Vesuvius & Herculaneum Small Group Tour From Naples

The reviews were not great but it was grand for us. Big bus and transfer to air conditioned minibuses. Well organised by staff at busy sites. Good communication. Only slight issue was with audio guide of Herculean not matching sites.

It’s not really a tour; it’s a drop off and you’re on your own. We were told a bus would take us back to the meeting point and a random man in a beat up van picked us up instead. No prior communication.

The description is misleading at best and fraudulent at worst. This is not a small group tour nor is a guide provided. It is large group bus transportation to Vesuvius and Herculaneum - without functioning air conditioning. They drop you off and you tour them yourself. Meet back at the appointed time and move to the next location. With that said, Vesuvius and Herculaneum are very interesting and worth visiting. I would not book this tour again.

This was not what I expected or am used to from a tour group. It was very disorganized and it’s more like a shuttle service than a tour. First, the address for the meeting spot is the Ramada. Why they don’t put it, I don’t know. Everyone seemed to eventually find the address was the Ramada, but everyone was very confused and frustrated. They use stickers to ID which tour your on. They mix multiple tours on the same bus. They did not explain the stickers, they just had letters in them. Eventually we figured it out, but was confused cause ours had P for Pompeii, but we didn’t pay nor want to go to Pompeii that day. Guess what.. in lots of confusion, they took us out of our way 25 min in the wrong direction to Pompeii “to pick more people up”. The drivers don’t speak English, and get frustrated cause they can’t answer our questions. One employee told me the driver just drives when I asked why he took us to Pompeii.. “our sticker says P.. he assumed we were with the group going to Pompeii.. The tickets worked to the sites, and they are worth going to.. but this is a ticket and a chaotic ride service.. there are better options

The hike from the drop off point is strenuous if you are not in shape. Those who get motion sickness may have challenges on the drive up the mountain.

We were collected on time, dropped off at Vesuvius ( to complete the climb and descent) and transported to Herculaneum in a timely fashion. Both destinations are amazing. That is where the positives end. To begin with, it would have been helpful if the meeting point was described as 'outside the Ramada hotel' - this is a much easier focal point to find than a numerical co-ordinate. Moving on from that, the people who 'called out our names' ( 'Around Vesuvius' staff??) in order for us to enter the minibus did NOT ONCE smile, talk to us directly, welcome us or at any time seem pleased to see us! They did not introduce themselves ( so I can't give any names) or explain what the itinerary would be ( granted, we had booked the trip but it's nice to be reassured about what is happening!). In fact, apart from telling us what time to be back at the meeting point, they had literally no interaction with us at all!!! Having had enjoyable trips with other providers over the last three days, the difference was stark. We were dropped off at Herculaneum around about lunchtime - we assumed there would be a cafe/ restaurant there to get a snack but no. Of course, we had NOT been advised about that or any alternative suggestions for eating, and a member of the Herculaneum staff pointed us to some restaurants in the town area. Also, the ruins were self guided, which was fine BUT nowhere did it suggest that you should/could bring earphones. All it would take is a short sentence in the itinerary details to save the €8 each for headsets. Having returned to the allocated meeting point at the correct time, we expected to be taken back to Naples as our trip had concluded. However, with no explanation or apology we were told we were being taken to Pompeii ( the completely opposite direction to Naples, a point neither explained or acknowledged) as a couple needed to be dropped off there - in Pompeii, we would have to change minibuses and then be taken the longer journey back to Naples. Having stood around for the best part of half an hour in 30 + degree heat, outside some random excursion 'shop' ( the representatives from Around Vesuvius had disappeared - no explanation or ANYTHING), with no offer of water and insufficient seating, we were finally herded onto another minibus and returned to Naples. This was the last excursion of our holiday and it was such a shame that the complete lack of communication skills from the tour staff left a sour taste. Customer Service was a bare minimum and whilst the sites were fantastic, I would definitely not recommend using this company.

The tour itself was great! The team was on time and very nice. Big thing for me was the lack of availability for water. We left Naples for Vesuvius on a bus that was offering water for 1 Euro. When we finished at Vesuvius, we were put on a different vehicle with no option for water. There were a couple of spots at Herculaneum to find water but not on any of the company vehicles. I would have also liked more time at Vesuvius than Herculaneum but the tour gave what it promised. Overall...good tour...good people. Prepare yourself with water and snacks before you leave Naples.

We used them to go from Napoli to Vesuvius and then to Herculaneum. From there they were supposed to take us back to Napoli. They did not. They put us on their bus to Pompeii because it was more convenient for THEM to bus us to Napoli from Pompeii rather than directly from Herculaneum to Napoli as our itinerary clearly stated. 40 extra minutes on a hot bus, is extremely poor customer service. Had they told us they were not taking us to Napoli, we would have grabbed a 20 minute taxi ride back.

Transport was a bit chaotic as we were taken to Pompei before being returned to Naples. This was worrying as we had to be back at our ship. The return was in a small vehicle without adequate air conditioning and the windows did not be open!

Meeting point, name called like school trip. Guides friendly. Disgraceful return trip went via Pompeii rather than direct to Napoli, driver at Herculaneum not good, almost rude. Complained at Pompeii where they expected us to wait 20 mins. Eventually crammed into a minibus bus, bad aircon, windows wouldn’t open, seats loose in back and safety belts didn’t work, disgraceful

This is a fabulous albeit strenuous tour. Combining the two destinations gives perspective on the eruption event of 79 AD. The tour is efficiently run, and well managed. Recommend.

