Useful guide on what should not be done

Resting in the shadow of the disturbing Mount Vesuvius just outside Naples, you find the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculanum. Visiting Pompeii with children is like taking a step back in time, when photos and words on a page jump textbooks and come to life before your eyes.

Unlike the Roman Ruin Forum or the looted colossus, Pompeii was preserved intact almost 2000 years ago covered with volcanic ash after Vesuvius broke out in 79 AD, allowing us to see what an old Roman city really looked like.

In the south of Italy, you must absolutely take advantage of the opportunity to see an old city as well preserved. However, there are things you need to know before leaving. After visiting twice, here are a few things that we have learned about how not to be Pompeii, especially when you visit Pompeii with trailer children!

Visit Pompeii Italy with children: what not to do

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Do not find a guide to the door (and certainly not outside the door)

If you want a private guide from Pompeii, it is best to organize it in advance. If you are waiting for your arrival and try to find a guide under license at the door, you really don’t know what you are going to get. Since we had a decent experience years ago, we followed this road and unfortunately, the only guy around was someone who caused me concern from the start, but after sharing another couple with us, we thought it was better than nothing.

I was wrong. Next time, I would organize a private visit in advance. In Italy, I had excellent experiences with livtours (which offers a Pompeii family visit) And Italy For private visits or in small groups.

While our guide highlighted some interesting facts, such as Pompeii had in fact been covered by ashes and rocks a few times before the more infamous explosion of Vesuvius (some people never learn?), His knowledge was quite rare.

He liked to emphasize (again and again) how the sewer system worked, which was an excellent engineering feat. But when I asked questions about how murals were kept with intact colors, I got answers like “they are good in their work”. Whoa, what a different experience of the incredible tourist guides that we had of ancient Rome and the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Pantheon, who were all graduates of art history with a richness of knowledge (and great personalities.)

Avoid brothels

It is not only a broad declaration of life, it is specific to Pompeii. The brothels are a great attraction on the tours. I remembered very detailed graffiti of our visit without children, which I was not too eager to explain to my 10 year old child, so I intelligently asked for our guide if we could skip this site.

He forced, but then preceded to highlight the graphic panels that mark the path, if we want to explore by ourselves. What did I say about the choice of a good guide? Needless to say, this has raised a few questions.

Do not go at midday

There is very little shadow in Pompeii and the sun reflecting all this stone can be brutal by a hot day. Your best bet is to go early in the morning or late afternoon.

Of course, if you travel out of Rome, it’s a two -hour and a half journey, so avoiding the middle of the morning can be difficult unless you stop in Naples. Whenever you go, make sure you bring a lot of water, because there are not many installations in the archaeological site and wear a hat and a sunscreen.

Don’t think you’re going to see everything

Pompeii was a big city and if you go up high, you will see that so many things are still not incredible. Especially if you travel with children, you will not see everything.

Try to choose a few main sites, like some of the rich merchant houses, public baths, plaster throws, forum and amphitheater. I would suggest mapping a route in advance. If you are not engaged in Pompeii, you can rather visit Herculanum, which is smaller, has more shade and is well preserved, you simply will not have the feeling of a greater city.

Think about where you’re going to have lunch

When we left the Scavi (or the archaeological site), we were hot, tired and hungry. So we did what each tourist should not do and we went to a nearby restaurant. We knew enough to avoid small snack bars just outside the door and we thought that we made a major discovery at Bacco E Arianna at the top of the hill.

While the dining room was charming and shaded, and the food was delicious, these guys are excellent marketing specialists. We met the owner and he convinced us to try fresh fish from his son’s boat … and that we would each need our own order (it was after a very generous selection of antipasto, which would have been sufficient.)

We forgot to ask for the price of the fish market, so we made a double take when the bill came. Not only was it one of our most expensive meals in Italy, but it also only took money. The food was great but it came at a high price. Especially since we used all our money to pay the bill, leaving us short and unable to hire a doorman when we arrived in Positano. This meant that we had to transport our bags and leftover fish (because at this price, we emmed it with us), down 100 steps to our apartment rental.

Do not wear flip flops

In fact, we understood correctly, but only because we had experience. The ruins of Pompeii are dry and dusty and you will walk in the unequal cobbled streets. I highly recommend shoes with closed ends or at least a good robust walking sandal.

You can also read the Complete guide to visit Pompeii here.

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