pompeii tour guide app

Institutional Portal of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii

• cambia lingua: Italiano
• cambia lingua: English

MyPompeii, the application which allows one to visit the archaeological site in safety

MyPompeii, the application which allows one to visit the archaeological site in safety.

Select your language

Virtual travel to Pompeii, Italy

Top attractions & things to do in pompeii:.

History, facts and travel tips about Pompeii

The origins of Pompeii are old as the history of Rome . Pompeian people came from an ancient Italic population: the Osci . In the second half of 7th century BC, an early village was settled on the site where Pompeii would eventually emerge : it was strategically established at the intersection of three major roads. Pompeii quickly became a crossing point between the North and the South and a main trade and travel hub, but consequently an aimed prey for its powerful neighbors.

The city had a rather eventful history: it was first conquered by the Greek Colony of Cumae , then by the Etruscans , going finally back under the heel of the Greeks .

The first urban settlement dates back to the 4th century, when Pompeii was involved in the Samnite Wars and forced to accept an alliance with Rome but managing to keep their autonomy for language and institutions.

During the 2nd century BC, thanks to extensive cultivation and prodigious wine and oil exports, the city became really prosperous so that wealth gave rise to some of the most sumptuous residences in Pompeii , equal to the most famous royal dwellings from the Hellenistic period.

In 91 BC, during the Social War (91-88 BC), Pompeii allied with several cities of Campania against Rome with the aim to achieve full Roman citizenship. Unfortunately any attempt to defy Sulla was a wild-goose-chase and the city fell down almost immediately; in 80 BC, it was totally drawn into the sphere of influence of Rome. Sulla moved there a colony of veterans naming it “Colonia Venerea Pompeianorum Sillana”; people who had fought against Rome were expropriated from their land, which was then given to veterans.

In spite of military downturns, Pompeii’s wealth and especially its commercial entrepreneurship (mostly involved in exporting wines from Campania) was left intact.

Because of the salubrious climate and the agreeable landscape, the city and its surroundings became a pleasant vacation destination for rich Roman people. Among them there was Cicero himself, who owned a plot of land in Pompeii and actually didn’t dislike spending time in that lovely place.

Houses in Pompeii became famous also for their valued and unique decoration, so much so that between 2nd Century BC and 79 AD Pompeii developed its own style which came to be widely imitated, even in Rome.

Several painting techniques were used to decorate walls: frescos (pigments mixed with water on wet plaster), tempera (pigments mixed with a glutinous binder such as egg yolk or wax), encaustic painting (pigments mixed with wax). Pompeii painting has been subdivided into four styles based on Vitruvius’ treatise on painting in De Architectura.

The First style used in some houses consists of stucco reliefs , mostly red or black, but also purple, yellow-green pigments imitating marble.

The Second style consists of frames and decorations along with painted foliage to create a “ trompe l’oeil ” effect, giving the illusion of shadow and depth; false colonnades and doorways are depicted opening onto perspectival paintings representing gardens in the foreground. It was a very popular style with customers of the age. Still lives portraying fowls, fruit and vegetables were also very popular.

The Third Pompeian Style is a "decorative style" and completely overturned perspective and three-dimensionality which characterized the previous style. It used flat, dark colors resembling curtains and tapestry and painted scenes in small floating panels in the middle.

The Fourth Style is distinguishable by its fictional architectures using perspective illusion, and has strong theatrical features. It mixes decorative motifs from the previous styles, such as imitation of marble, trompe-l'oeil, chandeliers, winged figures and foliage. It was used to decorate most of the villas in Pompeii when the city was rebuilt after the catastrophic earthquake on February 5th in 62 AD.

On the morning of August 24th in 79 AD, when Pompeii people -unaware the time was about to stop- directed their gaze to the sky, they saw an ominous, dark, pine-shaped cloud hanging over the Vesuvius. At 10 in the morning, gases pressing from inside the volcano exploded, bursting the consolidated lava obstructing the crater and pulverized it: the power of the volcano covered Pompeii in lapilli (solidified fragment of lava) and a torrent of thick ashes obscured the sun.

A violent earthquake and deadly gas fumes buried the city under more than 6 meters of ashes and lapilli . At least 2,000 of the approximately 10,000 inhabitants were killed; some poisoned by gases while attempting to flee, others in their own homes, crushed by roofs collapsing under the weight of the volcanic material .

People in Pompeii could not imagine their daily life was going to be frozen in time, preserved thanks to the material spewed out of Vesuvius and the entire city was going to be rediscovered, centuries later, telling the story of the day when a volcano stopped the time.

