Pompeii tickets and how to visit: timed slots, prices, bags and gates

Pompeii is one of Italy's most visited sites, and entry works on named tickets for a time slot. The Pompeii travel guide covers the whole trip, and this page settles the ticket question before you arrive. It also fits into a wider trip through Italy, where the Bay of Naples is a natural pairing with Rome.

The Archaeological Park's official pages set a limit of 20,000 entries a day and divide the day into two windows. In the long season, from 16 March to 14 October, the morning window runs from 9am to 1pm and takes up to 15,000 entries, and the afternoon window runs from 1pm to 5:30pm and takes up to 5,000. From 15 October to 15 March the afternoon window ends at 3:30pm. Tickets carry the visitor's name, and the park says a ticket cannot be used to leave and come back in.

The details sit on the park's own site, Pompeii Archaeological Park, and the park names Vivaticket as its ticket seller, with PDF tickets you can show on a phone at the turnstile. Anything else you find online is a reseller or a guided product, which can be fine but is priced and handled differently.

The park sells several ticket types. From 12 January 2026 its timetable page lists the main-site ticket (Pompeii only) at €20, a version that adds the suburban villas at €25, a multi-day option for people who want several sites, and an annual pass. The reduced fare is €2 for eligible visitors aged 18 to 24 and for some non-EU residents. Read the official ticket and timetable page on the day you book, because prices and categories change.

For a first visit, the main-site ticket is enough. If you have a second day nearby, check whether the multi-day option fits, and compare it with a separate visit to Herculaneum. If you plan to see the villas outside the walls, check whether your ticket covers them, because coverage varies by ticket.

Because tickets are named, use the same name as your ID and keep a copy on your phone. If you buy through a reseller, check what is included, whether it is the official entry, and the cancellation terms before you pay. The morning window is the busier one, so if you book a late slot to avoid the heat, remember the afternoon window is smaller but also hottest from 1pm to 4pm in summer.

Buy direct if you want the simplest option and plan to walk the site on your own. The official channel is the baseline, and anything extra should earn its price.

A guided tour makes sense if you want context. Pompeii has little signage in many streets, and a guide can explain why a house matters and what you are looking at. Tours also handle entry, so you do not need to hunt for a slot. The trade-off is a fixed pace and a group route. If you like to linger, a short guided first hour followed by free time often works better than a full tour.

Skip any offer that does not say clearly which entry it includes. If a price looks far below the official fare, check what is missing.

The park lists three public entrances: Porta Marina, Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza Esedra. They sit at different points around the site, so your choice affects where you start and how far you walk.

Porta Marina is on the western side, close to the forum and the Pompei Scavi train stop, and many visitors start there. Piazza Anfiteatro is at the far south-eastern end, beside the amphitheater, and it is the entrance with the accessible route the park calls Pompeii for all. Piazza Esedra is the third entrance, so look at the official map to see how it connects with the other two. Check your ticket confirmation for any gate instructions, and read the route guide for how to enter at one end and leave at the other. If you arrive by train from Naples, see Naples to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Plan to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your slot, because there are security checks and a queue. A late arrival can mean waiting for another window, so build in a margin.

Only small bags are allowed: 30 x 30 x 15 cm at most. That rules out most day packs. The park has a left luggage service for larger items, and you can also leave bags at your hotel in Naples or Sorrento. Eating is allowed only in designated places, so plan a meal break rather than a picnic. Dogs are admitted only if they weigh up to 10 kg and stand up to 40 cm, on a lead and carried inside buildings.

Shade is scarce. Bring a water bottle, a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes with a firm sole, because the stone paving is uneven and polished by centuries of use. In July and August the heat can be severe by late morning, so take an early slot and finish before the middle of the day.

Non-EU visitors who fly into Naples are registered in the Entry/Exit System on arrival, which replaced passport stamps in April 2026. Read EES, explained so you allow time at the border.

The classic loop starts at Porta Marina, crosses the forum, passes a major house or two, follows the main shopping street and ends at the amphitheater. It takes 3 to 4 hours and is laid out stage by stage in what to see in Pompeii, including which houses to check on the open list and what to skip. Some houses close on a rotation, so check the day's list at the entrance or on the official site and be ready to adapt.

If you have a morning slot and energy, add the Villa of the Mysteries outside the walls. The park lists it with its own hours and an earlier last entry than the main gate, so check its status before you commit the extra 45 minutes.

Mount Vesuvius looms over the site, and many visitors add a crater walk. Entry to the Gran Cono trail is a separate ticket, and the national park says it can only be bought online, through its authorized ticket portal. Fifty tickets are released every ten minutes, sales open 30 days ahead and the park keeps a few last-minute tickets for sale shortly before each slot.

Read the rules on the Vesuvius National Park site for the current price, the season and weather restrictions. Plan the crater for a clear morning and Pompeii for the afternoon, or the reverse, and allow time to travel between them. The trail visit takes about two to three hours round trip, so a day with both is full. A guided option often handles both transfers.

Entry to Pompeii is free on the first Sunday of each month. That sounds like a bargain, but it is also the most crowded day of the month, and the named-ticket and slot system still applies, so plan for a longer queue and a hotter, busier site. Most visitors do better paying on a weekday and taking the first slot. The reduced fare of €2 applies to eligible visitors aged 18 to 24 and to some non-EU residents, so bring proof of age or status.

Groups have their own rules. Group tickets need a minimum number of people, and groups of more than 15 must use a whisper or earphone system. If you join a guided tour, check that it handles the named entry for every person and say what happens if you arrive late. Children's rules and free categories are on the park's ticket page, so check them for your party before you book.

Most problems at Pompeii come from small planning errors. Visitors arrive with a large backpack and are turned back at the bag check. They book a slot for the middle of a hot day and run out of energy before they reach the amphitheater. They buy a ticket under one name and arrive with ID in another, or forget that the ticket is personal.

Another common mistake is trying to see everything. The site is large, and a focused route of the forum, the main street, two or three houses and the amphitheater is more satisfying than a rushed march. A third is assuming that the villa outside the walls or the other park sites are covered by every ticket, which they are not, so read the ticket description.

Finally, check the park's notices on the day. Sections of the site close for conservation, and the list of open houses changes. The official site and the staff at the gate will tell you what is open, and a flexible plan takes that in stride.

Early slots, weekdays and shoulder months are easiest. April, May, September and October give mild weather for walking a large open site. In July and August, take the first slot and leave by midday. Winter is quieter, and days are short, so check the closing time and plan to finish in daylight.

If you are weighing Pompeii against a lighter alternative, read Pompeii or Herculaneum. If you are building the rest of the trip, Naples is the natural pairing for the museum, and Sorrento is the base on the same railway line.

Check the official ticket page for the current slot rules and fares. Buy your ticket for a time that suits your travel, not just the cheapest, and keep your ID and ticket on your phone. Pack water, a small bag and sturdy shoes, and book Vesuvius separately if you want it.

For the rest of the plan, compare travel insurance for medical care and heat, add an eSIM so you can show mobile tickets, and see how to get around Europe by train between the sites.