Do it yourself Naples-Mount Vesuvius-Pompeii

I state first that I don't know specifically how to visit the crater of Vesuvius under DIY terms, but it must be pretty easy to search / research.

Getting from Naples to Pompeii is very easy ... just catch the Circumvesuviana Train from Naples Centrale - but also note, you can also catch that same train from the prior station, Porta Nolana - and guarantee yourself a seat.

If you don't wish to catch the fairly crowded Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii, there is the touristic Campania Express for roughly twice the price.

I think it would be a stretch to do both Pompeii and the top of Vesuvius in one day ... but Vesuvius and Herculaneum could be a good full day.

Back in Naples, a stroll down the main shopping / dining street (Via Toledo) is great fun.

DIY is easy. Taking an organised tour will cost you more and leave you less flexible. Just do your own research on the ruins in advance.

Take the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Ercolano. I never had a problem with crowds on this line. Near the railway station there are minibuses to take you up Vesuvius. There will be other people looking out for them too. Obviously you'll be brought back to ground level afterwards. From Ercolano just take the train onward to Scavi di Pompei station, which is directly opposite the entrance to the ruins.

You can do this in a day, but it will limit the time you get at Pompei. Better is to do Vesuvius and Herculaneum (the ruins at Ercolano) in one day, and save Pompei for another day. Herculaneum is much smaller than Pompei, but better preserved.

Take water and your own shade (sun hat) - there's little of either at Pompei.

This is dead easy to do on your own. We skipped Vesuvius as you can see the thing clearly from Pompei and we just didn't see the need to make that that trip. The scavi of Pompei is vast and took the lion's share of a day to do...and we still didn't get it all done.

By (cheap!) Circumvesuviana commuter, it takes about 35 minutes or so from Napoli Garibaldi station (connected to Napoli Centrale)to Pompei S. Villa Misteri station, across from the main entrance:

Going to Pompei:
http://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/eavferro/Napoli%20-%20Sorrento_1.pdf

Going from Pompei back to Naples:
http://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/eavferro/Sorrento%20-%20Napoli_0.pdf

As you can see from the schedules, Ercolano Scavi is also this route.

The Campania Express train, as mentioned in a previous post, is the other option but doesn't run as frequently:

http://www.eavsrl.it/web/content/campania-express-2017-it

Important: if taking any of the trains above, validate your tickets before boarding! It's not unusual for on-train agents to make random checks on these routes, and fines are high if caught with an unvalidated ticket. There is NO leniency for the tourist who claims they didn't know any better, and you'll be expected to pay the fine on the spot, no argument.

Validation of tickets is necessary for virtually every train in Italy for which you don't have a reserved seat.

Back to Pompei Scavi: you will need some sort of audio or printed guide and map to find your way around and know what the heck you're looking at. We bought a book at the entrance, that I've referenced many times since, but an audioguide might be fine for you (rent there or download before you go). Here's a pretty good map that'll give you an idea of size/layout of the scavi:

http://www.pompeiisites.org/allegati/Pompei_120515053335.pdf

And a website which may be helpful; lots of info on the building (you may have to pull down the tab for English more than once):
http://www.pompeionline.net

I would have found the Pompeii site itself fairly bewildering without a guide. There are freelancers at the entrance, supposedly licenced. But an organized trip from the city would solve your transportation problem too.

My problem with guided tours is always the pace ... they either race past the interesting stuff, or they provide far too much detail about things that aren't really that central to my travel needs.

For Pompeii, we simply got the free site map and asked one of the English-speaking staff what were the half dozen or so highlights, and they circled them on the map. We plotted a course and it worked well enough.

We visited Pompeii with kids so probably were a bit shorter in time that you plan to (still spent 3 1/2 hours on site)but what we found useful when visiting a lot of sites around the Med was checking the cruise ship schedule and avoided going when all the cruise tours were hitting. We arrived at about 1pm and the place was almost deserted (in July)which was great. Take a snack with you as food options limited. There are a few water fountains dotted through the site (ancient ones that were still great for filling up a water bottle at). Just took the train as described above. Not a fancy train at all but easy to use etc.

Thank you everyone - I really appreciate all of your excellent advice!

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