The excavations of Pompeii attract millions of tourists every year, who come to the ancient Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. to visit the ruins that have become a symbol of that catastrophic eruption and learn about the history of the ancient city.
An eruption that destroyed the city of Pompeii and neighboring towns in a matter of hours. Submerged first by ash and lapilli and then by the powerful pyroclastic flow, which solidified the volcanic material deposited on the city, imprisoning for 2,000 years, houses, temples, stores and its own inhabitants.
Only by chance was the city of Pompeii rediscovered back in 1748.
During the excavation of wells in nearby Herculaneum, by chance, marble fragments and statues were found. From that moment excavation work began, involving first Herculaneum and then nearby Pompeii.
Since then it has been a succession of discoveries, which continue to this day and attract millions of tourists every year, curious to learn about and discover this immense heritage.
The huge influx of visitors at certain times of the year causes endless queues at the ticket offices of the excavations to purchase entrance tickets. So if you are short of time or have small children, disabled or elderly people with you, read this guide carefully!
Here you will find all the useful information about the Pompeii Excavations on:
Buying entrance tickets to the Pompeii excavations
Entrance tickets to the Pompeii excavations can be purchased either at the ticket offices at the entrance to Porta Marina, Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza Esedra, or online through the only retailer authorised by the archaeological park, Ticket one.
- The upper Porta Marina entrance is located on Via Villa dei Misteri, opposite the Villa dei Misteri circumvesuviana station. And it is particularly convenient for those who decide to reach Pompeii by circumvesuviana train.
- The entrance to Piazza Anfiteatro is in Piazza immacolata in Pompeii, near the centre. Exactly 1.4 km from the Villa dei Misteri circumvesuviana station and 1 km from the Pompei Santuario circumvesuviana station. You can reach the entrance of Piazza Anfiteatro either by train of the circumvesuviana, or by car by stopping at the paid municipal car parks near the entrance.
- The entrance to Piazza Esedra, located in Piazza Porta Marina Inferiore, is the main entrance to the excavations of Pompeii. You can get to Piazza Esedra either by train, car or bus, following the directions on my page on how to get to Pompeii.
For your visit to Pompeii, I recommend that you buy your entrance tickets online from the only retailer authorised by the Archaeological Park.
Buying online is a convenient, safe method that saves you precious time, since, especially during peak periods, there are endless queues at the ticket offices and you can lose up to an hour before buying your entrance tickets to the Pompeii excavations.
Not to mention that in summer, when temperatures reach 35-40°, you will find yourself queuing under the scorching sun.
This is why I recommend that you buy your entrance tickets to the excavations of Pompeii skip the line online.
Tickets for the excavations of Pompeii purchased online must be presented at the entrance either by means of the QR code generated directly on your smartphone or tablet, or they can be printed out in hard copy from home.
N.B. It is essential to keep the ticket until the exit to register it at the turnstile.
Ticket prices for the Pompeii excavations
Starting Oct. 14, 2023 with the birth of the project the “Greater Pompeii” visit routes and the cost of entrance fees to the excavations of Pompeii will change.
- Pompeii Express Ticket €18, which allows a visit to the entire archaeological site of Pompeii, including the Antiquarium and Palestra Grande. Excluding the Suburban Villas of Villa dei Misteri and Villa Diomede located outside the walls of Pompeii
- Pompeii Plus ticket € 22, which allows a visit to the entire Pompeii site ( including Villa dei Misteri and Villa Diomende). And Villa Regina of Boscoreale with entrance to the Antiquarium. All connected with the use of totally free shuttles
- Pompeii 3-day ticket € 26. Which includes a visit to Pompeii (in full), Villa Poppea in Oplontis, Villa San Marco and Villa Arianna in Stabia, Museo Libero d’Orsi in Castellammare and Villa Regina in Boscoreale with antiquarium. With free shuttle bus that will connect the different archaeological sites every day and use of a single entrance fee.
The cost of the ticket to visit the excavations of Pompeii for EU citizens aged between 18 and 25 years old and Non-EU, holders of regular residence permits is € 2,00
It is free for minors, disabled people and their families, Italian citizens living abroad and teachers.
