It is not free to walk up Mount Vesuvius. You must buy your tickets online and select a timeslot to walk up the volcano.
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To maintain the city as good as possible and continue to offer travellers the chance to explore Pompeii, you do need tickets to gain admission. If you happen to time your visit to coincide, the last Sunday of every month is free entry for all visitors.
We both strongly recommend doing Pompeii before Vesuvius for several reasons, but it is absolutely possible to do them the other way round; just follow these steps in reverse and keep a keen eye on timetables.
Did you know that? The famous Neapolitan song “Funiculì Funiculà” was written to celebrate the opening in 1880 of the first funicular cable car that reached the top of Mount Vesuvius. Unfortunately this cable car was destroyed during the last eruption in 1944 and never reopened to the public.
Could It Erupt Again? Yes! Mount Vesuvius is considered an active volcano that sits on top of an extremely deep layer of magma—154 miles into the earth. Geologists think the volcano is overdue for an eruption, so it is likely to happen and it won't be pretty.
The trail to reach the top of Mount Vesuvius has a moderate-high difficulty. It is steep and quite uneven. There are no benches to sit nor there is any shade.
You can easily combine Pompeii with a visit to the crater on Mount Vesuvius and do both in one day. Here are my tips to help you plan your own day trip from Naples!
You can see all of Pompeii's main attractions in around two to three hours, taking in the preserved ruins that once made this town such a thriving place.
The hiking trail around Mount Vesuvius crater – the Great Cono – is indicated on local maps as nature trail n. 5 “Il Gran Cono”. It's a 4 km (2.5 mi) loop hike that takes about 3 hours. In the past, it was possible to hike the entire perimeter of the crater.
You will be happy to know that there is no particular dress code for Pompeii but – like most walkable landmarks – we recommend wearing comfortable shoes and clothing, as you don't want to find your feet getting sore after just a half hour of touring the site!
Generally, the volcano is open to visitors from 9 AM to 5 PM, with the last entrance allowed at 3 PM. Is Mount Vesuvius open all year round? Mount Vesuvius is open to visitors all year round, except for some periods when the volcano is closed due to high volcanic activity or bad weather.