A day trip from Rome to Pompeii
Last Updated on August 4, 2024 by admin
Many visitors to the Eternal City want to take a day trip from Rome to Pompeii, and rightly so. The remarkably well-preserved ancient city, which was buried by clouds of ash and pumice spouting from the mouth of Mount Vesuvius during an eruption in 79 AD, has taught us a great deal about the ancient world.
Visitors can take guided tours or wander the massive archaeological park freely, exploring its many sights, which include baths, villas, homes, frescos, theaters, and very famously, an estimated 25 brothels.
Possibly the most striking thing to see are the casts of people who died in the eruption themselves, many curled up in balls, some with their hands covering their faces, and others entangled in another’s limbs as they sought to protect each other and themselves from the volcano’s wrath.
I was spellbound the first time I visited Pompeii – I could have spent days there, exploring the track of every wagon in the stone streets. I’m lucky enough to have visited many times since, each time seeing something new.
A day trip from Rome to Pompeii
Let’s start with looking at some Rome-to-Pompeii day trip FAQs:
Can you do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome?
First things first, yes, you can do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome, but the travel times vary depending on how you decide to do it. The timing of each option is laid out below.
Is there a fast train from Rome to Pompeii?
No, there is no fast train that goes directly from Rome to Pompeii. The closest a fast train will get you is to Naples.
Take a look at the options below to decide which way of getting from Rome to Pompeii and back will work for you.
How much does it cost to get from Rome to Pompeii?
This varies depending on which travel option you choose.
What’s the cheapest way to get from Rome to Pompeii?
The cheapest way will most likely be the first do-it-yourself option, which consists of a high-speed train from Rome to Naples and then taking the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii.
To ensure that you get the best price, book your high-speed train tickets as early as possible. With Italo, you can get tickets for as cheap as €12.90 if you book far enough in advance. The Circumvesuviana only costs €2.80.
Is it ever free to visit Pompeii?
Like many other State-runs sights in Italy, Pompeii is free to visit on the first Sunday of every month. You can book here.
Keep in mind that the number of visitors per day is limited to 15,000, so if you want to go for free on the first Sunday of the month, you should either book ahead of time or get there as early as possible to ensure that you get in.
Can you visit Pompeii without a tour?
Yes.
Can I book my Pompeii tickets ahead of time and skip the line?
Yes, you can book here through TicketOne.
How much do tickets to Pompeii cost?
There are two options for Pompeii tickets: Pompei Express, which includes the park itself and costs €19, and Pompei Plus, which includes the park, as well as the Villa of Mysteries, the Villa of Diomedes, and the Villa Regina in Boscoreale and Antiquarium, and costs €23.
Ok, now that we’ve gotten through the FAQs, let’s take a look at your options for getting from Rome to Pompeii in a day.
Do-it-yourself day trip from Rome to Pompeii
Rental car
If you want to visit Pompeii on your own terms, you could consider renting a car. Keep in mind that parking in the center of Rome is a nightmare, so you may just want to pick the car up in the morning and drop it off when you get back. Keeping it for the duration of the trip, unless your accommodation has parking, would probably be a headache.
Pompeii is just about 240 km from Rome’s Termini Station (about 150 miles), which I selected as a starting point because there are quite a few car rental companies there (Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, and others).
I’ll let your navigator do the work, but the majority of the driving from Rome to Pompeii will be on a single highway – the A1/E45.
Train and Circumvesuviana
If you want to do it yourself but don’t want to rent a car, you can take a train from Rome to Naples, and then take the Circumvesuviana from the Naples train station to Pompeii – Scavi (and you can also take it to Herculaneum, if you want to go there as well).
I’ve written a huge guide to booking train tickets in Italy, but here are the fast facts:
- Book ahead of time for the cheapest prices on high-speed tickets.
- There are two train companies in Italy – Trenitalia and Italo (more on these below).
- Italo is often cheaper and only runs high-speed trains (and some buses). Trenitalia has options for every budget, ranging from high-speed to regional, which are slower and less comfortable, but can be a lot cheaper.
If you’re doing Rome to Pompeii in a day, you’ll probably want to book a high-speed ticket to save time. Sometimes, the companies offer discounts for round trips in the same day, so you might get a really good price.
Once you’ve booked your train tickets from either Roma Termini or Roma Tiburtina (check which is closest to your accommodation or easiest for you to reach), it’s time to plan your trip on the Circumvesuviana.
So named because it encircles Mount Vesuvius, the Circumvesuviana departs regularly from Napoli Garibaldi (which is accessible, as I said, in the train station). You can find the platform by following the Circumvesuviana signs.
Make sure you get on the “Sorrento” line (that’s the final stop and the direction you need to head in).