The city was almost completely forgotten until the end of 16th Century, when Domenico Fontana , an italian architect, overseeing the construction of a canal for the Sarno River, found inscriptions and buildings decorated with frescos . Fontana, however, did not realize he had just discovered the remains of ancient Pompeii.

Today, the city is almost entirely visible bringing back visitors to the fateful day in 79 AD. The city looks like its life was interrupted just moments ago . Political campaign slogans on the walls, home furnitures, shops, everything looks alive , as it was at the moment of the eruption.

The city is transected by the majestic Via dell’Abbondanza , the central axis that corresponds to the lower decumanus. Starting at the Forum and continuing to the Porta Sarno , it is named after the beautiful fountain decorated by a bas-relief portraying “ Abundance ” as a woman holding a cornucopia . The street is 600 meters long and still today is a living and vibrant portrait of the city’s most important commercial street. Inscriptions painted on the plaster can also be found there, as the most eloquent record of city life.

Via della Fortuna (named after the temple of Fortune ) was the decumanus maximus and crosses the city from East to West.

• © ComPart Multimedia
• Privacy Policy

14 tips for visiting Pompeii (plus how to climb Vesuvius)

Visiting Pompeii, the ancient Roman city in southern Italy that was destroyed by a volcano, is on a lot of people’s travel bucket lists – it had been on mine since I was little!

Before I visited Pompeii I felt quite overwhelmed, so I did a ton of research. Read on for tried and tested tips for how to visit Pompeii, along with some advice on how to climb Vesuvius.

This post contains affiliate links – all that means is that if you buy something as a result of clicking on a link in the post, I’ll receive a small commission that helps me with the costs of running this site. Thanks!

Tips for your visit to Pompeii

1. use public transport to get to pompeii.

Pompeii is in the Campania region of southern Italy, 15 miles south of Naples and 150 miles south of Rome. It’s 16 miles from the lovely resort town of Sorrento and 22 miles from Positano, on the Amalfi coast.

The best way to get to Pompeii from Naples or Sorrento is by the local train, called the Circumvesuviana. The best station for the ruins is Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri train station, on the railway line from Naples to Sorrento.

The train can be very busy and has a reputation for pickpocketing but there’s no reason to be scared. Keep your bag close and your wits about you and it’s perfectly safe and convenient.

Pompei Scavi station is less than five minutes’ walk from the Porta Marina main entrance to the ruins.

Pompeii from Sorrento

If you’re travelling from Sorrento or one of the other resorts along the coast, the easiest and cheapest way to get to Pompeii is to take the Circumvesuviana local train to the ruins. From Sorrento, the train takes between 25 and 30 minutes, which is almost certainly going to be quicker than driving or taking a taxi.

Pompeii from Naples city centre

Visiting Pompeii from Naples is an easy day trip, and Napoli’s great rail connections make the train the easiest way to get to the ruins.

I recommend catching the train from Porta Nolana station. Since Porta Nolana is the start of the Circumvesuviana line, you’ve got a better chance of getting a seat on what can be very busy trains. Get on a train that’s headed for Sorrento and get off at Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri.

Pompeii from Naples cruise port (Stazione Marittima)

If you’re arriving in Naples on a cruise ship, you’re likely to dock at Stazione Marittima. From there, you could walk the 1.2 miles to Porta Nolana station on the Circumvesuviana line. If you’d rather take a bus, the airport bus leaves from outside Stazione Marittima and stops outside Naples Centrale station for the Circumvesuviana line to Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri.

If you’d prefer a simpler option for your trip and not rely on public transport, there are shore excursion options.

If you’re planning to drive to Pompeii, it’s worth knowing that there are no official Pompeii car parks, but there are lots of places to park around Porta Marina and between the Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra entrances. One of the most recommended is Pompei Parking Zeus near Porta Marina.

2. Don’t take a big bag into the ruins

The level of strictness at Pompeii varies a lot but it’s best to assume that the staff won’t allow you to take large bags or luggage into the ruins. Anything above 30cm wide, 30cm tall and 15cm wide isn’t allowed – as a rough guide that’s a little bit smaller than the size you’d be allowed as a free bag on a budget airline. As well as being for security, it’s also to reduce damage to the ruins themselves from people rubbing against the walls with their bags. There were a small number of luggage lockers at the entrance when I visited but it’s best to leave bulky bags at your accommodation.

Even if you are allowed to take your bag inside, the massive size of the site means that trying to explore while carrying heavy luggage isn’t a great idea, and it’ll restrict you from getting inside some of the most famous buildings. The Lupanar (brothel) house with its famous wall paintings is a particularly tight squeeze.

