The Roman city buried by Vesuvius in AD 79, 44 hectares of streets, houses and temples managed by the Archaeological Park. Walk on the paved streets to the Forum, enter the frescoed houses and end the day at the amphitheatre.
The official price, alongsideThe Park ticket and online offers, side by side
Time bands explainedMorning or afternoon, with a cap of 20,000 entries
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour on this page
Official sourcesHours and rules from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii
Tickets and tours
Choose your entry to Pompeii
In the centre, two hours with an archaeologist and the ticket included. On the sides, the most reviewed audio guide ticket and the one with the audio guide in app on your phone. Each card opens the full tour page.
The entrance ticket, Pompei Express or Pompei+ with the villas, and an audio guide to explore at your own pace. The voucher is shown at the ticket office of Porta Marina Superiore or Piazza Esedra.
What's included
Pompei Express or Pompei+ ticket, depending on the option
Two hours in the excavations with an archaeologist who is also a licensed guide, from the Forum to the frescoed houses to the Large Theatre. The Pompei Express ticket is included in the price: you need the first and last name of each participant and an ID.
The entrance ticket and an audio guide in app with digital map, on your phone. The voucher is exchanged at the info point in Piazza Esedra; the suburban villas are not included.
Three questions are enough. Do you want a live guide or do you prefer to go at your own pace? Is the ancient city enough or do you also want the Villa of the Mysteries? And are you starting from Pompeii, Naples, Sorrento or Rome?
Every tour here can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before. The official ticket costs €20 (Pompei Express) or €25 (Pompei+) on Vivaticket or at the ticket offices inside the Park, and is nominative and non-refundable.
Before booking
One ticket, one name.
Today, the ticket for the excavations bears the visitor's name, the day and the time band. It is personal, non-refundable and cannot be changed: neither the name nor the date. At the entrance, staff may ask for an ID, and anyone who does not match will not be allowed in.
There are two time bands: morning until 13:00 with 15,000 entries, and afternoon with 5,000. In total 20,000 per day. Those who buy in advance receive a PDF and go directly to the turnstiles, as the Park states. Online offers add more: an archaeologist, an audio guide, transport from Naples or Sorrento, free cancellation.
44
Hectares open to visitors. The Park recommends allowing at least two or three hours, and wearing comfortable shoes.
Pompei ExpressPompei+Guided tourDay trips
Paved streets, high sidewalks and stepping stones: Pompeii is explored on foot.
01
Express or Plus?
Pompei Express, €20, is the ancient city only. Pompei+, €25, adds the Villa of the Mysteries and the other villas.
02
When is it free?
The first Sunday of the month, with no booking, and always for under-18s.
03
Can you exit and re-enter?
No. The ticket is valid for one entry only: once you leave, you cannot re-enter with the same ticket.
04
What to bring?
An ID, comfortable shoes and a bag no larger than 30x30x15 cm. Water can be obtained from the fountains.
The visit
How a visit works
From the two hours of a guided tour to the full day of a trip from Naples or Rome. This is the form of almost all of them.
01
Name and time band
Official ticket on Vivaticket, or an online offer with archaeologist or audio guide. You need the names of all participants.
Morning or afternoon
02
At the entrance
Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra or Piazza Anfiteatro. Keep your ID handy: checks are provided for in the rules.
Three entrances
03
Forum and streets
The Forum with temples and the basilica, the baths, the shops, the houses with frescoes and mosaics along the paved streets.
At least 2-3 hours
04
Casts and amphitheatre
The Palestra Grande with the casts exhibition, the amphitheatre and, with Pompei+, the Villa of the Mysteries outside Porta Ercolano.
The hours of the two seasons, the 2026 prices, the free Sundays and the rules at the entrance: one card each.
From 16 March to 14 October: 9:00 to 19:00, last entry at 17:30.
From 15 October to 15 March: 9:00 to 17:00, last entry at 15:30.
Time bands: morning from 9:00 to 13:00, then afternoon; 20,000 entries per day in total.
Closed: 25 December and 1 January, unless otherwise announced.
Individual houses have their own hours, and some can only be seen from outside.
Pompei Express: €20, the ancient city only.
Pompei+: €25, including the suburban villas, Villa Regina at Boscoreale and the shuttle.
Grande Pompei: €30, valid for 3 days, including Oplontis and Stabia. Reduced price €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 24 (not yet 25).
On GetYourGuide: ticket with audio guide from $23, tours with archaeologist from $39, day trips from Naples from $59.
