You can climb a good and meet a volcano - There's no lava lake, there's no smoke coming out on the way, but it's a volcano! The ticket costs EUR 12 and must be purchased online in advance. If you go by bus or van, you can reach the entrance catracks. If you go by car, pay EUR 7 for parking and EUR 3 per Cover for the van that will leave you at the entrance catracks. After passing the catracks, you walk hill up for 1 km on a wide road, which allows to pass a car and in some places up to two. But it's gravel, and it slips a little, so it's good not to wear sandals and slippers. The climb is steep and the final a little steeper, but I found several elderly climbing and reaching the top. Definitely not a place to go with mobility limitation, but you can go at your speed, alternating stops to recover breath. Up there sells more than down here, but outside the cold months you don't have to wear a jacket. The Guide Service is optional as soon as you reach a cabin on top, which sells souvenirs, drinks and something to eat. They explain the history and geology of the place, and then you can continue walking to the other end of the summit, where there is another cottage with souvenirs and drinks. This walk to the top is narrower, but wide enough for at least 2 people. In summary, from the entrance to the walk to the top it is not necessary to climb on stones, nor to pass tight near precipitations. And everything is well marked and there is no doubt about the path to follow. Both going and going are done by the same path.

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

A MUST IF YOU'RE CLOSE - is a great excursion the experience of climbing and seeing the crater is worth it plus the view is lovely, the hike is short and does not have much demand

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.

Highly recommended - Must visit one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. Impressive crater. You reach it after a walk of about 20 minutes from the entrance. There are guides who along the way give explanations about the origin, ancient eruptions and forecasts.

Not worth the price - This was basically like a very expensive taxi ride to and from the entrance. Antonio our driver was very nice but picked us up 1 hour later than the requested time, which caused some stress because I had a timed entrance to the park. He said he sent a WhatsApp which I didn’t receive, but I had the hotel call him after waiting 30 mins and he then came to pick us up, hence the hour delay. It was very nice to have the private ride to and from the entrance. Note that you have to buy park entrance tickets separately from the official site - entrance tickets are not included in the CAD$504 I spent on this particular ride. Next time, I’ll prefer to do a group setting where it’s harder for the operator to make mistakes or, just do public transportation. Finally, I will add that Viator is extremely unhelpful when things don’t go well. That’s another lesson for me - pick a different platform or a tour company directly. I can’t stress enough how unhelpful Viator is,

The wine tour is the game saver - I have climbed many hills, mountains and volcanoes in my time and this one is not the best. What saves the day is it was combined with a wine tour which was excellent.

Mount Vesuvius visit with friends - Bit disappointed really. Was expecting a bit of bubbling lava in the bottom, but it was just a big crater with a few wisps of smoke wafting from the side of the crater. All a bit underwhelming really.

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.