many other touristy countries safety and scam-wise. You need to do your research beforehand and keep your wits about you, but then it's fine.

Having "done" parts of Italy as a wheelchair user but not Pompeii, access is not amazing and was particularly poor in Rome.

Have a look here :

pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/pompeii-for-all/#:~:text=In%20certain%20critical%20parts%20of,nature%20of%20the%20archaeological%20area.&text=The%20access%20point%20to%20the,All”%20routes%20is%20Piazza%20Anfiteatro.&text=There%20are%20three%20Facilities%20in%20three%20locations%20of%20the%20ancient%20city.

Depending on practicalities (I don't know how well set up the Italian trains are for wheelchair users) you can get a train from Naples.
I would think a taxi would be very expensive but you could probably pre book a private transfer.
Pompeii is fantastic, but if you can, please visit Herculaneum too, it is really wonderful (possibly a bit more wheelchair friendly?) & smaller.

I went to Rome with my mum and we went to Herculaneum with a wheelchair as Pompeii wasn't accessible (according to internet).
If you can base yourself by the site, I see no reason why you can't go in and out as you said.
Herculaneum was amazing by the way. We had a guided tour and it was fantastic.

Yeah definitely do that. To be honest you don't even need to pick a hotel that near to Pompeii. You could stay in Sorrento even, let DH chill at the hotel and get the train to Pompeii yourself.

It's all really easy, everything very set up for tourists it's impossible to get the wrong train, ticket buying is easy and Pompeii is probably even better to do alone as there's not much to 'discuss' but a lot to 'process'.

You'll love it!

People are assuming he needs a wheelchair but I can't see that op says he does?

If he's like me op and doesn't use a wheelchair but can manage small amounts of activity but followed by rest breaks then that sounds like a good set up so that you both get a holiday at your own pace

Herculaneum is more accessible than Pompeii but the Pompeii excavations are on a totally different scale. You could get between them on the Circumversuviana train easily. Herculaneum is a walk from the station but a smaller area you could do in a couple of hours. I believe one of the Pompeii entrance points is specifically more accessible , with self guided tours to key features. pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/pompeii-for-all/ There are minibuses to other local sites on the same ticket, but the majority of the site is by foot with little shade.

People are assuming he needs a wheelchair but I can't see that op says he does?

True, my apologies.

I'm not assuming he needs a wheelchair
I'm assuming he has access needs. Pompeii presents challenges for the mobility impaired also according to the link I posted.

Yeah I'd be .in the hotel mooching around I couldn't manage pompei disabled doesn't always mean wheelchair, I don't think anyone jumped to that.

Also OP, if your DH actually wants to go into Pompeii - there is a big cafe with indoor and outdoor seating immediately outside the entrance gates, so he could do a short stint in the site and then just go back and hang out in the cafe.

Even a short visit is worth the ticket price in my opinion

A lot of people did reference wheelchairs though.

Google 'Pompeii for all' - it talks specifically about a route for those with mobility difficulties.

So?

a) He may use one

b) I was only giving my personal experience

The OP does state that DH is not very mobile, there's a crossover.

Check out advice from people with mobility needs.

My ExH went there and he knows how much I love Roman ruins. He said that apart from a small section it was basically not accessible at all.

Italy is great. Personal experience - I walk short distances and mostly use a wheelchair - it's not a great country for accessibility. Choose your transport and hotel wisely.

We went to Pompeii quite recently. It's huge, but quite a bit of it (path and buildings) are accessible, according to my map, if your DH did fancy having a look. I've attached a photo so you can get an idea (the blue dashed line indicates the accessible route and the blue dots are accessible buildings). If your DH is able to use the train, there's a station right across the road from Pompeii. It can get quite crowded so I'd suggest going in term time if you can.

There a lot of hopping on and off pavements to avoid others, and the main streets are huge cobbles which can be tricky. Some great footwear if mobile, use a stick if necessary so people will avoid bumping into you. It's all accessible when you first go in, I'd suggest getting food and drinks outside and taking some in as the queues for food can be long, you may not get a table but at the back of the cafe are gardens with seating. That's what we did - picnic!
Loos may be an issue, I think ground floor and accessible but I thought maybe stairs there too? Check that out.
Having said that, go. Train station is a few feet from the main Porto Marina entrance and you can get a real feel for it once you get in even if you're there for a short while.It's absolutely a must see. Hope you go and have a great time.

Well, I am disabled with limited mobility and I don't even use a mobility aid.

I don't know why you think I was targeting your post specifically

Also if you're in Naples then visit the National Archaeological Museum of Naples to get even more of a Pompeii fix.

Sorry to bang on but if you're staying that close to Pompeii, you can also go up Vesuvius whilst your husband rests the bus tour leaves from the same place! Oh I adore Naples!!

We stayed in Sorrento- absolutely beautiful place! We got the metro to pompeii and Herculaneum, it was very easy to use. We got there for when it opened as it’s gets hot and there is minimal shade. Pompeii is massive, but Herculaneum is much smaller. Depending on your husbands mobility- due to their age neither are particularly disability friendly- I did go 10yrs ago though so measures may have been put in place since.

I took my part time wheelchair using son to Pompeii when he was smaller and he could still walk a bit. It is one of the least accessible places we have ever been and for example was much less accessible than other Roman sites such as Jerash in Jordan. So if you do go go with your eyes open and expect it to be difficult possibly very difficult verging on impossible which makes everything much more stressful. Also it is very large so getting out is not easy.

So while it is great it was very very hard work, very difficult to move around, very crowded and comparatively little shade. Places to sit were often awkward and of course a lot of the ground was uneven, and tricky. The bits which were accessible were often slow as the number of people using them large.

We went by train from Sorrento that bit was easy, it is also easy from Naples, which is also fairly wheelchair friendly because it is a city.

We stayed in beautiful Sorrento, then got the train to Pompeii- very cheap and easy to do. Also worth mentioning the 1st Sunday of every month Pompeii admission is free- you can’t book, you just turn up and no the queues weren’t ridiculous for this in August, I’d go as far to say not many people knew about it- it’s not really advertised.