Mount Vesuvius Hike with Kids – Our Experience + Tips from a Mom in Italy

Mount Vesuvius is one of the most imposing sites in Italy and if your kids have read about Pompeii, they’re probably itching to walk on Mount Vesuvius – an active volcano!

Vesuvius, just 9 kilometers from Naples, sits at about 1300 meters at its highest point.  It’s most famous for its eruption in 79 AD that covered the city of Pompeii with volcanic ash, ‘hiding’ it for centuries.

I recently had the chance to visit Vesuvius with my 6-year-old son.  I’ve been up Mount Vesuvius before, but this was my first time with one of my children.

I’m a mamma of three living in Italy (for over two decades) and we do quite a bit of traveling around the country at all times of the year.  We love hiking together, from Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites to Mt. Etna in Sicily… and everywhere in between!

Here is our guide plus our tips for visiting Mt. Vesuvius with kids – from when to go to what to pack.  Please note that there are many ways to visit Mt. Vesuvius, but my guide is focused on the best way to visit with kids. 

Enjoy the climb and the views, and be sure to stop for a pizza after the hike!

Fact:  Mt. Vesuvius is known as Vesuvio [veh-SOO-vee-oh] in Italian.

Read about our Day Trip to Mt. Vesuvius & Pompeii with Kids

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First, make sure this is a good activity for you and your kids:

• Are your kids good listeners?  The crater and walls of the volcano are steep.
• Can your children climb uphill?  The first part of the hike is a fairly steep incline.  If your kids protest uphills and you don’t want to carry them, skip this hike.
• Do you have proper footwear?   You’ll want to wear comfortable, close-toe shoes with decent tread.
• Will you be in the area?  I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to climb Vesuvius with kids, but it works well if you’re already going to be in southern Italy.
• Can you make concrete plans?  You need to buy your tickets in advance.  You can’t show up at the Vesuvius National Park entrance and walk in (more on that below).
• Do you have enough time?  We spent an hour climbing up and down, including stops.  This would’ve taken me a bit longer with my 3-year-old, or if we’d sat down at a snack bar for a while.

We enjoyed visiting Mt. Vesuvius with a group because mamma didn’t have to worry about any logistics.  And, most group tours still have you walk up on your own.  This is important with kids because you can go at your own pace.

You’ll also usually find free official guides giving talks at the crater.  We listened a bit to one of them but they’re best for older kids, teens, or adults.  My 6-year-old wasn’t patient and wanted to look around (it also helped that we’d already read about and watched videos on Mt. Vesuvius before we arrived).

Guided groups organize logistics, tickets, and timing.  You may or may not have a guide walk with you – check the details of your particular tour.  I prefer not having a guide on this hike because it’s a straightforward trail and you can walk at your own pace.  And let’s be real – kids would rather look at the volcanic rocks, chase lizards, and check out the crater rather than listen to a guide.

It’s best to avoid hiking on Mt. Vesuvius with kids in peak summer months* because it’s hot and there’s no shade.  You can’t even try to beat the heat by walking the trail early in the morning, as the park opens at 9:00am.

If possible, avoid climbing up in cloudy weather or thick fog, as you won’t be able to see much.  You can see our photos throughout this article, and you can contrast it to this cloudy/windy experience – not worth it, especially with kids.

*July and August (and even June and early September)

The Gran Cono hike is paid entry. 

You MUST purchase your tickets in advance.*

If you’re visiting on your own, you need to purchase your tickets from the official website before you arrive.  You can purchase your tickets up to 30 days before your visit.

If you’re visiting as part of a group tour (like GetYourGuide), your organizer will purchase your tickets for you. 

*See the official website for info on last-minute tickets, which aren’t a convenient way to visit with kids.

For a family visit to Vesuvius, the recommended ways to arrive are by your own vehicle, with a private driver, or as part of a tour.

1. Drive your own car.  You’ll need to park in this paid lot on the road below the entrance.  It’s about a 1.8 kilometer walk (just over a mile) to the entrance to the park.  The walk is on the road, and you will be passed in both directions by taxis and a shuttle bus.  You can pay a small fee to catch the shuttle bus (3€ per person on our visit). 

Alternatively, you could hire a private driver (NCC – noleggio con conducente).

Check out my guides to
Driving in Italy
Parking in Italy
Car Seats in Italy

2. Go with a tour group.  I’m usually all about driving on my own for the flexibility it allows, but visiting Vesuvius with kids is just easy with a tour group.  Meet the group in Naples (or for us, in Rome), hop on the bus, and relax while the guide does all of the work.  The bus also gets to drive up to the park entrance (vs. parking in the lot and walking or shuttling up).  Of course, this is the pricier option, so keep that in mind. 

You’ll get your tickets checked as you enter the park. 

The first part of the trail is a wide path with a few hairpin turns.  Once at the crater it narrows and feels more like a trail. 

The terrain is slippery, especially on the hill up to and down from the crater.  We saw multiple people slide or fall down.  Most were hurrying, so take your time.

There are railings but they’re not fences that will keep kids from passing through or falling onto the other side.  Some are also made of rope, but they’re not easy to grip.  Keep a close eye/hand on toddlers or older kids who love to run off.

It’s an out-and-back hike, which is great with kids because you can turn around and head down when you’ve had enough. 

