Ten tips for family travel to Pompeii

The eldest and I were lucky enough to visit Pompeii during the Easter holidays as guests of The Adventure Travel Company on their family tour of the Bay of Naples. Here are our tips to help you make the most of your visit to the ancient ruins with kids.

One
To find out about Pompeii before your trip, go to the British Museum’s wonderful Life and Death in Pompeii & Herculaneum exhibition which runs until September.

Two
Ancient Pompeii was a city of 20,000 people – it’s big, and you’ll probably be in there for a while.

Three
Take your kids’ European passports with you and they’ll get in for free.

Four
Take in a picnic and plenty to drink as you can’t go in and out without buying another ticket. We got our tour bus to stop at the Carrefour supermarket near the ruins and stocked up on supplies.

Five
Take sun hats and sunscreen.

Six
Be prepared to get dusty.

Seven
Either take an English guided tour or do some research and plan your own route before you go. I can definitely recommend our guide, Alfredo, who was booked by Davide, our fab Adventure Travel local tour leader. We also used the DK Naples & the Amalfi Coast guidebook, which was helpful.

Eight
The Teatro Grande is a good picnic spot.

Nine
Toilets are few and far between.

Ten
Finally, when you get to the brothel with the erotic menu of sexual positions painted on the wall, don’t ask your teenager to take a 360 degree panoramic photo of it. Just don’t.

The family travel lowdown: We travelled as guests of The Adventure Company (0845 450 5316; www.adventurecompany.co.uk) on their 8-day ‘Around the Bay of Naples’ family trip. This costs from £1,039 per adult and £987 per child including flights, hotel accommodation, transfers, some meals, excursions and the services of a local tour leader.