while in naples we are doing a private tour and we want to see as much as possible.surrouding towns..etc...so a brief visit to see the ruins of Pompeii..obviously I have not researched this...

but if you just want an idea or a taste of this site, how much time would you spend....what would you see and what would it cost for admission...

The last time we were in Pompeii (2 years ago) I believe the admission was 11 Euros. This does not include any type of tour. Its possible to rent an audio tour or join an English speaking tour at the entrance, but this adds to the cost (about 10 Euros per person for a tour). As to how much time, you probably should plan on about 1 1/2 - 2 hours total. That being said, we have been there 3 times and keep discovering new parts of the ruins we had previously missed. The site is extensive. As to what you see, well, you see ruins. Lots and lots of ruins. Or course some of the ruined buildings are more interesting than others with the so-called porno house being a highlight (the drawings on the walls are obscene). Keep in mind that Pompeii requires a lot of walking over uneven surfaces.

Hank

if we just wish to pass by...just see the outside...to say we have been here...is it worthwhile going at all?

The outside of Pompeii is beautiful but because the way the city has been excavated, you will see very little of the interior city without entering the site.
This is a picture that I took last June of the outside.

thank you so much..it will depend then on the time we have...if there is only a half an hour, then the outside is all we will do..makes no sense to pay for admission and only spend 30 min inside...but all say that this is NOT to be missed....

we are doing quite a bit that day...naples, Ravello, Amalfi coast, Positano, Sorento, an olive grove farm..markets and shopping...so something has to be left out..any advice?

Hi, Amanda,
look here
for some details of Pompeji. THis is the official homepage.

For more informations about Napoli and the surrounding please click here

are only available in german language. But it is quite easy to understand.

We have been in Pompeji Scavi (that is the train station of the Circumvesuviana line) for about three hors. And we had seen only few. But, as Hank said, there are only ruins....
We preferred to go to Ercolano (Herculaneum)the next day. In Ercolano you will find much more about the culture.

Regards
Uwe

Sorry, but this details

thank you so much for the information...we will see how much time we have at the end of our time in naples and the other small towns we are visiting..if there is an hour and a half..we will pay admission and go into Pompeii...if not then we will just see the outside...

I guess it depends on the person, but we really found it intriguing. I'm sure we were there for at least 4 hours. We took a lot of photos and explored the entire area. It was fasinating. I'm sure you could do it faster but the way we felt was that why not take our time as it was our first time there and the photos were incredible