Pompeii Tour

[ronnie64]

What would be a reasonable charge for tour guide in Pompeii? Better to book in advance or get at gate? Thanks in advance for advice:)

[KirkNC]

Are you taking a private tour or willing to be part of a group? The going rate seems to be 100-125 euros but if you hook up with a guide near the entrance of Pompeii, they form groups of around 10 people which brings the cost down to approximately 10 euros per person.

 

I am not aware of anyway to get a group tour that books in advance unless you form your own group via a roll call or something. You can certainly book private tours in advance.

 

Our plan is to decide at the gate whether we are even going to use a tour giude (it will be a group tour if we do). I have read pretty extensively on Pompeii and may just use Rick Steves free audio tour (you can download that from Itunes or from his website).

 

Kirk

[texancruzer]

We used a wonderful guide for our group of 8. This was a private tour booked by our driver for the day (APTours). We were all on the roll call and split the cost of all the expenses for the whole day. Very cost effective.

 

I am one of the people who say get a guide for Pompeii..... It is huge and without someone to "guide" you it could very well all look like a pile of rocks......:eek: She also told us how everything was used, how the lived, their daily schedules etc etc which made the place come alive for us.

[ronnie64]

Thanks Kirk and Tex. We are doing a private tour and just wanted to see what the going rate was. Pretty much sounds like 100euros. Think there will end up being 7 of us so should not be too bad. Since we have teenagers with us I think it better to have a "live" person showing us around to keep everyone interested!

[CoralReef]

Even if you do a private tour, be sure to ask for your map and annotated site guide booklet. They are free, but you have to ask at the Tourist Information stand to the left of the ticket counter. The guide has pictures of all the major locations and information about them. They are good guides to the site and make nice souvenirs.

[texancruzer]

Even if you do a private tour, be sure to ask for your map and annotated site guide booklet. They are free, but you have to ask at the Tourist Information stand to the left of the ticket counter. The guide has pictures of all the major locations and information about them. They are good guides to the site and make nice souvenirs.

 

Or better yet. Buy one of the lay-over books at the front entrance. They are small books with the picture of the ruins as they are now and then a clear overlay with additions that show what they looked like back then..... before the "bad day"......... I think we paid 8 euros for one...... really helps put things in perspective as you go thru the site. Especially for teenagers who need visual aids :D Our private guide had one but we followed along in ours...... and yes - we paid 100 euros.

[Adsmama]

are there good guides at pompeii that take you through that you can meet at the gate?

[GeorgiaPeach51]

are there good guides at pompeii that take you through that you can meet at the gate?

 

We used a guide at the gate, and found him to be excellent. We were a group of 10, so it was relatively easy to follow him, hear him. Strongly recc. getting a guide, as others have said. It is an astonishingly huge place and agree with the poster that said after a while it's an endless row of rocks if you don't have someone to show you what you're seeing.

 

I saw many a tourist wandering around with a dazed look. Even with the guide you still see just a bare overview of the place...our tour was 2.5 hours.

[cruisemom42]

I saw many a tourist wandering around with a dazed look. Even with the guide you still see just a bare overview of the place...our tour was 2.5 hours.

 

That dazed look you met may have been me. I wasn't dazed from a lack of understanding but from the sheer comprehension of the size of the site and the magnitude of the disaster. I had no problem seeing things on my own or understanding what I was seeing.

 

I always feel that a guided tour does not allow me enough time to really "see" things in most places. But then, I'm one that does not try to fit in 3 or 4 things in one day. Trying to do even Pompeii and the museum for me in one day was too much, and I definitely was shorted on my time in the museum....:(

[GeorgiaPeach51]

That dazed look you met may have been me. I wasn't dazed from a lack of understanding but from the sheer comprehension of the size of the site and the magnitude of the disaster. I had no problem seeing things on my own or understanding what I was seeing.

 

I always feel that a guided tour does not allow me enough time to really "see" things in most places. But then, I'm one that does not try to fit in 3 or 4 things in one day. Trying to do even Pompeii and the museum for me in one day was too much, and I definitely was shorted on my time in the museum....:(

 

I agree with you, Cruisemom. A person could do 3 days in Pompeii alone. We did Pompeii in the morning and Sorrento in the afternoon, and that was only enough to get a whisper of what is in each place, which we knew before we went. And, it was a really full day, enough for us to know we would try to return someday to see more...

 

Someday I hope to return (to Ephesus, to the Vatican, to Athens, to Santorini...) for a more in depth visit. I surely didn't mean to imply that people are incapable of taking themselves thru Pompeii. Given enough time anyone can take themselves thru any site, but most of us just don't have as much time as we would like and have to find the middle ground. I felt that with the guide, at least we were able to efficiently see as much as possible in the time we had allotted ourselves.

[romanroxy]

Hubby and I did Pompeii on our own. We took the SITA bus from port (about 5 euro pp roundtrip).

 

After guided tours in Livorno and Rome...we just wanted to take our leisure time walking around...we did wander the ruins for 4 hours. The FREE guide and map that they offer were very helpful.

