Private Pompeii tours
This brief but important article will tell you how to get the best private Pompeii tour. One must consider the merits of booking a private tour in an archaeological site where there will likely be thousands of other tourists milling around. Is there a way to guarantee good old fashioned value for money? After all, Pompeii tours with a private guide don't fall off the back of a lorry, they can cost upwards of several hundred dollars. Read on, and all will be revealed!
Timing is everything! Book a private Pompeii tour with an expert archaeologist guide after following our guidelines: (1) Tour in the late afternoon for undisturbed space amidst the ruins of Pompeii. (2) Choosing the right day is of equal or even greater importance (Tuesdays and Thursdays are our picks). (3) Know that on the first Sunday of every month, museums and archaeological sites in Italy are free for everyone and that means beyond busy, especially Pompeii. (4) Best time of year? Spring and late Autumn. If you book a private tour of Pompeii or any Pompeii tour in the middle of Summer or on a public holiday, you're asking for trouble.
Find a private Pompeii guide who avoids the routes that group tours use. In Pompeii, most tour groups follow the same path. You must hire a guide who does the opposite. It is sad but true that thousands of tourists in Pompeii end up traipsing around in big groups - all on the same route, all in line, one after the other. Many of these people have travelled half way around the world to see and learn about Pompeii, they deserve better. This is why a private Pompeii tour matters.
Before all of the above, you need to get to Pompeii Scavi (ruins) railway station from Naples, Rome, Sorrento, your cruise ship, wherever. This can be and usually is a challenge in itself before the tour has even begun, so let's cut to the chase and identify the most stress-free way to reach Pompeii without overpaying, without delays, and without other people getting in your way.
Taxis, limos and private vehicles between Naples and Pompeii can be expensive (from €80 to €120) if you are one or a party of two. If you are travelling with others in a party of three or more, then per person prices improve. Are there any alternatives?
On the Rome - Sorrento route there are fast trains to Naples, but not yet to Pompeii. This will happen in late 2024, more likely 2025. It will change Pompeii forever and not in a good way. For now, from Naples, the Circumvesuviana line ferries tourists to both Pompeii and Herculaneum (Russian roulette timetable). The trains are old, rather slow, and delapidated. A magnet for graffiti. There are buses, minibuses, and all manner of coaches from Naples, and, if truth be told, these road transfers to the ruins are good value but finding where they depart from is, yes you guessed it, Russian roulette!
If you are planning to book a privately guided tour of Pompeii, we're glad that you're here and reading our guidelines. Please leave a comment below and let us know if we've missed anything. We don't doubt that this article will be updated more than once in the coming weeks and months! You can contact us from our Pompeii tours website page too if you prefer.
Timing is everything! Book a private Pompeii tour with an expert archaeologist guide after following our guidelines: (1) Tour in the late afternoon for undisturbed space amidst the ruins of Pompeii. (2) Choosing the right day is of equal or even greater importance (Tuesdays and Thursdays are our picks). (3) Know that on the first Sunday of every month, museums and archaeological sites in Italy are free for everyone and that means beyond busy, especially Pompeii. (4) Best time of year? Spring and late Autumn. If you book a private tour of Pompeii or any Pompeii tour in the middle of Summer or on a public holiday, you're asking for trouble.
Find a private Pompeii guide who avoids the routes that group tours use. In Pompeii, most tour groups follow the same path. You must hire a guide who does the opposite. It is sad but true that thousands of tourists in Pompeii end up traipsing around in big groups - all on the same route, all in line, one after the other. Many of these people have travelled half way around the world to see and learn about Pompeii, they deserve better. This is why a private Pompeii tour matters.
Before all of the above, you need to get to Pompeii Scavi (ruins) railway station from Naples, Rome, Sorrento, your cruise ship, wherever. This can be and usually is a challenge in itself before the tour has even begun, so let's cut to the chase and identify the most stress-free way to reach Pompeii without overpaying, without delays, and without other people getting in your way.
Taxis, limos and private vehicles between Naples and Pompeii can be expensive (from €80 to €120) if you are one or a party of two. If you are travelling with others in a party of three or more, then per person prices improve. Are there any alternatives?
On the Rome - Sorrento route there are fast trains to Naples, but not yet to Pompeii. This will happen in late 2024, more likely 2025. It will change Pompeii forever and not in a good way. For now, from Naples, the Circumvesuviana line ferries tourists to both Pompeii and Herculaneum (Russian roulette timetable). The trains are old, rather slow, and delapidated. A magnet for graffiti. There are buses, minibuses, and all manner of coaches from Naples, and, if truth be told, these road transfers to the ruins are good value but finding where they depart from is, yes you guessed it, Russian roulette!
If you are planning to book a privately guided tour of Pompeii, we're glad that you're here and reading our guidelines. Please leave a comment below and let us know if we've missed anything. We don't doubt that this article will be updated more than once in the coming weeks and months! You can contact us from our Pompeii tours website page too if you prefer.
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