Passeio pelo Parque Nacional do Vesúvio saindo de Nápoles

If Northern Italy has the Dolomites, Southern Italy has Mount Vesuvius in Naples. We will meet at the designated meeting point and travel by bus to the entrance of Mount Vesuvius, then hike up near the summit. Approximately 2 hours are allotted for the hike, which seems like plenty of time. You can enjoy a refreshing view of the Naples coastline and city spread out before you, and seeing the volcanic crater is a unique experience. There are three shops along the hiking trail selling mineral specimens, almost like jewels, as souvenirs. Drinks are also sold near the summit, including coffee, soft drinks, and Prosecco. We highly recommend this tour for its excellent value.

The bus trip was simple and easy. The view was fantastic as well. The walk up the mountain was tough but I enjoyed it

Vesuvius is a star of Naples and I was awestruck. The walk up was breathtaking as Campania from that view is. The 'tour' however was not a tour. We had no guide other than someone who met us there, provided us with the entry ticket and then we were on our own to walk up. He also just told us the return time which gave us 2 hours. The driver was highly skilled navigating up that single windy road. In terms of dollar value given there was no guide, this ended up expansive. Entry to Vesuvius is 12 Euro and the public bus up there is about 3-5E depending on company. So this ended up being double the price for just the bus ride and and entry. If there was a guide it would have been totally worth it. Regardless, Vesuvius is a must. Wear comfy closed shoes, bring water and snacks because up there, everything is overpriced!

I wished the transport guys would give more instructions about the plan ahead for meeting and pick up. for one of the pick ups, I was made to fit in between the driver and a big-sized man in the front of their taxi. It was shoulder to shoulder and leg to leg contact - which made me feel really uncomfortable.

We bought three tours - two adults, one child. They did not give us a ticket for the child, which we ordered on Klook, even though the entrance ticket on the official page was free. The guide wanted 10 more euros on top to pay for the free ticket. She was unhelpful, incompetent, and rude. She did not solve anything, and without the official staff, we would not have seen Vesuvius. With her, the word incompetent got a whole new meaning. I suggest some training on organization and and people skills for her.

The tour experience itself was fine, but there's a chance you might be left at the train station, with the driver giving you a train ticket and asking you to take the train back to the city center yourself! This is especially risky with regional trains in Southern Italy. After negotiation, I only received a 50% refund in Klook credits (which was less cost-effective than if I had booked it myself). I recommend that anyone choosing this experience simply take the train directly to the foot of the mountain and then transfer to a shuttle bus from a local volcano tour agency!