Pompeii
The Roman town Vesuvius buried in AD 79 is a half-day trip from Naples, on one ticket and without a car.
- When to go
- October 19° · 8 rainy days
- Per day
- €€€price 3 of 5
- How many days
- ½days
- For you
- 6 questions →
- Nearest airport
- 23 km Naples · 38 km Salerno
- Right now
Pompeii takes half a day, on a €20 ticket: the train from Naples covers the distance in about 40 min, no car needed.
The Circumvesuviana suburban train runs from Naples to Pompei Scavi in about 40 min. The ticket is €20 and covers the whole site, so one purchase reaches everything below. It is issued in your name and needs an ID document, which is checked at the gate. The site is open all year, with shorter hours in winter: year-round, shorter winter hours (16 Mar–14 Oct: 9–19, last entry 17:30; 15 Oct–15 Mar: 9–17, last entry 15:30).
Vesuvius buried the town in AD 79. It covered between 64 and 67 hectares and two-thirds of it has been excavated, so nobody walks the whole thing: half a day fits the core of the town and a few outlying stops. The walk starts at the Forum, the square that held the temples, the basilica and the seat of government; at its northern end Vesuvius closes the view, the same mountain that buried the town.
From there the streets lead to the place everyone asks about, the Lupanar, a small house with stone beds and writing on the walls. It opens 9:15–18:20, last entry 18:00, a quarter of an hour after the main gate. Next to it are the Stabian Baths, one of the oldest bath complexes in the town: the men's section is open, hours 9:15–18:20, last entry 18:00.
On the opposite side of town, towards its south-eastern edge, lies the Garden of the Fugitives. In 1961 the impressions of thirteen people caught by the eruption were found there; the ash kept them as hollows, which were filled with plaster. It is a short way from there to the Amphitheatre, built around 70 BC and one of the oldest surviving Roman amphitheatres in stone. It is open 9:00–19:00, and since 14 June it can be seen only from the southern entrance.
The Villa of the Mysteries stands outside the town walls, which is why it is worth separating from the rest of the walk. The frescoes in its large hall show a rite of the cult of Dionysus, and they are the reason the villa is known. Hours are 9:15–18:30, last entry 18:15. Coming from Naples, the easiest place for it is the start or the end of the day.
Guides for Pompeii
Shorter, practical pages for one concrete question each — how many days, how much money, where to sleep, where to escape the city.
Pompeii in 1 day
→The train from Naples, the Forum, Lupanar and baths as soon as they open, the Garden of the Fugitives and Amphitheatre…
The best time to visit Pompeii
→Pompeii is open all year, but the hours change in mid-March and mid-October, and some stops keep hours of their own.
Mistakes everyone makes in Pompeii
→Mistakes at Pompeii are rarely expensive, but they spoil the day: the named ticket, a late arrival, an underestimated…
What to see in Pompeii
The Forum
The main square of the town, with temples, a basilica and a view of Vesuvius from its northern end. Entry €20, part of the site-wide ticket.
€20
Villa of the Mysteries
A villa outside the walls, with frescoes of a Dionysian rite in its large hall. Open 9:15–18:30, last entry 18:15.
€20 · booking: no (the general early-arrival advice for the whole site applies here too)
The Amphitheatre
A stone amphitheatre from around 70 BC, one of the oldest to survive. Open 9:00–19:00; since 14 June visible only from the southern entrance.
€20
Stabian Baths
One of the oldest bath complexes in the town; the men's section is open. Open 9:15–18:20, last entry 18:00.
€20
The Lupanar
The best-known small house on the site, with stone beds and writing on the walls. Open 9:15–18:20, last entry 18:00.
€20
Garden of the Fugitives
Where the impressions of thirteen victims of the eruption were found in 1961, kept in plaster. The site's general hours apply.
€20
Stories from Pompeii
How it actually was when we were there, and what was worth it.
Pompeii or Herculaneum: which of the two buried cities to see when you have one day
→The same day in AD 79, the same volcano and the same railway line, yet two very different cities. One is crossed for hours, the other is studied up close.
Ready for Pompeii?
Within reach from here
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