Rome-Naples Train: Time, Fare and Pompeii Trip

Step 1: Pick a high-speed train from Rome to Naples

The best Rome-Naples train is a high-speed Frecciarossa or Italo, and either one takes about an hour. Trenitalia says its Frecciarossa trains take a little over 1 hour and run more than 100 times a day. It lists departures from Rome between 7:00 and 22:35. It lists departures from Naples between 5:09 and 20:30.

Italo is the second high-speed operator. Italo's own page says you can travel between Rome and Naples in 1 hour. It also gives 1 hour 13 minutes for the Naples to Rome trip on one of its trains. Its Rome to Naples page says the fastest train, a direct one, takes roughly 55 minutes.

Italo's Rome to Naples page gives the route as 222 km and, in its questions, the direct distance as 189 km. Plan with travel time, since that is what sets your day. The three train types differ in what they are for. Frecciarossa and Italo are the two high-speed options between the cities, and they compete on time, fare and departure hour. Regional trains are slower local services, and you need them only for stops such as Pompei. Both high-speed trains end at Napoli Centrale, the main station in Naples. Italo serves Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina in Rome, and Trenitalia's Pompeii page names Roma Termini. For the metro and buses in Rome, see our guide to getting around Rome.

Trenitalia warns that its Roma-Napoli offer changes at weekends and in some periods of the year. A banner on its pages also says the slower Rome-Naples line via Cassino is suspended between Maddaloni and Cancello from 21 October for repair works. The same banner says traffic on the high-speed network is regular. Check your date before you leave.

Step 2: Buy the ticket and check the fare

An Italo ticket from Rome to Naples shows a starting fare of €14.90. That is a "from" price, so the fare for your date and train can be higher. Trenitalia's page does not publish a fare, so open its booking tool for your day. Its menu names the fare levels Base, Economy and Super Economy, but the page gives no price for each.

Book early if your dates are fixed. We did not find an official page that says how far ahead the lowest fares open, so check the price for your own day.

Pro Tip Compare the same departure time on Trenitalia and on Italo before you pay. The fares are set by each company, so one can be cheaper at the hour you want.

If you want one fixed plan, a tour is a different kind of price. The Pompeii day trips we picked are from €68 per person and include the coach from Rome, so you pay once and skip the tickets for each leg.

Step 3: Go from Naples to Pompeii by train

The easiest Rome to Pompeii train runs on Sundays, because one Frecciarossa goes through without a change of station. Trenitalia's Pompei page lists Frecciarossa 9693 from Roma Termini at 8:53. It arrives in Napoli Centrale at 10:03, leaves at 10:13 and reaches Pompei at 10:40. The return, Frecciarossa 9568, leaves Pompei at 18:40 and reaches Roma Termini at 20:55.

On the other days of the week, the same page tells you to take a Frecciarossa to Napoli Centrale. Then you take a regional train from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi to Pompei. At Pompei, a red Pompei Link bus waits on the square and takes you to the park entrance in a few minutes. Trenitalia says that in summer there is also a Frecciarossa plus FrecciaLink option through Napoli Afragola.

The local line also works. EAV, the Campania regional rail company, runs the Naples to Sorrento line, and its timetable from 17 October 2026 has a train every 30 minutes. EAV's accessibility pages list a Pompei Villa dei Misteri station. We could not find an official page with the ride time or the fare, so check both on the EAV site. On a weekday no official page we found gives a total time from Rome to Pompei, so add the hour to Naples, the change and the regional ride, and check the timetable for your day.

Key Takeaway On a Sunday the direct Frecciarossa leaves Roma Termini at 8:53 and reaches Pompei at 10:40, and it is the only Rome to Pompeii train without a change of station. On other days, you change in Naples.

Step 4: Plan the Pompeii day around the park hours

A Pompeii day by train is a long day, and the park hours set its shape. The Pompeii Archaeological Park opens at 9:00 from 15 October to 15 March. The last entry is 15:30 and the park closes at 17:00. Tickets are personal, and the page sets a limit of 20,000 entries a day. From 16 March to 14 October the park opens at 9:00, the last entry is 17:30 and it closes at 19:00.

The Pompeii Express ticket for the ancient city costs €20. Entry is free on the first Sunday of each month, so it may be busier that day. On the Sunday train you reach Pompei at 10:40, which leaves you about six hours before closing. That time shrinks once you take the bus to the entrance and find your way in.

If that sounds too tight, a guided day trip from Rome removes the timetable. The Pompeii day trip with new excavation areas is run by City Wonders Ltd. It takes 9 hours and is from €68 per person, rated 4.3 from 36 reviews. It includes a local guide, the Pompeii ticket and return transport from Rome in an air-conditioned coach. It is not suitable for wheelchair users, as GetYourGuide lists it.

The Pompeii, Sorrento and Amalfi Coast day trip is run by Show Me Italy. It lasts 10 to 12 hours and is from €69 per person, rated 4.5 from 316 reviews. The price covers the Pompeii ticket and a free drink by the sea in Sorrento. You can read more about the coast in our Amalfi Coast day trip guide.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026.

Step 5: Decide between the train and a day tour

A day tour is the easier choice when you want a guide and a fixed return, and the train is the better choice when you want to move at your own pace. As a rule, take the train for Naples itself or a Sunday Pompeii visit, and book a tour for a weekday Pompeii day or when you also want the coast. Things to Do in Rome's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 5 day trips with Pompeii in the title, from €68. Our full guide to the day trip to Pompeii from Rome compares them.

The Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Positano day trip is run by City Wonders Ltd. It lasts 12 to 13 hours and is from €109 per person, rated 4.6 from 7,351 reviews. You get a guide, skip-the-line entry to Pompeii, a drive along the Amalfi Coast and free time in Positano. It meets in Piazza del Popolo, there is no hotel pickup, and it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments.

If your real goal is the Bay of Naples islands, the Capri day trip from Rome is run by Gray Line I Love Rome. It takes 15 hours and is from €174 per person, rated 4.5 from 372 reviews. The price covers the return bus from Rome to Naples and the ferry to Capri. There is no guide on the island, and food and tips are not included.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026.

A short train ride can still make a long day.

For more trips of this kind, see our list of day trips around Rome.

When the train is the wrong choice

The train is the wrong choice if you want a guide, because no train ticket includes one. It is also a poor choice for a weekday Pompeii day, since we found no official page with the ride time and fare for the local leg, and you must plan a change in Naples and a bus at the end. The tour is the wrong choice if you want a long day alone in the ruins, because the 9 hour trip includes the coach ride in both directions. Check the park hours and the Trenitalia notices for your date before you commit.