It was 24 October 79 A.D. when the eruption of Vesuvius, around 1 p.m., struck Pompeii and its inhabitants. First with a thick shower of ash and lapilli and then with a powerful pyroclastic flow, causing death and devastation.
Pompeii remained buried for years under the blanket of ash. It was not until 1748, following the accidental discovery of the excavations at Herculaneum, that the first excavations began at Pompeii at the behest of Charles III of Bourbon.
The excavations resumed later, thanks to Maria Carolina, wife of Ferdinand IV. Who brought to light part of the triangular forum, a series of houses and monuments. Since then, excavations in Pompeii have not stopped and continue to this day.
Today, the total area of the excavations in Pompeii that has actually been brought to light is about 440,000 square metres.
Precisely because of its vastness, in order to make a visit to the excavations of Pompeii more practical, there are no less than four different itineraries to choose from, depending on the time one has available and the things one wants to see.
The itineraries are divided into two short routes of 2 and 3 hours respectively and two long routes of 5 and 7 hours.
They are a great help to know what to see in Pompeii and how much time you need to visit the places you want to see!
But if you want to rely on a tour guide in your visit, then book one of these tours. They include not only the guide’s assistance throughout the tour but also skip-the-line tickets.
This will give you direct access to the site without standing in line at the ticket office!
What to see in Pompeii: possible itineraries
To better organise your visit and to find out what to see in Pompeii, you can choose one of the four itineraries created by the archaeological park. Which, depending on the time you have available and the places you want to see, are essential for planning your trip to Pompeii.
The routes are divided into two short and two long routes.
If you have relatively little time available and you plan to visit other places in the same day, then I suggest you choose the short route of two hours (ITINERARY N.1) or at most three hours (ITINERARY N.2). The things you can see in Pompeii will certainly only be a small part, but I assure you that you will be so fascinated by what you have seen that you will most probably decide to return to visit it all.
On the contrary, if you have decided to dedicate the whole day to visit only the excavations of Pompeii, then you can choose either the five-hour tour (ITINERARY N.3) or the seven-hour tour (ITINERARY N.4) where, in the latter case, you can see all of the excavations without leaving anything out.
In this situation, we advise you to set off early in the morning, especially if you have decided to see Pompeii in the summer months, because here from June to October the sun really beats down hard and you can encounter days when temperatures can reach 35-40°.
In addition, the shaded areas inside the Pompeii excavations are relatively few and you will have no way of sheltering yourself from the scorching sun, so I advise you to bring an umbrella or a hat and a bottle of water.
If you don’t have any or have forgotten them, don’t worry outside the archaeological area there are numerous kiosks where you can buy everything you need.
What to see in Pompeii: Itinerary no. 1 of 2 hours
In the two-hour itinerary in Pompeii, with entrance and exit from the Porta Marina entrance in Piazza Esedra, you will see the main places frequented daily by the ancient Pompeiians:
- Pompeii: Entrance from Porta Marina
- Suburban baths
- Antiquarium
- Sanctuary of Apollo
- Granai del Foro
- Temple of Jupiter
- Forum Baths
- House of the Tragic Poet
- House of the Small Fountain
- House of the Faun
- Macellum
- Sanctuary of the Lares Public
- Temple of Genius Augusti (Temple of Vespasian)
- Building of Eumachia
- Municipal buildings
- House of Championnet
- House of Geometric Mosaics
- Basilica
- Sanctuary of Venus
- Villa Imperiale and exit from Piazza Esedra
Download the map of route No. 1 here.
But if you want to know in detail all the minute details of these places, I recommend booking the Pompeii tour. With which in two hours thanks to the assistance of a tour guide, you can discover every curiosity and every aspect of this magnificent site.
But not only in the cost of the tour is also included the skip-the-line ticket, this way you will not have to waste time to make the entrance tickets. You will only have to enter and enjoy Pompeii with a pleasant tour guide.
