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.
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You might be a bit apprehensive about the hike itself ? some of us aren't experts on the old hike malarkey, and that's okay. During the hike, it will only take about 30 minutes to reach the summit of the crater, which is no time at all!
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.
Since 1995, Vesuvius is a national park and you can walk up to its summit. The best known and tourist route to follow on Mount Vesuvius is that of the Gran Cono, which leads through a steep path to the mouth of the crater.
Vesuvius can actually get quite cold the higher you get. So also check the weather and be prepared for both boiling heat and feeling cold in one day and take a jumper if there's any risk of cloud cover. If it's raining, they also often close the crater so check ahead there too.
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.
Then you are free to discover on own. It is possible to walk half the way around the lips of the volcano. You cannot walk all the way around. You do not need to have your private guide.
You can visit Pompeii for free on the first Sunday of each month. It is best to secure your ticket online or you can get a from the ticket office in Pompeii. Due to the free entry, Pompeii gets very busy on the first Sunday of the month. Opening hours remain as normal.
Vesuvius is still very much an active stratovolcano, with the city of Naples and its 3 million residents only a mere 12 kilometres away. The fact that the city could be destroyed in 2 and a half minutes makes it the volcano one of the most studied and precariously watched in the world.