The trip started late because everyone met via Roma 32 and then left from a large square nearby. The driver was very nice. The guide just gave us the tickets and told us when the bus would leave again. We found the trip too expensive for that. The toilet upstairs was difficult to find and then it was full so we had to leave without using the toilet! The return journey was very punctual! It's very strenuous and steep going up Vesuvius... If you're not trained you need a lot of time and then you hardly have time to look. As athletes we needed 35'! Going down is at least as strenuous as it is slippery downhill (due to scree) (25') So not for those with “leg problems”! Our guide from the national park tried to explain everything to us in German. He sat down on a stone and we stood for 20 minutes! It was a very beautiful and impressive experience to see the volcano and enjoy the view, even if only for a short time!

The tour made it easy to get up to Vesuvius. It did feel a little rushed to get back to the coach on time (the transfer was around 45 min each way and we had 1.5 hours to hike up and around the crater to get back to the bus). We had to wait 15 min for the volcanologist talk in English (plus 20 min for her talk - which was definitely worth it) but then meant we had to rush going around the crater a bit. We got to Pompeii earlier than our time slot and they got us on the earlier tour bus (since they still had some space) which was great.

The driver was not very nice, as mute as a carp. the time given to climb to the top and come back down to the bus is very short, I think that people who are not used to climbing 1km won't be able to do it! Are you talking about a guide? non-existent........so very expensive for the service offered.