Hike to the Summit - Our tour guide, Alessio, picked us up at the cruise ship terminal in Naples, Italy. He drove us to the base of Mount Vesuvius, 1600 ft. We hiked for one hour to reach the rim of the volcano at 3800 ft. It was a challenging trek. Alessio’s information was top notch. He was very professional. He made our day terrific!!!

Must do when in Naples or Pompeii area - Easy hike and very rewarding, enjoyed this more than the ruins, go early in the day though, back at the parking area the crowds were growing by the minute. And don’t waste your money on guided tours, simple to do on your own

Unforgettable - When I was a little girl my Grandma told me a story about Pompei and Herculaneum, the two Italian cities which were buried under the ashes of the great volcano Vesuvius. Finally, I grabbed the opportunity to visit the place. A breathtaking view of Naples and its vicinity plus the feeling that one cannot fight the power of Nature... I strongly recommend climbing to the crater - it is worth every effort!

Worth it - This is a must If you have mobility problems there is no assistance apart from a walking stick given out at the entrance

Amazing! - This is really a must do. Don't listen the tour guides and just take the local bus (very cheap) Best is to do it in the morning for a wonderfull view.

Must see - It is impossible not to go if you are staying in the Naples area. Majestic and omnipresent. However, getting there from Naples without going through tourist agencies that charge exorbitant prices was no small matter: At first it was impossible to buy entrance tickets to Vesuvius (no ticket office and very poor internet connection ) So I took the entrance tickets on the official Pompeii website .choose a schedule (flexible access 30 minutes before and 90 minutes after selecting the schedule ). Then the cheapest train tickets (2.60 euros l one way and per person) . On the train line named Circumvesuviana , operated by EAV exclusively (so download the app very well made . Timetables / prices / online purchase with QR code validated on the platform ) from Garibaldi napoli stations or from the nearby Naploli Porta Nolana station get off at "Ercolano Scavi" (please note that arrival announcements do not indicate the stations served, it is best to rely on the expected arrival times ). Then you have to take a bus shuttle from the station of "Ercolano Scavi " I opted for the shuttle Vesuvius express for ease , ticket offices to buy the ticket (A/R ) located just to the right of the exit of the station( 10 euros per person , a departure every hour , 20 minutes journey , on arrival on the site of Vesuvius the driver will indicate you a return time about 2 hours later ) . I'm just saying I left in March. So out of season, almost nobody .but it must not be the same from May until October . So plan large or buy your bus shuttle on the internet for more peace of mind (a little more expensive about 13 euros A/R) person A/R ). Total TrainA/R + Shuttle A/R + Vesuvius entrance: about 25 euros.

Not what we thought we were getting - Having seen the description on Viator, we thought ‘perfect’ - Vesius and visit to winery for lunch etc - what’s not to like? Unfortunately, whilst we did get picked up and dropped off at our hotel and the driver gave a small amount of info en-route, it was little more than a taxi, as we didn’t get taken to any winery, nor did we get the water that was supposed to be included. If we had known it was just a taxi there/back and with the driver standing by whilst we did the walk, we may have still gone for it as it was very convenient to not worry about timing etc, but just disappointed that the description of the tour didn’t match the tour itself. We didn’t challenge this at the time as I assumed it was my mistake.

Make sure you receive a QR code for entrance before going up here otherwise it is a waste of time. - We were told by many people that you had to buy tickets online before going to Vesuvio, so we made sure we did this. On arrival we were then told that the reference number for the tickets was not enough so we could not enter. I should have received an email with a QR code which never arrived. We refreshed my email inbox and spam many times before trying to see if we could speak to someone about what we can do. The staff were very rude and said that there was nothing they could do. GIven this we are now having to try to get our money back which was taken even though we did not receive a QR code via email. So disappointing. Plus the whole nature reserve feels like it is being treated like a rubbish dump for Naples. You'd think this would be a place to be proud of with the history.