Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius in 2 days
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The three sites around Vesuvius fit into two days from Naples without a tour or a car, if you know two things the old guidebooks get wrong. Most Sorrento-line trains no longer stop at Ercolano Scavi, so Herculaneum needs the Poggiomarino line. And the €15 Campania Express tourist train is suspended from October 1, 2026, so everything here runs on the ordinary Circumvesuviana, at €2.60 to €3.30 a ride.
Day one pairs Vesuvius with Pompeii, linked by the public bus 808. Day two is Herculaneum, the better-preserved town, then the MANN, where the best of both sites ended up. It costs about €247 for two. Put the clearer day first: the crater view is the only part the weather can ruin.
At a glance
- Day 1
- 7:27 a.m. train to Pompei Scavi, 8:35 a.m. bus 808 to the crater, the crater path at 9:30 a.m., Pompeii from 1 p.m. to closing.
- Day 2
- 8:16 a.m. Poggiomarino-line train to Ercolano Scavi, Herculaneum from 8:45 a.m., lunch at Da Michele, the MANN from 2:30 p.m.
- Tickets for two
- Vesuvius €23.36, Pompeii+ €50, Herculaneum €32, MANN €40.
- Book ahead
- The crater slot (online only, 30 days ahead) and Pompeii+ (named). Herculaneum sells at the desk; online adds €1.50.
- Winter hours
- From October 15 Pompeii and Herculaneum take last entries at 3:30 p.m.; the crater's last entry is 4 p.m. in October and 3 p.m. from November.
- Total for two
- About €247 before hotel, with two lunches and two pizza dinners.
In this guide
The trains: which line stops where
| To | Line and example train | Time | Single |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri | Napoli-Sorrento, Garibaldi 7:27 a.m. (arr. 8:01) | 29–34 min | €3.30 |
| Ercolano Scavi | Napoli-Poggiomarino, Garibaldi 8:16 a.m. (arr. 8:34) | 18 min | €2.60 |
| Pompei Santuario (amphitheatre gate) | Napoli-Poggiomarino | about 47 min | €3.30 |
All leave from Napoli Garibaldi, under the main station. Check the board for the destination: Sorrento for Pompei Scavi, Poggiomarino or Sarno for Ercolano. The Sorrento timetable is valid from March 28, 2026; the Poggiomarino one dates from June 1, 2025 and is still the one EAV links. These are EAV's own fares, which stay unchanged when the integrated Unico fares rise on October 1, 2026 (the new integrated prices were unpublished on September 30). Keep bags zipped on crowded trains; our Circumvesuviana guide has the rest.
Day 1, morning: the crater by bus 808
Book a 9:30 a.m. crater slot on vesuviopark.vivaticket.it, the park's only authorized seller: €11.68 (€9.55 under 25; under-6s free). Fifty tickets go on sale per 10-minute slot, 30 days ahead, and the gate admits you from 40 minutes before your time to 100 minutes after it.
- 7:27 a.m. Train from Garibaldi, arriving at Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri at 8:01 a.m.
- 8:35 a.m. Bus 808 from the Villa dei Misteri stop outside the station, reaching the Quota 1000 terminus at 9:25 a.m. EAV prints no fare; the Unico single-company ticket for the Pompei to Ercolano band is €2.40.
- 9:30 a.m. The crater path: a broad gravel track with hairpins, an out-and-back walk capped at two hours. There are no public toilets at Quota 1000.
- 11 a.m. Bus down. It does not stop at Villa dei Misteri on the return; ride to Piazza Anfiteatro, 11:55 a.m.
On the day of an orange or red Civil Protection weather alert, sales and the trail close and tickets are refunded automatically. If it is merely hazy, you will see little: then swap the days. The Rifugio Imbò to Ottaviano stretch has been closed since June 27, 2026, so there is no through-walk.
Day 1, afternoon: Pompeii from the amphitheatre
Noon. Lunch at Da Michele's Pompei branch on Via Lepanto, in the modern town: margherita €7, marinara €6.50, water €2.50 on its July 2026 menu.
1 p.m. Enter at Piazza Anfiteatro on a Pompeii+ ticket, €25. Until October 14 the park holds 5,000 afternoon entries, so buy for after 1 p.m. Walk east to west: the amphitheatre and Great Palaestra, Via dell'Abbondanza, the theaters, the Stabian Baths, the Lupanar, the Forum, the House of the Faun, then out through Porta Ercolano to the Villa of the Mysteries, which Pompeii+ includes. Leave by Porta Marina for the station.
