Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius top many people’s bucket lists.
Additionally, when we were booking Sorrento, Pompeii was among the first experiences secured.
As history lovers, it was a must-do.
It is the most fantastic experience we have done and we are so glad we did it. Expect a climb and a lot of history. The views and landscape are completely overwhelming. It feels like you step back in time when you visit Pompeii.
Book a Tour
For Pompeii trips, I highly recommend booking a tour, especially if you are based in Sorrento. Additionally, you spend a couple of hours in a minivan, and it becomes much easier with a guide. Moreover, the pick-up spot was easy to find in the middle of Sorrento, and a guide meets you there.
The time we were there in August averaged between 28-35 degrees.
As my fiance is a teacher, we are limited to when we can travel.
Therefore, we knew it would be super hot.
We opted for a few hours in Pompeii rather than a full day, and I’m so glad we did.
What to Take
Anything you need to cool down, take it. Additionally, mini fans and water bottles in a flask are useful. I took an umbrella, which is handy in pompeii’s super dry heat with no wind.
Consider a mini backpack for two, or one per person, to carry goods.
Additionally, there are stops along the way for Pompeii cafes and shops.
Climbing Vesuvius is slippery at times due to the dust.
It is also good for Pompeii, as there is an unlevel surface.
One thing to note: our debit cards worked fine.
Additionally, I would take cash as a back up just in case.
Vesuvius
The Vesuvius visit came first, for which we were very grateful. We walked up around 11am. This avoided the hottest time of the day. Before we ventured up, we stopped off at a local distillery. It is owned by Maurizio Russo and his lovely wife. We tried an incredible range of drinks, including his own limoncello which has won awards. The lemons he grows are insane.
We didn’t just try the limoncello. He created other spirits too, including mozzarella rum. You might not guess it uses mozzarella; it’s pompeii-inspired, like white chocolate with rum, but not as sweet. It’s hard to explain, yet we took a bottle home because it was too good. He quickly spotted we were Brits and gave us some gin to try.
With about 1.45 hours to explore pompeii, we began.
There are 2-3 shops along the way if you need water or a snack, so don’t worry.
Additionally, I’m not going to lie, it’s a climb and my calves are now super toned.
Take your time, enjoy the views along the way, and make sure you drink water.
The good thing about walking up Vesuvius in August, is that the higher we got, the windier it got and the colder it got. It took us around 30 mins to get to the top and the views really were something else.
We somehow turned this trip into a bar crawl.
As we climbed up, we paused for a glass of wine, and at the top we enjoyed limoncello in pompeii.
Totally deserved in the heat and all those steps.
Seeing the actual crater was, well I have no words, it’s everything you see on Pinterest and across social media.
It’s incredibly daunting, especially when there’s smoke coming from it, but also gives you this huge appreciation for the world we live in and the elements.
A slower walk down occurred, with a few slips due to the dust, but overall it was fine. Moreover, we ended it with a lemon beer. I recently found a lemon beer in M&S, and it totally brought me back.
Pompeii
Wow. That’s all I said during the tour.
Moreover, you move from Naples to Pompeii and travel back in time.
It feels like a movie set, something out of this world.
I didn’t realize how much excavating the city had once it was found, I ended up watching a documentary beforehand and it really opened my eyes. You can still see staff preserving the buildings which I thought was beautiful.
We had 2 hours here which was enough, I think if you are in cooler months it would be worth spending the whole day here. Our tour guide took us around as many buildings, including a theater, houses, brothels, restaurants and it was amazing the architecture of these buildings.
What I didn’t expect, is how much of the color was retained all these years later. We watched spartacus series a few years ago and it really felt like that sort of color theme and it was just very thought provoking. You can really see what life might have been like back then and the grandness of the buildings themselves.
I’m not going to lie to you, I found the heat a lot. Insert a picture below of my face summing it up.
Luckily, we had water bottles during our stay which we kept and there are lots of water faucets in Pompeii so you can fill up to keep hydrated. As you walk around, there are some shaded areas along the side of the streets so you don’t have to worry too much, but the umbrella did save me.
I wore denim shorts and one of Jake’s t shirts which was fine for Vesuvius but probably not the best choice for Pompeii as I was very very hot so something to keep in mind.
Is It Worth It in One Day?
TOTALLY! For us it was perfect, I think if we did 2 x full days to do both it would have been too much with the heat. You got to see everything you wanted, and lunch was included. We had a lovely pizza each before Pompeii so you are well looked after. The cost was around £98 I believe each and it was worth it in my opinion, especially for the experience of seeing two iconic landmarks in one go.
You can book the tour we did from this link at Get Your Guide. If you go, have the best time and take it all in.
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