3. Do take a water bottle

There are drinking water taps all the way along the main thoroughfare where you can refill your bottle with safe drinking water for free. You’ll be doing a lot of walking and it can be very hot. As a bonus, many of the taps are set above Roman troughs so you’ll get to feel a little bit like a real Roman.

4. Don’t worry about food and drink (but do bring snacks)

There are cafes, ice cream/drinks stands and souvenir shops outside all three entrances to the site, but there’s also a reasonably priced cafeteria with a good variety of sandwiches, pizza slices, salads and snacks inside the ruins, just behind the Forum. There are toilets upstairs.

You can also take your own food and drink into Pompeii, which is a good thing when the sheer scale of the place might mean you’re nowhere near the cafeteria when you get hungry. The queues can be long at the cafeteria as well in peak season.

Even if you don’t bring a packed lunch, it’s a good idea to take a snack or two, especially if you’re planning on spending the whole day in the ruins.

5. Don’t take one of the guided tours touted outside the ruins

– although they’re cheaper than the official guides they’re much larger groups (30+ people compared to around 15). There’s also a little office just outside the train station with an official-looking sign offering tickets – ignore it, the actual official ticket office is inside the gate.

If you’re visiting Pompeii at a busy time it may be a good idea to buy your tickets in advance . While the queue at the ticket office was relatively short when we visited in April, it can get very busy.

Visitor numbers are already capped at 15,000 on the monthly free entry Sundays and there’s talk of restricting the number of people who can go inside the archaeological site on normal days too in order to protect the delicate site for the future. Buying your ticket for Pompeii online means you’re guaranteed to get in. You can buy a maximum of 5 tickets in each transaction.

6. Do take a guided tour of Pompeii

Official Pompeii tourist guides tout as you’re queuing for tickets *inside* the gate at Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra, between 9am and 2pm. They wear a big official pass around their necks and offer tours in several languages. Tours tend to set off when enough people have gathered.

When we got in we were glad we’d gone on a tour as the ruins are huge and confusing with little signage – we wouldn’t have fully appreciated them even with an audio guide and definitely not with just the map and the guidebook.

If you want to be certain of getting on a tour in your language and at the right time, or if you want a private guide for your group you can book a tour in advance .

Most of the Pompeii tours that you can book in advance will include entry tickets. This small group tour with an archaeologist has great reviews and includes skip-the-line entry tickets.

We had a great guide who’d been a little boy when Vesuvius last erupted in 1944 and he really helped bring the city to life for us. You’ll move quickly and see a lot in two hours, but…

7. …don’t expect to see even the highlights of Pompeii in a couple of hours

With a 2 hour tour and 2-3 hours on your own you can get a taste for the city but Pompeii is easily worth a full day.

We arrived at around 10.30am and didn’t leave until closing time. The main sights are quite far from each other, particularly the larger amphitheatre and the Garden of the Fugitives where the main group of bodies are, and walking on the uneven roads can make distances feel even further.

8. Do get a map of the Pompeii site

While you’re at the entrance, do pick up one of the free maps of the Pompeii site. There’s nothing else really to orientate you when you’re in the ruins and the grid system means it’s easy to get lost.

9. Do wear good shoes

The roads are dusty and uneven underfoot and some of the stones are slippy so you’ll want something comfortable with decent grip. Pompeii is definitely not the place for heels. If you wear sandals, expect your feet to be absolutely filthy when you leave!

10. Do protect yourself from the sun

On sunny days, take a hat, sunscreen and some kind of cover-up. There’s very little shade throughout much of Pompeii (as most of the buildings don’t have a roof!), and the white stone can mean lots of reflected light. An umbrella or parasol could be a good idea. The last time I visited I didn’t see anywhere to buy sunscreen inside the site.

Like many places, summer weather in this part of Italy is becoming increasingly hot – during summer 2023 temperatures at Pompeii hit 40° celsius (104° Fahrenheit). I’d recommend trying to plan your trip to Pompeii to avoid heatwaves, but if it’s unavoidable, then consider getting to the site as soon as it opens so you can see as much as possible during the coolest hours of the day.

11. Do take the time to get some background before your trip

The more you can read up about Pompeii, the more you’ll get out of your visit. I watched a BBC documentary on YouTube and read Robert Harris’s novel  Pompeii before we left – not academic at all but it really helped me make sense of what had happened here when Vesuvius erupted.

If you want a more in-depth discussion of the myths around Pompeii and how people may have actually lived, Mary Beard’s book Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town is excellent and easy to read.

Even if you plan to take a guided tour (and you should), it’d be useful to read the guide book in advance so you can make your own hit list of places you want to visit in Pompeii after the end of the tour.

The official, free Pompeii guide book and map that you get at the site (sometimes known as the red book) has recently been put online as a PDF .

