25 Jul 2023
Since we were looking for a customized 1/2 day itinerary, this trip was a great choice for us. Given the temperatures in July, we decided to skip Pompeii and just concentrate on Mount Vesuvius. We were promptly picked up by Vittorio at Naples Central train station at 7:30 am. Per the instructions from the company, we had already purchased the entrance tickets to Mt Vesuvius for an entry time of 9 am. We completed our hike and headed back to Naples at 10:30 and reached Naples at 11:15 am. It was actually the best decision to skip Pompeii since we could enjoy one activity- Mt Vesuvius. Vittorio was wonderful- he clearly accommodated our needs. While he had to park down the hill, he anticipated our return time from the hike and met us closer to the entrance with a “cool” car with full A/C blast! After a 1.5 hours of round trip hike, that felt like heaven!
I have taken out 1 star for the following reasons:
1. Incorrect description: In my opinion, it’s almost impossible to to cover both Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii in 4 hours. Round trip to Naples it self takes 1.5 hours. If you add 1.5 hours at Mt Vesuvius, 30 mins of transfer to Pompeii and 2 hours at Pompeii, the total time needed is at least 5.5 to 6 hours.
2. The title of this service should be “transfer” instead of “tour”, to avoid confusion and misinterpretation about the driver being the tour guide.
3. One week before the trip, we changed our arrival time and messaged the operator via Trip Advisor messaging service. However, they didn’t reply for almost 3 days. Finally, I had to get hold of Viator customer service two times so that they could follow up. On the second attempt, I finally got the response and everything was ok from that point.
Overall, I’d definitely pick this company for private transfer in the Naples area. However, I do have to agree that they are a bit expensive.