First Sunday of the month: free entry for everyone.
On that day, you do not book and do not buy online: go directly to the turnstiles.
The ticket is not nominative, but the limit of 20,000 visitors remains.
Free every day: under 18s, people with disabilities and one companion, licensed EU tour guides at work. See Pompeii free.
Bags and backpacks up to 30x30x15 cm; anything larger to the left-luggage at Porta Marina or Piazza Anfiteatro.
No revealing clothing or bare chests; eating only in designated areas.
Dogs up to 10 kg and 40 cm, on a leash and carried inside buildings.
Only official or Park-authorised audio guides are allowed inside. More tips in the visit guide.
EntrancesThree gatesPorta Marina, Piazza Esedra and Piazza Anfiteatro, with ticket offices inside.
TicketNominativeNon-refundable, name and date cannot be changed. Bring an ID.
Last entry17:30 or 15:30In summer or winter. Opening always at 9:00.
FreeFirst SundayNo online booking, directly to the turnstiles.
Duration2-3 hoursThe minimum recommended by the Park, over 44 hectares.
Cancellation24 hoursFree up to the day before on every GetYourGuide tour on this page.
Where it is
Between Naples and Sorrento
The entrances and meeting points
Archaeological Park of Pompeii, via Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii (NA)
By train you arrive with the Circumvesuviana: the Pompei Villa dei Misteri stop, on the Naples-Sorrento line, is a few steps from Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra; Pompei Santuario serves Piazza Anfiteatro. Tours each have their own meeting point, written in the booking.
Porta Marina, in front of the station: tour with archaeologist
Piazza Esedra: audio guide in app and tour with the new excavations
4.9★★★★★ 879 reviews · Guided tour with archaeologist and ticket Rating on GetYourGuide
★★★★★
Our guide was very thorough and brought the history of Pompeii to life.
★★★★★
It is really worth it. The site is very large and well kept. To see everything you need more than 3 hours.
★★★★★
A superb tour. A very pleasant, passionate and witty live guide.
★★★★★
The guide has a real passion for the site and its history, and was very knowledgeable.
★★★★★
Easy to use: I really liked the map and the automatic listening.
★★★★★
Fantastic tour! Our guide, Francesca, knows every aspect of Pompeii.
★★★★★
Gino was an excellent guide. He is very knowledgeable and showed us the main places in Pompeii. He has a great sense of humour and is very engaging.
★★★★★
We had a fantastic tour of Pompeii with Pasquale!
★★★★★
Rob was an EXCELLENT guide. He is very knowledgeable and tells the history and context in a very engaging way. [...] I learned much more than I expected.
Arriving from Rome?
Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, in one day
For those staying in Rome: a bus in the morning, Pompeii with an archaeologist, the road of the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.
A day by bus from Rome: Pompeii with an archaeologist, the panorama of the Amalfi Coast and free time in Sorrento with a limoncello tasting. Lunch is not included.
Pompeii is not a monument: it is a city. It has streets, crossroads, shops, baths, theatres and private houses, and you walk around it like a city, with a map and without rushing.
A city on the River Sarno
The first permanent settlements date back to the 8th century BC, when the Oscans founded five villages. The name, according to archaeologist Theodor Kraus's hypothesis, would come from the Oscan word for the number five, pompe. The city stood on a lava plateau about 40 metres above sea level, next to the mouth of the Sarno, then navigable, which served as its port. Today the coast is further away.
At the time of the eruption, Pompeii had between 11,000 and 11,500 inhabitants, according to calculations based on housing, and Venus as its protective deity. Greeks and Etruscans had left their mark long before: the Doric temple dates from the 6th century BC.
Vesuvius still dominates the horizon of the excavations.
AD 79 and the date of the eruption
The eruption of Vesuvius lasted two days. The first phase was a rain of pumice lasting about 18 hours, which allowed most of the inhabitants to flee: about 1,150 bodies have been found on the site. Pliny the Younger described it in his letters; his uncle, Pliny the Elder, commander of the Misenum fleet, died attempting a rescue.
The traditional date is 24 August, that of Pliny's letter. However, a charcoal inscription found in 2018 reports 17 October, and a 2022 study places the eruption on 24 and 25 October.
The thing to know about the ticket: it is nominative, non-refundable, and name and date cannot be changed. With the official ticket of €20 or €25 or with an online offer you enter through the turnstiles with your ID. Online offers add archaeologist, audio guide, transport or free cancellation; each tour page exactly states what is included.
