Guide to Visiting Pompeii
In modern day, Pompeii is mostly known for having been a flourishing Roman city that was buried in a single day by the eruption of the Vesuvius volcano on October 24, 79 A.D. In just over a day, the entire city was covered by an avalanche of ash and volcanic material that rose to an average height of about 24 feet.
After this catastrophic event, the Romans abandoned the area and Pompeii was completely forgotten about for almost 17 centuries. It was only rediscovered, totally accidentally, during work to create an irrigation canal.
From this moment, some of the most extensive archeological excavations in the world began, uncovering an incredibly preserved Roman city frozen in the midst of a normal day.
Nowadays, Pompeii is visited by nearly 5 million tourists a year who come to be transported back in time and get lost in the alleys and streets of this unique world wonder.
*For a private guided tour of Pompeii, our favorite guide is always Salerno-based Roberto Musio.
Where is Pompeii?
Pompeii is located in Campania, a region of southern Italy that lies south of Rome (and the region of Lazio) and north of Calabria.
The archeological site is about 30 minutes by car from both Naples and Salerno, and about 1 hour by car from Sorrento. It has 3 train stations and 2 motorway exits, making for easy access to the site by both car and public transport.
In recent years, with the rapid expansion of tourism in the region, especially to the nearby Amalfi Coast, even the modern city of Pompeii has developed and now offers good quality options for accommodation and dining.
While I recommend staying in one of the nearby towns like Sorrento or Salerno, those whose primary interest in the region is Pompeii and other nearby archeological sites could very much use the city of Pompeii as their base.
When is Pompeii open?
Pompeii is open 362 days of every year. It is closed only on December 25th (Christmas Day), January 1st (New Year’s Day), and May 1st (Labor day).
From April to October, the site opens from 9am to 7pm, with last entrance at 5:30 pm. From November to March, opening hours are 9am to 5pm, with last entrance at 3:30 pm.
How much are tickets?
Tickets cost 18 euros (about $20 USD) for adults and are free for children under 18. Entrance is free for all visitors on the first Sunday of each month. Free tickets must be requested in advance, however.
Where to buy entrance tickets to Pompeii
Tickets can be purchased on-site at any of the 3 entrance gates or in advance online or by phone. Advance ticket purchases can be made on the website of the official retailer TicketOne (https://www.ticketone.it/artist/scavi-pompei/). Any tickets sold on different websites are 3rd party resellers and not official vendors.
Tickets can also be purchased by calling the official box office at the following phone number: +39 081 18658177.
Buying tickets in advance is always better to avoid queuing at the ticket office.
Tickets can be paid by credit card or cash.
Avoid tourist traps, go where the locals go, and plan a better trip with help from a local!
Avoid tourist traps, go where the locals go, and plan a better trip with help from a local!
Best time of year to visit Pompeii
There is no best or worst time to visit Pompeii because there are pros and cons in all seasons. That said, the spring months of April and May and the fall months of September and October certainly offer the best climate and weather conditions.
However, these are some of the most touristic months of the year and also overlap with Italian school tourism.
June, July, and August are the hottest months of the year and also the busiest. These months are best avoided if possible. However, a visit in the summer months can still be quite pleasant if planned well.
In the summer, I always recommend visiting in the afternoon from 4:30pm to 7.00pm when Pompeii is more shaded, the fresh sea breeze rises, and the archaeological area is less crowded.
For visitors looking to avoid the biggest crowds, November to March are the quietest times of year to visit, but be aware that the chance of rainy days increases.
Best time of day to visit Pompeii
Early morning at opening hours is typically the best time of day to visit Pompeii as you’ll be there before the tour buses and day trippers coming off of cruises start to arrive. Even so, this is one of the most famous sites in Italy and the entire world, so you’re never going to entirely “beat the crowds”.
Best day of the week to visit Pompeii
Advice on the best day of the week to visit is also a bit tricky. Conventional wisdom would tell you that the weekend should be avoided and that a midweek visit will have fewer crowds. However, this is often not the case as large cruise ships regularly dock during the week, easily eclipsing the weekend crowds.
To know what days cruise ships will dock, and to plan your visit accordingly, you can use the websites Cruisdig or Cruisemapper to check on the cruise ship arrival schedule.
