2.5 million people visit the Pompeii excavations every year. Maybe you’re about to be one of them! One of the most common questions is: “How do I get from Napels to Pompeii with public transport? Or by car?” I’m about to tell you just about every way to get there!
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With this many visitors per year it’s not strange that there are plenty of ways to get to the Pompeii excavations. I’m going to list every option, quicker, slower, more, or less expensive. There is something for every tourist!
Read more: 5 Things You Need To Know When Visiting Pompeii
Circumvesuviana
Circumvesuviana is a metroline directly from Napels to the excavations. It ends directly in front of one of the three entrances. The stop is called Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri.
You can get on this metro at the central station in Napels, at Piazza Garibalda. Keep in mind, this is where most people get on the metro. If you just about 8 minutes to Porta Nolana, which is where the metro starts, you can be more sure of a seat, if that’s what you prefer.
Note that this metro does not have air-conditioning or a luggage storage area. It does however have overhead storage.
This metro takes you from Napels to Pompeii in about 30-40 minutes. The metro leaves 2 times every hour between 6:00am and 9:30pm. Check here for the current timetable.
You can buy your tickets at a ticket booth, one of the newspaper stands or tabaccherie at the station. The tickets are €2,60 single. Don’t forget to stamp your ticket before getting on, otherwise it won’t be valid!
Campania Express
The Campania Express is a train service especially made for tourists. It runs on the same tracks as the commuter trains, but it has less stops, so the entire route between Napels and Sorrento takes about half an hour less than usual. The total duration of the trip between Napels and Pompeii is 30 minutes.
This train service is ran from mid-March until the end of October and costs €15 single or €25 return. Tickets are available here on the official EAV Campania website or you can buy them directly at the ticket office at the train station 20 minutes before departure.
The main difference between the train and the metro is that on the train you are guaranteed a seat, it has air-conditioning and there is a luggage storage area.
Departure times from Porta Nolana are 09:06 and 11:36 and on Sundays and holidays it’s 15:36 and 18:06. The train arrives at Piazza Garibalda about 3 minutes later.
Shuttle bus
There are also shuttle busses available. This bus for example takes you from Napels to Pompeii in an hour for €20 return.
This includes an audio guide available in 5 languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish, and German, which tells you about Pompeii’s history and curiosities, so you can get completely in the mood for your excursion.
By car
I personally drove to the excavations, simply because we were on a road trip when we went to Pompeii.
There is no official parking site, but there is several parking spaces close to the site entrances. They are privately owned. Most of them are right next to each other, so I suggest you just pick one. Be prepared for some higher costs. As these parkings are all privately owned, they can charge whatever they want. To give you an idea, we paid 4 euro per hour.
By taxi
Obviously, you can always opt for a taxi. Prepare to pay a hefty price, somewhere around €100, but this could totally be worth it if you can split it between a few people when you want a little more privacy and comfort.
It’s also possible to book a transfer. This usually comes in packages to see Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius including a pizza lunch, or maybe even a wine tasting.
Tickets for Pompeii
Last but not least, just transportation to the excavation site won’t get you inside, so here are some places to get a ticket.
If you’re planning on exploring the site yourself, you can buy your tickets here. There is an extra audio guide available for booking as well, but I don’t recommend that. The information is too basic and you can easily find out about the exhibitions yourself.
However, if you want to know a bit more, or you just want to make sure you got to see all the important stuff, I recommend getting a guided tour. The stories are always a bit more personal and you can always ask questions.
And don’t forget to read my post all about everything you need to know before visiting Pompeii to get the most out of your excursion!
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