How not to see Pompeii with kids
Pompeii has always been on my travel bucket list. So when we had the opportunity to visit this UNESCO heritage site earlier this summer I couldn’t wait. However, had I known what I do now, I might have held back or at least managed my expectations. To say we did not have the best experience at Pompeii would be fair. In fact, I feel more than qualified to tell you how not to see Pompeii with kids.
Our visit to Pompeii
From the moment we knew our Mediterranean cruise would be stopping in Naples I was itching to book an excursion to see Pompeii. It’s a place that has always intrigued me. Once a thriving Roman town of more than 20,000 inhabitants, it was buried under layers of burning pumice stone when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79.
The site has been under excavation since the 18th Century and now stands as a haunting reminder of the power of nature.
We visited as a half day excursion from our ship. My first and most important tip for visiting Pompeii with kids is don’t take an excursion. This is not the type of place you want to be herded around, especially when there is so much to see. The excavated villas, preserved amphitheatres and ancient frescoes deserve your time.
Our guide whizzed around the ruins in less than an hour. We spent much of that time trying to keep up with him with two small children in tow. We still saw Pompeii in all of its tragic beauty. It was the stories that we missed – those insights into the life of those who lived there and the fate of the 2,000 people who were still in their home town when the disaster struck. We also only saw a fraction of the site.
There were so many guided tours going around Pompeii that we lost our guide a couple of times and were left in a bit of a panic with no idea of where we were. In between the confusion I grabbed a few shots with my camera. I wish I could tell you more about these places and artefacts but, for the reasons above, I can’t. Maybe you can tell me?
Our excursion to Pompeii was not ideal. Was our visit ruined? No. Would we get a map and tour Pompeii by ourselves next time? Yes.
It is important to note here that we had a very bad guide and not everyone who booked the excursion from our ship (there were several coaches) had the same experience with their guides. We did complain back onboard and got a 50% refund.
Tips for visiting Pompeii with kids
- If you are visiting with young children pop them in a baby carrier as Pompeii’s streets were never designed for pushchairs.
- Comfy shoes are a must for everyone as the ancient roadways and footpaths are very uneven.
- Make sure you take plenty of sun protection and water with as you’ll find it can get pretty hot in the shadow of Vesuvius.
- If you need to use the bathroom during your visit you’ll find it right at the exit. Go before you enter the Pompeii complex. Baby changing is available.
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I love a good what not to do guide! We often times learn so much from our travel “fails”. It just gives you an excuse to come back 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your trip. I have also been interested in seeing Pompeii. We are working on a trip to Europe next May so maybe we will be able to visit. We will see. Either way, I hope to get to see it one day. Thanks again for the pictures. Sorry it wasn’t as great as it could have been. Hope you get to go back one day.
I’m glad you found it useful and I hope you get to go too. We definitely want to return one day 🙂
Bless your heart, what a tough lesson to learn! We like to avoid tours in general for those very reasons. I prefer to research before hand and write my own travel guide material for the kids. As a former teacher I’m all about the educational aspect. One of my favorite photos of my kids was when they were in Pompeii and were 5 and 7. They were studying a map because they wanted to see the colosseum in Pompeii since they had seen the one in Rome.
What a fantastic memory! I think Pompeii itself might have been a bit of a tall order for my girls at their age but the guide rally didn’t help matters. I love the sound of your visit. Research beforehand is definitely worthwhile!
Oh no poor you – we went before children and had a fab time.. I think you need to get there for opening and not with a tour to get the most out of it! Winter is also great because there are far fewer people! I hope you get back and have a better time next trip
Wandermust mummy recently posted…Kyambura Gorge Lodge – luxury hotel review
Next time we’ll definitely be getting there early and paying for a private tour or self guide ourselves 🙂
The first time I visited Pompeii was, like you, as a half day port excursion while we were Naples for a cruise. That was before we had kids, and even then, it seemed very rushed. When we took our 3 kids there a few years ago, we planned for a full day and did it as a self-guided tour. Rick Steves has a free audioguide you can download to your smartphone or iPad, and we had his map from his guidebook. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. Afterwards, we spent some time merely wandering around at our leisure. It was a much nicer and more relaxed trip that my first time there.
Michele {Malaysian Meanders} recently posted…Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Tour
Thanks Clare. So glad you found it useful 🙂
Well done for complaining and getting your money back. Pompeii in an hour? Seriously, that is crazy! It is the type of place where you want to wander around (for hours) and take it in but doubt a toddler’s attention span would last that long. I love the pic of your hubby carrying the two kids…looks familiar! #mondayescapes
Elizabeth (Wander Mum) recently posted…City Tripping #42
Yes! Daddy is a pack horse 🙂
We also did a self-guided tour of Florence during our cruise (there will be a post sometime soon!) and had an excursion guide on the coach there. That was excellent. We benefitted from expert knowledge during the journey and were free to explore at our own pace for a few hours.
Shame about your guide but it sounds like such an amazing place to see. I guess it means it’s a reason to go back again one day. I’d love to wander about there for hours taking it all in!
Absolutely! It’s back on the bucket list 🙂
I’d really love to do Pompeii, so sorry your trip wasn’t totally successful. Good tip to grab a map and do it yourself! #mondayescapes
Megan – Truly Madly Kids recently posted…10 Reasons Menorca is perfect for families
It’s a lovely place to visit and that’s definitely how we’ll be doing it next time!
ah what a shame but wow what a place to see. I would love to visit also.
Emma recently posted…GCSE Exam Success, Value Added and Getting Papers Remarked
I’d definitely still recommend a visit. Just check out the reviews of your tour guide in advance or plan the trip yourself.
Oh what a shame- I did Pompeii independently while on a cruise and also felt I didn’t get the most from it, simply because I didn’t have a guide to tell us the stories. I remember it being very hot and feeling quite short tempered on the train (there was some issue docking in Sorrento which left me all stressed about delays) so quite glad this was before my daughter! I’d love to go back when she’s older and maybe take longer and a private guide to really appreciate it. #mondayescapes
Cathy (Mummytravels) recently posted…Family Day Out: Albert Dock, Liverpool
It was so hot, so I think that didn’t put us in the best of moods either. It just shows that sometimes sightseeing doesn’t go to plan whichever way you do it.
This is my worry with guided tours – loosing the guide. Places can be so busy that with kids in tow it is tough to keep up.
Sam – Travelling With Our Kids recently posted…Travel Memories #29 – France 2015 (Alps)
It was certainly very busy at Pompeii. I wasn’t prepared for that.
What a shame you had a bad guide and a rushed experience. I have found guided tours can be superb and they can be terrible, it’s so dependent on who you get leading your group. The best guides tell the stories and make it easy for you to follow them around the site. I’ve never been to Pompeii, but it’s definitely on my list. I hope you get to go back someday and enjoy it properly.
Zoe at Splodz Blogz recently posted…The Trail Ridge Road over the Rockies
I think we were unlucky. We went on another tour a couple of days later an out guide was excellent
I’ve always fancied seeing this too but maybe I’ll leave it until the kids are older. I’d never see a thing chasing Ronnie around!