12. Do get a different perspective

by visiting Herculaneum , a few stops along the Circumvesuviana train line from Pompeii and another easy trip from Naples or Sorrento. Herculaneum was also destroyed when Vesuvius erupted, but it’s much quieter than Pompeii. Herculaneum is also much better preserved and many of the buildings still have their upper storey intact.

The tragedy wrought by the eruption feels even more immediate at Herculaneum  – by the Roman shoreline are boat houses full of the skeletons of the people who tried to shelter there.

13. Do climb Mount Vesuvius

Visiting Pompeii is unmissable, but it’s an awe-inspiring experience to go to the top of Mount Vesuvius and see (and smell) the smoke that still rises up from the crater.

I chose to take a bus transfer from Ercolano train station to Vesuvius with Vesuvio Express, which was a really easy way to get there. You can book tickets for Vesuvio Express online .

From the upper car park it’s about a mile to Vesuvius’s crater, all uphill. It’s a fairly shallow gradient but it’s fine, dusty gravel underfoot so can be tough going. If it would help, you can take a walking stick from one of the guys at the entrance in return for a tip.

Wear shoes not sandals but don’t do what I did and wear your new white trainers – they’ll be covered in red Vesuvius dust and pretty much ruined by the time you get back!

There are a couple of souvenir shops which sell drinks and basic snacks, and another at the crater. When I visited Vesuvius there weren’t any public toilets anywhere on the volcano, and after overdoing it on hydration for the climb I ended up begging the shop at the car park to be allowed to use their (non-flushing!) toilet. Recent visitors say if you buy something at the shop or pay 1 euro, they’ll let you use their toilet, but that you might still have to hold your nose.

At the top, walk around the crater at least until you get to a jaggedy part with some steps as the crater looks different from different viewpoints. Try to spot Capri and Ischia on the horizon and Pompeii below and look out for puffs of sulphury-smelling smoke to remind you that it’s still an active volcano !

Read my complete guide to climbing Mount Vesuvius

Our visit to Vesuvius took around 4 hours from leaving Ercolano station to returning back to Ercolano.

14. Make sure you give yourself enough time

There are lots of tours that let you visit Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius and Herculaneum in one day, but that seems very rushed to me.

We did it in two days – one full day for Pompeii and another where we visited Vesuvius in the morning and Herculaneum in the afternoon (travelling from Sorrento), and that felt about right to us.

The two archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum are both very moving (not least because of the body casts at Pompeii and the skeletons at Herculaneum) and for me it was worth taking some extra time so it wasn’t too overwhelming.

What happened at Pompeii?

In AD79, Mount Vesuvius erupted . The force of the explosion blew the entire top of the mountain off, sending rocks, ash and dust over 10 miles into the sky. The rocks and ash rained down on Pompeii for nearly a full day. Most residents had already fled the city but around 2,000 people (around a tenth of the population) stayed behind.

When, finally, a flood of thick volcanic ash, poisonous gases and superheated rock hit Pompeii at nearly 100 miles an hour, the residents who had stayed were asphyxiated , and the city was buried underneath millions of tonnes of volcanic debris.

The victims’ bodies decomposed where they’d died, leaving body-shaped spaces in the hardened ash. Almost 2000 years later, archaeologists were able to pour plaster into these spaces, revealing the last moments of the victims and creating Pompeii’s famous body casts.

Pompeii has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997 as a joint listing with nearby Herculaneum and the Villa Opolontis at Torre Annunziata.

If you’re planning to go to Herculaneum as well as visiting Pompeii (and you should), you can buy the Campania Artecard which will get you into both sites (plus a number of other sightseeing spots in the area) over the course of your visit. Read my full review to see if the Campania Artecard is worth it (spoiler – the 365 Lite card is an absolute bargain!)

Visiting Pompeii in 2024

The information below is correct as of 10 February 2024.

Pompeii opening times in 2024

During winter (dates up until 31 March 2024), Pompeii is open Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm, with the last entry at 3.30pm. Access to some houses is restricted after 4.15pm.

In the summer months (1 April until 31 October 2024) the site is open 9am to 7pm, with the last entry at 5.30pm. Access to some houses is restricted after 6pm.

Pompeii is closed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and sometimes on May Day. If the site is going to be open on May 1, the authorities tend to announce it only a week or two in advance.

House of the Day

In summer 2023, a new “House of the Day” programme began, and it’s continued into the colder months. This programme gives you the chance to visit a house that isn’t normally open to the public. You can see the latest schedule on the Pompeii website.

How to buy tickets for Pompeii

For your trip to Pompeii you can either book your official Pompeii tickets online or go to the ticket offices at Porta Marina, Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza Esedra. There was a small queue when I visited in mid April so booking online could be a good idea during the hot summer months.