In any case, the archaeological area of Pompeii is very large and if you rely on the experience of an authorized guide, you’ll be able to avoid the crowds and appreciate this archaeological area in the best way, regardless of the conditions.
How to get to Pompeii
One of the new Circumvesuviana trains. Photo: Falk2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Visitors can easily get to Pompeii by driving, taking the train, using the bus, or hiring a taxi/transfer, The train is usually the cheapest option and a private transfer the most comfortable.
If you opt for the train, keep in mind that Pompeii has 3 separate train stations and which one you’ll want to use (or have to use) depends on what town you’ll be departing from.
Getting to Pompeii from Naples and Sorrento
By train: from Naples or Sorrento, the easiest way to get to Pompeii is to take the Circumvesuviana train which takes about 45 minutes. You’ll want to get off at the “Scavi Villa dei Misteri” station/stop.
Know ahead of time that while the train theoretically runs 2-3 times per hour, that’s not always the case in practice. The Circumvesuviana is a local train line that can be very crowded and is neither terribly comfortable nor very reliable/punctual. If you plan on taking it, make sure that you build in extra time for your journey.
By bus: an alternative to the train for those coming from Naples or Sorrento is to take a bus run by the SITA company. Departures are fairly infrequent, but the service is reasonable. Tickets can be purchased on-site or in advance.
Getting to Pompeii from the Amalfi Coast towns
From the towns of the Amalfi Coast, visitors have 2 options to get to Pompeii: take the SITA bus direct to Pompeii or take the SITA bus to either Sorrento or Salerno and then switch to a train to continue on to the archeological site.
Getting to Pompeii from Salerno
Coming from the city of Salerno, you can take the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) train line, which takes about 45 minutes. The trains are brand new and punctual, with two departures every hour. The train from Salerno arrives at Pompeii Central Station which is closest to Pompeii’s Amphitheater entrance.
Getting to Pompeii with your own car
If you have your own car and plan on driving in to Pompeii, you’ll find ample parking options near both the Pompeii Central Station stop and the Pompeii Scavi Villa dei Misteri stop. Parking is paid.
Getting to Pompeii with a taxi or private driver
For those who want a bit more comfort and ease of travel, there are also always taxis and private drivers available, but of course at a much higher price. For a great driver, I always recommend Marco Puglia who is based in Sorrento and offers driving tours and transfers all over the region.
Which entrance to use at Pompeii
Pompeii is a very large site and there are 3 separate entrances: Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra, and Anfiteatro (Amphitheater).
Each of the entrances will allow you to visit the whole city, just starting from different positions. You should select which entrance to use based on how much time you’ll have at the site, what locations within it interest you most, and also the means of transport that you are using to arrive (buses and trains do not stop at all 3 entrances).
The Porta Marina entrance is the largest of the bunch, and you can purchase audio guides at kiosks and also usually hire a local guide directly there.
Piazza Esedra is typically the least crowded entrance gate, but it also has the fewest facilities and you will not always be able to hire a guide on-site there.
How long does it take to visit Pompeii?
Pompeii covers about 66 hectares and visiting everything within the city would take several days. That said, a typical visit to the site lasts an average of 3-4 hours. For those short on time, you can see some of the highlights in as little as 2-2.5 hours, but you will be a bit rushed.
When exploring Pompeii, it is always advisable to be guided by an expert for at least the first 2 hours. Using a guide for at least the start of your visit will let you get your bearings, understand what you’re seeing, and then efficiently plan out your remaining time on your own.
A self-guided visit is doable if you do ample research ahead of time, but the site is still enormous and sprawling, so you will move much slower than you would with a guide.
For those who are not familiar with the site and have not done any research, visiting on your own really is a bit of a waste as you simply will not understand what you’re looking at and won’t get the same appreciation for the ruins. You’ll also find it hard to navigate.
While visiting, be careful to never exit the site as the ticket allows only one entry. If you exit and want to come back in, you will have to buy another ticket.
Avoid tourist traps, go where the locals go, and plan a better trip with help from a local!
Avoid tourist traps, go where the locals go, and plan a better trip with help from a local!
What to see at Pompeii
The Temple of Apollo. Photo: Mark de Nijs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Thanks” to the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii is a literally a perfectly preserved city, with entire neighborhoods and hundreds of public and private buildings.
