Tours
Mount Vesuvius
A crater 580 metres across at 1,175 m, and the whole bay from up there. The last stretch is on foot, about twenty minutes uphill.
The crater of Vesuvius from above, the path running along its rim and the Bay of Naples beyond.
- From Naples
- 50min
- Visit
- about two hours
- Pairs with
- Pompeii, Herculaneum
Vesuvius is not one cone. The Gran Cono you climb today grew inside the caldera of an older volcano, Monte Somma, which still curves round it to the north and reaches 1,132 metres at Punta Nasone. Between the two lies the hollow called Valle del Gigante.
The last eruption was in March 1944 and put out twenty-one million cubic metres of lava; its traces run from the Valle dell’Inferno down towards San Sebastiano al Vesuvio. The crater as it stands is elliptical, 580 metres across at its widest, and you end up looking straight into it from the rim.
Photo: The Dronaut · CC BY-SA 4.0
What you see
Path no. 5
The Gran Cono is the park’s Path no. 5: it starts from the 1,000-metre plaza, tops out at 1,175, runs about four kilometres there and back and climbs a hundred and seventy-five metres. Underfoot it is ash, lapilli and 1944 lava.
The Valle del Gigante
The hollow between Monte Somma and the Gran Cono is part of the old caldera, and splits in two: Atrio del Cavallo to the west, Valle dell’Inferno to the east. This is the landscape that explains the mountain’s double profile as seen from Naples.
Who walks you up
Above 1,000 metres groups do not walk up alone: the park assigns them to the Presidio Permanente Vulcano Vesuvio, for safety reasons. The high route around the summit, on the northern and eastern flanks of the cone, stays closed.
Photo: Simona.cerrato · CC BY 3.0
Getting there with us
- The path starts from the 1,000-metre plaza in the municipality of Ercolano, at the end of the Ercolano–Vesuvio provincial road. The car climbs that whole road; the last stretch to the crater is on foot.
- Parking inside the park’s own plaza is not allowed: the lay-bys along the provincial road are run by the Comune di Ercolano, and that is where we wait for you.
- Access to the crater runs from the Ercolano side. The Ottaviano gate, at 1,050 metres, has been announced as still being brought into service.
Worth knowing
- Entry is sold online only, and in advance: the park’s ticket office is web-only and you cannot pay at the gate. Slots are timed, capped at sixty people every ten minutes.
- You climb on ash and lapilli, uphill the whole way, with nothing to shelter under: closed shoes with a sole that grips, a hat, and water.
- The path closes when the weather says so. In January 2026 it was shut for snow and ice on the Via Osservatorio and reopened on the 11th, so check the park’s site the day before.
- If you want a guided visit, book it directly with a licensed tourist guide. We take care of the driving.
On the same day
Pompeiifrom Naples 40minA Roman city of 66 hectares, some 50 excavated: forum, painted houses, an amphitheatre from 70 BC. Open air, on ancient paving.
Herculaneumfrom Naples 25minFour and a half hectares of Roman town under the modern one: upper floors still standing, charred wood, the ancient beach with its boat sheds.