Tips for visiting Pompeii

How many hours do you need to visit the excavations of Pompeii?

At least 2-3 hours, according to the Park, over an area of 44 hectares.

The Park writes this in its FAQs, and proposes different itineraries depending on the time you have. Guided tours last 2-3 hours and then leave you in the excavations. Remember that the ticket is valid for one entry only: if you exit to eat outside, you cannot re-enter.

What is the best time to visit Pompeii?

The Park does not indicate a best period; it indicates hours and bands. From 16 March to 14 October it closes at 19:00, from 15 October to 15 March at 17:00.

In the first band, a maximum of 15,000 people can enter, in the second 5,000, with a daily cap of 20,000. The Park is closed on 25 December and 1 January, unless otherwise announced. On the first Sunday of the month, entry is free: we discuss this in the guide to Pompeii free.

Which entrance is best for Pompeii?

Choose based on how you arrive: Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra for the Circumvesuviana Naples-Sorrento line, Piazza Anfiteatro for the Naples-Poggiomarino line.

• Porta Marina, in via Villa dei Misteri, and Piazza Esedra, in piazza Porta Marina Inferiore: stop «Pompei Villa dei Misteri».
• Piazza Anfiteatro, in piazza Immacolata: stop «Pompei Santuario». The accessible route starts from here.
• FS train Naples-Salerno: stop «Pompei», then the Pompei Link service, train plus bus, about 15 minutes to the Park.
• By car:A3 Naples-Salerno, exit «Pompei Scavi». There is no visitor car park: outside there are paid municipal blue lines and private car parks.

There are also SITA buses from Naples and Salerno and, from Salerno, Busitalia Campania lines 4 and 50.

What cannot be brought into Pompeii?

Suitcases and bags larger than 30x30x15 cm, unauthorised audio guides, drones without permission, bikes and scooters, dogs over 10 kg.

Large bags go to the paid left-luggage at Porta Marina or Piazza Anfiteatro. Photos are only allowed for amateurs, without flash and without tripod. Dogs up to 10 kg and 40 cm enter on a leash and must be carried in buildings; guide dogs are allowed with certification. Smoking is prohibited outside designated areas, climbing on walls and crossing barriers. There may be stray dogs in the excavations: keep your distance.

The full text is in the rules and tips for the visit of the Park.

What should you wear to visit Pompeii?

Comfortable shoes and decent clothing: the regulations prohibit visiting in revealing clothing or bare-chested.

The Park warns that the visit involves considerable physical effort and recommends comfortable shoes. The tour listings add the rest: the one with the Villa of the Mysteries requires closed shoes, no flip-flops and a hat in summer; the small-group one excludes high heels. You walk for hours on stone streets.

Is it possible to eat inside Pompeii?

Yes, but only in designated areas: inside the Park there is a self-service restaurant at Casina dell'Aquila, with kiosks in the courtyard.

The regulations prohibit consuming food outside designated areas. The restaurant is called «Pizza, Pasta & More», managed by CIRFOOD; from the courtyard you can see the Park, Vesuvius and the Gulf of Castellammare. For water, there is no need to buy: the excavations have numerous drinking water fountains. Bring a bottle to fill.

The Pompei Express or Pompei+ ticket with a digital audio guide in five languages; the physical device is collected at the desk near the ticket office, with an ID document.

★ 4.1 · Valid 1 day · from $40

Discover the ticket with audio guide → Tour details

Is Pompeii accessible to those with mobility difficulties?

Yes, with a dedicated route: «Pompei per tutti», from Piazza Anfiteatro, the largest facilitated itinerary for visiting an archaeological area in Italy according to the Park.

You return from Piazza Anfiteatro or Piazza Esedra, with the Antiquarium lift. People with disabilities and one companion enter for free. The Pompeii Artebus shuttle does not have a disabled ramp, and most guided tours on GetYourGuide state they are not suitable for wheelchair users. For information, the Park can be contacted at +39 081 8575 347 and at [email protected].

What services are there inside the excavations?

Toilets in several locations, a medical post, three baby points, bookshops, left-luggage and the rental of official audio guides.

Toilets are at the three entrances, at the quadriportico of the theatres, at Casina dell'Aquila, at the Antiquarium and at the Villa of the Mysteries. The medical post is in vicolo degli Augustali, near the Forum. The bookshops are at Piazza Esedra, Piazza Anfiteatro and the Antiquarium. Official audio guides cost €9, €14 for two, €5 for children, and you leave an ID document.

Frequently asked questions