Complete Guide to Visiting Pompeii
View my complete guide to visiting the ancient Roman Italian city of Pompeii – a must on most people’s bucket lists!
The lost ancient Roman city of Pompeii is high up on many people’s bucket lists to visit, and a visit to Pompeii will never ever disappoint.
This ancient Roman town which is now frozen in time is a wonderful look into Roman life and culture. By visiting these excavated ruins you can walk along the same streets and go inside the same buildings that Romans did many centuries ago.
The ruins now are a complete tour of an excavated and revealed Ancient Roman city. There are taverns, shops, factories, homes, and even a brothel all around the town that you can visit and see.
The site is now a UNESCO archaeological dig, and is the longest continually excavated archaeological site in the world. Because the dig is ongoing new aspects of this ancient town are revealed all the time, including the recent reveal of an old fast food tavern and carriage.
During the worst of the pandemic Pompeii was closed to visitors. It is now re-open again, but is subject to safety restrictions.
Where is Pompeii?
Pompeii sits in the Campania region of southern Italy, and is located about 15 miles south of the city of Naples. If you go further south from Pompeii, just 16 miles away is the pretty resort of Sorrento and then you go down into the incredibly beautiful Amalfi Coast.
The Archaeological Ruins of Pompeii
When people talk about visiting Pompeii they are actually usually referring to the ancient ruins at Pompei Scarva or the Archaeological Park at Pompeii. There is a nearby modern city called Pompei, which is not where the old ancient city lies, in case of confusion.
What you are actually visiting is the Pompeii Archaeological Park. This is the real name of the ruins.
The History of Pompeii
Pompeii was a thriving port town during the Roman Empire in Italy. It sat in the shadow at the foot of Mount Vesuvius – an active volcano.
In AD79 Mount Vesuvius erupted – covering the entire city of Pompeii and the nearby city of Heraculum in volcanic ash. Many people did flee the city during the eruption, but those who escaped the initial flow of hot larva did not escape the consequential toxic gasses.
Many people did not believe that the volcano could actually destroy their town, so they stayed put. Many people had to stay put, with nowhere else to go.
The town of Pompeii lay buried for centuries. Locals knew that an ancient town lay buried there, and it was even marked on a map. In the 1700s it was ‘rediscovered’ and started to be excavated, and gradually this amazing city was revealed.
Safety Measures at Pompeii
Currently all visitors over the age of 12 years to Pompeii have to show green pass certification. If you are fully vaccinated you can show proof of vaccination, or proof of a recent negative antigen swab test. There are rapid tests available in many pharmacies in the nearby city of Naples, and there is also a rapid test center at the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance at the Pompeii ruins.
All visitors are currently being temperature scanned at the entrance to the ruins, and face masks are required to be worn at all times. Visitors should also observe social distancing while walking around the ruins. Please note, that the ongoing pandemic changes rules all the time, these rules were in place at the time of writing this but may have since changed.
Pompeii Opening Hours
Check the official Pompeii website for the latest and most up to date opening hours.
Pompeii is open every day (with the exception of December 25, January 1, and May 1). The standard opening hours are 9am to 5pm.
Pompeii Ticket Information
If you are visiting Pompeii on a week day you can book tickets online in advance through this site. You can also purchase tickets on site on the day you visit at the Porta Marina entrance to Pompeii (which is the main entrance you will encounter when walking from the train station), and also at the Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza Esedra entrances.
Do not purchase any tickets outside the entrances. You may be approached by somewhat official looking people offering you tickets. Do not buy anything at all from these people – there are a lot of scams operating.
Tickets that you book online are available in 15 minute slots. There are a maximum of 500 tickets available online each day for each morning slot. From 1pm onwards this reduces to 300 tickets per slot. You should not be late for your allocated time slot – as they may not let you in.
There is an app for both iPhone and android called My Pompeii. This app lets you scan your entrance ticket and also then guides you around the site itself. It gives you a great real-time indication of how many people are at each area along the way, which is very useful for social distancing and safety measures.
How to get to Pompeii
If you are heading to Pompeii from Naples or Sorrento the best way to get there is the local Circumvesuviana train, which is a local commuter train.
The Circumvesuviana train from Naples runs from Naples Garibaldi station. It takes about 40 minutes or so on this train to Pompeii and they run about 30 minutes apart each day. The Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Pompeii takes around 30 minutes. You will need to disembark at Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri station (there is also a Pompei station – which is not what you want for the ruins, as that is the more modern city of Pompei).
Another train option is the Campania Express train. These run on the same route as the Circumvesuviana trains, but they only stop at the very popular tourist sites along the way, such as Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Sorrento.
