To book: Ticket with audio guide in app, from $23 per person. Check dates Tour details
Free entry to Pompeii has two sides. There is the day open to everyone, the first Sunday of the month, with its own rules. And there are the categories that never pay, set by the regulations of the Italian Ministry of Culture and recalled by the Park with the formula «free and reduced as per current regulations».
The rules below come from the Park’s tariffs page, its notice on free days of 23 May 2025 and the Ministry’s page on concessions. If a detail affects you closely, check the source before you leave.
The answer in brief
On the first Sunday of every month, entry is free for everyone, without online booking and without a named ticket, up to 20,000 entries. Under 18s, people with disabilities with a companion, licensed EU tour guides while working and other categories provided by the Ministry never pay. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2.
Who does not pay the entrance fee to Pompeii?
Anyone under 18, people with disabilities with a companion, licensed EU tour guides with a valid licence while working and some professional categories.
- Under 18s:entry is free.
- People with disabilities,with one companion.
- Licensed EU tour guides with a valid licence, while working, and EU tourist interpreters working with them.
- Teachers with a school certificate.
- University students of the categories listed by the Ministry.
- Journalists,ICOM members and other categories on the list.
The full list is on the Italian Ministry of Culture page on concessions.
When is Pompeii free?
The first Sunday of every month, for everyone. The same rules apply to other free days indicated by the Park.
The Park states this in capital letters on the prices page: free entry every first Sunday of the month. From November 2026 to June 2027 the dates are 1 November, 6 December, 3 January, 7 February, 7 March, 4 April, 2 May and 6 June. We have calculated them from the calendar and the Park may announce changes, so check on the official website. The commented calendar is in the article on free Sundays.
How do you enter on the first Sunday of the month?
Go directly to the turnstiles: you do not book, you do not buy anything online and there is no named ticket.
The Park’s notice of 23 May 2025 sets three points. Online you cannot book or buy. Visitors skip the ticket office and go to the turnstiles. The daily cap of 20,000 entries remains in force that day too.
Visit rules do not change: bags up to 30x30x15 cm, no food outside designated areas, comfortable shoes. You can find them in the guide with tips for the visit.
Do you prefer a day with a pre-dated ticket? The ticket with audio guide in app starts from $23 (October 2026) and can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the ticket with audio guide in appDo children and young people pay at Pompeii?
No, anyone under 18 enters for free. For those aged 18 to 25 (not yet 25), EU citizens pay €2.
The €2 reduced ticket applies to every ticket: Pompei Express, Pompei+, Grande Pompei and individual sites. It also applies to non-EU citizens with a regular residence permit issued for the reasons indicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The annual MyPompeii costs €10 under 25, instead of €45.
Free does not mean without a document. Guided tours ask for each participant’s details: the archaeologist-led tour, for example, requires first name, last name and a document even for children.
Do tour guides enter Pompeii for free?
Yes, if they have a valid licence and are working. Free entry applies to EU tour guides and EU tourist interpreters who assist them.
For guided groups, the Park’s regulations set two limits: no entry for groups over 35 people, and for groups over 15, radio guides or headphones are required. Your ticket remains named even when booked by an operator.
Two hours with an archaeologist who is also a licensed guide, in a small group or private, with headphones and Pompei Express already included in the price.
Discover the tour with archaeologist and ticket Tour detailsDo people with disabilities pay the entrance fee?
No: they enter for free with a companion, as provided by the Ministry’s regulations.
Since December 2016 the Park has had the «Pompei per tutti» route, which starts from Piazza Anfiteatro and which the Park defines as the largest facilitated itinerary for visiting an archaeological area in Italy. You return from Piazza Anfiteatro or from Piazza Esedra via the Antiquarium lift. The Pompeii Artebus shuttle has a luggage compartment but no disabled ramp.
What can you visit for free around Pompeii?
Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco in Stabia are always free. With a valid Pompeii ticket you enter four sites in the area for free within 30 days.
The four sites are the National Archaeological Museum of Volcei in Buccino, the Castello di Lettere, the Archaeological and Naturalistic Park of Longola in Poggiomarino and the Territorial Archaeological Museum of Terzigno. The two villas in Stabia are closed on Tuesdays. The Pompeii Artebus shuttle is free for Park visitors, subject to availability, from Piazza Esedra towards Boscoreale and Oplontis.
What changes between the free Sunday and a normal day?
Price, booking and named ticket. On free Sunday there is no booking and no named ticket; on other days the ticket has a name, date and time band.
| Voice | First Sunday | Other days |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From €20 (Pompei Express) |
| Online booking | Not possible | Vivaticket; options with ticket on GetYourGuide |
| Named ticket | No | Yes, with date and time band |
| Daily cap | 20,000 entries | 20,000 entries |
| Cancellation | n/a | Official non-refundable; GetYourGuide free up to 24 hours before |
The ticket with audio guide offers Pompei Express or Pompei+, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the ticket with audio guideFrequently asked questions
Do you need a ticket on the first Sunday of the month?
No. There is no named ticket and you do not book online: you enter directly through the turnstiles, up to the daily cap of 20,000 entries.
Do university students enter for free?
Only some categories listed by the Italian Ministry of Culture. For EU citizens aged 18 to 25 (not yet 25) there is still the reduced ticket at €2.
Do foreign tour guides enter for free?
Yes, if they are licensed EU tour guides and are working.
Are the Park’s themed routes free for children?
Yes, under 10 years old. «Pompei civica» and «Pompei quotidiana» cost €8 plus the entrance ticket.
Ready to book
Choose your visit
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are starting prices in USD and change with the season.
Pompeii ticket with audio guide in app
- Entrance ticket to the excavations
- Audio guide in app with map, in 5 languages
- Suburban villas excluded
Pompeii ticket with audio guide
- Pompei Express or Pompei+ ticket, depending on the option
- Digital audio guide in 5 languages
- Physical audio guide, if chosen
Guided tour with archaeologist and ticket
- Archaeologist and licensed guide
- Pompei Express ticket
- Headphones
