Top tips for visiting the Pompeii excavations archaeological site near Naples: buy skip-the-line tickets online, visit early morning or late afternoon, take a good map, or book guided tours in advance.
The excavations of Pompeii near Naples are justifiably among the most popular sights and day-trip destinations in Italy. The Roman ruins at this vast archaeological site are an absolute must-see, three-star sight. Individuals may visit Pompeii for relatively cheap by buying tickets on-site and using the local train. A visit to Pompeii is infinitely more enjoyable without crowds so visit early or late in the day and use the correct entrances.
The Campania Arte Card is a great savings deal for individual travelers seeing several cultural sights in the Naples area. Skip-the-line tickets are available online but time-slot reservations are not currently in use. In the high season, guided tours are a good option for priority entrance at a specific time without waiting in queues.
Buy Pompeii Excavation Entrance Tickets in 2025
The entrance tickets and passes to visit the excavations of Pompeii recently changed. In 2025, the following basic ticket options are available:
- Pompeii Express (€18) — covers most of the excavations of Pompeii but NOT the Villa dei Misteri area. Many visitors may find this sufficient.
- Pompeii Plus (€22) — includes the Pompeii Express area as well as the Villa dei Misteri, Villa di Diomede, and Villa Regina in Boscoreale with the Antiquarium. A very full day of sightseeing – wear comfortable shoes.
- Youth Tickets (€2) – reduced fee for young adults (18 to 24) from the European Union (ask for Pompeii+ when buying).
- Free – all children under 18 years old (ask for Pomeii+).
- Grande Pompei (€26) — includes the Pompeii Plus sites as well as Oplontis (Villa di Poppea) and Stabia (Villa San Marco, Villa Arianna, and Libero D’Orsi Museum). It is valid for three days.
- My Pompeii Card (€35) — coverage is similar to Grande Pompei but it is valid for a year.
- Free – everybody on the first Sunday of the month. Reservations are not possible.
A free shuttle bus is available for ticketholders to connect between Pompei, Boscoreale, Oplontis, and Stabia.
Buy Pompeii Skip-the-Line Tickets Online
The cheapest tickets for Pompeii are sold in person at the entrance gate. Advance purchase tickets always have a slight surcharge. Thus far in 2025, the cheapest online tickets for Pompeii are sold by TicketOne — the site is often a bit confusing though. GetYourGuide is far easier to use.
The Naples Turbopass is valid, as is the three-day Campania Arte Card Ticket — see below for this fantastic savings deal.
Most travelers visiting the excavations of Pompeii need a paper ticket, although increasingly some QR codes are accepted directly at the gate. Online tickets must often still be exchanged for paper tickets. Depending on where the ticket was bought, it must be exchanged at the specific entrance mentioned on the ticket, where a special fast lane is available for such voucher holders.
Maps and Audio Guides for Pompeii
TIP: Pick up the free map and guide booklet at the information office next to the ticket window. These are not available once inside the park, where directions and information are patchy at best. The maps and very comprehensive brochures may also be downloaded from the official Pompeii website, where there is also a list of the buildings currently open (with opening times where relevant — many close already an hour or more before closing time).
Official audio guides are only available at the Porte Marina (Superiore) main entrance before entering the ticket area. It is €8 for the first adult and then €6.50 for each additional adult and €5 for children.
Pompeii is the Latin spelling usually used in English for the archaeological site. Modern Italian uses Pompei for both the archaeological excavation site (scavi) and the modern town. German uses Pompeji, French Pompéi, Dutch Pompeï, and Spanish Pompeya.
Pompeii Entrances and Ticket Windows
Pompeii has three entrances for individual visitors:
- the main entrance Porta Marina (Superiore) directly across the road from the Pompeii Scavi train station (and near the Zeus camping terrain with safe parking),
- a few minutes walk downhill is the Piazza Esedra or Porta Marina Inferiore entrance, and
- the Piazza Anfiteatro (nearer the modern Pompei town and Pompei FS train station).
It is essential to use the specific entrance specified on the online ticket. Most visitors use the Porta Marina entrance and many of the vouchers (and audio guides) are only available here. If the queues here are very long, walk downhill to the Porta Marina Inferiore entrance where ticket queues are usually shorter. This entrance is also a good choice for visitors with mobility issues and to enter via the Antiquarium Museum exhibition area. The site is commonly exited here rather than at the Superiore entrance.
It is possible to exit Pompeii, but not enter, at the Villa dei Misteri — now only accessible for visitors with a Pompeii Plus ticket. The free shuttle bus to Boscoreale / Villa Regina departs from here but it also an easy walk.
Some tour groups, and especially cruise ship excursions, may use alternative entrances with much faster entry and no waiting.
Currently, re-entry passes are not issued. (It was previously often only available at the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance.)
Pompeii Scavi Visiting Opening Hours
Pompeii Scavi is open daily from 9:00 and closes at 17:00 from November to March and 19:00 from April to October. The last admission is 90 minutes before closing but many indoor sites may close an hour or even more before the park closing time.
