Hiking Mount Vesuvius: How to Visit Italy’s Famous Volcano

Vesuvius is one of the most famous volcanos in the world. I’m sure we all grew up learning about Pompeii and that fateful eruption by Mount Vesuvius that devastated the town and its population in 79 AD. Nowadays, Vesuvius is one of the most studied volcanoes in the world due to its close proximity to Naples and the fact that it will erupt again in the future. With that said, hiking Mount Vesuvius is one of the best things to do near Naples and Sorrento.

Is it safe to hike Mount Vesuvius? Absolutely. It’s currently in a stage of “active rest” and has been for a long time. Its last eruption was in 1944, though its last major eruption was in 1631.

Vesuvius is monitored 24/7 by scientists who will have plenty of time to warn us about any future eruptions. Hiking Vesuvius is a really unique experience because you’ll walk around the massive crater, viewing the caldera from all angles.

I’m going to show you how to hike Mount Vesuvius. Once you arrive, the trail itself is pretty straight forward. While it is an uphill climb, anyone with a reasonable level of fitness, young and old, can go hiking at Vesuvius. What you should never do is simply show up without tickets or a prearranged tour. You’ll be disappointed!

Booking a Tour vs Visiting on Your Own

Now, I’m all for a DIY approach when it comes to travel. After all, as a travel blogger, I’m always find ways to visit places on my own and I wouldn’t say that you need a guide for this hike.

However, I feel that booking a tour is the easiest and most stress-free way to hike Mount Vesuvius. I’ll list three different options for visiting Vesuvius so you can choose the one that’s right for you.

A Prearranged Tour to Vesuvius

If you book a tour, your tour van or bus drops you off right at the beginning of the hike. This is a restricted area where only licensed tour companies are allowed to drive and park. There’s no way to drive yourself to the main parking lot for this hike. Anyone who drives has to park in a parking lot that’s quite a ways down the mountain and walk to the starting point.

Taking a tour to Mount Vesuvius is by far the easiest way to visit. Your tour will include roundtrip transportation to the starting point of the hike, as well as entry tickets. There’s no need to buy entry tickets from the official website, which can only be done 30 days in advance and often sell out.

Hiking Mount Vesuvius can be combined perfectly with a half day tour of Pompeii. I suggest visiting Pompeii and Vesuvius together as both can be done on the same day and they’re not too far apart from one another.

Here’s a full day tour that combines Pompeii with a hike of Mount Vesuvius. If you’d rather just do Vesuvius without Pompeii, here is a tour of Mount Vesuvius on its own.

Taking the Vesuvio Express Bus

With this option, you’ll take the Vesuvio Express Bus from Ercolano Scavi station near Mount Vesuvius. The Vesuvio Express Bus leaves on the hour (though this is Italy, so it may not depart on time). Then, you’ll have two hours at Vesuvius to hike and explore, which is more than enough time.

You can take any Vesuvio Express Bus back down to the station, provided that there are enough seats. The bus goes back and forth all day long, so it’s likely that you won’t need to wait longer than an hour for the return trip.

If you take the bus, you will still need to purchase entry tickets to Vesuvius ahead of time. This is the official website to buy tickets. There are a limited amount of tickets online and they will likely sell out. You can buy tickets up to 30 days in advance.

Driving Yourself to Vesuvius

The only other way to reach Mount Vesuvius is by driving your own car. But, you can only drive so far. There is a separate parking lot for vehicles quite a bit farther away from the entrance. You will need to park there and trek 1.5km up a big hill on the road to reach the starting point. There will be buses and vans driving up and down the mountain, so it’s not the best place to walk.

There is a small fee to park at the parking lot. It also fills up as the day goes on, so you may not be guaranteed a spot.

Of course, you’ll need to purchase tickets ahead of time, just as I’ve noted in the section above for the Vesuvio Express Bus. Do not try to purchase tickets at Mount Vesuvius. There are scammers who will sell you tickets are hugely inflated prices on site. I highly recommend booking a tour to Mount Vesuvius that will eliminate any stress or hassle.

Out of all the options above, I preferred to do the Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius combined trip to see both sites in the same day. Taking a tour takes the guesswork out of the day. You won’t need to purchase separate entry tickets or worry about transportation.

Hiking Mount Vesuvius

The first section of the hike involves a couple of switchbacks as you make your way up the volcano. I’d say that the first kilometre is the most difficult as its a steeper climb. Even still, it’s not really all that bad. Enjoy views of Naples and the Bay of Naples in the distance as you walk.

As someone who hikes often, my biggest tip is this: hike at a pace where you won’t get out of breath and need to stop. Stopping to catch your breath will actually take more time than simply hiking at a very slow pace. Go as slow as you need to; after all, slow and steady wins the race.

Eventually, I reached a little souvenir shop atop the volcano with trinkets and beverages. Continue walking for epic views of the crater. I suppose you could also see Naples on the other side of you on a clear day. When I hiked here, it was very cloudy and foggy as we approached the top of Vesuvius and Naples was no longer visible.

The rest of the hike involves more views of the crater as you make your way around it, and a couple more souvenir huts. Eventually, I reached the final souvenir hut where you can actually order a glass of wine at the top of Vesuvius if you’d like! The trail doesn’t wrap completely around the crater, so this is the point where I turned around and walked back down the volcano.

Best Time of Year to Hike Mount Vesuvius

When should you hike Mount Vesuvius? I visited at the beginning of October, which was an excellent time to travel there. It wasn’t too hot outside and the weather was pretty mild. I suggest hiking Mount Vesuvius in April, May, June, September and October.

Here’s when I would avoid going to Vesuvius, if possible. July and August will be very hot and busy. I personally don’t do as well in the heat. But, if you are visiting in the summer, bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen, and wear a hat/sunglasses. In the winter, Mount Vesuvius might be snow-covered and the visibility won’t be as great. There’s a chance it could be closed due to poor weather, too.

I hope you’ve found this guide to hiking Mount Vesuvius useful and helpful. If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comments section below and I’ll try my best to help!