If you want to visit Herculaneum too, your stop is “Ercolano Scavi,” and it’s just one stop from Napoli Garibaldi. Note that not every train stops there, so you’ll have to make sure you take the right one by consulting the 2024 Circumvesuviana schedule here.
If you’re going straight to Pompeii, take the train four stops and get off at “Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri.” The entrance is a short walk from the station.
I haven’t taken the Circumvesuviana in a few years, but the last time I did, it was old and you had to wait in line to buy a ticket. Apparently, since 2021, you’ve been able to tap on and off with a credit card. Just make sure you tap off, otherwise you’ll be overcharged.
As with any public transportation line that stops at popular tourist sights in Italy, the Circumvesuviana may attract pickpockets. Be extra mindful of your possessions and surroundings on the train.
The Circumvesuviana from Napoli to Pompeii Scavi costs €2.80, and the ride lasts about 40 minutes.
Bus
I have never taken the bus from Rome to Pompeii, but there are two companies that run that line: FlixBus and Marozzi.
FlixBus
I checked the prices and times for a random date in September (about six weeks from the time of writing), and found tickets that could potentially work for a day trip from Rome to Pompeii – a 9am departure, which gets you to Pompeii at 12:20, with the return trip to Rome at 18:00 (that’s 6pm) and getting back at 21:30 (9:30). That gives you about five hours in the park.
Note that the FlixBus stop is about a 15-minute walk to the entrance of the park.
At the time of writing, a round trip ticket with FlixBus came in at €35.47, but keep in mind that their prices fluctuate depending on a variety of factors.
The total travel time from Rome to Pompeii and back with FlixBus is about seven hours.
Marozzi
With Marozzi, a 7am departure time from the Autostazione at Roma Tiburtina gets you to Pompeii at 10am, with a return trip leaving Pompeii at 16:50 (that’s 4:50pm) and getting back to Rome at 8pm, leaving you you 6+ hours. That’s about six hours of travel time round trip.
The stop is very close to one of the entrances to the park.
This trip will cost you €40. Prices may fluctuate.
Day trip from Rome to Pompeii with one of Italy’s two train companies
Both Italo and Trenitalia, Italy’s two train companies, offer round-trip deals to Pompeii. You can’t get to Pompeii entirely by train, so you’ll have to switch from a train to a bus.
Keep in mind that when booking any high-speed trains in Italy, it’s best to book in advance because ticket prices rise the closer you get to your travel dates.
Let’s take a closer look.
Italo
With Italo, you’ll take a quick high-speed train ride from Roma Termini to Naples, disembarking at Naples’ secondary station, Napoli Afragola (instead of Napoli Centrale, which is the main one).
From there, you’ll hop on a bus to Pompei. I frustratingly can’t find exactly where the stop is in Pompeii, but my guess is that it’s near one of the entrances to the park or at least just a short walk away.
I searched dates in September and October and €38.90 one way seems to be the lowest price for Italo’s day trip to Pompei from Rome deal. That means you’re looking at €77.80 per person.
The journey lasts 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Trenitalia
You can also get to Pompei with Trenitalia. The options are much more complicated than Italo’s easy one, each coming with either two or three changes, but they’re also slightly cheaper. I don’t think it’s worth the headache, to be honest – if you want to save money, take the bus.
To explore your options, go to Trenitalia’s homepage and enter “Roma Termini” as the departure and “Pompei Scavi” as the arrival station.
There is one exception to this complicated situation, and that is to go on a Sunday. On Sundays only, Trenitalia offers a comfortably timed day trip from Rome to Pompei. It takes longer than Italo – three hours down and about three hours back – but also seems to be slightly cheaper.
The train leaves Roma Termini at 8:53am, arriving at Pompeii at 11:55, and gets you back to Rome at 20:55 (that’s 8:55pm) with a departure from Pompeii at 18:15 (6:15pm). The price of this trip will vary depending on when you book, but I checked six weeks out and the cost per person round trip was around €60, just to give you an idea.
Guided tour options
If you want to visit Pompeii with a guide, there are lots of options, but this one from Walks looks pretty good. It’s rated 4.8 out of 5, and consists of a three-hour tour of Pompei with an expert guide. The maximum group size is 15, so you can be sure to have all your questions and curiosities answered.
I don’t want to do it myself
You’re in luck! This tour includes round-trip high-speed train tickets plus a shuttle from Naples to Pompeii, a guided tour, and a farm-to-table lunch with wine!
I want to tour Mount Vesuvius
Check out this option, which includes a bus ride from Rome, a visit to Pompeii, lunch and then a tour of Vesuvius.
I want to visit Herculaneum
You’re also in luck!
If you do the “do-it-yourself” option of the high-speed train to the Circumvesuviana, you can easily do both Herculaneum and Pompeii. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can book yourself in for this full-day tour, which includes a visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum with lunch in between.
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