Pompeii… just turn up? Or book a guide?

[SunshineAndCloudy]

We are going to sorrento and I know it’s easy to jump on the train and go ( I think!) but is it better book a guided tour beforehand or just wing it?

I wish we’d booked a guide - the site is massive and I felt we really didn’t get a good insight into the place to the level I’d have liked. If you don’t book a guide then really do your research before you go and download guides and maps. We went on the train from Rome and had to remember to take our passports to get onto the train - you might already know that though, and/or it might be different from Sorrento.

I think it depends on how interested you are! We went early (as it opened) and ahead of the crowds and it was really great to just wander about - the main sights (impressive villas, amphitheater etc) are easy to find and view.

But I went there for general “ambiance” and a bit of a potter so not bothered if I missed something. There are so many guides about that even just wandering about you get to hear some snippets from some of the tours.

Also I find some guided tours at similar places just interminable and I always feel trapped if it is a personal guide (if you see what I mean!) as my tolerance for standing around looking at crumbling buildings in the searing heat is limited!! But if ancient Roman history is your thing then the general consensus is to get a guide.

Thr train from Sorrento is very easy (if slow) but packed!! So get to the station early and bag a seat (it is the end of the line)

We are just back from Sorrento and went to Pompeii. We didn't book a guide as it was so hot and didn't want to be standing about in the heat as much. Download info about Pompeii and use that. Must sees are the lupinare(brothel) it's rude tho...frescos on walls and phallic symbols. Also amphitheatre and garden of fugitives. There are some casts there of people who had died in the eruption. There is also an exhibition near the amphitheatre.
We used the normal train to come back on. Would never do that again. Way too busy standing, packed and an hour back to Sorrento. I would book the Campanio Express train in advance if doing it again. It's much dearer but at least you will get a seat. What ever you do, don't use the audio guide, absolutely useless.

I went to pompeii with my parents 35 years ago. We had a tour guide and it was really good. They showed quite interesting stuff there like "menu" of a brothel where you choose man to woman or men to men sex. I was a teenager and found the tour interesting.

What ever you do, don't use the audio guide, absolutely useless

Agree with this!

Personally I'm more of a fan of a guidebook and a wander. We'd watched some documentaries beforehand so knew a lot of things to look out for and preferred we could go at our own pace. I'm a people pleaser and find guides in general a bit of a stressful experience even if they're lovely.

I'd say depends on your personality as to which you'd prefer.

If roman history is your thing I would recommend a personal guide rather then join some large group tour. You genuinely do get a better appreciate and insight into the site. It's a huge place so you can have a chat with your guide and try tailor something to your specific interests. If going in summer bring a hat / sun umbrella, it's very exposed with little shade.

We joined a group on arrival. We found the guide very knowledgeable and the tour moved along at reasonable pace. We have always resisted tours but I'm glad we did it for Pompeii.

We did a small group guide (6-8 of us from memory) to start us off and then spent the rest of the day wandering by ourselves. It might depend how long you want to be there and your level of interest.

IME I’d say get there as early as possible and book timed tickets for a tour guide - we went in a group of 5 with Viatour who knew all the shortcuts to the most interesting parts. As we were leaving the coach loads were arriving and the queues tremendous. No fun in the heat.

I'd definitely go with a guide.

Did you use a personal guide, and/ or do you have ant links or info on getting one? Thanks!

We used a personal tour guide recommended by the hotel we were staying at. Let me see if I can dig up (no pun intended) the details for you. I am usually a bit sceptical about organised tours but in fairness it was brilliant and way better then any self guided tours or as a part of some enormous group.

Not been to Pompeii but Herculaneum. We had a guide and it was very much worth it for the detailed knowledge. It might depend how interested you are in history but DH and two teenage DC loved it. We also ( and I wouldn't normally recommend this,) went to a restaurant suggested by the guide and it was fabulous.

We had an organised tour.
It was good but very long and I was extremely hot.

A man sat down on what looked like a seat but was some archaeological relic and got a telling off. The man looked to be on his last legs. So don't sit down.

I'd definitely recommend using a guide. Being in a group is fine. We did the guided tour bit and then spent a couple of hours just exploring and googling things. It was a really good day. It was very hot, so be prepared for that!

We booked this and I am so glad we had a guide https://www.viator.com/en-GB/tours/Pompeii/Explore-Pompeii-and-Herculaneum-with-an-Archaeologist/d24336-23258P129 The right choice, he was fab and very knowledgeable. The site is huge!

Also it’s very walkable from the train station. There are taxis outside insisting you need to use them but you don’t.

We did it without a guide, but used a guidebook. I lived soaking up the ambience and also going at our pace, not the tour pace.

We also did Herculaneum which I slightly preferred. Both brilliant though

We went to Sorrento on honeymoon and booked a guided coach trip from the hotel. Was fantastic. We learned a lot of Italian swearwords as we had a "wanderer" in our group who was forever disappearing and then he got back to the coach half an hour late... and our lovely lady tourguide got quite exasperated... why pay for a fully guided tour, then wander off...

We also preferred Herculaneum... the actual site... but the drive in on the coach was through some very rough areas. Would not fancy that in a car.

We drove to both Pompeii and Herculaneum from Sorrento in our hire car on different days. It was fine.

Ditto the walk to both from the train stations.

Guide then have a wander.

If you just want to say that you've "done Pompeii" then buy a guide book and go at your own pace. However, if you are genuinely interested and want to get the most out of it I would hire a private guide. I haven't got any links but they are easy enough to track down (your hotel can probably recommend one). After you've done the tour you can have a wander around in your own time and soak in the atmosphere. It is a huge site and absolutely mind blowing.

I would also highly recommend doing Herculaneum if you are truly invested in history. Many people (including me) prefer it to Pompeii.