These trains are slighter nicer than the Circumvesuviana trains, as they have air conditioning and guaranteed seating (you may have to stand on the Circumvesuviana trains as they get more packed). But the Campania Express trains are a higher cost than the Circumvesuviana (and in my opinion having taken the Circumvesuviana train it is more than adequate for the journey).
The Circumvesuviana trains do have a reputation for pick pockets. But to be honest as long as you keep your wits about you you will be fine. Hold your bag close to you and avoid crowds as much as possible (see my guide to the best Anti-Theft Bags here too!)
Depending on the time of year that you are visiting Pompeii, do check opening times and train schedules ahead of time, as some services are reduced at certain times of the year, and with the ongoing pandemic closings could happen at any time.
See my Guide to Taking a Day Trip from Rome to Pompeii here
Facilities Available at Pompeii
There are toilets within the site at Pompeii. These are located at the Porta Anfiteatro and Porta Marina entrances. Also at the restaurant, and there are a few others scattered throughout the site.
There are drinking water facilities also available all along the main thoroughfare. Water fountains are dotted throughout and you can quickly and easily fill a water bottle from them. These are actually so cool to use, as they are the original Roman water fountains (with modern taps of course).
See below for what to eat at Pompeii for food and drink options.
Tour Guides for Pompeii
A tour guide can be a great addition to your trip to Pompeii. While you can walk around the ruins yourself, especially with the help of a great guide book or app, a tour guide can just make it easier for you to get around, knows where everything is located, and can offer a great running commentary on what you are seeing.
You can hire a tour guide on the spot on the day you visit at two of the entrances – the Porta Marina main entrance by the train station, and also the Piazza Esedra entrance. Do not hire a tour guide that may approach you outside the ruins and entrance. The tour guides inside the entrances are approved tour guides.
The exact tour guide you get depends on who is available at any given time. As with any tour guide they can vary in their expertise and skills. But most of the tour guides working at Pompeii are very knowledgeable and do this all the time. You can always talk to a possible guide first to see if they seem to be a good fit.
Tours with a guide take about two hours in total. The tour guides do speak a variety of languages too and they can sometimes gain you entrances to certain sites along the way faster and easier.
There are free maps available inside the entrances to help guide you around Pompeii also.
Rules for Visiting Pompeii
View the Safety Measures for Pompeii above for information on Covid and visiting Pompeii.
If you have luggage with you when you visit Pompeii, you will not be allowed to take in large pieces of luggage with you to the ruins. There are some luggage lockers at the entrances, but they are limited in number. It also will not be in any way fun toting a large piece of luggage around with you as you view the ruins. So try to leave your luggage elsewhere if you can.
What to Take When Visiting Pompeii
WATER. Copious amounts of water are essential when visiting Pompeii. You will be walking around a lot and it is hot and sunny usually, with not a lot of shade.
There are drinking water taps all along the main thoroughfare where you can fill your water bottle constantly and easily (see my guide to the best water bottles for travel here).
GOOD WALKING SHOES. You are going to be walking A LOT! Wear a pair of shoes that are not completely new, as you will get blisters otherwise. The terrain can be quite uneven, with lots of cobblestoned streets, so you need flat shoes with a fairly decent grip. Enclosed shoes are better as Pompeii is quite dusty, so if you wear sandals you will have dirty feet at the end of your visit! See my guide to the best walking shoes for travel here!
SUNBLOCK. This is essential! It is usually very very hot at Pompeii, and there is very little shade to be found. Most of the excavated buildings don’t have any roofs left so shade isn’t something you will find often touring around!
How Long will it take to Visit Pompeii?
If you really want to see everything that Pompeii has, and not feel rushed, I would dedicate a whole day, or as much of a day as possible to your visit.
It is possible to see a lot of Pompeii in half a day, which is what I initially did. Since I last visited Pompeii there have been many more sites revealed through the ongoing archaeological digs, so the site is even bigger now.
You will actually be amazed at quite how big Pompeii is when you finally see it. Yes you may think and imagine it is large – but seeing it in person is quite another thing.
There is a lot of walking involved. Remember you are essentially walking around a town and you are doing a tour of a whole town, so each of the sites is a walk away from each other and nothing is bundled close together. The entire site is 163 acres!
I would recommend that you get to Pompeii as early as possible in the day. You will avoid the worst of the crowds, skip the long queues, the sun will not be at its hottest, and transportation there will also be less busy.
Best Guidebooks to Pompeii
I always like to research where I am going before I go, as then I can know exactly what I want to view, and seeing it seems to mean more when I know the background and history.