The experience was perfect. The drivers was always on time at every pick up. The tour is exactly how is explained in the description! The vesuvio left me speechless and the same at hercolanun! I love it every second!

This trip would have been difficult without the tour and the transport. Would recommend good / suitable footwear for climbing a volcano its not easy, we see ladies in flip flops etc, almost impossible to walk up. You also need to be fit.

My family and I took this day trip and absolutely loved it. The Vesuvius hike isn't too bad, but it's on a steep incline. Herculaneum was incredible. It was interesting to learn the history and see all of the ruins that have been excavated. The only thing lacking was the lack of any tour guide. It was simply transportation to and from the locations.

I did not sign up for Pompei but required an extra bus and stop. I would have happily taken a taxi from Herculaneum to Naples had I been told this was the plan!

Vesuvius and Herculaneum were incredible in their own right. But this was not a tour at all. It was just transportation with tickets for entry to each destination. The bus picked us up near Napoli Centrale and drove us to Vesuvius. We were given 1hr 40m to hike and explore Vesuvius which was plenty of time. Then we were driven to Herculaneum. Beware, there is no option to get food inside Herculaneum, you have to venture out to the cafes and restaurants in Ercolano. Which would have been perfectly fine if we were given more time at Herculaneum. Most travel review sites will tell you that you need about 2hrs to explore Herculaneum. We were given less than 2hrs. Add in the time it took to leave the site and get lunch and it was closer to 1hr 25m. This "tour" was about $100USD for me at the time and honestly if it were actually a tour around Herculaneum telling me about what I was seeing it would have been a better deal. An even better deal if there were more time. The worst part is that after boarding the bus to go back to Napoli, they instead took us further from Napoli and to Pompeii. I didn't have a ticket for Pompeii as this tour is not for Pompeii. I was concerned thinking I'd have to Uber back to Pompeii for about $70USD to make my other tour I had booked there that evening. But no, they were happy to take us back to Napoli on the bus. So the bus drove us to Pompeii, dropped off two people, picked up two people and then back to Napoli. This was a roughly 50 minute waste of all our time. I have no idea why the don't tell you this. I would not have booked it had I known.

Walking to the top of Vesuvius was great even on a cloudy day. Walking through Herculaneum was fun but would have wanted some type of guide or map to help found the most important rooms

The driver picks you up near the Central train station in Naples. The first stop is at Vesuvius. It is very important that you check the weather before you go. When we arrived the weather was cold and very foggy. We were dressed in Summer clothing (late May) We had to purchase sweatshirts and rain ponchos at the entrance. The driver gave everyone their ticket and dropped us off. The hike was very steep and foggy. We made it to the top but could not see anything. Make sure you wear good shoes (we saw a girl fall and hurt herself). The next stop was Herculaneum where once again we were dropped off and given tickets with a QR Code to scan for information. None of the numbers were matching up with the building numbers which made it difficult to learn anything. The driver hardly talked to the people in the bus. He provided very little information but did manage to have a tip jar which no one left him any money.

The first stop was a hike up Vesuvius. Make sure you check the weather first! The volcano was completely covered with very thick fog and the temperature was very cold. Over half the bus was dressed in Summer clothes. At the entrance they were selling sweatshirts for 20 Euro which we all ended up purchasing. The hike is very steep and requires good hiking shoes. You are given 1 hour and 50 minutes to complete on your own. We could not see anything after the 40 minute hike up because of the fog. The van driver had a “tip” jar out but we couldn’t figure out why. He spent 85% of his time talking to the people in the front seat or playing music. The tickets to Herculaneum had a QR code for our self guided tour and the numbers did not match up with the building numbers which made it difficult to get the correct information. We would not recommend this “tour”.

This was a great package, combining the terrific views from Vesuvius with the history of Herculaneum. The wind chill on the hike up Vesuvius suggests at least a light jacket would be useful, so take a small backpack. Audio guide for Herculaneum is handy and WiFi is available from the 'service desk' at the entrance to the main building. Transport was comfortable and on time, so there's not a lot of time to just sit and take it all in. A really good 5hr excursion which we thought was great value.

Fantastic way to see Vesuvius and Herculaneum with pick-up by coach from near Naples train station. Taken almost to the top of Vesuvius - allowing over 1 hour to walk up to and around the impressive crater (steam, sulphur smells, volcanic rock & views across Naples Bay) and then on to Herculaneum. There we had skip the line tickets and digital phone guide and almost 2 hours to wander around and be amazed at the excavations, houses, boats, paintings and even preserved wooden beams! Then we had a personal taxi back to Naples. What service from Around Vesuvio.

A great way to explore and understand the power and destruction that Vesuvius can bring by allowing Viator to escort and guide us. On time pickups all the way through and helpful bus guides made the whole day so enjoyable.

For those who do not wish to climb to the crater, there is no shaded area. For Herculaneum, we are given audio guides but no map, making it impossible to find our way around. The numbers on the audio guides do not correspond to those indicated on the buildings. We are frustrated. It's really a shame because the site is exceptional. To take this tour, we had 4 different buses without being informed! The schedules were respected.