Itinerary no. 2 of 3 hours
Itinerary No. 2 lasts about 3 hours, the entrance and exit is from Piazza Esedra , Porta Marina inferiore, during this tour the places you can see in Pompeii are the same as in Itinerary No. 1, but obviously other stops are added:
- Entrance from Piazza Esedra
- Quadriporticus of the theaters, Grand Theater, Odeion
- House of Menander
- House of the Cryptoporticus
- Street of Abundance
- Stabian Way
- Stabian Baths
- Lupanare
- House of the Wounded Bear, Augustali Street
- Mercury Street
- House of the Faun
- House of the Vettii
- House of the Small Fountain
- House of the Tragic Poet
- Macellum
- Temple of Jupiter
- Forum granaries
- Sanctuary of the Public Lares
- Temple of the Genius Augusti (Temple of Vespasian)
- Building of Eumachia
- Municipal Buildings
- House of Championnet
- House of the Geometric Mosaics
- Sanctuary of Apollo
- Basilica
- Sanctuary of Venus
- Antiquarium/Villa Imperiale and exit from Piazza Esedra
Download the map of 3-hour route No. 2.
Path no. 3 of 5 hours
Itinerary No. 3, lasts approximately 5 hours, during this tour you will see most of the excavations of Pompeii, the entrance is from Piazza Esedra, Porta Marina and the exit from Piazza Anfiteatro:
- Entrance from Porta Marina
- Antiquarium
- House of Triptolemus
- Basilica
- Sanctuary of Apollo
- Granai of the Forum
- Municipal Buildings
- House of Championnet
- House of Geometric Mosaics
- House of Eumachia
- Temple of the Genius Augusti (Temple of Vespasian)
- Sanctuary of the Public Lares
- MacellumTemple of Jupiter
- Via of Mercury
- House of the Faun
- House of the Vettii
- House of the Golden Cupids
- House of Marcus Lucretius on Via Stabiana
- House of Siricus on Via dell’Abbondanza
- Stabian Baths
- Lupanare
- Vicles of the Mask and the Hanging Balcony
- Street of Abundance, Theater Street
- Triangular Forum
- View on the Great Theatre, Odeion, Quadriporticus of the Theatres
- Temple of Isis, Castricus Street
- House of Menander
- House of the Cryptoporticus
- House of Stephanus Fullonica
- House of Paquius Proculus
- House of the Orchard
- House of Octavius Quartius
- House of Venus in the Shell
- House of Julia Felix
- Large Gymnasium
- Exit Amphitheatre Square
Download the map and details of route No. 3 here. A challenging route of which you will probably not grasp all the details.
That’s why I recommend you rely on an experienced guide, who in a spectacular 5-hour Tour, will tell you curiosities, peculiarities and anecdotes of ancient Pompeii.
With this tour you can really catch every aspect of Pompeii and the life of Pompeians. Also included in the cost of the tour is skip-the-line access, so you won’t waste time making entrance tickets.
Itinerary no. 4 of 7 hours
RuiWith itinerary No. 4 you can really see the whole of Pompeii, a long, but also strenuous tour, recommended for true enthusiasts.
The archaeological park enters and exits from Piazza Anfiteatro, but you are free to choose the entrance and exit that is most convenient for you depending on where you are, since during this itinerary you will touch all the stops in Pompeii, so, if you want, you can also decide to enter from Piazza Esedra, here you can find the map of route No. 4.
Piazza Anfiteatro Entrance:
- Amphitheatre
- Great Gymnasium
- Praedia of Julia Felix
- House of the Venus Shell
- House of Octavius Quartius
- House of the Orchard
- House of the Ephebus
- House of Paquius Proculus
- House of Menander
- House of the Cryptoporticus
- House of Stephanus
- Way of abundance, Stabiana Street
- Temple of Isis
- Triangular Forum
- View of the Great Theatre, Odeion, Quadriporticus of the Theatre
- Vicle of the Red Walls, Street of the schools
- House of Geometric Mosaics
- Municipal Buildings
- House of Championnet
- Basilica
- Sanctuary of Apollo
- House of Triptolemus
- Forum Granaries
- Temple of Jupiter
- Macellum
- Sanctuary of the Public Lares
- Temple of the Genius Augusti (Temple of Vespasian)
- Building of Eumachia
- House of the Forum
- House of the Tragic Poet
- Villa of the Mysteries (possible exit)
- House of the Faun
- House of the Vettii
- House of the Golden Cupids
- Nola’s Way
- House of Marcus Lucretius Fronton
- House of Obellio Firmo
- Vicle of Thesmus
- Stabian Way
- House of Siricus
- Stabian Baths
- Lupanare
- Vicles of the Mask and Hanging Balcony
- Street of Abundance
- Castricus WayFugitives’
- WayFugitives’ Garden
- Nocera Way
- Necropolis of Porta Nocera and exit Amphitheatre Square
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 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 comeArchaeological excavations of Pompeii: all Faq
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 come
