Pompeii

The park's price list, in force since January 12, 2026, has more lines than most visitors need. Here are the ones that matter:

Buy Pompeii+. The Villa of the Mysteries, with its red-ground fresco cycle, sits outside the walls at the end of the Street of the Tombs, and on an Express ticket you can only add it at the Porta Ercolano gate for another €8, card payment only. That makes it €28 instead of €25. If you also plan to see Oplontis, the €30 three-day ticket pays for itself: Oplontis alone is €8.

The park sells tickets online through Vivaticket and at its own offices, which are only inside the archaeological area at Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra and Piazza Anfiteatro. Anyone else selling "skip the line" access is selling you a ticket you could buy yourself plus a margin. From March 16 to October 14 the park caps entries at 15,000 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 5,000 after, so on summer weekends buying ahead matters; in winter it rarely does. Our guide or no guide page does the maths on tours.

Take the Circumvesuviana Naples to Sorrento line from Napoli Garibaldi (under the main station) or Porta Nolana. Most trains on the current timetable are direttissimi that run Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri in 29 minutes, for example 8:44 a.m. arriving 9:13 a.m. They leave roughly every 36 minutes. A single ticket is €3.30; EAV keeps its own fares unchanged through the UnicoCampania rise of October 1, 2026 (the new integrated prices were unpublished on September 30). The station is 211 m from Porta Marina, a three-minute walk.

• Campania Express: the €15 one way, €25 return tourist train is suspended from October 1, 2026. If you bought one for a later date, EAV refunds through its complaints form.
• Piazza Anfiteatro entrance: the Poggiomarino line stops at Pompei Santuario, near the amphitheatre gate. It is slower, 47 minutes from Garibaldi, but useful if you want to start at the far end of the city and walk downhill.
• Trenitalia: regional trains on the Naples to Salerno line stop at Pompei station, by the sanctuary in the modern town.

Pickpocketing on crowded Circumvesuviana trains is real; see our Circumvesuviana guide and safety page. Keep bags zipped and in front of you.

Pompeii is a whole town of streets, many of them closed or repetitive. A good half-day line, starting at Porta Marina:

1. Forum and Basilica, with Vesuvius framed at the north end.
2. Forum Baths and the House of the Tragic Poet, with its "cave canem" dog mosaic.
3. House of the Faun. The Alexander Mosaic here is a copy: the original is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, whose mosaic rooms are closed until November 30, 2026.
4. Lupanar and the Stabian Baths.
5. Theaters and the gladiators' barracks.
6. East along Via dell'Abbondanza to the amphitheatre and the Great Palaestra.

On a Pompeii+ ticket, go back west to Porta Ercolano and down the Street of the Tombs to the Villa of the Mysteries: allow 90 minutes more. The park lists which houses are open on a "visitable buildings" page and they rotate, so check the map at the gate rather than trusting a blog. Themed guided routes run for €8 on top of the ticket.

Pompeii+ includes Villa Regina, a Roman farm with a wine cellar, and the Antiquarium at Boscoreale. Getting there is the free Artebus line 1, which leaves Piazza Esedra at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30, then 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. in winter, reaching Boscoreale in 15 minutes. The last winter departure is at 4 p.m. and only brings people back. A second Artebus line runs to Oplontis, except on Tuesdays when Oplontis is closed.

Honestly, most first-time visitors should spend that hour in the city instead. Boscoreale is for people who already know Pompeii and want the countryside that fed it.

Be at the gate for 9 a.m. The morning quota is the larger one, so crowds build through the late morning. In winter the 3:30 p.m. last entry means an afternoon visit is short; do not arrive after 1 p.m. between October 15 and March 15.

• There is little shade. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen until late October.
• The paving is uneven basalt with high curbs. Wear closed shoes with grip.
• The shuttle buses carry luggage, but plan to leave big bags at your hotel.
• Visitors with reduced mobility can follow the "Pompeii for all" route from the Piazza Anfiteatro gate.

Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day is possible but tiring. Our two-day plan splits them with Vesuvius.

Pompeii: Entry Ticket and Guided Tour with an Archaeologist

The ticket is Pompei Express (€20 at the park), so no Villa of the Mysteries. You make your own way to Pompeii. Headsets only for groups of 10 or more; the guide waits 10 minutes for latecomers.

2 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(24,264 reviews)

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Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

From Naples: Pompeii and Vesuvius Day Trip with Pizza Lunch

Meets at Starhotels Terminus, Piazza Garibaldi; bring a passport. Vesuvius, its €11.68 crater ticket and the lunch come only with the Full Day option, and the €49 from-price may be the shorter Pompeii-only option.

3.5 to 8 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(9,547 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius Elite Tour & Lunch From Naples

The live Pompeii guide needs 6 people per language; smaller groups get an audio guide at the same price. In bad weather or heat the listing may swap Vesuvius for its 'Valley of Hell' stop. Crater ticket included.

8 hours

4.7★★★★★★★★★★(3,447 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

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