Strenuous Pompei??

[Placerville]

While cruising Europe next year, I want to see Pompei. The shore excursion classifies the trip as "strenuous". Has any one been on this excursion? How was the walking? I don't do it very well any more.

[Napi's Mom]

While cruising Europe next year, I want to see Pompei. The shore excursion classifies the trip as "strenuous". Has any one been on this excursion? How was the walking? I don't do it very well any more.

VERY VERY, the streets are either very dug up dirt, uneven at best, or huge worn blocks of stone that are very far apart and worn in rut..FROM ancient cartwheels believe it or not! plus the guides are geared to getting thru in a hurry (To have more time for the cameo shop they take you to!) :rolleyes: I walk with a cane but managed to get around fairly well on PRIVATE tours we set up with other Cruise Critic people, but this was a ships tour (Oceania)

My photos are too big for attaching and can't seem to do the adjusting today

[Napi's Mom]

While cruising Europe next year, I want to see Pompei. The shore excursion classifies the trip as "strenuous". Has any one been on this excursion? How was the walking? I don't do it very well any more.

VERY VERY, the streets are either very dug up dirt, uneven at best, or huge worn blocks of stone that are very far apart and worn in rut..FROM ancient cartwheels believe it or not! plus the guides are geared to getting thru in a hurry (To have more time for the cameo shop they take you to!) :rolleyes: I walk with a cane but managed to get around fairly well on PRIVATE tours we set up with other Cruise Critic people, but this was a ships tour (Oceania)

My photos are too big for attaching and can't seem to do the adjusting today

[Ask4Jay]

Placerville -

Napi's Mom is correct. I am attaching one photo of a busy intersection with a relatively smooth surface. If you are not really fit, I'd advise to go with a private tour. We heard from our tour guide that most of the murals had been relocated to the Museo di Antropologia Napoli (in Naples).

[Napi's Mom]

I really do advise you if you love history to go to Pompeii, just don't do the ships tour!. Ask4jay is right that HIS photo is probably the smoothest surface in Pompeii. Actually they tour different areas and where ours went was in some of the newer excavated places, in fact several buildings were being done as we went by. These areas are very difficult to walk in.

[Wirral]

Went to Pompeii in October. Very Strenuous!!! Thought I would never get up the first slope, it was so steep I nearly gave up there and then. After that I managed to sit on just about every piece of wall/rock I could find while the guide talked. I was with my adult son and he was really helpful over the really rough patches.

 

I do not use a stick but after torn ligaments in both knees I am not at my best for walking. As I said entrance and exit were the worst both so steep.

 

Would I have missed it after all that? NO.

Private guide would go at your pace, I did a ship tour but I am here to tell the tale - though not sure I would be during visit!

[Napi's Mom]

You can say that again..it was our first DAY of the cruise, and first of many tough days, but with private tours after, we went at a slower pace in general. We did 1 tour in Rome pre-cruise and again the guides RAN ahead, even tho they could see I was walking with a cane on cobbled streets. It was a night tour of the city and I never got to the Trevi fountain because we lost sight of our group they were so far ahead, and I felt we'd never get back to the bus in time. Our transfer to Port was also a tour guide and told us a private tour would have been more expensive yes, but we would have actually got what we wanted! MY Dh got me thru the whole trip with his assistance.

[Moeve]

You know if you have your heart set on seeing Pompei - I would truely do it with a private guide and use most of the day for it. That way you can do things at your own pace and sit down when you need to. Be very explicit when you book your guide so that he/she can reduce what they pack into the day. It is really a special place to see. I have been there 3 times now and I have seen different things everytime - but it is not worth ruining the rest of your trip because you have over done it the first day.

[Cruise4Sunshine]

It is a once in a lifetime place to see, and the terrain is rocky at best. It's amazing to see the way they built the roads & crosswalks above the street level to allow the water to run off and down the streets. There is no shade at Pompeii, except for a small-ish refreshment area which is air conditioned. By the time you get off the ship and travel to there, it is near noon as not a stick of shade in sight. It is very, very hot in the summer there, and the heat radiates off the rocks. Even with lots of water, the heat is draining. If you think you're not up to it, rent the movie and go to the (air conditioned) National Archeology Museum in Naples, where they moved all the real artifacts from Pompeii.

[tupper10]

We did both the museum and Pompeii. If you want to see the actual artifacts and the mosaics they are ALL in the museum. You must be able to walk to see Pompeii but what about Herkulion ( not sure of spelling) this might give you the same flavor and then head to the museum.:)

[NorthernLite]

We did both the museum and Pompeii. If you want to see the actual artifacts and the mosaics they are ALL in the museum. You must be able to walk to see Pompeii but what about Herkulion ( not sure of spelling) this might give you the same flavor and then head to the museum.:)

 

 

Herculaium might be a better choice, I agree. The museum, which is totally wheelchair accessible FYI, has all the cool stuff including the "forbidden room" that until the late 1960's women were not allowed in. If you do want to do Pompei though I suggest sturdy running type shoes instead of sneakers or sandals. Uneven stone surfaces and unaligned stone roads can lead to ankle turns. Take a hat, a couple bottles of water from the ship (mainly because they are plastic) and a good guide book. You can hire a guide at the site and tell him/her the things you really want to see or if you are not into riding a local train or bus hire someone ahead of time to meet you at the ship.

 

I've probably been there 8 or 9 times since we entertained friends and visiting co-workers while in Rome. Since the late 80's the place is much more crowded in summer. If you use a cane you may want to check out the ones that have a small tripod seat that can be opened. Not a walker. Hey, if my now wheelchair bound butt can get to the top of the Acropolis you can do Pompei. :-) I mean if you're starting to have problems this may be your last chance. The place is not walker or wheelchair accessible. Just take it easy and slow. That area does get hot but humidity tends to be low so go as early as possible in the day. Obviously May and September beat July not just due to the heat but also fewer other tourists and fewer children playing tag.

 

If you get the feeling Pompei and Herculaium may be a bit much Sulfa Terra is still bubbling away and you can walk on it. Kind of one of the nose cones out of Vesuvius and then head to the truly cool home of the Cumae Cybel. The grotto was chiseled out of the local black stone and predates most of Roman Naples. Whatever you pick, enjoy it. Just do take your time and you'll be fine.