From Rome: Pompeii Guided Tour & Mount Vesuvius Day Trip

An intense day, where we saw archaeological and natural wonders! The only regret is that everything is done in a hurry, not even time to take a photo other than while walking, or to strike a pose at the bookshop! Even lunch was taken in less than an hour! As for Vesuvius, we went up in a mini-bus, turned around at the highest point accessible to vehicles and then went back down again... quite frustrating, I must admit!

Seeing the ruins and hearing some of the history was very impactful. *However* we felt very rushed through the tour of Pompeii. We were told it would be a 2.5 hour tour, but only had a 1.5 hour tour. We chose the trip to Mt. Vesuvius so that we could walk around, but we only went to the top, then came back down without getting off the bus. The biggest issue was that there was *no* explanation for any of these changes.

The experience was very interesting and the service from City Wonders was excellent, however we paid an additional $8.00 euros for a geology guide when we booked. City Wonder were not aware of this additional offer and because the reservation was not made directly with them, they could not be held responsible. We were told that sometimes other agencies offer the guide for groups of different excursions. We did not find any groups with geology as a guide at the entrance.

The drive drove us to the summit where we thought we would be dropped off to take phones and walk around. Instead they immediately turned around and headed back down the mountain where they eventually stopped half way down, at a dirty viewpoint filled with trash and dumpsters and that was our "viewpoint" allowing us to walk around and take photos. All on the trip were under the impression that we were going to be let off at the summit to hike up the mountain

We recently took a day tour from Rome to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, and overall, it was a well-organised and memorable experience. Positives: Our guide from Rome was really friendly and knowledgeable, which made the day enjoyable and engaging. The tour itself was well organised, with everything running smoothly and on time. We had a lovely group of fellow travellers, which added to the experience. The Pompeii excursion was excellent – fascinating, informative, and definitely the highlight of the day. However, the guide could have been more engaging and lacked passion. She also didn't read the audience well and took us to the red light districts, going into detail about sexual organs, lustful actions, and took us to a whore house, with our young teenagers. Smaller kids were also on other tour doing the same route, which is ridiculous! Other things to be aware of: The pit stop halfway through the journey was quite expensive, so it's worth bringing your own snacks if you're on a budget. Lunch at the included restaurant was okay, but the main pizza (a margherita) was disappointing – the tomato purée lacked flavour, and overall the food could have been better. The toilets at the restaurant were poor, with some not flushing – not ideal on a long day trip. The Mount Vesuvius portion of the tour, the second part, only takes you about two-thirds of the way up by tour bus. There's no option to walk to the summit on this particular tour. That said, the views from where we stopped were absolutely stunning and well worth seeing. Overall: A worthwhile trip if you're looking for a convenient way to explore Pompeii and get a glimpse of Mount Vesuvius, but a few practical details could be improved.

It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Many thanks to our guide, Antonini, who explained everything with love and patience and took care of us, to Luca, the driver for making our journey comfortable and smooth and to Willy, our guide in Pompeii, with a great sense of humor, who made the visit very enjoyable. Thank you for everything and for taking such good care of us. Grazie per tutti! A big hug!

Everything was very well organized. The guides were very nice and friendly. The guide in Pompeii was also nice and conveyed the knowledge well. The food was great, but I would have liked them to explain to us what exactly was on the table. On the Versuv we went up by bus and straight back down again. We would have liked to have been able to walk up a bit more. All in all, a very nice trip, as long as you don't mind long (very long) bus rides

The tour was great there was a guide on bus that told you a Little about what you were seeing and a bit of history. Only wish we could have stopped at the top of Mount Vesuvius. Tho you do get to stop at an observation spot for a few quick pics. The guide we had at Pompeii was excellent she was very knowledgeable and fun. Also she tried to keep you in the shade as much as possible. The pizza place was alright only problem is drinks weren't included and it's 4 euros for a coke. There then that it was an awesome experience!