Until October 14 the park is open to 7 p.m.; from October 15 to 5 p.m., last entry 3:30 p.m. Either way you have about four hours. The 5:17 p.m. train from Pompei Scavi reaches Garibaldi at 5:48 p.m.; the next, 5:53 p.m., arrives 6:27 p.m.
Dinner at Starita, one metro stop above Museo: montanara €8.50, margherita €7, cover €1.50 a head. Closed Mondays.
Day 2: Herculaneum at opening, the MANN after lunch
- 8:16 a.m. Poggiomarino-line train to Ercolano Scavi, 8:34 a.m. Walk 1.25 km downhill to the ticket office on Corso Resina, 15 to 17 minutes.
- 8:50 a.m. Herculaneum, €16. Open daily from 8:30 a.m.; to 7:30 p.m. until October 14, then to 5 p.m. with last entry at 3:30 p.m. See the ancient shoreline and boat sheds, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, the House of the Wooden Partition and the shops on the main street. The Villa dei Papiri and the ancient theater are closed with no reopening date. Allow three hours.
- 12:28 p.m. Train back from Ercolano Scavi (after the uphill walk), arriving Garibaldi 12:45 p.m.
- 1 p.m. Pizza at Da Michele, about 620 m from Piazza Garibaldi: €6.50 a pizza, €1 cover.
- 2:30 p.m. The MANN, €20. Line 1 from Garibaldi to Museo (€1.30). Start with the Villa dei Papiri rooms (open 10 a.m. to 6:20 p.m.): the bronzes from the villa you could not enter this morning. Then the Pompeii wall paintings. Last entry 6:30 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. The mosaics and the Secret Cabinet are closed until November 30, 2026.
- 8 p.m. Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali: margherita €7, marinara €5.50. Closed Sundays.
On a Tuesday, when the MANN is shut, keep Herculaneum and spend the afternoon at Capodimonte (€15, closed Wednesdays) instead.
Other ways to split the three
- Vesuvius from Ercolano. Herculaneum at 8:30 a.m., then the crater by Vesuvio Express from outside Ercolano Scavi station: its undated price list gives €10 return for the bus and €20 with the crater ticket, and its site says every 40 minutes from 9:30 a.m. Pompeii then gets a full day 2.
- Add Oplontis. The €30 three-day ticket covers Pompeii+, Oplontis (€8 alone), Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco. Oplontis is 23 minutes from Garibaldi at Torre Annunziata and closed on Tuesdays.
- A tour. Pompeii-and-Vesuvius day tours sell from about €49 a person but usually give Pompeii about two hours. See our guide or no guide page.
Strike days to avoid in 2026: October 2 (national, rail 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), October 16 (EAV rail staff, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., so be back early), and 9 p.m. December 3 to 9 p.m. December 4 (general strike).
Flying in November 2026? Capodichino airport is closed for runway works from November 1 to 30, and some airlines have moved their flights to Salerno airport (QSR), about an hour's drive from Naples: see getting to Naples.
What two days cost for two
| Item | For two |
|---|---|
| Day 1: Circumvesuviana to and from Pompei, four singles at €3.30 | €13.20 |
| Day 1: bus 808, four rides at €2.40 | €9.60 |
| Day 1: Vesuvius crater, €11.68 each | €23.36 |
| Day 1: Pompeii+, €25 each | €50 |
| Day 1: lunch at Da Michele Pompei | €16 |
| Day 1: dinner at Starita, two pizzas and cover | €18.50 |
| Day 2: Circumvesuviana to and from Ercolano, four singles at €2.60 | €10.40 |
| Day 2: Herculaneum, €16 each at the desk | €32 |
| Day 2: Da Michele, two pizzas €13, cover €2, two waters €4 | €19 |
| Day 2: metro, two ANM singles at €1.30 | €2.60 |
| Day 2: MANN, €20 each | €40 |
| Day 2: dinner at Sorbillo, margherita and marinara | €12.50 |
| Total | €247.16 |
EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2 at Pompeii, Herculaneum and the MANN, and under-18s enter all three free; the crater is €9.55 under 25. For two young Europeans that cuts the ticket lines from €145.36 to about €31. On the first Sunday of the month all three are free and busy.