Tickets for the ruins cost €22.00 for an adult ticket for Pompeii and the surrounding villas, and €18.00 just for Pompeii. There’s a €1 booking fee for booking online.

Most guided tours will include a skip the line ticket .

If you’re planning to visit Herculaneum , the Archaeological Museum in Naples or other museums and attractions in the area then it might be worth buying a Campania Artecard . I’ve written a full review of the Campania Artecards, plus competitors like the Naples Pass and Pompeii Card .

Visiting Pompeii is free on the first Sunday of every month but it does get very busy! You can avoid the queues for free Pompeii tickets by booking them online .

How to visit Pompeii from Rome

It’s possible to visit Pompeii on a self-guided day trip from Rome thanks to Italy’s amazing high-speed trains. If you choose the fastest train from Rome Termini to Naples Centrale you’ll be there in 1 hour 13 minutes. Tickets are very reasonably priced if you book in advance. From Naples, take the local Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri.

As of July 2023, there’s a new direct Frecciarossa fast train service between Rome and the modern town of Pompei. The special train runs every Sunday, leaving Rome at 8.53 and arriving in Pompei at 10.40.

A guided tour from Rome , a direct coach transfer or even a private tour is another option for visiting Pompeii from Rome on a day tour.

When to visit Pompeii

Visiting pompeii in spring.

March, April and May can be the best time to visit Pompeii and all the other attractions in the area. March can be a little chilly with a few days of rain, but cooler temperatures are good for exploring the ruins.

Pompeii is open as normal on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, which in 2024 falls at the very end of March (Easter Sunday is March 31 2024). Trains and buses to Pompeii will also be running but to a holiday schedule with reduced frequency.

I visited Pompeii, Vesuvius and Herculaneum in mid April and thought it was the perfect time to take a trip to this part of Italy. The weather was warm and sunny but not too hot, and at Herculaneum in particular the spring flowers were beautiful. Summer opening hours start on April 1, giving you an extra two hours to explore (I needed it!).

Visiting Pompeii in summer

If you visit Pompeii in June, July or August, you’ll need to prepare for high temperatures, but there are some interesting extra events during the summer that could make summer the best time for you to visit the ruins of Pompeii.

During June and July, there are often theatrical and music performances in the Roman Teatro Grande or occasionally in the Amphitheatre.

Long, warm summer evenings allow for other events too, including evening walks, concerts and theatrical performances.

If you’re visiting Pompeii in early May, be aware that May 1 is officially one of the few days that Pompeii is closed, but that’s by no means set in stone. In 2023 the authorities decided to open on May 1 after all, with less than two week’s notice.

Visiting Pompeii in autumn

The autumn or early winter months of September, October and November can still be good months to visit Pompeii. September and October are both still warm and sunny, and the summer opening hours at Pompeii last until the end of October.

In November you can expect more rain in the bay of Naples and cooler, but still comfortable temperatures.

Visiting Pompeii in winter

December, January and February are the low season for tourism in the Bay of Naples, and if you visit during this time you should find the archaeological sites quieter than normal.

If you’re staying anywhere other than Naples you may find that shops and restaurants that cater mainly for tourists are closed for the winter, but prices are cheaper in the ones that stay open. Christmas in Naples looks absolutely magical, with lots of festive lights and crib displays.

If you’re hoping to climb Mount Vesuvius during your trip to Pompeii then it may be better to come during the slightly warmer months as bad weather or even occasional snow can make the hike up to the top hazardous.

Facilities at Pompeii

Toilets and drinking water are available inside the site. There’s a cafeteria near the Forum but it’s a good idea to take your own snacks, especially since the site is so large and you might be a long way from the cafeteria when you get hungry.

Which entrance to use for Pompeii

There are three entrance gates for Pompeii, all with a range of facilities:

• At the Porta Marina entrance (closest to the Pompei Scavi – Villa Dei Misteri train station where trains from Sorrento stop) there’s a ticket office, toilets and left luggage lockers.
• At Piazza Esedra, a little further along from Porta Marina from the station, there is a bookshop and toilets. There’s a small police station just outside the Piazza Esedra entrance.
• At the Porta Anfiteatro entrance (closest to the modern town of Pompei) there’s an ATM, bookshop, toilets and left luggage facilities.

Where should I stay for visiting Pompeii?

If you’re planning a trip to Pompeii, a big decision is where to stay. Most people choose to either stay in Naples or Sorrento when visiting Pompeii – both places have lots to do and are roughly the same distance from the ruins but they offer really different vacation experiences.

