Pompeii: how to visit a city frozen in time

Visit Pompeii: a must see for all history and beauty lovers

Among the countless beauties that Italy has to offer, the Ruins of Pompeii is definitely one of the essential stops. A few kilometers from Naples, this very important archaeological site, UNESCO heritage, has left its visitors speechless for about two centuries.

Here the travelers of the Grand Tour came and were amazed by the magnificence and importance of these splendid ruins and here even now thousands of visitors come from all over the world, to discover a place full of charm and magic but born from a great tragedy, the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed the city in 79 AD.

To buy tickets for Pompeii will give you the chance to walk along the streets of the ancient town, placing your feet on the same stones where the inhabitants of the city walked two thousand years ago. Entering the magnificent villas or shops means in some way participating in the daily life of a once rich and happy people. And then there are the theaters, temples, frescoes and mosaics still perfectly preserved, which are a true window to the past.

At the foot of Vesuvius, which watches over beautiful and majestic, the Pompeii Ruins offer visitors an experience to be lived step by step, capable of always providing new surprises. Given the huge extension of the site, in fact, archaeologists still continue to bring to light treasures that have remained buried for centuries, and so the charm of this truly immortal city continues to renew itself.

The archaeological site of Pompeii is not limited to the excavations. In the immediate vicinity are the so-called Pompeian Villas: Villa of Diomede, Villa of the Mysteries and Villa Regina in Boscoreale, magnificent suburban villas brought to light just over a century ago. Pompeii tickets are of various types, always convenient and affordable to buy online and also allow a visit to these ancient patrician residences.

Useful info for visiting the Pompeii Ruins

To fully enjoy a day walking in the large Archaeological Park of Pompeii, a few small precautions are needed. Here are some tips.

This is one of the most visited sites in Italy, to preserve its fragile beauty and make the visit more enjoyable for everyone, there's a limit of twenty thousand daily accesses, divided into time slots in the summer. For this reason, it is very important to buy on line tickets for the Pompeii Ruins, in order to ensure entry and also to avoid queues at the ticket office.

In summer and spring the Pompeii Ruins can become quite hot, it is advisable to wear a hat and sunscreen. In every season, however, comfortable shoes are much needed.

Toilets and refreshment are only present at the entrances, so it is preferable to bring some water and a few snacks.

There is a route for people with mobility difficulties. Pompeii for Everyone is a circuit that starts and ends in Piazza Anfiteatro and is devoid of architectural barriers.

The Pompeii Ruins is a place more alive than ever, which is why concerts, shows, night visits and many other interesting activities are often organised inside.

Free shuttles between the sites of Pompeii

The cost of tickets for the Pompeii excavations also includes the free Pompei Artebus service, the shuttle that connects Pompeii with the sites of Boscoreale, Villa Regina, Oplontis, Villa di Poppea and Stabia, Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco.

The departure point is in Piazza Esedra.

Pompei: opening hours and closing days

From November 1st to March 31st the excavations of Pompeii can be visited from 09:00 to 17:00; last entry is at 15:30.

From April 1st to October 31st the site can be visited from 09:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 17:30.

The closing days are December 25th, January 1st and May 1st.

Pompeii, guided tours and other attractions

The area where the Pompeii excavations are located is extraordinarily rich in archaeological and naturalistic beauties. To discover them all there are different types of tours or packages, all in skip-the-line mode and all conveniently bookable online.

- guided tours with expert guides lasting two hours, available in eight languages.

- one-day trips from Rome, with a guide.

- packages that also include a visit to Vesuvius, the nearby excavations of Herculaneum, or the Amalfi Coast, including travel between the locations.

How to get to the Ruins of Pompeii

The Pompeii Ruins have three entrances:

Porta Marina in Via Villa dei Misteri
Piazza Esedra in Piazza Porta Marina Inferiore
Piazza Anfiteatro in piazza Immacolata

The main entrance is Porta Marina.

You can reach the Pompeii Ruins from both Naples and Salerno by train, bus and car. Here's how:

Train: the Porta Marina entrance can be easily reached with the Circumvesuviana trains from both Naples (Piazza Garibaldi and Porta Nolana stations) and Sorrento. The line is in fact the Naples-Sorrento, the closest stop is Pompei Villa dei Misteri.

The entrance of Piazza Anfiteatro can also be reached by Circumvesuviana, travelling on the Naples-Poggiomarino line. The stop is Pompei Santuario.

The regional FS trains connecting Naples and Salerno also stop in Pompeii.

Car: Traveling on the A3 motorway between Naples and Salerno, take the Pompei Ovest exit.

Bus: SITA buses between Naples and Salerno stop in Pompei. The same route is also covered by Busitalia Campania lines 4 and 50.

Frequently asked questions about Pompeii Ruins

1. How much do Pompeii tickets cost?
The ticket for the Pompeii excavations costs €18, but there are reductions and cumulative tickets that also include the Pompeii villas.

2. When can you visit the Pompeii Archaeological Park for free?
Like Italian state museums, the Pompeii excavations can also be visited for free on the first Sunday of every month, but admission is limited to avoid overcrowding and must be booked in advance.

3. What does the Pompeii Express ticket include?
The Pompeii Express ticket only includes a visit to the excavations and costs €18.

4. What does the Pompeii Plus ticket include?
The Pompeii Plus ticket includes a visit to the Pompeii excavations, admission to the Pompeii villas Villa dei Misteri, Villa di Diomede and Villa Regina in Boscoreale with the Antiquarium, plus the shuttle to move from one site to the other. The cost is €22.