Presale purchase on the ticketone website is allowed only for those who purchase full tickets. While neither reduced ( 18/25 years old) nor free tickets can be purchased online. These can only be purchased at the Pompeii ruins ticket office, which will have to verify the title proving the free or reduced (ID).
Tickets purchased online will have to be either printed or shown from your smartphone when entering the archaeological site.
To check all the categories entitled to free admission and the documents to be presented click here.
POMPEII EXPRESS TICKET
(Pompeii only, excluding Villa of the Mysteries and Villa Diomede) | POMPEII PLUS TICKET
(Pompeii all with Villa of the Mysteries and Villa Diomede+ Villa Regina of Boscoreale and Antiquarium)+Shuttle | 3-DAY TICKET
(Pompeii all+Villa Poppea Oplontis+Villa San Marco and Villa Arianna Stabia+Museum Castellammare Libero d’Orsi+Villa Regina and Antiquarium Boscoreale)+Shuttle | EU CITIZEN TICKET 18/25 YEARS | UNDERAGE TICKET AND OTHER CATEGORIES |
| € 18,00 | € 22,00 | € 26,00 | €2,00 | GRATUITO |
Free Sundays
On the first Sunday of each month, you can enter Pompeii Archaeological Park for free.
In order to enter, it is necessary to make the entrance ticket, which as it is free will only have a statistical purpose.
The ticket can be booked on the Ticketone website or one can go directly to the site’s ticket office, which will issue the free ticket.
To avoid unnecessary lines at the ticket office, however, I recommend that you book your ticket online, which can be printed or shown at the turnstiles through your smartphone.
For your visit to the excavations of Pompeii on the first Sunday of the month, I recommend that you leave early in the morning, as, it may happen that in case of a large influx, the ticket counters will be closed for an hour upon reaching 15,000 visitors by noon. This is to avoid a clog inside the site that could jeopardize the safety and security of the site and to encourage the outflow on the way out.
Take advantage of free admission to visit Pompeii with an expert tour guide and be enchanted by the wonderful history of this ancient city that has remained buried for more than 2,000 years. Book the guide with us and receive a 20% discount on all products.
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Entrance hours Pompeii excavations
The entrance hours to the excavations of Pompeii are divided into two bands: summer hours and winter hours.
Winter hours come into force on 1 November and end on 31 March.
The first entrance to visit the Pompeii excavations during the winter period is allowed from 9:00 a.m. and the last at 3:30 p.m.
You may remain inside the site until closing time at 17:00.
From 1 November to 31 March
| OPENING | LAST ENTRANCE | CLOSING |
| 9:00 AM | 15:30 PM | 17:00 PM |
Summer opening hours come into force on 1 April and end on 31 October.
The opening hours of the Pompeii excavations during the summer period are 9:00 a.m., with the last admission allowed until 5:30 p.m.
You may remain inside the excavations until closing time at 19:00.
From 1 April to 31 October
| OPENING | LAST ENTRANCE | CLOSING |
| 9:00 AM | 17:30 PM | 19:00 PM |
Closed on: 25 December, 1 January, 1 May, unless otherwise stated
Green Pass Rules
As of 1 April 2022, with the entry into force of Decree-Law No. 24 of 24 March 2022, the end of the State of Emergency is established.
Access to the Pompeii excavations no longer requires the possession of an enhanced green pass or a basic green pass. From 1 May 2022, although not compulsory, the use of a face mask is strongly recommended.
Altri informazioni utili
How to get to Pompeii
Come raggiungere gli Scavi di Pompei in auto, pullman o treno partendo da Napoli o Sorrento. Con indicazione degli orari di partenza dei mezzi e la tratta da utilizzare.
Scopri comeWhat to see in Pompeii
All the places you can see in Pompeii with the four routes created by the Archaeological Park
Scopri comeThe excavations of Pompeii: Info hours, tickets, free Sundays
Tutte le informazioni sull’acquisto dei biglietti di ingresso agli Scavi archeologici, le tariffe e gli orari.
Scopri comeVisiting the excavations of Pompeii: route for the disabled and blind
Tutte le informazioni per visitare gli Scavi di Pompei con disabili e non vedenti
Scopri comeArchaeological excavations of Pompeii: all Faq
Scopri come
