Hiking to the Crater of Mount Vesuvius

When planning the itinerary for our Italian adventure, we knew we we were going to stay over in Naples and Pompei, but wanted to find a way to stop at the Vesuvius National Park on route and (hopefully) climb to the crater of the volcano. There is something about staring in the mouth of a volcano that makes you feel alive.

Mount Vesuvius, as seen from Naples, Italy

How to get to Vesuvius National Park:

The Vesuvius National Park (Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio) lands squarely in between the Naples city center and Pompei (the city, which is comprised largely of Pompeii, the archeological site), a short thirty minute drive either direction.

One can arrive at the park by car and park in the available "parking lot", but this means having to hike an extra thirty minutes (at least) to the main entrance of the park. One can book a group tour on a bus, which will drive past the parking lot and directly up to the main entrance, or one can book a private tour with a guide who will drive you up to the main entrance. Regardless of how you choose to arrive, you must purchase a ticket in advance (online only), you can no longer purchase a ticket at the gate.

From the Hike: View of the "parking lot" of cars whose guests had to climb to the main entrance

In order to ensure everyone's safety on the hike and at the crater level, groups of only fifty people are allowed access every ten minutes, which means each ticket purchased has a specific entrance time that is strictly adhered to. Individuals are given a leeway of thirty minutes prior and ninety minutes after their selected entrance time, but latecomers will not be accepted nor refunded.

Renting a car proved too complicated and problematic, so we opted to hire a driver to pick us up at our hotel in Naples and bring us to our hotel in Pompei, stopping at Mount Vesuvius on the way. My Day Trip is a car-for-hire service by local drivers, that allows guests to add on a stop at nearby attractions/sites, with the flexibility to decide how much time to allocate to each. We used their services a few times on this trip and it was great.

Passing the main entrance to begin the hike to the top of Mount Vesuvius, Naples, Italy

How to Book a Ticket:

Our research indicated that the hike from the main entrance should take approximately thirty to forty-five minutes to the craters edge, so we opted for a two and a half hour stop to allow us the opportunity to take our time and take as many photos as possible. Knowing the drive from the Naples city center would take approximately thirty minutes, we booked our tickets to the Vesuvius National Park through Viva Ticket (costing only 11 Euro per ticket plus service fee) and selected an appropriate date and entrance time (allowing for the possibility of traffic).

Note: The tickets are e-tickets and appear as a link. Be sure to make note of the link and/or print/download the tickets immediately as they will not be emailed to you.