Tickets and tours you can book
Pompeii: Entry Ticket and Guided Tour with an Archaeologist
The ticket is Pompei Express (€20 at the park), so no Villa of the Mysteries. You make your own way to Pompeii. Headsets only for groups of 10 or more; the guide waits 10 minutes for latecomers.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
From Naples: Pompeii and Vesuvius Day Trip with Pizza Lunch
Meets at Starhotels Terminus, Piazza Garibaldi; bring a passport. Vesuvius, its €11.68 crater ticket and the lunch come only with the Full Day option, and the €49 from-price may be the shorter Pompeii-only option.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Herculaneum: Skip-the-Line Guided Tour with Archaeologist
Entry is included (the park charges €16, plus €1.50 presale online). No transport: three meeting points depending on the option. Closed-toe shoes advised; not suitable for wheelchair users.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day?
Only in summer hours, and it is tiring. From October 15 both take last entries at 3:30 p.m., so one of them gets rushed. Two days is the honest answer.
Why does my Sorrento train not stop at Ercolano Scavi?
On the timetable valid from March 28, 2026, almost every Naples to Sorrento train is a direttissimo that runs non-stop from Garibaldi to Torre Annunziata. Take a Poggiomarino-line train instead: 18 minutes to Ercolano Scavi.
Is the Campania Express still running?
No. EAV suspended it from October 1, 2026 until further notice, and refunds tickets already bought. The ordinary trains in this plan cost €2.60 to €3.30.
Which is better if I only have time for one: Pompeii or Herculaneum?
With half a day, Herculaneum: compact, better preserved, open every day. With a full day, Pompeii, for its scale and the Villa of the Mysteries.
Further reading
Official sources
- EAV - Circumvesuviana timetables (official PDFs) – Napoli-Sorrento from March 28, 2026: Garibaldi 7:27 to Pompei Scavi 8:01, Pompei Scavi 5:17 to Garibaldi 5:48 p.m., 5:53 to 6:27 p.m., direttissimi skip Ercolano; Poggiomarino line from June 1, 2025: 8:16 to Ercolano 8:34, Ercolano 12:28 to Garibaldi 12:45
- EAV - bus 808 timetable (official) – In force from May 1, 2026: Villa dei Misteri 8:35, Quota 1000 9:25; down 11:00 to Piazza Anfiteatro 11:55; return route skips Villa dei Misteri
- EAV - Campania Express (official) – Suspended from October 1, 2026; refunds
- UnicoCampania - fare finder (official) – Napoli-Pompei €3.30, Napoli-Ercolano €2.60, Pompei-Ercolano €2.40 single-company fares; checked September 30, 2026
- Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio - Gran Cono (official) – €11.68 and €9.55, slots, access window, hours, alerts and refunds, no toilets at Quota 1000
- Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio - Trail 5 closure (official) – Rifugio Imbò to Quota 1050 closed from June 27, 2026
- Parco archeologico di Pompei - timetables and tickets (official) – Pompeii+ €25, three-day €30, Oplontis €8 and closed Tuesdays, quotas, hours
- Parco archeologico di Ercolano - tickets (official) – €16, hours by season, open daily, Villa dei Papiri and theater closed
- Parco archeologico di Ercolano - tickets, English page (official) – €1.50 online presale fee
- Pizzeria da Michele - Pompei and Naples menus (official PDFs) – Pompei: margherita €7, marinara €6.50, water €2.50 (July 29, 2026). Naples PDF: €6.50 pizzas, €1 cover, water €2 (July 1, 2026)
- MANN - timetables, fares and open rooms (official) – Villa dei Papiri rooms 10 a.m. to 6:20 p.m.; mosaics closed to November 30, 2026; €20; closed Tuesdays
- Vesuvio Express - price list – €10 return bus, €20 with crater entrance; undated
- Pizzerie Starita - menu (official PDF) – Montanara €8.50, margherita €7, cover €1.50
- Scatti di Gusto - Sorbillo, July 2026 – Margherita €7, marinara €5.50
- MIT strike calendar (official) – October 2, October 16 (EAV) and December 3-4, 2026
- OSRM foot routing (routing.openstreetmap.de) – Ercolano Scavi station to ticket office 1.25 km; Piazza Garibaldi to Da Michele 623 m; computed September 30, 2026
