Everything You Need to Know About Pompeii Tickets and Tours

The Pompeii Archaeological Park is one of the most visited sites in Italy, with millions of visitors every year. This means that there are a lot of different options for purchasing Pompeii tickets and tours available. Over the years I have visited Pompeii many times, and on early visits I made every mistake you can think of. Now I know exactly how to navigate all those different options so let me share all my knowledge and experience with you.

Our Guide to Navigating the Different Pompeii Tickets and Tours on Offer

Pompeii is one of the most well-known archaeological sites in the world. The story of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the sudden destruction of the ancient Roman city captures people’s imaginations like no other event.

Being able to walk the streets of the ancient ruins, with Vesuvius still looming in the background, is an incredible experience. Yes, it can be busy, and hot in the summer, but once you’re there all of that goes away and the magic of the site takes over.

The remains of the luxurious villas, shops, temples, public baths and more allow us to really understand what ancient life was like almost 2000 years ago. For me, while the larger spaces are undeniably impressive, it is the small details that really make the archaeological site of Pompeii worth visiting multiple times. The family shrine in a villa or graffiti left on the walls for me is much more personal, and allows me to connect to the people of Pompeii.

The question should really be ‘why not Pompeii?’ as there are so many reasons to visit – check out our full visit guide to learn more.

The Pompeii Archaeological Park is located on the edge of the modern town of Pompei. There are multiple entrances/exits to the park, but the main one is the Porta Marina entrance – this is where the majority of guided tours will start.

Visiting Pompeii by Train from Naples

Reaching Pompeii from Naples using the train is very straightforward.

There is one main train route, the Circumvesuviana Line 1, which runs between Napoli Centrale and Sorrento. This stops at the Pompeii Scavi Villa Dei Misteri station which is a short walk to the Porta Marina park entrance.

All trains on Line 1 stop at the Pompeii Scavi station, but there are two types of train; the regular and the Campania Express trains. The Campania Express does not run as often but is quicker, more modern and has better facilities on board so I recommend getting tickets for this train if possible.

Other Train Options Between Pompeii and Naples

If Line 1 is not running or tickets are unavailable, you have two potential alternative options. First is Line 4, the Naples-Poggiomarino route, which leaves from the Circumvesuviana platforms and is run by the same company, EAV. This does not stop at Pompeii Scavi but instead a station on the other side of the archaeological park; Pompei Santuario.

The other option is taking the regular intercity train between Naples and Salerno, which stops at the modern train station of Pompei. Both this station and Pompei Santuario are a short walk to the Piazza Anfiteatro park entrance so they work if you are visiting by yourself.

I do not recommend these options if you are joining a Pompeii guided tour at the Porta Marina entrance, as they are both around a 40 minute walk away from that entrance.

Visiting Pompeii by Train from Sorrento

From Sorrento the only train option to reach Pompeii is the Circumvesuviana line. This starts in Sorrento and always stops at the Pompeii Scavi station.

As with the options from Naples, you can take either the regular train or the Campania Express. Again, the Campania Express is definitely the better option if the timings work for your visit. Yes it costs a little more, but these trains have priority along the single train track and the limited stops mean you will get to Pompeii quicker and more reliably.

Day Entrance Tickets

There are currently 2 types of daily entrance tickets you can buy; Pompeii Express and Pompeii Plus.

Pompeii Express gives you access to all the regular parts of the ancient city, but not the Villa of the Mysteries or the Villa of Diomedes. To access those villas, you will need the Pompeii Plus ticket, which also includes access to the villa at nearby Boscoreale and the Boscoreale Antiquarium.

For both of the daily tickets, you can choose entry either between 9AM and 1PM or 1PM and last entry (this varies according to the time of year). You can enter at any point in your time slot, so you don’t need to time your arrival for a small window as with other sites.

Three Day Pass

The Pompeii 3 day pass covers everything that is included in the Pompeii Plus day ticket, and also entrances to a number of additional sites that fall under the same management.

You can visit the ancient villas of Oplontis, Arianna and San Marco, along with the Libero d’Orsi archaeological museum with this ticket. You get one entrance per site, but can spread those visits over 3 consecutive days. The ticket also includes access to the shuttle buses that runs between the main Pompeii park and these smaller sites.

These other villas, particularly Oplontis, are absolutely incredible and so I recommend going for this ticket option, even if you only have 1 day. The shuttle buses run regularly (there is one that goes to Boscoreale, one to Oplontis and another to the other villas and museum) so you can definitely make the most of the ticket in a single day.

Free entry is always available for children under 18 years old. You still need to add the relevant number of these tickets to your booking and add the names of the children who will be entering, as they count towards the maximum visitor numbers per day.

Reduced entry tickets are also available for EU citizens between the ages of 18 and 25, but be prepared to show proof of citizenship and age at the entrance for these tickets.

Free entrance is open to everyone on the first Sunday of each month, but you cannot book these tickets in advance. You will have to queue up in person at one of the ticket offices and wait with everyone else doing the same thing. The crowds for the Free Sunday events are always large so if you can go on a different day, I highly recommend avoiding these days.

Third Party Entrance Tickets

Pompeii is incredibly popular and with the limits on entrance numbers to help preserve the site, tickets are more in demand than ever. I would always suggest trying the official website first, but if tickets are sold out for the day you are planning to visit, you can try purchasing through a third party provider.

If you go for this option, make sure to use a reputable company. Our preferred partners at GetYourGuide, Viator and Headout have options for Pompeii entrance tickets where you can select the date, time and type of ticket that is right for you.

Note that any third parties offering ‘skip the line tickets’ simply are referring to the ability to skip the line of people waiting to purchase tickets in person. You cannot skip the line for security or ticket checks with any type of ticket or tour, whether booked direct or with a third party.

Pompeii tickets and tours are widely available, so the key is to decide which is the right option for your group, including when you are visiting, how much you wish to see and whether you want to combine your visit with Herculaneum or Mount Vesuvius. Whichever option you go for, you’ll be sure to have a good time with our tips!

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