There are numerous great guides to Pompeii that you can read before your trip, and also take along as a companion guide on the day you visit. Here are some of the best I have found and heard about:
Pompeii by Mary Beard. This book actually won the Wolfson History Prize and is an amazing book that has been thoroughly researched.
Pompeii: A Novel by Robert Harris. The history of Pompeii is turned into a readable novel. You can learn all you need to know and relive what the inhabitants must have gone through on the day the volcano erupted.
Where to Eat and Drink at Pompeii
There is only one place to eat actually inside the archaeological ruins at Pompeii – the Autogrill Cafetteria. This is located behind the Temple of Jupiter, and because it is the only place to eat in the park it gets really really crowded. They do serve sandwiches and slices of pizza, salads, and some snacks.
I would advise taking snacks with you when you visit. It is so hot usually that you won’t probably need or want a lot to eat anyway. You are allowed to take your own food and drink into the ruins themselves. Take a refillable water bottle for a constant supply of water, as there are water fountains dotted throughout the ruins.
Where to Stay When Visiting Pompeii
A great place to stay locally when visiting Pompeii is the nearby resort city of Sorrento, which is the start of the Amalfi coast. There is a frequent rail service between Sorrento and the ruins at Pompeii (as detailed above), and it is a beautiful city with lots to see and do. There are lots of hotels in different price ranges in Sorrento, and many places to eat and visit.
The nearby modern city of Pompei has many hotels, air b&b properties and more. Note – the modern city is spelt with one i, whereas the ruins themselves are spelt with two i’s at the end!
What to see at Pompeii
To see a complete map of the Pompeii site click here.
This is just a small sample of the wonders and delights that you can see when visiting Pompeii. For a full guide see this link here.
The Amphitheater
The Amphitheater in Pompeii is the oldest known Roman amphitheater in Ancient Rome.
Bath House & Brothel
This is one of the first sights to see in Pompeii, as these were originally located in the port and took care of the needs of sailors when they arrived.
Temple of Apollo
This is Pompeii’s oldest building and dates back to the 6th century BC in some parts. This temple was an integral part of the Forum area. The building features architectural features that are both Italic and Greek. It is a pretty amazing building, surrounded by 48 columns.
Temple of Jupiter
The Temple of Jupiter was the main center of religious life in ancient Pompeii. It sits on the northern side of the Forum.
Body Casts
The body casts are one of the first things that people think about when they think of Pompeii and the ruins there. It was in 1860 that the archaeologist Guiseppe Fiorelli realized that the empty spaces in the ash located around the human bones that he found could be filled with plaster to recreate the body itself (the body itself had long since decomposed).
These plaster casts are now on display all through the ruins. They show people and animals in the last throes of their death – scrunched up in the fetal position, hands shielding their faces from the hot ash. All are in position as they died. Many of the casts have now been removed to the Naples Archaeological Museum, but there are still many at the ruins.
Villa Dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries)
This villa is just outside Pompeii’s city walls, but your ticket to the ruins also gains you access here. It was the holiday home of a wealthy merchant at the time of the volcanic eruption, and would have had an amazing location on the waterfront.
The villa contains some of the best preserved frescoes in Pompeii, in the most amazing and vivid colors.
The Forum of Pompeii
This was the center of commerce and activity in the town and the main square.
Temple of Isis
The Tempio di Iside – Temple of Isis, is dedicated to Isis the Egyptian goddess, who was very popular during the Roman Empire. This building is one of the best preserved buildings in Pompeii and is an excellent example of Greek architecture.
House of the Vettli
This was the home of two very well-off brothers. It features some of the best frescoes around Pompeii, and even has cooking utensils still in its kitchen.
House of the Lovers
The house of the lovers is a beautifully decorated house that features a double open gallery. The ceilings and floors of many of the rooms are still intact, and inside is a collection of friezes, panels and painted medallions. The name of the house actually comes from an inscription that was found relating to the sweetness of love.
In addition to the main sights to see at Pompeii, sometimes it is the less mentioned and talked about things that make the most impact on you.
The roads have indentations in them where they were worn down by carriages whizzing along, which was amazing to see – to think you are seeing the shadow of lives lived so many centuries before.
Further Sightseeing of Pompeii Related Items
Many of the items from Pompeii itself have been removed from the site and are on display at the Naples Archaeological Museum.
This includes many plaster casts of bodies, statues and treasures that were found at the site, and also includes a lot of the erotic items found on-site, many of which are stored and displayed in a secret room.
View my complete guide to visiting the ancient Roman Italian city of Pompeii – a must on most people’s bucket lists!
