If you like Pompeii and have time, definitely go to Herculaneum. It’s smaller in scale but better preserved. You can get the same type of guide on GetYourGuide or Viator.

Consider Herculaneum. I haven’t been, but learned about it in an art history class and have heard from people I mentioned to that they liked it better than Pompeii.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all! This is so helpful. (This is OP.) Is get your guide the group that you sign up with when you arrive at the site? I think there are guides there, permitted to operate at the site, who aren’t booked in advance but I don’t know if that’s dicey to count on. We’ll be going on a Monday in March but I figure it could still be crowded.

No get your guide is an app as is Viator. They are both similar and you book ahead. Viator is owned by Trip Advisor.

Book ahead. The guide can also help time your entry so that you avoid crowds.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all! This is so helpful. (This is OP.) Is get your guide the group that you sign up with when you arrive at the site? I think there are guides there, permitted to operate at the site, who aren’t booked in advance but I don’t know if that’s dicey to count on. We’ll be going on a Monday in March but I figure it could still be crowded.

Book ahead of time. Don’t roll the dice with whoever is there when you arrive.

Thanks all! This is so helpful. (This is OP.) Is get your guide the group that you sign up with when you arrive at the site? I think there are guides there, permitted to operate at the site, who aren’t booked in advance but I don’t know if that’s dicey to count on. We’ll be going on a Monday in March but I figure it could still be crowded.

Definitely book a tour. We went through Viator. Either that or get your guide and look at the ratings. We did this one and it was very good. We wished we had booked a longer one though.

Explore Pompeii with an Archaeologist
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.9/5 (391 Reviews)
From $52.36
https://www.viator.com/search/23258P140?mcid=64243

Book a tour! We booked a fabulous one (in advance) and it made Pompeii come alive (our tour guy was so engaging and was able to teach us so much). Others who were touring at the same time with a tour book in hand took the time to comment on how smart we were to book a tour. If you are traveling with children…it will make a huge difference! Our kids were in elementary school when we went to Pompeii and the guide really made it interesting g for them. https://toursofpompeii.com/

Agree. Get a private guide. We loved visiting Pompeii. Fascinating and a great guide can steer you around the crowds and provide great insights.

Get a private guide, GetYourGuide is just fine. Only licensed tour guides, many of whom are archaeologists or art historians, are allowed to guide people in the sites. They do a fantastic job and it makes it much more enjoyable and impressive. Pompeii can really be a maze and it’s helpful to have people who know where to go. It is not well marked with signage.

If you are at all fluent, go by yourself not with a hokey tour.
If you speak Spanish at least you will do ok with Italian. I just rented a small car when visited Italy and spent a week driving to different areas, took a couple ferries and use a bicycle a few times.

We all loved it! So interesting! agree with advice to do a tour and budget time also for wandering

Sorry just saw you are going during Spring Break. The weather should be nicer then.

Yes, definitely. Even the tours off of GetYourGuide are archaeologists who are very educated. There’s no way to just know things from looking at bricks from 2000 years ago. I would do at least a 2 hour tour and then save time for walking around at your own pace. In the summer there is very little shade and the sun can be brutal so plan accordingly.

We are going to be in Pompeii over Spring Break and are unsure if it’s worth it to pay for a tour, and if so if we should book in advance. Does anyone have insights? Thanks very much!