 

We did overhear some of the larger group guided tours from the ship and also smaller private tours, but loved the freedom of being on our own. Not only was Pompeii so massive, but great exercise too!:)

[euro cruiser]

Hubby and I did Pompeii on our own. We took the SITA bus from port (about 5 euro pp roundtrip).

I think this is an important alternative that doesn't get mentioned much here on CC; we more often discuss the Circumvesuviana train to Pompei (and beyond).

 

Did you walk to the bus stop at Porto Immacolotella? It's less than a half mile from the cruise ship port at Molo Beverello.

 

The bus only takes 30 minutes to make this trip, so you don't lose any time vs. the train. The cost is the same, as they both use the UnicoCampania ticket.

 

The bus timetable can be seen here: http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROVIII_BIS_2010.pdf

[romanroxy]

I think this is an important alternative that doesn't get mentioned much here on CC; we more often discuss the Circumvesuviana train to Pompei (and beyond).

 

Did you walk to the bus stop at Porto Immacolotella? It's less than a half mile from the cruise ship port at Molo Beverello.

 

The bus only takes 30 minutes to make this trip, so you don't lose any time vs. the train. The cost is the same, as they both use the UnicoCampania ticket.

 

The bus timetable can be seen here: http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROVIII_BIS_2010.pdf

 

I totally agree! ;)

 

I kept reading about taking the Circumvesuviana Train to Pompeii...and that you can take a 10 euro cab ride to the train station, unless you walk there. The trains are covered with LOTS graffiti...(like the ones were in NYC in the 70's & 80's before they cleaned them up).

 

The SITA bus was easily accessible at the end of the port (porto) for 2.4 euro pp each way...no need to pay more for taxi fare to the train station than it costs to go to Pompeii on the SITA bus for 2 people.

 

To catch the bus from port, walk alittle to the east (behind the building) of the small travel agency looking building (where we bought tickets) to the SITA bus parking lot...you'll see other buses parked. LOOK for the blue or green buses that say SITA on the side and a sign in the front window that says "Pompeii".

 

There are other buses parked, but they are tour buses (not SITA buses) and the drivers are not so friendly if you ask.

 

Coming back from Pompeii to Napoli, the closest stop to the port was walking distance and not directly in front of the port. Just watch for traffic when crossing the street...the craziest I have ever seen!

[texancruzer]

We did overhear some of the larger group guided tours from the ship and also smaller private tours, but loved the freedom of being on our own. Not only was Pompeii so massive, but great exercise too!:)

 

Again, I had to chuckle at this post. We had a group of 8 on our PRIVATE tour (formed from our roll call) which we paid 100 euros for. More than once our guide turned and politely told people who were not with our group that this was a private tour...... seems it bothered her more than us.

[Penzance]

My husband and I are also planning to re-visit Pompeii this September. The last time, many years ago, there was a terrific rain storm that stopped us from seeing much of the ruins. We did buy the lay-over book thank goodness, and it is wonderful. This time we want to try to see it on our own with the help of an audio guide, or join a private tour at the gate for which I believe is around 10 euros p.p.? We then hope to visit the Museum in the afternoon.

 

We did check to see how much a private driver would be, but found the charge of around 400 euros, to collect us from the cruise dock, drive us to the Pompeii site (around 15 miles I believe) then sit and wait until we finished our tour (hopefully we will take around 2 - 3 hours) was a bit exorbitant we thought.

 

Romanroxy: We like the sound of the Sita Bus. How long was the walk from the dock to the bus stop, and the return walk back from the bus to the dock?

[euro cruiser]

We did check to see how much a private driver would be, but found the charge of around 400 euros, to collect us from the cruise dock, drive us to the Pompeii site (around 15 miles I believe) then sit and wait until we finished our tour (hopefully we will take around 2 - 3 hours) was a bit exorbitant we thought.

That is nuts. The fixed fare for a taxi, round trip from Naples including a two hour wait at Pompei, is currently 90 Euro.

 

Romanroxy: We like the sound of the Sita Bus. How long was the walk from the dock to the bus stop, and the return walk back from the bus to the dock?

It is less than half a mile, each way, on flat terrain, so you can judge how long it takes you to walk that far. For me, I'd estimate about ten minutes.

[romanroxy]

 

Romanroxy: We like the sound of the Sita Bus. How long was the walk from the dock to the bus stop, and the return walk back from the bus to the dock?

 

The bus stop was a short walk from behind this building (see photo) this is also where we bought our bus passes R/T (less than 5 euro pp R/T)...just walked through a small parking lot to another one that had the blue or green SITA buses.

 

This building was at the end of the port after you exit the terminal...it's right BEFORE you see the city street.

 

It made 1-2 quick stops in the city before heading directly to Pompeii.

 

The SITA bus leaves about every 30 minutes...(10am, 10:30am, etc). Look for the sign in the front window that says "Pompeii"...plus, you'll probably see a few other tourists waiting to take it too.

 

The driver spoke no English...but, I think he was talking about Americans with disgust to another Italian passenger. :confused:

 

Returning back ("Napoli"), it didn't drop us off at the port, just a few streets away...we walked and had to cross two very busy streets. It was about a 10-minute walk and you could see the ships, so you knew which way to go.