The Pompeii archaeological site is only closed on January 1, May 1, and December 25 but the Antiquarium and many of the minor sights are closed on Tuesdays.
The maximum number of visitors allowed inside the Pompeii archaeological park at any time (and per hour) is restricted. If on a tight time schedule, either arrive at opening time or book a guided tour in advance — it will cost more but ensure admission.
The maps and very comprehensive brochures may be downloaded from the Pompeii website, where there is also a list of the buildings currently open (with opening times where relevant — many close already at 16:00, or are open only on specific days).
Pompeii calculates that most visitors spend around three hours inside the archaeological park. Tour groups commonly “do” it in two hours while solo travelers often stay here considerably longer.
The Best Times to Visit Pompeii
The best times to visit Pompeii are generally the same as for most major tourist sights: arrive early at opening time or visit later in the afternoon.
Avoid school holidays, weekends, especially long weekends, and particularly the first Sunday of the month when admission is free. July and August are not only crowded but often brutally hot.
Early morning is a good time to visit Pompeii for individual travelers using public transportation. The Circumvesuviana train from Naples will drop travelers outside the Porta Marina gate with ten minutes to spare – wait directly in front of the gate (or go for a coffee and be amazed at how many other visitors could gather in front in the critical few minutes).
TIP for early birds: once inside the archaeological site, walk right past the Forum area to see some of the smaller indoor sights first. See the Forum on the way out – it was designed to cope with crowds already back in Roman times.
Visiting later in the afternoon is a good option too – arrive at least three hours before closing time (and more may not be a bad idea). Late afternoon visits have the added advantage that the site will get progressively quieter rather than busier.
Visit on a rainy day – it may spoil the photos but almost anyone with a choice will postpone a visit to the following day.
Most buildings at Pompeii are roofless making shade a rarity around noon.
The archaeological site of Pompeii is very big. It requires a lot of walking but also allows crowds to spread out a bit. Groups do crowd smaller buildings at times — eavesdrop for free information from their guide and enjoy the site when the group has moved on.
Food and Drink at Pompeii
Drinking fountains are scattered throughout the archaeological site but food options are very limited (and fairly dismal). Picnicking is allowed in certain areas.
Tourist restaurants crowd the street in front of Pompeii and Scavi station — few would regret rather eating half an hour later in Naples.
Visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum on the Same Day
Changes in the railway schedule made it more difficult to see both Pompeii and Herculaneum on the same day. (Previously, the two archaeological sites were only 20 minutes apart on very frequent trains — many guidebooks still have this outdated information.)
See Transportation to Herculaneum for options. However, if staying in Naples and time allows, rather return to Naples for the afternoon and see the second sight on a different day – Ercolano is only 20 minutes from Garibaldi station. Combination tickets for Pompeii and Herculaneum may give small discounts, although there is no official combination ticket.
Herculaneum is far smaller than Pompeii and generally attracts fewer visitors and crowds making it sensible to see Pompeii at an optimal time and visit Herculaneum later in the day. Herculaneum is physically far less demanding. Many guided tours include visits to both sites on the same day-trip tour.
Save with the Campania Arte Ticket when Visiting Pompeii
The three-day Campania Arte Ticket is a great savings deal for solo travelers. It includes unlimited public transportation in Naples and the Campania region, free admission to two sights, and up to 50% discount at a further 80 sites. The Naples Turbopass is also a popular option.
It pays for itself on a visit to Pompeii and say the Archaeological Museum in Naples when using public transportation with any further sights and train or metro rides adding to the savings. It also permits the use of skip-the-line counters and cuts out the need to queue for train tickets.
At Pompeii, the Campania Arte Card only gives a Pompeii Express ticket. It is possible to upgrade to Pompeii Plus by paying €8 onsite.
In 2025, the Campania Arte is only available in digital form as a mobile phone app. Buy the Campania Arte Card online and download the app in advance in an area with good wifi, or even better, before traveling.
→ See Save with the Campania Art Ticket on Cultural Sights and Transportation for more details.
For More on Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples in 2025:
- Save with the Campania Arte Card on Sightseeing Ticket and Transportation — in 2025 only available as a mobile phone app — buy the Campania Arte Card online.
- Pompeii Excavations Archaeological Site: Top Tips on Visiting Pompeii, Buying Tickets and Booking Tours & Cheap Transportation to Pompeii. Note: New Pompeii Ticket system in 2025!
- Herculaneum Archaeological Site (Ercolano): Tips on Buying Tickets and When to Visit & Cheap Transportation to Herculaneum (Note in 2025: trains have changed — many guidebooks still have old information!)
- Day Trip from Rome: How to Visit Pompeii by Train from Rome
- Visit the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples – home to the Farnese sculptures (including Hercules at Rest and the Farnese Bull) and the best artworks, mosaics, and frescoes from the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
- Book Tours to Pompeii, Herculaneum, or both at Get Your Guide.
- Buy Italian train tickets in English at Trainline — however, often not possible for the commuter train to Ercolano or Pompeii — easy to buy at the station or use the Campania Arte Card.
