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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Pompeii
Pompei
Give the ruins one full day and book your ticket ahead (daily cap 20,000); sleep in Naples or Sorrento, not in Pompei town.
Pompeii is a buried Roman city, not a town: the archaeological park is the whole reason to come, and it takes a full day on foot over uneven stone. Most travellers base in Naples or Sorrento and arrive by the Circumvesuviana railway. The modern town of Pompei has beds and a pilgrimage church but little else.
- Country
- Italy
- Local name
- Pompei
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (32–35 °C (90–95 °F) on open stone), and the first Sunday of the month if you want quietJul–Aug (90–95 °F (32–35 °C) on open stone), and the first Sunday of the month if you want quiet
- Stay
- 1 (day trip from Naples or Sorrento) nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €35–60 excl. bed · Mid €60–110 excl. bed · High €110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Europe-wide emergency 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Pompeii one-day ticket, ancient city only | €18 |
| 3-day pass covering the wider park | €26 |
| Circumvesuviana, Naples to Pompei Scavi | €4.80 |
| Trenitalia regional, Napoli Centrale to Pompei | €3.30 |
| Freshly pressed orange or lemon juice near the entrance | €3 |
| Panino from a stand near Porta Marina | €4–7 |
| Taxi, Pompei station to the ruins | about €10 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NAP · Naples Capodichino
- Alibus to Napoli Centrale, then the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri; total time check
Typical fares
- Circumvesuviana, Naples to Pompei Scavi
- €4.80 (2026 estimate; check)
- Trenitalia regional, Napoli Centrale to Pompei
- €3.30 (2026 estimate; check)
- Taxi, Pompei station to the ruins
- about €10 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Inside the park you walk: cobblestones, cart ruts and few benches. Bicycles are impractical. Between towns use the Circumvesuviana (EAV) railway or Trenitalia regional trains; taxis wait at Pompei station and ask around €10 to the entrance. Journey times on the Circumvesuviana: check current timetables.
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO-listed Roman city buried by Vesuvius in AD 79
- Plaster casts of eruption victims
- Forum, Amphitheatre and House of the Vettii
- Villa of the Mysteries
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Herculaneum | Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi | check |
| Mt Vesuvius summit | EAV bus from Piazza Anfiteatro, then a walk up the last stretch | check |
| Naples | Circumvesuviana from Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri | check |
| Sorrento | Circumvesuviana on the Napoli–Sorrento line | check |
| Capri | Hydrofoil from Naples or Sorrento | check |
Sleep
- Naples (Chiaia, Centro Storico or near Napoli Centrale)
- Best base: Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi, plus pizza and museums. See things to do in Naples.
- Sorrento
- Quieter base on the same rail line, 30–40 min to Pompei Scavi; good for the Amalfi Coast. See visit Sorrento.
- Pompei town (near Pompei Santuario or Pompei Scavi station)
- Only if you want to be at the gate at opening; the town itself is thin on things to do.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| One ticket, please | Un biglietto, per favoreoon bee-LYET-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat on open stone: carry water, a hat and good shoes; there is little shade.
- Not every house is open at any one time; check the park's house schedule before you plan a route.
- Routes on the free map are often blocked for excavation or repair, so allow detours.
- Porta Marina, the main entrance, has many stairs; reduced-mobility visitors should use Piazza Anfiteatro.
- Tickets are capped at 20,000 entries a day: book ahead, especially Apr–Oct, and check the official ticket rules for timed slots.
The park is safe and well patrolled; the real risks are heat, uneven stone and pickpockets on the crowded Circumvesuviana at closing time. Keep bags zipped and drink more water than you think you need.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pompeii yet. Suggested stay: 1 (day trip from Naples or Sorrento) nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO-listed Roman city buried by Vesuvius in AD 79
- Plaster casts of eruption victims
- Forum, Amphitheatre and House of the Vettii
- Villa of the Mysteries
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Pompeii, revision 5268063 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5268063
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
PompeiiPompei
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US has a consulate general in Naples; other countries: consulates in Naples or embassies in Rome.
Park hours: Apr–Oct 09:00–19:00, last admission 17:30; Nov–Mar 09:00–17:00, last admission 15:30. Closed 1 January and 25 December. Check the official site before you travel.Park hours: Apr–Oct 9:00 AM–7:00 PM, last admission 5:30 PM; Nov–Mar 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, last admission 3:30 PM. Closed 1 January and 25 December. Check the official site before you travel.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pompeii). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.