Five days: Rome and the Bay of Naples

Two bases in five days, Rome for 2 nights and Naples for 3, arranged around four sites that cannot be entered on the day: Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum and the Colosseum.

The four bookings, in the order they have to happen

Vesuvius opens its window furthest out in practice, because Trail 5 sells 50 places every 10 minutes and goes on sale 30 days ahead. Pompeii carries a named ticket and a 20,000² per day ceiling. Herculaneum has no cap but a hard last entry. The Colosseum releases 30 days ahead.

Two of those four are on the same Circumvesuviana line, so they compete for the same mornings.

Prices on this page are in euros, and every one of these tickets is bought from the site's own operator.

Days 1 and 2: Rome, short and deliberate

Two nights in Rome is enough for one archaeological day and one walking day, and it is the right allocation when the second half of the trip carries three timed entries.

The fast train leaves the choice of departure hour open: Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale runs in 1 hour 13 minutes at best, with 45 direct Frecciarossa services counted on a weekday in September 2026.

Book the Rome slot for the morning and travel south after lunch. Nothing on the Bay opens late enough to rescue a slow start.

Day 3: Pompeii, and the ticket you actually need

Since January 12, 2026 Pompeii sells four separate titles: Pompeii Express at €20 for the ancient city alone, Pompeii+ at €25 including the suburban villas and the shuttle, Pompeii Plus 3 days at €30 valid across four sites, and an annual pass at €45. Single minor sites are €8 and the EU reduced rate for ages 18 to 25 is €2.

Opening runs 9:00 am to 7:00 pm with last entry at 5:30 pm from March 16 to October 14, and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with last entry at 3:30 pm from October 15 to March 15. Oplontis, Stabiae and Boscoreale close on Tuesdays.

Bags are limited to 30 by 30 by 15 cm, which is the rule that slows the queue more than any other. The daily ceiling of 20,000² and the named ticket with identity document have applied since November 15, 2024, with the summer day split into a maximum of 15,000² entries from 9:00 am to noon and 5,000² from noon to 5:30 pm.

Day 4: Herculaneum, 16 euros and one closure a year

Herculaneum charges €16 full and €2 for ages 18 to 25, and it is open every day of the year except December 25, which makes it the only large archaeological park in Campania you can visit on January 1.

It runs 8:30 am to 7:30 pm with last entry at 6:00 pm from March 16 to October 14, and 8:30 am to 5:00 pm with last entry at 3:30 pm from October 15 to March 15. Annual passes are €30 individual, €58 family and €5 for ages 18 to 25.

The Villa dei Papiri and the ancient theater are closed in 2026, one for excavation and maintenance and one for restoration, with no reopening date announced. Free days are the first Sunday of the month, April 25, June 2 and November 4.

Getting to both: line L1, and what nobody publishes

EAV line L1 from Naples to Sorrento is the only Vesuvian line that stops at both Ercolano Scavi and Pompei Scavi Villa dei Misteri, leaving from Porta Nolana and Garibaldi, on a timetable in force since March 28, 2026.

The other Vesuvian lines, L4 to Poggiomarino, L6 to Sarno and L8 to Baiano, do not serve both. What EAV does not publish anywhere readable is the fare between two stations or the real headway, and in July 2026 it reissued the replacement bus arrangements on the Naples to Baiano line.

Budget more time than the map suggests, and keep the phone number 800⁶ 211388⁶ to hand.

Day 5: the Gran Cono, 4,010 meters and no shade

Trail 5 on Vesuvius costs €11.68⁵ full and €9.55⁵ reduced, sold online only, 4,010⁵ m there and back, rising to 1,175⁵ m and taking 2 hours 30 minutes at low difficulty.

Places go in bands of 50 every 10 minutes with sales open 30 days ahead, plus 10 late tickets per band released 30 minutes before, named since April 11, 2026 and limited to 5 per email address. Opening is 9:00 am to 6:00 pm in July and August and shortens through the year to 3:00 pm from November to February.

The official page carries a second, different capacity figure of 60 people per 10 minutes in three groups of 20. We publish the first and flag the second rather than average them.

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