Mount Vesuvius

It is active but has been dormant since 1944, and it is one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the world. The real risks for visitors are heat, wind and loose ground. Alert level on 21 September 2026: green.

About 4 km (2.5 miles) there and back, with roughly 175 m (575 ft) of climbing. The park allows up to two and a half hours for the whole visit.

From Pompeii, EAV bus 808 runs eleven times a day and takes 55 minutes to the entrance; from Ercolano Scavi station there is a private shuttle. The crater ticket is not included in either.

Sturdy shoes with a good tread. Even in summer it is windy and noticeably cooler at the top, and there is no shade: windbreaker, hat, sunscreen, water.

1,281 meters (4,203 ft). Visitors reach the crater rim at about 1,175 meters; the actual summit on the north and east side is permanently closed.

No. Without a time-slot ticket bought online in advance, the turnstile will not open. There is no ticket office on the mountain, only ten last-minute tickets per slot sold via the Wi-Fi at the entrance.

The standard ticket is exactly that: it includes only the mandatory safety escort by the park guides, not a booked guided tour. A guided tour is optional.

Yes. The crater trail is only accessible with a time-slot ticket bought online in advance; the only authorized seller is vesuviopark.vivaticket.it. The advance sale opens 30 days ahead, payment is by credit card, and the ticket costs €11.68 in advance (reduced €9.55).

There is no ticket office. For each 10-minute slot, 10 last-minute tickets are released 30 minutes beforehand; they can only be bought via the Wi-Fi at the entrance (€10, reduced €8, five per email address at most, issued in the buyer's name). In season you should not rely on them.

No, but you do not have to book one either. Above 1,000 m, an escort by the guides of the Presidio Permanente Vulcano Vesuvio is mandatory; they take visitors in groups of 20 and are included in the ticket price.

No. Private cars have to be left in the municipal parking areas at Quota 800, and the space is booked in advance on parkingsuvio.it (cars €7, max. 4 hours). A shuttle bus covers the last 200 m of elevation to the entrance in about 4 minutes; on foot it is roughly 30 minutes along the road.

The volcano is at alert level green, and there are no closures caused by the volcano. It closes when a weather warning of level orange or higher is in force, and in the event of snow, ice or landslides; the national park posts the current status at parconazionaledelvesuvio.it in the Alert section. Unused tickets are refunded automatically in the event of a closure.

Yes, the trail is short and technically easy, though steep. Children under 6 go free but need a free ticket booked online; the reduced price applies to anyone under 25.

Entry is daily from 9:00 am. Depending on the month, the last entry is between 3:00 pm (November to February) and 6:00 pm (July and August); in spring and September it is 5:00 pm. The trail has to be cleared one hour after the last entry.

For most people, yes – if you know what to expect: not a lava show, but a quiet crater about 300 m (1,000 ft) deep with a few fumaroles, and a wide view over the Bay of Naples. The physical effort is small (about half an hour on foot from 1,000 m); the organizing is not: without a time-slot ticket bought online in advance nobody gets through the turnstile, and private cars have to park at 800 m. In cloud or haze you see very little – in that case the time is better spent in Herculaneum or Pompeii.

No authority gives a percentage. Italy's Civil Protection Department lists Vesuvius at the lowest alert level, green; since its last eruption in 1944 it has been dormant with a closed conduit, and according to Civil Protection there are no signs of an imminent reawakening. The most likely future event is considered to be a violent Strombolian eruption (VEI 3); as a precaution, the emergency plan assumes a sub-Plinian eruption like that of 1631, while a Plinian eruption like the one in AD 79 is considered unlikely. What makes Vesuvius dangerous is above all the roughly 700,000 people living on its slopes – for day visitors, green means no restrictions caused by the volcano.

Etna is the more active one: Civil Protection has it at yellow, and it erupts almost every year, mostly with lava flows and lava fountains at uninhabited altitudes. Vesuvius nevertheless carries the greater risk, even though it has been dormant since 1944 and stands at green: its eruptions after long periods of rest are explosive, and around 700,000 people live on its slopes – which is why Civil Protection counts it among the highest-risk volcanoes in the world. For visitors: on Etna the authorities regularly close areas because of the volcano, on Vesuvius practically only because of the weather.

Mount Vesuvius stands on the Bay of Naples in Campania, southern Italy – according to Civil Protection less than 12 km (7.5 miles) southeast of Naples and about 10 km (6 miles) from Pompeii. Vesuvius National Park covers 13 municipalities; the visitor access to the crater (Quota 1000) is reached via Ercolano. The emergency plan's red zone comprises 25 municipalities.