1. ENTRANCE to FIRST VIEW OF CRATER – You’ll pass a souvenir ‘cabin’ and then you’ll be able to walk up to the fence and peer down into the crater.  This is about 900 meters and you’ll climb 140 meters in that distance. 
2. CONTINUING ALONG THE CRATER – You can walk along the edge of the crater until you get to a café, and at that point you head back the way you came.  This part of the hike is much more gentle elevation wise, with a few ups and downs.  This section is about 700 meters and you’ll climb about 30-40 meters in that distance.
3. HEAD BACK THE WAY YOU CAME – Be careful on the climb down as it’s steep and can be slippery!

Have your kids look for:

• Naples
• Lizards
• Butterflies
• Wildflowers
• Lava
• The road you drove up to get to the park

We were on a group visit, but we didn’t hike up and down together.  Here’s the timing of our hike (me and my 6-year-old):

11:10am – Got off the bus at the park entrance and started our walk up.

11:25am – Arrived at the first viewpoint of the crater (Step #1 above).

11:45am – Arrived at the 2^nd snack bar and decided to turn around (instead of continuing to walk the additional 500 meters along the crater).

12:10pm – Arrived back at the entrance.

Of course, if you’re not with a group, you can spend as much time as you want up at the top.  I found that an hour was plenty of time for me and my son. 

You don’t need to wear hiking boots or technical gear, but it helps to be prepared with:

• Appropriate shoes – While you don’t need hiking boots, it’s important to have your kids wear comfortable sneakers with decent tread.  Avoid  flip flops or open-toe shoes.  The gravel and pebbles will get inside and you’ll never make it to the top (because you’ll spend all of your time hunched over cleaning out your kids’ shoes).  If possible, avoid light-colored fabric shoes because the dust will quickly turn them brown. 
• Sunscreen
• Hat and/or sunglasses
• Water – If needed, you can also purchase water at the bar at the entrance or at the cafés along the crater.
• Breathable clothing – Even if you’re visiting on a chilly day, it’s likely you’ll sweat on the climb up. 
• Light Jacket or Fleece.  In winter, early spring, and late fall, it can be cool at the crater.  We were told to bring light jackets in April, but it ended up being a very warm day and we didn’t need them.
• Snacks – There are also snacks for sale in the park, but I was happy to have healthy snacks like fruit and trail mix.
• Camera
• Backpack – You’ll want to have your hands free.
• Baby wipes or tissues – Helpful for spills or bathroom breaks.

Read my tips for Kids Shoes for Italy

Learn a bit about Mount Vesuvius before your visit!  Read books, watch YouTube videos, make vinegar and baking soda volcanoes.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Volcanoes! National Geographic Kids (Anne Schreiber)
• Vacation Under the Volcano (Mary Pope Osborne)
• History for Kids: Vesuvius (Dinobibi Publishing)
• Video: Volcanoes for Kids (Learn Bright)
• Video for older kids: The Vesuvius Eruption May Have Been a Gradual Process (Smithsonian Channel)
• National Geographic Ultimate Volcano Kit

Helpful Tip:  If your kids are prone to nightmares or may feel anxious about being on the volcano, it might actually be better not to read or watch videos before you visit.  No matter what, be sure to watch videos before you show them to your kids, as some created for kids are quite frightening.

Make your Mt. Vesuvius climb your activity for the day (unless you’re on a group tour, in which case you don’t have to do any of the logistical work).  While many adults do so, combining Vesuvius with Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast makes for a really exhausting day for kids… and their parents.

Give a safety talk.  Remind your kids about the steep edges on the way up and at the crater.  Also talk about the fences/safety barriers and the importance of not crossing them (even to pick up a really cool rock).

Use the toilet before you arrive.  There are no consistent toilet facilities (occasionally there is access to one small and not well-maintained toilet at the main bar at the entrance).  As a parent, this really sucks.  I recommend using a toilet in Torre del Greco before you drive up to the park entrance.

Protect yourself from the sun.  There’s no shade (except for a little bit at the snack bars), so make sure you’ve got hats and sunscreen!

Don’t bring your stroller.  There is no way you would be able to (or want to) push it up the gravel path.  Also, don’t plan on using it from the car parking lot to the entrance – there’s no secure place to leave it while you hike up to the crater.

Take breaks on the walk up.  Pause to look at the view, find a lizard, or look at the lava.  There’s plenty of space on the trail to scoot to the edge and take a pause.  You won’t be holding anyone up.

Skip the ‘volcanic’ souvenirs. Take a close look at the nice paint job on the ‘volcanic’ rocks and items.  Also, skip the stand with soccer jerseys unless you’re a fan of Jutentus (vs. Juventus) or Ronalddo (vs. Ronaldo). 

Point things out on the way up.  See if your kids can locate hikers as you drive up toward the park.  Point out the vineyards and tomatoes growing on the fertile soil of the lower slopes of the volcano.  Look at the sculptures on the road on the way into the park.

Stop for pizza on the way down.  Don’t miss your chance to have some of Italy’s best pizza.  This area is a prime spot for it!  We had lunch at a restaurant that tour buses stop at.  The pizza got a two-thumbs-up from my Italian child.

If you’re in the area for a while, consider visiting one or more of these places with your family:

• Pompeii – Join a Pompeii tour or visit on your own.  Read my guide to Pompeii with Kids
• Herculaneum – A UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with Pompeii and Torre Annunziata)
• Sorrento
• Amalfi Coast
• Naples

I hope this info helps you have a fun and stress-free visit to Mt Vesuvius with your kids!

You may also want to check out
Basic Italian Phrases for Kids
Kids Packing List for Italy
Best Places to Visit in Italy with Kids
Things to Do in Italy with Kids
Spring Break in Italy with Kids