If traveling from Naples take the Pompei Ovest exit from the A3 motorway (Pompeii is beside this exit). From Salerno, take the first Pompei exit.

The major sites are served by the Circumvesuviana railway (081 772 2444, www.vesuviana.it). If you're travelling from Naples to Pompeii, take the Naples–Sorrento line and get off at Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri. The other Pompei station lies on a different line and is closer to the amphitheatre entrance.

Boscoreale (Boscoreale station) requires a considerable amount of legwork and is very poorly signposted; for Stabiae (Via Nocera station, Castellammare), you need to take bus 1 Rosso from near the station.

Run by ANM (www.anm.it), Circumvesuviana runs frequent services from Porto Immacolatella in Naples to Pompei.

Vesuvio Express (phone: 081 739 3666, www.vesuvioexpress.it) runs a minibus to the car park on Vesuvius from the Ercolano Circumvesuviana station (9am-close of Vesuvius, €10 return).

Alternatively, a local Trasporti Vesuvian bus (phone: 081 963 4420, phone: 081 963 4418) starts from Piazza Anfiteatro in Pompei, stops at Piazza Esedra near the motorway toll booth and at Ercolano train station, then winds its way to the top (€8.60 return from Pompei). Check return times, and say if you need to stop at the Museo dell'Osservatorio.