Visit Pompeii Italy - Tickets & Tours

Entry tickets and guided tours for visiting Pompeii from Naples

From Naples, visit the ruins of Pompeii Italy, the Roman city that was affected by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79. What are the best Pompeii guided tours? How to book Pompeii tickets online?

Pompeii, ruins of a city buried under volcanic ash

The Archaeological park of Pompeii is located in Italy and 2 kilometers from the center of Naples. The site is located at the foot of the Vesuvius volcano. The city was founded around the 8th century BC by the people of the Osken. Cities in Campania were often built by Greek settlers, Pompeii was not an exception because of the good fertile soil around the volcano. The city has been conquered several times in its history. Etruscans did so in the 6th century BC and in the 5th century BC, like the rest of Campania, by the Samnites. These conquests came to an end when the Romans defeated the Samnites in the 4th century BC.

History Pompeii and the fortification by the Romans

Pompeii city was fortified by the Romans, although the people of the city did not like the conquest and revolted. The Romans did not let this go unpunished and provoked a war. In the year 89 BC Pompeii was besieged by the Romans and 9 years later Pompeii surrendered. It became an official Roman province. Whether or not the conquest was right for the people of Pompeii, the city prospered and developed into an important trading center due to its location at the mouth of the river and good fertile soil. As a result, the city also attracted many wealthy Romans.

^{Visit Pompeii Archaeological Park, a special voyage of discovery}

^{Ruins of the Temple of Jupiter with Vesuvius in the background}

The volcano Vesuvius destroys Pompeii

Earthquakes were common during this period and not many people were surprised by them. In 62 AD, a major earthquake struck, causing chaos and severe damage to the city. Some of the inhabitants of Pompeii fled, but some stayed in the city to rebuild it. Not knowing that this earthquake was the prelude to a much greater disaster. Pompeii was located at the base of the volcano of Mount Vesuvius and was completely covered in a layer of ash from the volcano in 79 AD. During the eruption, around 20,000 people lived in the area and it was also a much-visited holiday destination for the Romans. Although a large part managed to flee the city, the remaining remnant of the population was attacked just in the following night by the suddenly descending ash cloud. 1000 human remains were found in the Pompeii ruins alone.

^{Remains of the gate of the Macellum, the meat market}

^{One of Pompeii's famous mummies}

Centuries later, Pompeii is rediscovered

The volcanic eruption pushed cities like Pompeii and Herculaneum into oblivion. The city of Pompeii was completely covered with a meter high layer of ash. Finally, in the year 1599, the city was found during the digging of a canal. Later in the 18th century, efforts were made to remove the two cities from the ash layer. Nowadays, Pompeii Italy is a huge tourist attraction and also a thriving area for historians and archaeologists. Partly because of the ash layer, everything has been well preserved. Compared to the excavations of Herculaneum you will see a big difference as this city was swallowed by the lava flow.

Visit Pompeii, a treasury for archaeologists

In Pompeii you can study the daily life of the Roman period, something that is impossible in many other cities. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was assumed to have occurred on August 24, 79 AD, but archaeological investigations in 2018 have moved this date to October 24 at 1 pm.

^{Included in the Pompeii entry tickets: Granai del Foro with a child mummy}

^{Remnants of the Roman baths in Pompeii Italy}

What to see in Pompeii?

You probably won't have enough time to visit the entire area of the excavations. The original city contained more than 1500 buildings and houses. Today there are too few financial resources to restore the entire area and some parts are in less good condition or have not yet been excavated. On the official website pompeiisite.org you can see which houses and sites are open during your Pompeii visit, but the most up-to-date information can be found on the information boards on the archaeological site. Of course you can also visit Pompeii without a plan and get lost through the streets and relive the feeling of the Roman period. To get you started, a small list of buildings of Pompeii that are definitely worth visiting and you can find on the map you get at the entrance of the park. The archaelogical park of Pompeii is divided into several regions which were all surrounded by a city wall. The highlights per region:

Region I

• Casa e Thermopolium di Vetutius Placidus was a small fast food restaurant. Here you can clearly see the counter and the various old pots in which food was kept.

Region II

• The Anfiteatro (amphitheatre) was used for gladiatorial games. This site is still fairly intact and shows the place where 20,000 visitors could enjoy the fighting of gladiators.
• Next to the Anfiteatro you will find Palestra Grande, an old gymnasium. It is believed that young people were playing sports during the eruption of Vesuvius, because bodies have been found at the exit of boys who were probably trying to escape.

Region VI

• Casa del Fauno: The largest and most luxurious palace in Pompeii city. Several floor mosaics can now be admired in the Naples Archaeological Museum.
• Casa del Poeta Tragico: The landmark of this house is the mosaic, warning for the dangerous dog.
• Villa dei Misteri: A luxury villa outside the city gates, probably owned by a farming family. The villa has beautifully preserved wall paintings. This villa is a short walk from the other attractions, but the frescoes are definitely worth a look.

Region VII

• Forum: The main square and meeting point of the city of Pompeii, surrounded by several markets for textiles, meat and grain. On the side of the Vesuvius are some columns of the Tempio di Giove (Temple of Jupiter). The striking bronze statue in the forum is not an original work, but a lasting reminder of an art exhibition in Pompeii Italy.
• Terme del Foro: The hot water pools heated by a coal stove. The Roman population bathed in these baths.
• Santuario di Apollo: The Temple of Apollo shows how the Romans adopted Greek traditions. On the temple you can see two bronze replicas of Apollo and Diana.
• Granai del Foro: Adjacent to the forum is a large storehouse of amphorae and several plaster statues ('mummies') to admire.
• One of the most beautiful sights of Pompeii is the Lupanare, one of the former brothels of the city. There is a queue to get in. You will find well-preserved erotic frescoes.
• Casa de Sirico: In this 'domus' of a wealthy baker's family, you can admire the various rooms of a villa as well as a number of plaster mummies.
• Terme Stabiane: These are the oldest of the four public baths in the city, where the different types of bathing areas are still clearly visible.

Region VIII

• Teatro Grande: The horseshoe-shaped theater where comedies and mimes were shown.
• Templo di Iside: In other words, the Temple of Isis, dedicated to the Egyptian goddess of fertility.

^{Villa dei Misteri, a 2nd century Roman villa with well-preserved frescoes}

^{Granai del Foro with lots of old pots and tools}

Visit Pompeii: entry tickets and tours from Naples

The huge size of Pompeii means there is a lot to exlore. You can even take a few days to visit it all, but most visitors will be able to see the main highlights in half a day. The city is easily accessible from Naples with a train connection of only 40 minutes. It is recommended to bring good walking shoes as the cobblestones of the sites are uneven and not easy to walk on. It is highly recommended to opt for an official guide if you are interested in the history and stories of Pompeii, so that the archaeological area will better appeal to the imagination.

Video: Documentary Pompeii Italy

Where is Pompeii in Italy?