Since it’s such a big part of what to know before visiting Pompeii, I’ve put together another post with the best places to stay to visit Pompeii along with advice on areas, how to get to Pompeii from each place and what to expect.

Related posts

If you found this guide to visiting Pompeii useful, you might like these other posts about places to visit in the Bay of Naples.

• Where to stay when you visit Pompeii
• How to visit Herculaneum, the “other Pompeii”
• Which is better, Pompeii or Herculaneum?
• How to climb Mount Vesuvius
• Great day trips from Sorrento
• Things to do in Ischia, an alternative to Capri
• Amazing Roman ruins to visit

I hope you’ve found this guide to visiting Pompeii useful. If you have any tips for visiting Pompeii, please let me know in the comments.

Pin it for later!

About Helen

Hi! I’m Helen , and Italy is one of my favourite destinations. I’ve been fascinated by ancient Roman and Greek history since I was a kid and I love nothing more than combining a visit to a Roman site with experiencing Italy’s beautiful landscapes and cities.

I live near Manchester, UK and work full time, so I’m all about making the most of my annual leave with day trips, weekend getaways and short breaks.

Save for later or share with a friend

68 thoughts on “14 tips for visiting Pompeii (plus how to climb Vesuvius)”

Thank you so much for all of these tips, Helen! Thanks to you, it was easy to organize our trip to Pompeii and we had an amazing visit.

Hi Catherine, thanks so much for your comment, I’m so glad you had a great trip!

Thank you, very useful!

Thanks Sarah!

Hello Helen, Excellent articles, great tips and a lot of very helpful information!

We are going to visit there mid-November. We will for sure go with a tour as you suggested. You mentioned that there are official tour guides *inside” the gate at Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra, between 9am and 2pm. Are there always such tour guides available? We have 9 people. I want to make sure that we can join a tour. Or would you rather recommend us to book a tour in advance at “GetYourGuide”, which is more expensive(55euro) than the official tour guides (15euro). Thank you so much!

Hi Weihua, thanks for your message and I’m so glad you’ve found my site useful!

We were able to get on a tour fairly soon after buying our tickets, we had to wait for a couple more people to join but that didn’t take long. With 9 people though, I’d be tempted to be cautious and book a tour in advance.

Hello Helen! Thanks for all your practical tips. I just wanted to clarify your advice regarding the Vesuvius express bus and crater entry ticket. Did you mean that the combo ticket can only be purchased in person and doesn’t require an online reservation? Also, is there a discount if I get the Campania Artecard? One more question regarding the Campania Artecard, do you still need a reservation for Pompeii before arrival? Thanks!

Hi Helen! It used to be that you couldn’t buy the Vesuvius Express combination ticket including the entry ticket to the crater online, but they’ve recently updated their website and you can buy them together now. I’m afraid there’s no discount on Vesuvius Express tickets with the Campania Artecard.

You don’t need a reservation for Pompeii if you have the Campania Artecard, but you will need to show your Artecard at the ticket desk.

Hi Helen, Your blog is amazing and very informative. Thank you. One question: the Ercolano Scavvi trains seem to be only one every three hours. We would like to use Versuvio express for the transfer and park entry combo you recommend, but I can’t seem to find any more frequent trains. Any ideas where I’m going wrong? Thank you.

Maria, Norfolk

Hi Maria, thank you!

It sounds like you might be looking at Campania Express train times – the normal Circumvesuviana trains are much more frequent and while they’ll be much busier than the Campania Express trains, they’re absolutely fine. Just keep an eye on your stuff as pickpockets operate on the train. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Thank you Helen, Great information about Pompeii and how to make it happen. I’ll be visiting on May 28th and will write afterwards. All the best, Drake

Thanks Drake, hope you have a brilliant trip to Pompeii!

Really useul blog, thanks – we are heading to the Sorrento region in mid-May and your advice has been very helpful.

Thank you Jane, hope you have a wonderful trip to Sorrento!

Thank you for such helpful advice on such an overwhelming amount of possibilities! We’ll be in Sorrento and the surrounding environs in May, and your updated info, as well as links, have answered a lot of my questions / concerns. I look forward to following you for future and past suggestions!

Thanks Liz, hope you have a wonderful trip!

What fantastic tips and information. Wonderful to read and have taken screenshot of the train information. I’m in naples in September and going to do pompeii, herculeum and vesuvius on different days to get the best experience of them all. I really appreciate the work you have put in to help us would be travellers.

Thank you Josie, and that sounds like a great plan to get the most from your time at each site, especially if it’s still hot in September. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Thanks so much for a wonderfully comprehensive guide! We are visiting Pompeii and all of the other archaeological sites in April and can’t wait!

