Pompeii: How to Visit the City Frozen by Vesuvius

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the Roman city of Pompeii under meters of ash and pumice. The catastrophe that ended the city also preserved it: streets, houses, shops, frescoes, and even the shapes of its citizens survive in extraordinary detail. Walking through Pompeii is the closest thing there is to stepping into daily life in the Roman Empire.

What Makes Pompeii Unique

Most ancient sites give you temples and monuments. Pompeii gives you an entire living city, caught mid-moment. You walk on the original stone-paved streets, still rutted by cart wheels, past bakeries with ovens intact, taverns with counters, election slogans painted on walls, and grand villas decorated with vivid frescoes. The famous plaster casts — made by filling the voids left by victims in the hardened ash — are a haunting, human reminder of what happened here.

Highlights

The Forum. The civic heart of the city, framed by columns with Vesuvius looming behind — the classic Pompeii view.

The Amphitheatre. One of the oldest surviving Roman amphitheatres, which once held gladiatorial games.

The Villa of the Mysteries. Just outside the main city, home to one of the best-preserved fresco cycles from the ancient world, its deep-red walls still vivid.

The Baths and the Brothel. The Stabian Baths show how sophisticated Roman bathing was, while the small lupanar still has its original wall paintings.

Tickets and Opening Hours (2026)

The standard "Pompeii Plus" ticket costs around €20 and includes the main archaeological park plus several suburban villas. Opening hours are approximately 09:00–19:30 (April–October) and 09:00–17:00 (November–March), with last admission strictly 90 minutes before closing. The park is closed on 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December. From March 2026, tickets are sold online through the official vivaticket platform — booking ahead is strongly recommended to skip the queue.

How to Get There from Naples

The easiest way is the Circumvesuviana train on the Naples–Sorrento line. Trains run roughly every 30 minutes, the journey takes about 30–40 minutes, and it costs only a few euros. Get off at "Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri" — the station is directly opposite the Porta Marina entrance. (Note: this is different from the modern town's "Pompei" mainline station, which is farther from the ruins.)

Practical Tips

Wear proper shoes. The ancient streets are uneven, with high stepping-stones and worn stone. This is not a place for sandals.

Start early and bring water. Pompeii is huge and largely without shade; summer afternoons are exhausting.

Give it time. Two to three hours is a minimum; enthusiasts spend a full day. Grab a site map at the entrance and prioritize, because you will not see everything.

Consider combining Pompeii with nearby Herculaneum (smaller, even better preserved) or a hike up Vesuvius itself.