During our stay in Naples, we decided to visit Mount Vesuvius—and instead of booking an expensive tour, we went on our own using public transport.
We started from Napoli Centrale, which turned out to be the fastest and cheapest option. The train connections were easy to follow, tickets were affordable, and honestly, getting around was much simpler than we expected.
What we really appreciated was how helpful the staff were. Even if you’re not familiar with the system, the workers at the station are used to tourists and happy to point you in the right direction.
This made the whole trip feel relaxed and stress-free—and it proved that visiting Mount Vesuvius independently from Naples is totally doable, even if it’s your first time there.
When you enter Napoli Centrale, you’ll want to look for the Circumvesuviana line. This part of the station is underground, so you’ll need to go down to the lower level.
As soon as you enter the station, look to your left — there are stairs there. Take those, then once you’re downstairs, make another left and walk all the way down the corridor.
You’re looking for the Salerno line. That’s the one that takes you to Pompei Scavi — which is also the stop for both Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.
We bought our tickets from the vending machine, with help from a very kind lady working there. When buying your ticket, make sure to select Napoli suburbia.
👉 Important tip we wish we’d known:
Buy both tickets — going and returning — right here. When leaving later in the day, there’s a huge crowd trying to buy tickets, and it can slow things down a lot.
On the Train 🚆 (and a Small Adventure)
One thing to know: there were no displays showing the station names inside the train. We had no idea where we were at any given moment.
Luckily, someone on the train (a local) announced “Pompei Scavi”, and a bunch of us jumped off just in time. Moral of the story: never be afraid to ask. It’s much better than accidentally ending up in Salerno — which is nice too, but… not the plan 😄
See the video we made from Mount Vesuvius, below:
Volcano First, Pompeii Later (Timing Matters ⏰)
We didn’t buy our tickets online, although that’s definitely an option.
We decided to visit Mount Vesuvius first and explore Pompeii afterward. And that turned out to be the right call.
Here’s why:
- You can’t climb the volcano after 3 PM (at least in December).
- Many of the houses inside Pompeii also close after that time.
- Pompeii is huge — it takes hours and honestly deserves more than one visit.
So, to avoid missing the volcano, we went there first.
Costs & Tickets 💶
At the ticket booth outside the train station, tickets were:
- 35 EUR per adult
They tried selling us Pompeii tickets as well, but since we knew we’d arrive late, we decided to buy those directly at the Pompeii entrance and skip a guided tour to move faster.
The Vesuvius ticket included:
- Shuttle bus to the volcano
- Entrance fee
The actual entrance fee to the volcano is 11 EUR, and it was included. At the gate, they checked our pass and gave us another ticket showing the 11 EUR value — no extra payment required, but keep that ticket, because you’ll need to show it again further up.
The Climb 😮💨 (Yes… That Climb)
The shuttle drops you off near the volcano and comes back at a fixed time, so you need to be mindful of that.
You can walk all the way up, but unless you want to turn your visit into a full-day endurance challenge, the shuttle is the way to go.
Once you start climbing toward the crater, be prepared — it’s steep, long, and humbling. There were plenty of moments where we stopped to catch our breath… and watched people coming down looking suspiciously happy and refreshed. We genuinely wondered if something was wrong with us.
Minutes felt like months. I was silently hoping someone in our group would say “you know what, I’m turning back” — but nope. We made it.
And when you reach the crater… it’s absolutely worth it.
The views are incredible. You can see the entire city of Naples and the sea, and you can even see the volcano gently fuming.
View from the top of Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius crater photo Mount Vesuvius crater photo Mount Vesuvius crater photo Legend on Mount Vesuvius sign View from walking to Mount Vesuvius
Practical Tips (Learn from Us 😅)
- Groups enter in waves, so you might have to wait a few minutes.
- There’s only one shop and one toilet at the top — if you need it, use it.
- If you’re visiting in winter: dress warm. It’s cold and windy.
- Wear comfortable shoes. Your feet will send thank-you notes later.
A Bit of History 🏛️🌋
Mount Vesuvius is an active stratovolcano in southern Italy, most famous for its catastrophic AD 79 eruption, which buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
It’s considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world due to the millions of people living nearby. Its last eruption was in March 1944, and it’s the only active volcano on mainland Europe.
Today, it’s constantly monitored by the Vesuvius Observatory, and its current alert level is green.
Heading Back Down
After taking it all in, we headed back down — which, thankfully, was much easier than going up. We caught our shuttle right on time and headed back to the train station, tired, happy, and very proud of ourselves.
