At City Wonders we’re dedicated to creating world-class experiences for our guests. That’s why we were super excited when our Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica tour was selected as the world’s favorite tour on TripAdvisor, in June. And that was just the beginning of this year’s accolades…
This November, we’re delighted to announce that our Pompeii and Vesuvius day trip from Rome has been selected as winner of the GetYourGuide Fan Choice Award. Based on the opinions of thousands of guests, this accolade recognizes the tours and attractions travelers simply can’t get enough of.
We strive to create the best-in-class tour experiences for our customers. From scheduling top-rated guides to curating the perfect itinerary, let’s take a look at this award-winning tour and what exactly makes it so outstanding.
Climbing Mt. Vesuvius
1. What Makes this Tour Unique?
Unlike most tours of Pompeii from Rome, this Pompeii and Vesuvius day trip takes guests to explore the ruined city of Pompeii and the beast that destroyed it in the same day. With our specially curated itinerary you can experience the daily life and ultimate destruction of Pompeii, on a round-trip from Rome.
You’ll travel from Rome to Pompeii in an air-conditioned private coach. In the company of your expert tour coordinator, you’ll be entertained and educated as your driver navigates the dramatic terrain of southwest Italy. When you arrive at this UNESCO protected archeological site, you’ll be whisked straight passed the long lines of tourists and straight through our no-wait entry access.
An official Pompeii guide will take you through this once bustling maritime metropolis on your guided tour of Pompeii. Their expert knowledge will help bring these fascinating ruins back to life before your eyes. From the laundromat to the fast-food takeaways, known as thermopolia, you’ll be blown away by the sophistication of this ancient civilization.
Talking about food, your tour of Pompeii will be followed by a mouth-watering Neapolitan pizza lunch, because no trip to the Naples region is complete without a slice of the good stuff. Whether you opt for the margherita or the marinara, this delicious treat tastes even better after time traveling back from 79 A.D. Just like the ruined city of Pompeii, this pizza is protected by UNESCO so, indulge the Neapolitan culture bite by bite!
When you’ve had your fill of pizza, you’ll board the bus again as you embark to the foot of the menacing mound of Vesuvius. Vesuvius is the most dangerous volcano on mainland Europe today and those brave enough will get the chance to conquer it on this award-winning tour. After just a half-mile hike you’ll arrive at the beast’s crater. On some days you can even see it smoking! With Europe’s deadliest volcano to your left and stunning scenes of the Bay of Naples to your right, this tour promises to be a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.
2. Highlights of the Tour
Stabian Baths of Pompeii
So now we’ve given you an overview of this award-winning experience, let’s take a look at some of the incredible sights awaiting you on your Pompeii tour. You could return to Pompeii time and time again and still find new sights to explore, but these are a few of our favorites:
1. The Thermal Spa of Pompeii
Public baths were popular meeting places for the citizens of Pompeii. Today we consider bathing a very intimate and private activity but bathing during the Ancient Roman times was actually a very social pastime. Although a small minority of wealthy Romans could afford to have their own baths at their home, most people opted to bathe in the public baths. The well-preserved Terme Stabiane or Stabian Baths of Pompeii are a perfect example of a typical 2nd Century bathing complex. This bathing complex is highly sophisticated. Bathers would begin their cleanse in the apodyterium. The walls of this vaulted chamber are lined with benches and lockers and it was used as a changing room. After undressing, bathers would submerge themselves into the complex’s frigidarium pool. You might have guessed from the name that this was a cold-water pool. The chill of the frigidarium was followed by a more temperate experience at the tepidarium. Finally, bathers would complete their cleansing process in the heat of the caldarium, a hot water pool. The thermal baths are one the city of Pompeii’s best-preserved buildings and definitely a highlight on your day trip to Pompeii and Vesuvius from Rome.
2. The Garden of Fugitives
Equally as fascinating, although a lot more somber, is the Garden of Fugitives. Displaying the casts of thirteen victims, of the 79 A.D. Vesuvius blast, this sight is not for the faint-hearted. Among the victims are the casts of small children, a sobering reminder of the horror and devastation that destroyed this ancient civilization millennia ago.
3. The School of Gladiators
Without a doubt one of the most iconic sights you’ll visit on your tour of Pompeii from Rome is the ruined city’s gladiator school. This ancient school reopened its doors to tourists in January 2019 and has quickly become one of the most popular areas in the city. Once a training ground for Pompeii’s most fearless fighters, this site was closed in 2010 as it became to crumble under the weight of time.
These are just some of the reasons our guests love this tour so much. From time-traveling back to 79 A.D. to climbing mainland Europe’s most menacing volcano, with a pizza thrown in for good measure! This experience has all the ingredients to make the prefect tour.
Find out more about this award-wining tour, or experience it for yourself here.
