Planning Your Time at the Pompeii Ruins
This guide helps you decide how to spend your time at the Pompeii archaeological park, starting with the rules that shape a visit and moving on to what to see. The city lies about 25 km from Naples at the base of Vesuvius. All prices are in euros.
Before you go
Choose your ticket first. The Pompeii Express ticket costs EUR 20 and covers the ancient city only. Pompeii+ costs EUR 25 and adds the Villa of the Mysteries, the Villa of Diomedes, the Villa Regina and Antiquarium at Boscoreale, and a shuttle bus. MyPompeii, the annual card, costs EUR 45. Under 18s enter free, and EU citizens from 18 to under 25 pay EUR 2.
Tickets are issued in the holder’s name, and the park admits up to 20,000 people a day. The official online seller is Vivaticket . Between 16 March and 14 October you also select a half day entry slot, morning or afternoon. Outside that period you can enter without one, though the daily limit still applies.
What to see
The ancient city rewards a slow walk. Spend your first hour at the Forum, where the Temple of Jupiter faces Vesuvius, then look into the Basilica and the Macellum. The amphitheatre is the oldest surviving stone amphitheatre, and its seating capacity is quoted differently in different sources. The Casa dei Vettii has been open again since January 2023, and the Lupanar is a further stop in the city.
Access to individual houses changes over time. Since 15 August 2026 the House of Menander, the Fullonica of Stephanus, the House of Octavius Quartio, the House of the Tragic Poet and the House of Pansa have been open, while the House of the Ceii, the House of the Lararium of Achilles, the House of the Silver Wedding and the Praedia of Julia Felix are closed.
The plaster casts
The casts are the remains of people killed in the eruption of AD 79, and the park treats them with care. A permanent exhibition in the Palestra Grande, opened on 12 March 2026, shows 22 casts and calls itself a memorial. The Garden of the Fugitives holds 13 more. Walk through quietly and do not treat them as a spectacle.
Outside the main site
The Villa dei Misteri lies along the suburban villas route from the Porta Ercolano and Via dei Sepolcri entrance. Express holders can add that route for EUR 8, by card only. You can also take a guided thematic itinerary of about 1.5 hours for EUR 8 plus entry.
Opening hours
The summer season runs from 16 March to 14 October, with gates open from 09:00 to 19:00 and the last entrance at 17:30. In the winter season, 15 October to 15 March, the park closes at 17:00 and the last entrance is at 15:30. It is closed on 25 December and 1 January unless the park announces otherwise. Check the park timetable page before you travel.
Staying safe and comfortable
There is little shade on site. Carry water, wear a hat and use shoes that cope with uneven paving. Vesuvius and the Campi Flegrei are monitored active volcanoes with Italian emergency plans in place, and the FCDO and US State Department pages carry the current travel advice. If you want to compare guided options before you arrive, try Viator .
Read more: day trips from Pompei covers Herculaneum, Vesuvius and the other nearby sites.