 

 

[TLCOhio]

We used a wonderful guide for our group of 8. This was a private tour booked by our driver for the day (APTours). We were all on the roll call and split the cost of all the expenses for the whole day. Very cost effective. I am one of the people who say get a guide for Pompeii..... It is huge and without someone to "guide" you it could very well all look like a pile of rocks......:eek: She also told us how everything was used, how the lived, their daily schedules etc etc which made the place come alive for us.

 

Well summarized on the need to have someone explain and put in perspective what ALL you are seeing there. Trying to do it on you own, without lots of advance preparation and research, means you are understanding little to nothing about what you are seeing. We got together a group of others and did our tour (lowering the per person cost significantly). It was great!!!

 

Two quick highlights. As we started to walk, there were grooves in the stone pavement. I asked . . . what caused that? He said that was from the chariots! Chariots!!?? That brought back all of the memories from movies like Ben-Hur, etc. Next in the brothel area, he pointed out on the wall the drawings for the different "positions" available and how things worked at this place where the ship crews would visit from all over the world, few who spoke the local language. On one of the visuals, preserved over all of these centuries, he said that was the "Monica Lewinsky position". At that time in 2000, everyone, regardless of where they were from and their language would nod and understand what that position was and what happened there!!! It was a great lesson on communications and how the world operated at that time in history for Pompeii. POINT? If you didn't have a guide and get the various items of background on how Pompeii operated at that time, you would miss so, so much. You need a guide to give this visit a proper understanding for that period in history. Below are some visuals from Pompeii as we toured with our guide. It is a large, large site and you need that extra help.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Here are some samples of what we saw in Pompeii with our guide. There are a wide variety of buildings, interiors, art and architectural objects, etc. Very interesting and historic!!!:

 

 

 

 

 

[romanroxy]

Terrific photos!:)

[TLCOhio]

Terrific photos!:)

 

THANKS for the nice comment! Here are a few more from amazing Pompeii. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Here are some more samples of what we saw in Pompeii with our guide. This includes the bakery area with the brick oven and an interior wall with original decorations within an upscale home.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Penzance]

Thank you all so much for your comments and super photos, I have similar photos because we have visited Pompeii on a previous occasion, having a two hour guided tour through the cruise line. But this time we want to spend more time just absorbing the things we learned and seeing more (last time we got rained out unfortunately) of the ruins.

 

euro cruiser: thanks for the info. great news about a more reasonable price. Would I just get a taxi outside the Port or is there a special place to pre-book?

 

romanroxy: your directions are very clear and most helpful. Thank you. Shame about the impolite bus driver. I have had the same experience in London when someone made a remark about Americans. They did, at least, apologize when I challenged them.

 

TLCOhio: We too had a smile when we saw the Phallic sculpture above the door of the brothel in Pompeii.

[euro cruiser]

Would I just get a taxi outside the Port or is there a special place to pre-book?

For taxis, there is no need to pre-book. This is the fare set by the city; HOWEVER, I always encourage travelers to print out the pages from the city web site and bring them with you. Every cab is supposed to have them posted, in several languages, but in this case I think a "belt and suspenders" approach is best. Also, in order to get the set fare, you must declare it before the trip begins.

 

To print out the fares, go to this page on the city web site http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/6665 and print out the pdf file. Even though it says 2009, these fares are still in use (or were in February 2010).

[TLCOhio]

Thank you all so much for your comments and super photos, I have similar photos because we have visited Pompeii on a previous occasion, having a two hour guided tour through the cruise line.

TLCOhio: We too had a smile when we saw the Phallic sculpture above the door of the brothel in Pompeii.

 

THANKS for the nice comments! Glad you saw that visual in the brothel. BUT, if you didn't know what it was and why it was needed there, then you missed half of the point in visiting that place. The best point was how our guide told the story and explained the "Monica Lewinsky position". You remember those great stories by good guides. It makes it memorable. Just "walking around" in Pompeii does not give your the "rest of the story" that is so important for understanding that history. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[KirkNC]

I think this is an important alternative that doesn't get mentioned much here on CC; we more often discuss the Circumvesuviana train to Pompei (and beyond).

 

Did you walk to the bus stop at Porto Immacolotella? It's less than a half mile from the cruise ship port at Molo Beverello.

 

The bus only takes 30 minutes to make this trip, so you don't lose any time vs. the train. The cost is the same, as they both use the UnicoCampania ticket.

 

The bus timetable can be seen here: http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROVIII_BIS_2010.pdf

 

Another option, I like that. I do need a little help in reading the schedule.

 

F= daily except Sunday,

G = daily,

L = ???

 

Also what do the numbers 2 & 3 represent?

 

Thanks,

 

Kirk

[euro cruiser]

Another option, I like that. I do need a little help in reading the schedule.

 

F= daily except Sunday,

G = daily,

L = ???

 

Also what do the numbers 2 & 3 represent?

 

L = Monday through Friday

 

2 = In effect January 1 - June 30 and September 1 - December 31

 

3 = In effect January 1 - July 31 and September 1 - December 31