Pompeii and Vesuvius in 3 days
The Roman city buried under the ash of Vesuvius in AD 79: paved streets, frescoes, baths and casts of the victims. Nearby Herculaneum and the climb up the volcano that looms over the bay complete the trip.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Pompeii's streets and frescoeshalf a dayPaved streets with stepping stones, shops, houses and bathhouses, and wall paintings still bright in villas such as the Villa of the Mysteries.
Day 2
- Morning
The casts of the victimshalf a dayPlaster casts made from the hollows left by bodies in the hardened ash, a technique begun by Giuseppe Fiorelli in the 1860s.
- Late afternoon
Climbing Vesuviusabout 1 h 30A path climbs from the car park to the crater rim, looking down into the crater and out across the Bay of Naples.
Day 3
- Morning
Herculaneumabout 2 hA smaller town buried deeper by the same eruption and better preserved, with upper floors, wooden beams and carbonised furniture.
- Afternoon
National Archaeological Museum of Naples2 to 3 hWhere the finest frescoes, mosaics and objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum are kept, including the Alexander Mosaic.
Where to sleep in Pompeii and Vesuvius
- Hotel Diana · €80 a night
- Hotel Forum · €85 a night
- Hotel del Sole · €75 a night
- Hotel Villa dei Misteri · €100 a night
- Hotel Palma · €95 a night
- Hotel Giovanna · €90 a night
- Villa Signorini · €110 a night
- Hotel Marad · €130 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.