Thanks Joanne, I hope you have a wonderful trip 🙂

This is a spectacular guide. Extremely informative and helpful, thanks for taking the time to put it together.

Thank you Aurore, your comment really made my day!

Hi Helen Thanks so much for your really helpful guide! One question, do you have any advice for disabled access to Pompeii? Many thanks Dave

Hi Dave, thanks for your comment. The Pompeii authorities have set up a route which is accessible for people with motor impairments, so it’s relatively flat. There’s more information on that and a map here . There are audio guides which might be helpful for people with visual impairments. The site was trialling guided tours in Italian Sign Language but I couldn’t find any more information on this I’m afraid, and it seems like it was in Italian Sign Language only. I hope this helps.

This is so useful – thank you!

Is there anywhere you’d recommend to stay close to Pompei or Vesuvius? If visiting both sites is a two day event, I’m thinking it’d make more sense to stay nearer and avoid the two hour round trip from Sorrento or Naples.

I’ve just found your page on where to stay and it answers all my questions! Thank you!

You’re welcome, hope you have a fantastic trip 🙂

Very useful thank you.

Hello Helen, your blog is very useful. We visited Pompeii on 6th September so wanted to update you. They are no longer insisting that you follow one of the two routes. The arrows are still there, but within the designated areas you can wander about freely. I don’t think any more of the site is open though, for example the brothel is still closed. We made a mistake and bought online tickets from Tiqets rather than the official site, and they said we couldn’t enter until after 11.30,but on changing the QR code to an official ticket at Porte Marina we got in immediately. It also looked as though people were buying tickets at the office rather than online, although the website had not been updated to reflect that. We found it all pretty confusing to start with! The cafe at the Forum is doing takeaway only (which means everyone sits outside closer than they would be at tables in order to be in the shade..) and the toilets there are open.

Thank you for all the info! We stayed in Pompeii and followed your advise, we took our time to visit the Pompeii ruins in one day (… and even though a few places/sites were closed, it was definitely a great experience – we took our time to walk around, it was not crowded and we were able to see a lot in one full day), day 2 we spent in Vesuvius and Herculaneum! Fantastic

Thank you for the helpful tips! Great Blog

Thanks so much for updating this for covid info. My friend and I are travelling for one week to Sorento in October and we were uncertain how/when/what etc to visit Pompeii etc. You’ve just told us perfectly how to do it 😂. Hugs all round x

Thanks for your detailed information. We were supposed to travel last Month but due to Covid-19 this has been moved to next August. A little warmer than we had planned !! So the tips on water and light luggage will be useful. We were so disappointed to cancel but now have a whole year to find interesting info like yours to help us make the most of our trip. Thanks!

Hi Helen – Thanks for this post. We are planning a trip for Easter and your travel tips have been very helpful.

Thanks Jan, I hope you have a fantastic trip.

Hi, thank you for this information. We booked to go to Naples today, we arrive on Friday. I’m very much looking forward to visiting both sites & of course Mount Vesuvius. I’ve noted down your advice, thanks again 😁

I hope you had a great trip, if you have any tips from your visit please do share 🙂

Hi Helen, I agree your article is superb, very clear and informative. I’ve been busy writing little notes down. I’m looking forward to my visit in July with family.

Thank you Nesta! I hope you have a fantastic trip.

Great article, thank you. We did Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day, and loved the contrast between the two sites. And, just to let anyone else reading this know, there are now toilets in the upper car park at Vesuvius!

Excellent intel, hurrah for toilets at Vesuvius! Thanks for your comment 🙂

Hi Helen, superb article, very useful thank you. I and my three grown-up kids (teens and 20’s) are looking forward to a 3 day break in Septmeber. From your description I should have gone for a long week instead of a long weekend. Is there a way that you could set up an “if you enjoyed this article, click here to donate a £1”. I for one would make a contribution. Having purchased Eyewitness & Rough Guide books on the area, your precise info has been the best source so far. Very well done Helen. And thank you. Wishing you continued good travelling. Mark

Thank you for your very kind comment Mark, I hope you have a wonderful time in Italy 🙂

I am going to Pompeii tomorrow morning and am glad that I read your blog first. Very helpful! Thanks.

Thank you, I hope you had a great time!

Thank you so much for such great information . I particularly liked your advice on footwear, and how long to expect to spend at each of the sites. We’re going to Sorrento next week for 4 nights, so we’re gonna be pretty busy!

Thanks Diane, I hope you had a great time in Sorrento!

Currently Vesuvius does not look as scary as we imagine it, but it is worth seeing it up close, because who knows when it will explode again 🙂

True! Hopefully with technology we’d get some warning though!

