Do you want to spend your vacation in Campania and plan to visit the crater of Vesuvius? But you don’t know the best time to visit it or how to get there? Then you have come to the right place.
Here in our guide you will find all the information for your visit to Vesuvius.
Tickets, parking, how to get there. But not only that, we will also tell you the favorable time to book your excursion to the crater.
In addition to lots of valuable information, we also want to give you lots of good advice so that you can make your visit stress-free and with total peace of mind.
But let’s start with a little history… Vesuvius is one of the most dangerous and studied active, dormant volcanoes in the world. The last eruption of Vesuvius was in 1944 and was filmed by the Anglo-American army occupying Naples at the time during World War II. This eruption destroyed Massa di Somma and San Sebastiano and completely covered neighboring towns with ash.
A major eruption but not as devastating as the one in 79 A.D. that completely obliterated Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplonti and Stabia by covering them first under a thick blanket of ash, lapilli and then by pyroclastic flow.
This is among all the eruption that made history for this dangerous volcano. Dangerousness that depends not only on the explosive type eruptions referred to as Plinian, but also on the large population density that resides at the foot of the Volcano.
It is no coincidence that the eruption that struck Pompeii was of the Plinian type (because it was recounted by Pliny in a letter addressed to his friend Tacitus) and submerged not only houses and roads but also erased in an instant the lives of its inhabitants.
The best time to visit Vesuvius
First of all, you should know that the crater of Vesuvius is open all year round and is only closed in case of adverse weather conditions that prevent its ascent (snow, hail, or severe thunderstorms).
Nevertheless, there are some periods when it is more advisable to hike Mount Vesuvius than others.
We recommend, if you can, that you prefer the spring and early autumn periods. First of all, because of the high temperatures you can find during the summer period. In fact, in summer very often temperatures reach close to 35° and there are breezy days alternating with muggy days. So it is not at all pleasant to make a climb, even if not particularly steep, in the blazing sun without even having the possibility of shelter.
The best months, then, are from March until early June and from September until early November. But if you do not have the opportunity to be able to make your vacation during these periods, do not give up. There is no shortage of days during the year when you can get lucky and find sunny days with spring-like weather even during the winter period. So before you book your excursion if you don’t want to risk it check the weather forecast to avoid any nasty surprises.
Here in our guide you will also find all the information on how to get to Vesuvius, opening times and how to make tickets. Just click on the following link: HOURS AND TICKETS
But if you really want to enjoy the scenery and don’t want to stress between directions, transportation schedules, and booking tickets online, then we recommend booking a guided tour. You will have everything included, tickets, round-trip transportation. You won’t really have to think about anything, you’ll just have to sit back and be guided to the top of Vesuvius.
Useful tips for visiting the crater
Hiking Mount Vesuvius is a unique and unrepeatable experience, if you want to better organize your visit then follow our tips
- Wear tracking or non-slip shoes
- Wear a hat on hot, sunny days or a windbreaker jacket on breezier days
- For those who have difficulty on climbs, we recommend that you bring an umbrella or a tracking stick with which you can lean to aid your ascent.
- If you can go to the bathroom before you go up for your hike, unfortunately, very often it happens that the toilets on the crater are out of order
- Take a small bottle of water with you
- If you want to make your visit completely on your own, remember to reserve tickets online and parking before going up.
- Don’t forget your camera!
