I doubt you’ll need reservations between Rome and Naples in May unless you take a train that REQUIRES reservations. We took the Eurostar Italia, the fastest train (about 2 hours), which requires a reservation that costs about 10 euros. That just about doubles the price of the ticket. It’s probably not worth it as it takes only about 1/2 hour longer on the slower trains and, particularly for the trip back to Rome in the evening, there are lots of trains to choose from. The train to Pompeii is a local commuter system (Circum Vesuvious — or something similar) and is more like an above-ground subway than an intercity train. There are no reservations. It will probably be crammed; we stood for almost the whole ride (1/2 hour) both ways.

I’d buy your ticket to Naples from the kiosks at Termini about a day in advance. I don’t think you can buy the tickets to Pompeii until you get to the Garibaldi station (directly below the regular train station) in Naples. You can use trenitalia.com for schedules and pricing so you know what train you want to take, if it requires a reservation and how much the reservation costs. You can buy your tickets at trenitalia.com if you want to get them in advance.

BTW — look into stopping at Herculaneum on the way back to Naples from Pompeii. In some ways it’s more interesting than Pompeii and there aren’t the hordes of tourists.

The station for the ruins is Pompeii Scavi on the Sorento line (There’s another &quotompeii" station on a different line, but if you say &quotompeii" the ticket agent will probably sell you the right ticket and point you in the right direction since everyone wants to go to the ruins). The entrance to the ruins is across the street from the station. The station for Herculanum is called Ercolano. The ruins are about a 5 minute walk from the station — pretty much straight ahead as you leave the station.

You’ll easily but the ticket already in Rome, no need to reserve in advance.

You should buy the tickets the day before you leave. I just got back from Rome and took the train to Pompei. The earliest left at 7:30 but the ticket office at central station does not open till 8AM! Make sure if you plan to take the earliest train to buy a day in advance. Also you will change trains in Naples and get a connection to Pompei. Something else you should know… most of the ruins like the ash people have been moved to a museum in Naples. The ruins in Pompei are amazing though definitly worth checking out and Mt. Vesuvius (excuse the spelling) is beautiful. When you get off the train walk to your right to the square with the big church (cant miss it) the ruins are right behind the church on the left. Cost is 10 Euro for enterance to the ruins. Let me know if there is any other info I can help out with.

yeah the thing to do is by the ticket in advance. Journey times are between 2 and 4 hours. Only thing is make sure u get on the right train in Naples. I managed to get on the wrong train, and then had a four hour wait for the next train towards pompeii. But normally, Rome-Naples is 3hrs, and Naples-Pompeii is less than 1/2 hr. Pompeii is fairly interesting if you like looking round ruins, not quite my sort of thing. But there are a few nice bars/restaurants down there though.

Crazypole what train did you take? The train we took was about 2 hours and 15 minutes and the train from Naples to Pompei took 20 minutes. The total ride to Pompei even with connection took us under 3 hours!

Trains in Italy really differ in terms of speed – there are trains from Rome to Naples which go for 3 hours.

Hi,

Does anyone know how often the Circumvesuviana runs? I checked out their website – http://www.vesuviana… – but I’m having problems accessing the timetable. Is it pretty frequent?

Also, just to clarify – if I buy a point to point ticket from Naples to Pompeii – do you have to buy another ticket to stop in Herculaneum? Or are you allowed to stop for a few hours in Herculaneum then get back on Circumvesuviana again? Are there kiosks in Naples to purchase this ticket? …are the kiosks easy to use? (are instructions available in English?)

Thanks,
Rach

As I recall the circumvesuviana runs about every 40 minutes.

You would just buy a R/T to Pompeii. I think it cost about 4 euros, You can get off at Herculaneum on the way or the way back with no other charge. Be sure and keep your ticket until you are back in Naples — they checked tickets when we got off the train in Naples.

The kiosks are very easy to use. The English instructions are easy and clear — kind of like they were written by a native English speaker, not like they were translated with a dictionary. You choose language by touching a ball that looks like the British Flag on the first touch screen.

The circumvesuviana trains run approximately every 30 minutes and, although I may not remember this correctly, you must buy the ticket at a special ticket window that’s at the station, rather than from a kiosk. It’s all well signposted, but one big hassle is the presence of guys who look official and try to "help" you buy a ticket—- just ignore them!
I think that the station you’ll want is "Scavi", which is right at the entrance to the ruins.
Old Lady is right about the Eurostar; especially on weekends, when maintenance is done on the rail lines, the Eurostar Italia might actually be slower than a a regular train.
Definitely get tickets for the Roma- Napoli trip at a kiosk at Termini—- they’re very easy to use, and the only downside is that sometimes there can be longish lines, which is a good reason to buy the tickets a day ahead rather than at the last minute before departure.

Thank you for the info, Oldlady and Basie!