5. Where can I buy the Pompeii tickets?
Both the Porta Marina and Piazza Anfiteatro entrances have ticket offices, however, especially in high season or on Sundays when admission is free, it is strongly recommended to buy them online to avoid long lines.

6. Where is the main entrance to the Pompeii Archaeological Park?
The Pompeii Archaeological Park has several entrances: the most equipped for visitors and the closest to the Circumvesuviana Pompei Villa dei Misteri stop is the Porta Marina entrance. The Piazza Anfiteatro entrance, however, is the closest to the amphitheater, the forum and other places of particular interest within the excavations.

7. How long does it take to visit the Pompeii excavations?
With an extension of approximately 44 hectares, the Pompeii excavations area is quite large, so a whole day should be dedicated to the visit.

8. When is the best time to visit Pompeii?
The best times to visit Pompeii are spring and autumn, when the climate is milder. In any case, the site is always very busy, so it is best to buy tickets in advance.

9. Who doesn't pay to enter the Pompeii excavations?

Tickets for the Pompeii excavations are free for minors, for school and university teachers, for those enrolled in faculties with an archaeological or historical-artistic focus and for disabled people and any accompanying person.

The Pompeii Ruins, a love that has lasted for millennia

The history of Pompeii as we know it today begins in 79 AD, the year in which the eruption of Vesuvius dramatically destroyed the city, but delivered to history a site whose charm has few equals in the world. The area where the Pompeii Ruins are located, however, had already been inhabited for seven centuries. In this place of great beauty and peace, not far from the sea and at the foot of what the ancients considered a mountain like many others, the Oscans, the Etruscans and the Samnites lived until, in the 2nd century BC the Romans gradually transformed Pompeii into a rich, cultured and thriving city.

The mild climate and fertile land made Pompeii a place in which to live peacefully and the proximity to the sea increased its strategic importance. In fact, the emperors particularly loved it, endowing it with temples and magnificent villas and many other important buildings would have been built, had the eruption never occurred. Over the centuries, the interest of the empire in this place did not completely cease. Already in the 3rd century AD, the emperor Alexander Severus began a first attempt at excavation, but this was made impossible by the lack of adequate means. Pompeii thus remained dormant under the ashes for about fourteen centuries.

The history of the excavations of Pompeii, from a Grand Tour destination to a UNESCO heritage site

It can be said that the modern history of the excavations of Pompeii began almost by chance. At the beginning of the 17th century, in fact, during the works for the construction of a new aqueduct, some finds such as coins and inscriptions were found, but their importance was not understood. Not only that, a violent earthquake in 1631 put an end to any research hypothesis in this area. The official discovery of Pompeii, if one may say so, occurred in 1748, during the reign of Charles III of Bourbon who was actually looking for the ancient Stabia. An epigraph, however, where Pompeii was mentioned, clarified the misunderstanding.

Finally, in 1754, following the discovery of the Villa dei Papiri in the nearby archaeological excavation of Herculaneum, the real rediscovery of Pompeii began. The ancient city increasingly became an open-air museum, where the intellectuals and dreamers who were the protagonists of the Grand Tour loved to come and be inspired. From then until today, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii has never stopped providing emotions.

Then, in 1997, Pompeii became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but its history is not over yet. The excavations, in fact, continue and bring new treasures to light.

Pompeii excavations: what are the main attractions

Walking through the streets of Pompeii is an unmissable experience, but those who do not have much time available can still choose to visit the major attractions and the most important domus.

An ideal route can start, for example, from Porta Marina. A few steps from the entrance is the Forum, the heart of the city. Here there is a complex of extraordinary value that includes the Temple of Apollo, that of Jupiter, the Basilica, the Macellun and the oldest baths of Pompeii.

Continuing towards the North-West you find yourself in the ancient residential area of ​​Pompeii. Here you can admire some of the most famous, elegant and best preserved villas, such as the House of the Faun, the House of the Vetii and the House of the Dioscuri.

In the south-west area there are the theaters, with the Teatro Grande that can accommodate up to five thousand spectators, the smaller Odeion and the graceful Temple of Isis. These two areas are connected by the Via Stabiana, through which you can also reach the famous Lupanare with its erotic frescoes.

The main street of Pompeii is Via dell'Abbondanza, orthogonal to Via Stabiana. Walking along it you can visit the taverns, the shops, some splendid houses and reach another of the cult places of Pompeii, the huge Amphitheater. Here you can also find the gym and the Orto dei Fuggiaschi, where the suggestive casts of the victims of the eruption of Vesuvius are preserved.

5 fun facts about the Archaeological Park of Pompeii

1. The amphitheater of Pompeii, built in 70 BC is the oldest in the world.

2. The Pompeians loved wine and produced a very high quality one. Even today there are vineyards, inside the Pompeii Ruins area, from which comes a well-known wine, the Villa dei Misteri.

3. In Pompeii it is very common to see represented the symbol of the phallus represented because it was considered a good omen.

4. Clandestine gambling dens, taverns, brothels, even rigged dice found during the excavations. Pompeii had a rather lively nightlife.

5. The meaning of the name "Pompeii" is not clear. According to the author Servius, the city was founded by Hercules after the "labors", therefore born a pompa Herculis, that is, from the triumph of Hercules. According to others, the name derives from the Greek verb "pempo" (to send), since Pompeii was an important commercial hub. The most probable hypothesis, however, is that the name derives from the Greek word "pente", meaning five, since Pompeii was probably born from the union of five villages.