Pompeii Archaeological Park

No archaeological site anywhere tells a story as completely as Pompeii. On a single day in AD 79, Vesuvius buried a prosperous Roman town of perhaps eleven thousand people under metres of ash and pumice, and in doing so preserved it: its paved streets rutted by cart wheels and crossed by stepping stones, its fast-food counters with their sunken jars, its bakeries with millstones still in place, its political slogans painted on walls, its graffiti, its brothel, its amphitheatre — the oldest surviving Roman one — and its houses, many of them frescoed in the deep reds and blacks that we now call Pompeian. Excavations began in the eighteenth century under the Bourbons and have never really stopped; new finds still make headlines, and the park regularly rotates which houses (domus) are open. The site is enormous, around sixty-six hectares of which roughly two-thirds is excavated, so this is not a sight you finish but one you choose from. The essentials for a first visit: the Forum with Vesuvius framed behind the Temple of Jupiter, the Forum Baths and the Stabian Baths, the Lupanar, the theatres, the House of the Faun where the Alexander Mosaic was found, the Villa of the Mysteries outside the walls with its great painted frieze, and the amphitheatre and Great Palaestra at the eastern end. Then there are the casts — the hollows left by bodies in the ash, filled with plaster in the nineteenth century — which turn a ruin into a human tragedy. Entry rules have tightened: since late 2024 tickets are nominative, a daily cap of 20,000 visitors applies, and in the main season (mid-March to mid-October) you book a morning or afternoon slot. A basic ticket covers the main excavations; a broader ticket adds the park's outlying sites. Buy from the official seller or a reputable reseller such as Tiqets rather than from touts at the gates.

Planning makes or breaks Pompeii. The site has three entrances — Porta Marina near the Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri station, Piazza Esedra just beside it, and Piazza Anfiteatro at the eastern end, closer to the modern town of Pompei. Arrive by the Circumvesuviana train from Naples or Sorrento, or by mainline train to Pompei town, and enter at opening. From mid-October to mid-March the park keeps winter hours, opening in the morning and closing in the late afternoon with last entry mid-afternoon; summer hours run into the early evening. Bags are restricted to a small daypack size and large luggage is refused. On the first Sunday of the month entry is free but cannot be booked online, the cap still applies and the crowds are heavy, and special free days are announced too (1 and 4 November 2026 among them). The park is normally closed only on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Inside, pace yourself. A focused first visit takes three to four hours; enthusiasts happily spend a full day. Download or pick up the map, check the park's list of open houses before you go — on 15 August 2026 the House of Menander, the House of the Tragic Poet, the House of Octavius Quartio, the House of Pansa and the Fullonica of Stephanus opened, while the House of the Ceii, the House of the Silver Wedding and the Praedia of Julia Felix closed for their turn of rest — and plan a loop rather than a straight line. The streets are uneven basalt, there is limited shade, and the distances add up, so bring water (there are fountains), a hat and serious shoes. A guide, whether a licensed archaeologist on a small-group tour or a good audio guide, transforms the experience: Pompeii without context is a maze of walls, while Pompeii explained is a living Roman town.

Fitting it into a trip: Pompeii is about forty minutes from Naples and thirty from Sorrento on the Circumvesuviana, and it pairs naturally with Vesuvius on the same day (combined tours and passes exist) or with Herculaneum for the archaeology-obsessed. Many travellers find that seeing the frescoes and mosaics in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples first, or after, makes the site far more vivid, because the finest pieces left Pompeii centuries ago. With children, focus on the casts, the bakery, the amphitheatre and the fast-food counters, and keep it to the morning. In summer heat, go early or take the afternoon slot and stay to closing; in November, start at opening because the light fades early and last entry comes sooner than you think.