Hiking All The Way Up

The Vesuvius National Park is one of the world’s most suggestive parks. If you like trekking, you definitely can’t miss paying a visit to this active volcano. The Park has more than 50 paths suitable for any difficulty level, and it hosts the first volcanic wilderness area in Italy.

I recently hiked Mount Vesuvius and, despite it being a bit exhausting (especially with temperatures over 35 degrees), the sense of accomplishment of reaching the top of a volcano and the breathtaking view from the top it’s definitely worth all the effort. If you want to live an exceptional experience and admire a surreal landscape, then Mount Vesuvius will not let you down.

I would not recommend hiking Mount Vesuvius from the bottom all the way up. It could take more than 7 hours and most of the paths are now closed by gates for maintenance, making it almost impossible to reach the crater.

However, if you decide to adventure yourself anyways, know that it can be a little tricky: the difficulty of the trail is hard and many of the paths are really uneven.

The best way to hike all the way up would be to follow the street reserved for cars and buses, but it can be dangerous and very, very long.

Your itinerary should start from Ottaviano (easily reachable with the Circumvesuviana from Naples), and the first path would be the “Valley of Hell”, at the very bottom of the volcano, from where you can admire its magnificence. From here you can start the 12km hike.

Good luck!

Hiking The Crater

My recommended option is to take the Vesuvio Express and then hike your way up to the crater (around 30 minutes). This is obviously the easiest option. You can buy the Vesuvio Express tickets here.

The ticket price for seeing the crater is €10 per person. Because of the new COVID-19 rules, the tickets have to be booked online in advance, as they allow only a certain number of people per day on the crater.

Otherwise, you can reach the lower parking lot by car (which costs €5 per car) and then hike your way up. This would add another 30 minutes to your hike, for a total of one hour. Be careful! The road is full of blind corners and big buses could come from the opposite direction!

The hike to the top is easy, and the amazing view is definitely worth the effort!

How To Reach Mt. Vesuvius From Naples

From Naples, make your way to Piazza Garibaldi and you will find the train station. The Circumvesuviana is within the train station, and you want the train going to Sorrento. Your stop is Ercolano Scavi.

Time: 20 minutes

Price: €2.80 (one-way)

From Ercolano Scavi, you can find the Vesuvio Express office outside the station, to purchase your tickets. Otherwise, you can buy your ticket online here. I suggest you include the entrance to the crater in the ticket, which you would have to pay anyway once arrived on the top. The ticket lasts for 90 minutes, but that’s plenty of time, so don’t worry!

Price: €20 (entrance to the crater included)

The service runs from 9 am to 2.30 pm, but unfortunately, the times are not always respected and sometimes, even though the shuttle should run every 40 minutes, you could wait for longer.

Mt. Vesuvius And Pompeii Day Trip From Naples

If your time in Naples is limited and you really want to get the best out of your holiday, then a day-tour would be your best option, especially if you want to avoid all the stressful transportation to get there.

One of the most convenient day-tour is the one including both the visit Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. The tour lasts for 8 hours, and included in the price is the shuttle from Naples or Sorrento, the entry ticket to both Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, the guide and, obviously, you would skip any line (which can be extenuating when the weather is hot).

You can find the half-day tour to Vesuvius here, with ticket entrance and transportation included. However, I think the best and cheapest option is the one including both the volcano and Pompeii!

What To Bring And Wear

If you are exploring Mount Vesuvius during the hot Italian summer, remember to bring plenty of water with you and wear a hat to avoid too much sun. Wear something comfortable and cool, and bear in mind that during the hike you can get pretty dusty! If you can, use sunscreen before starting the hike to reduce the chances of getting sunburned (I did!).

If you are instead hiking the mount in the colder months, remember to wear warmer clothes and bring more layers with you, as the more you go up, the colder it gets!

Despite the hike is easy if you are only going up the top from the shuttle’s stop, I would definitely wear comfortable shoes as the path is dirty, uneven and uphill. Avoid flip flops! As crazy as it can sound, I heard of many people attempting to hike the volcano with inadequate shoes.

Make sure you bring a camera or your phone to capture the spectacular view from the top of the volcano!

5 Things You (Maybe) Didn’t Know About Mount Vesuvius

1) People living in Pompeii in 79 d.C, victims of the most famous Vesuvius’ eruption, didn’t know they were living close to a volcano. Therefore, they were caught completely by surprise. I can only imagine the terror in their eyes when they actually understood what was happening. If they ever had the time to do so.

2) Many people from the area of Pompeii and Ercolano survived because they decided to move away after an earthquake a few years earlier convinced them to move away.

3) Thanks to the eruption in 79 d.C., the city of Pompeii has been found completely intact in the 18th century. Unfortunately, the remains are now ruined by years of exposure to the weather.

4) Many people are still living in the volcanic area nowadays because the earth lavish composition makes it very fertile for cultivations.

5) The legend says that “Pulcinella”, one of the most famous Neapolitan masks, was born from the Vesuvius to protect the People of Naples from injustices.

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