From 1748 to Fiorelli's casts
Excavations began in 1748 under Charles of Bourbon, when the city had not yet been identified. In 1863, management passed to Giuseppe Fiorelli, who divided Pompeii into regiones and insulae and poured plaster into the voids left by bodies in the ash: these are the casts. Today, resin is used instead of plaster. At the Palestra Grande, a permanent exhibition tells the story of the casts and organic finds. What to see, area by area, is in the guide to what to see.
Atria, gardens and painted walls: the houses tell the story of everyday life.
UNESCO World Heritage, with Herculaneum and Oplontis
Since 1997, Pompeii has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Herculaneum and Oplontis. In 2024, the excavations recorded 4,069,377 visitors, and in the same year the management announced named tickets, with a daily cap of 20,000 entries. With Pompei+ the visit extends to the suburban villas, such as the Villa of the Mysteries; with Grande Pompei also to Oplontis and Stabia. The rules for the day are in the visit guide.
Paved streets and stone walls: Pompeii is explored on foot, for hours.
Direct answers to the most frequent questions about the Pompeii excavations.
How much does a Pompeii ticket cost?
From 12 January 2026, the Pompei Express ticket costs €20 and covers the ancient city only. Pompei+ costs €25 and adds the suburban villas, Villa Regina at Boscoreale and the shuttle. Grande Pompei, valid for 3 days, costs €30. The reduced price is €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 24 (not yet 25). On GetYourGuide, tickets with audio guide start from $23. All details are in the ticket guide.
Where can I buy the official Pompeii ticket?
Online on Vivaticket, which the Park indicates as the only authorised seller, or at the official ticket offices, which are only inside the archaeological area: Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra and Piazza Anfiteatro. Those who buy in advance receive the ticket in PDF and go directly to the turnstiles.
Is the Pompeii ticket nominative?
Yes. The ticket shows the visitor's name, the day and the time band, is personal and non-refundable, except in the event of extraordinary closure of the Park. Name and date cannot be changed, and staff may ask for ID at the entrance. We discuss this in the article on the named ticket.
When is entry to Pompeii free?
On the first Sunday of every month, no online booking and no named ticket: go directly to the turnstiles, until the daily cap of 20,000 entries is reached. Free entry also applies to under 18s, people with disabilities with one companion and licensed EU tour guides at work. See Pompeii free.
What are the opening hours of Pompeii?
From 16 March to 14 October from 9:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 17:30. From 15 October to 15 March from 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 15:30. Closed on 25 December and 1 January. Individual houses have their own hours, and the list changes.
How much time do you need to visit Pompeii?
The Park states that a visit should allow for at least 2 or 3 hours: the area covers 44 hectares. Guided tours on GetYourGuide last from 2 to 3 hours, and some leave free time afterwards. The ticket is valid for one entry only: once you leave, you cannot re-enter.
Can you enter Pompeii with a backpack?
Only if it's small: the regulations prohibit suitcases and bags larger than 30x30x15 cm. Anything larger must be left at the paid left-luggage at Porta Marina or Piazza Anfiteatro.
What should you wear to visit Pompeii?
Wear comfortable shoes, above all: the Park warns that the visit involves considerable physical effort. The regulations prohibit visiting in revealing clothing or bare-chested. More advice in the visit guide.
Can you eat and drink inside the excavations?
You can eat only in designated areas. Inside there is the self-service restaurant at Casina dell'Aquila, with kiosks in the courtyard. For water, the Park points out numerous drinking fountains.
What are the entrances to the Pompeii excavations?
Three. Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra are close to the Pompei Villa dei Misteri station of the Circumvesuviana, Naples-Sorrento line. Piazza Anfiteatro is close to Pompei Santuario station. The Park has no visitor parking: there are blue lines and private car parks outside.
Can you visit Pompeii without a guide?
Yes, with just the ticket. However, the regulations only allow audio guides from official concessionaires or entities authorised by the Park. Official ones can be rented at the entrances with ID, at €9 for an adult. Guided tours are compared in the guide to guided tours.
How many bodies have been found in Pompeii?
About 1.150. The first phase of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, a rain of pumice lasting about 18 hours, allowed most of the inhabitants to flee. The full story is in the history of Pompeii.
Ready to book
Choose how to enter, then the day.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every tour on this page.
Most reviews
★ 4.1Valid 1 dayFree cancellation
