How to get from Naples to Pompeii

Naples is Italy’s third largest city, famous for its historical sights, art galleries and museums, and frescoed churches. It is also all within a stone’s throw of the ancient city of Pompeii. Pompeii is one of the cities that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The debris covered buildings, artefacts, art and bodies and perfectly preserved the city. Today, more than 2.6 million people visit Pompeii every year. Visitors often make Naples their base and take day trips to the coast as well as the archaeological sites and ruins. So, if you’d like to do the same, there are four ways to get from Naples to Pompeii.

How to get from Naples to Pompeii

Bus

The SITA local buses are the cheapest way to get from Naples to Pompeii. Buses depart once or twice per hour, depending on the day of the week, and the journey takes around 35 to 40 minutes. Buses depart from the SITA bus station by the Nuova Marina port, and you need to buy your ticket at the SITA office at the port before getting on the bus.

The long-distance bus company, Flixbus also covers this route. Tickets cost a bit more, around €10, but the buses are more comfortable and are air-conditioned.

When you reach Pompeii, if you’re travelling on a SITA bus, alight at the Scavi Sita bus stop. From here, it’s a short walk to the ruins.

Car

Renting a car gives you the most flexibility as you can depart when you like and stop off along the way. There are many car hire firms around Naples, but finding the best deal is the first step. Naples and Pompeii are just 28km away from each other, and the drive should take about 30 minutes. From Naples, you just follow Highway A3 and take the Pompeii Ovest exit. This brings you directly to the ruins. For added convenience, there are plenty of parking spaces close to the archaeological site.

How to get from Naples to Pompeii

Train

Trains are always a fun way to travel, especially on the old commute trains that make this route as they make several stops, so you get to see a lot of the region. However, they can get crowded and often aren’t air-conditioned. There are direct trains if you don’t fancy taking the scenic route.

Trains to Pompeii depart every 30 minutes from the Napoli Piazza Garibaldi Station, and you buy your ticket at the station. The Circumvesuviana train takes 35 minutes, and the Metropolitano train takes 38 minutes to reach Pompeii. Just buy a ticket for the first one that comes.

The Circumvesuviana train stops near the ruins’ entrance, and the Metropolitano train stops about a 10-minute walk from the archaeological park. Metropolitano trains are slightly more comfortable than Circumvesuviana trains and have air-conditioning.

Tour

There are loads of tour options if you want to visit Pompeii from Naples. You can do a guided tour, a half-day tour, a full tour or a hop-on hop-off tour. What tour you take depends on how long you have but to make the most of the sites, a full day tour with a guide is a good idea. You will get a better understanding of the history of the site, and you’ll also get around easily. This is also a good idea if you want to visit more than one site. There are three sites: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Vesuvius, and though these sites are close to each, public transportation links between the sites are poor. Without paying for a taxi or driving, it would be impossible to visit all three in one day relying on public transport. A tour solves this problem.

Melanie May

Melanie is an intrepid solo traveller, endlessly curious about people, places and food. She is a fan of slow travel and loves exploring the world by mouth, discovering a culture through its food. Having backpacked her way around the world she turned her wanderlust into a career and is now a full-time travel writer.

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