Visiting Pompeii Archaeological Park was like stepping back in time. I loved wandering the ancient…read morestreets and learning about the history of this incredible place. It was both fascinating and emotional. Walking the same paths people traveled nearly 2,000 years ago was surreal, but seeing the casts of the victims who were preserved by the eruption brought tears to my eyes. It was a powerful reminder of the human tragedy that occurred there. Be prepared for a lot of walking, and some of the cobblestone paths can be rough and uneven in spots, so comfortable shoes are a must. Despite that, it was a truly amazing and unique experience that I'll never forget. If you love history, this is one of those places that leaves a lasting impression.

Beautiful historical site dating back to the time before Christ. The last time I was here was in…read more1985 and was so long ago that I really forgot most of what I had seen. It was like I was seeing it for the first time. This is an archaeological site with a story to tell and one where I highly recommend that you get a guided tour as the story they have to tell is super interesting, very educational and entertaining. Doing it yourself, which I usually am a big fan of, is something you should avoid in this case. The guides are the storyteller's here and do an excellent job of weaving in key events and dates and the lifestyle of the Roman people that lived here at the time of the second eruption. They also go into great detail on the type of construction they had at that time and how they rebuilt the structures after the major earthquakes that occurred in front of the major eruption that happened in 79 AD. Added details, which I was not even aware of was their was a first major eruption that occurred with Mount Vesuvius in 2000 years BC! Who knew? This is just an example of the type of details they go into which makes this guided tour so fascinating. If you are a fan of history as I am and love seeing ruins and how people live thousands of years ago, then this is an absolute must visit. It's one of the best archaeological sites I've ever visited in my 69 years of being on this earth and being a seasoned traveler on top of that.

Had everything we needed when FinnAir lost our luggage, including groceries. Plus, free and…read moreabundant parking!

A Mall that you can actually navigate!! I spent a lot of time in the large supermarket near the…read moreunderground parking entrance and then happily wandered among the shops. The food court is not overly crowded, there are local pkaces as well as McD's and KFC and as we went on Sunday there were lots of families of all ages and sizes yet it wasn't too loud. Free underground parking too!

This was my second visit to Pompeii and it was still amazing. It is so hard to believe how so much…read morewas preserved over the years. There is a ton of walking here so make sure you were comfortable shoes. Pompeii is a huge town! If you drive there is parking close to the entrance. I went on an early December Monday morning and there was no line or crowds whatsoever. I didn't get a guide and didn't think it was necessary. There are free maps and although many reviews (on other sites) say they are useless I disagree. The map was easy to follow and navigate around. To be honest, after a while everything starts to look the same. For us, 2 hours here was plenty of time.

what an amazing treat to be able to see the eldest city available still almost completely intact…read more we had the most amazing tour guide you could ever want. he has been a tour guide of 3 generations and has a big passion for his job and this site which the details and heart he put in his explanations really places you in the scene in that era. It was a true gem and treat to be able to experience this. from the sculpture to the frescoes to understanding the lady wolfs to the bath houses and even seeing the different social classes of living there were the apartments one room houses entrances of the rich and more

Overall, this Rail Stations and the train cars/system along the route between Sorento n Pompeii…read moreleave a LOT to be desired. The Stazione di Castella de Mare is dirty, tattered and unsafe. No railings of protection for people between the ramp n tracks!! We used this train line three consecutive days because there is little other alternative between cities that seemed practical. Day one, to n from Sorento to De Mare, the trains were late. Going To Sorento by 15 mins, returning to de Mare the train was 45 mins late!! In the return train, people were so tightly packed into the cars that I could barely stand or move to change positions. The announcement of train location could not be heard above the din of voices and NONE OF THE electronic signs were working. We had to ask fellow riders which station we were pulling into. We r not Italian thus, it was stressful. The trains on all rides were very dirty outside and inside. Graffiti was more evident than underlying paint. Cigarette butts are all over the uncared for landscapes! We did not go beyond Pompeii to see other stations towards Napoli. Never will after this As for good stations, the closest to good was Sorento. It was clean but the emphasis was in getting tourists to buy guided tour tickets, not the rail system! Ticket agents wherever we purchased were disinterested and acted interrupted by simple questions despite not having a line of other people waiting. I hope they Keep those tickets cheap cause ticket revenue is obviously not being invested in safety of passengers or visitor friendly signs in all locations. Parking is dreadfully inadequate and taxi service is absent at some stations like De Mare. There are signs for Taxi service but nope, not happening. How about some soap n water, Windex to the cars? It might make a LITTLE difference!!

Since this is essentially a secondary listing for "Pompeii Ruins" on Yelp, just adding a few more…read morenotes here that I didn't include in my main review. Highlights for me were: 1) the Forum: on the south western side of the park, past the Temple of Venus which is fairly close to the entrance by Porta Marina. This was the main public square and socio-economic center for the city with many different government, religious and commercial buildings set around it. Some of the important ruins include the Basilica, the court of law and business center, and the Macellum, a covered food market and marketplace. Temples of Jupiter and Apollo served religious functions. 2) the bath houses: there are a few different locations Terme Stabiane, Terme del Foro, Terme Suburbane--though I went to the Forum location, was really impressed by how well laid out and preserved this building was. 3) thermopoliums: plural because around 80 different locations were found within Pompeii. These are the equivalent of street food vendors where the working class would procure hot food to go, since the majority of Pompeii's 10-35K residents at the time of its destruction in 79 AD didn't live in villas, rather in multistory buildings without kitchens, hence depended on these for sustenance. These L-shaped marble counters held terracotta jars of hot and cold food, such as stews, meats, and spiced wine. 4) "suburban" Villa di Diomede and Villa dei Misteri which require a separate fee of €8 payable in cash or card at the gate to that section of the park, if it's not already included in your particular combo ticket. These two villas underwent multiple restorations and haven't always been open to the public. Both are examples of larger, grand residences with more complex layouts, the latter housing famous colorful frescos depicting rituals related to an esoteric cult of Dionysus. 5) necropolises: a few different locations around the outskirts of the town, it was fascinating to see how ancient traditions of mausoleums carry into current conventions. 6) interesting signage: while I don't read Latin, from the translations I read about pertaining to some of the sites, they certainly got their point across. I chuckled at the mosaic with Latin phrase "Cave Canem" literally "beware of the dog" showing a snarling black dog, placed at the entrance of one of the domiciles. Side note there is restoration and excavation work ongoing at different sites within the park, so not every building is open to the public. Even some structures that were open within the past several months like the House of Menander and Lupanare di Pompei (Pompeii's brothel) were not open.

Pompeii is one of those "must see!" places,. Every year, the team excavating digs up new treasures…read moreone after another. Our tour took us to several, old and new, but I could have stayed twice as long and still not seen half. We arrived early, but by the time we left, people were pouring in. Walking down the commercial streets that in 79 AD were bustling with life. And then, in just a few hours, sterilized with the pyroclastic heat, and buried under ash and volcanic residue for 1600 years, a Roman city frozen in time.