Below, you’ll find a list of the most famous and important buildings and areas of the complex:
Theaters
In Pompeii there are 2 theaters which were used for shows with actors and musicians. Most tours visit the stage and the orchestra area (and if you are a good singer you will be able to try the acoustics that are still perfectly functional).
Via dell’Abbondanza (Street of Abundance)
This is the main road in Pompeii and also the city’s longest. It connected the East Gate to the main square. On both sides of the road, you will notice the ruins of Roman houses and shops.
The Forum
Pompeii’s main square where every day the city’s market took place. This was also the site where elections were held annually to elect the city’s “Duo viri” (2 mayors who governed the city together).
The Temple of Apollo
One of the oldest places of worship in the ancient city dedicated to the god of the sun. The temple was originally built by the Greeks in the 6th century B.C. and then later used by the Romans up until the day of the eruption.
The Antiquarium
This is a recently-opened small museum where visitors can see displays of objects found during the most recent excavation as well as some of the objects from the most recent excavations and also some of the very famous plaster casts of the eruption’s human victims.
House of Menander
A preserved local house that is a wonderful example of domestic architecture. All the walls are decorated with original frescoes representing scenes from Greek and Roman mythology.
Amphitheater
The arena where thousands of spectators came to watch gladiators and exotic animals brought from all over the Roman empire fight.
What to bring for a visit to Pompeii
I always recommend, in particular in the summer time, to bring sunscreen and a hat (or even an umbrella) to protect yourself from the sun and scorching temperatures. You should also bring water and a snack.
For clothes, you don’t need anything special; just remember that Pompeii is an ancient Roman city and roads are uneven - as such, comfortable walking shoes are a must.
Luggage storage at Pompeii
The “Pompeii Scavi” train station has luggage storage directly in the station for those who are carrying large bags or suitcases.
Large bags and backpacks are not allowed inside Pompeii, so even if you didn’t plan on leaving a bag, you may find out that you have to.
There is also free bag storage available at Pompeii itself, at the Piazza Esedra entrance.
Can you eat at Pompeii?
Inside the park complex of Pompeii there is only one place where you can get something to eat or drink. The restaurant is located in the area surrounding the Forum.
For those who just need a drink, there are public fountains found intermittently throughout the park to refill your own bottle. All visitors should bring at least .5 liters of water with them.
Should you hire a guide to visit Pompeii?
Pompeii is a very large site and even if you have a lot of time to visit it, I think having a guide at least for the first part of the day adds immense value to your visit.
An authorized guide will be able to give you a historical introduction and also a practical orientation on how to visit and move around the site once you’re on your own.
Only with a guide you will be sure to not miss the main buildings and the most important details (a graffiti on a wall, a fresco, or a mosaic).
The minimum time for a guided tour is 2 hours but by contacting a guide in advance you can organize the visit in a longer and more in-depth manner according to your needs.
A private tour allows you to ask questions and get answers without having to respect the times of a joinable group tour where the interaction with the guide is very limited. Another advantage of the private tour is the priority and ease of access in certain buildings that have entry restrictions and do not accept groups of more than 10 people.
How to find a guide for Pompeii
It is possible to find a guide directly at the entrances of Pompeii but the quality is not always excellent and they usually only offer group tours that last on average less than 2 hours.
Certainly the best solution is to book a guide well in advance and if possible, book a guide who is also an archaeologist, so you will be sure to talk to someone who has not only study skills but also field skills.
In most cases the archaeologists who work as guides have actually carried out excavation work in Pompeii and other places in the Mediterranean. They will explain not only the building or the artifact but also the techniques of discovery and restoration.
Unfortunately, only a small number of authorized guides are archaeologists or archeology students and availability is somewhat reduced due to their high demand.
The archaeologist guide is obviously a plus but in any case Pompeii is one of those sites where the guide should be mandatory to get a real idea of what you are visiting.
Clearly, based on your budget, I always recommend having a guide in Pompeii whether it's a joinable group tour, a private tour or even better a private tour with an archaeologist!
If you’re interested in a tour for your visit, I’d love to be your guide! You can see my tour options here.
Avoid tourist traps, go where the locals go, and plan a better trip with help from a local!
Avoid tourist traps, go where the locals go, and plan a better trip with help from a local!
Plan with Local Expert Roberto!