Thank you Helen for taking the time to do this. Really helpful – precise and comprehensive. Pictures helped too and resources to learn about Pompeii before visiting. Great to know that Pompeii really does take a day to visit properly. Would you advise booking entry tickets ahead? We are going for the first time in mid June this year.

Hi Tamaris, thanks for your comment. The queue to get in wasn’t too bad when I visited in April a couple of years ago, but I don’t think it’d do any harm to book tickets online in advance, especially if you’re planning to visit at a slightly busier time of year. Hope you have an amazing time!

It is a great article! we are planning to visit in June first week and it will be most helpful. I do have a query though, we will be coming from Sorrento and will most probably hire a private car as we need to go to Naples later. Would you recommend getting the tickets beforehand or should we buy at the spot? We have two sons aged 12 and 10 and they are usually short of patience while standing in queues.

Thanks Harshita. If your sons are short on patience it’s probably a good idea to book the tickets online beforehand. Hope you and your sons have an amazing visit to Pompeii!

Thank you very much for this tips! Last time we visited Pompei there wasn’t a cafeteria inside and we had to carry around everything for a picknick. There was no water inside, too… pretty hard on a hot summer’s day!

We’ll visit Pompei this april and if there is any news I’ll let you know!

Oh goodness that must’ve been a tough one, we were constantly filling up our water bottles! Please do let me know if anything has changed when you visit in April, I hope you have a wonderful time.

Hi Helen I read your post letter by letter, your writing is precise and captivating. Me and my daughter (9) plan to visit Pompeii this May. My question is regarding food: can you bring a packed sandwich and eat during the visit? I mean like sit down on a rock, have a sandwich, a drink and keep going…Or fruits? Traveling with my daughter has taught me to always have something to nibble….

Hi, yes there are lots of places where you can sit down and eat a packed lunch – one of the amphitheatres would be a great spot! I always take snacks with me too 🙂 Hope you enjoy your visit!

This looks like such an amazing and unique experience! I’ve only ever heard of Pompeii from old roman and greek stories. I absolutely love visiting historic sites like this one. Thanks for the new travel destination inspiration!

Sending my love xx

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the post!

Hello, is it best to see Pompeii first and the Mount Vesuvius or does it not matter on the order? We will be coming from Sorrento. Is there a train back from Mount Vesuvius if we do that second? Thank you!

Hi, if at all possible then I’d recommend doing them on separate days as Pompeii is enormous and it worked better for us to team Vesuvius with a visit to Herculaneum. Herculaneum is amazing – if you’ve got the time I really recommend it. If you have to do Vesuvius and Pompeii on one day then I’d do Vesuvius in the morning and Pompeii in the afternoon. Go from Sorrento on the train to (modern) Herculaneum and take the bus trip to Vesuvius which leaves from just outside the station. When you get back to the station at Herculaneum, get the train from there to Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri station which is just outside the Pompeii ruins. Then a train back to Sorrento. Sorrento, Pompei Scavi and Herculaneum are all on the same train line so it’s an easy trip – we also stayed in Sorrento. Hope you have an amazing time!

Hi Helen, very helpulf your info, I have a question, Im going next september, do you think that I can do Pompeii and Herculaneum on the same day?

I think it really depends on your stamina levels, what kind of traveller you are and honestly how interested you are in the places themselves. If you get to Pompeii at opening time, do a tour and then hit the major sights that aren’t covered on the tour and go straight on to Herculaneum, it’s definitely do-able. I glad we had a bit more time at both places as I really enjoyed just wandering through the streets, taking it in, imagining what it was like to live there. Don’t underestimate how big Pompeii is though, the amphitheatre and the place where you’ll see most of the body casts are both at the far side of the site – visiting Pompeii is honestly like going on a mini city break. Hope this helps and you have an amazing trip!

I stayed in Pompei June 2017, visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum, climbing Mount Vesuvius and visited Sorrento, Capri, Ravello, and more. I just loved this area and I plan to go back in future during the spring. Although I loved Pompeii I enjoyed Herculaneum much more, there were less crowds and easier to get around. I also loved the fact they left what appears to be the original remains ( I may be wrong)of the citizens of Herculaneum in their final resting place in shops located in Bay Area. Also at Herculaneum there was a beautiful cat that really took a shine to me, and I named him Titus . I was told by the staff that this was the first time they had seen him be friendly with anyone including them. Titus even followed me around during my tour. Ahh memories. #memories #missingpompeii #missingherculaneum #titusthecat 🙂

Thanks for commenting! I think they are the original remains, I understood they removed some for testing but the others are original. So tragic, it really brings it home to you doesn’t it. Titus sounds awesome, I love to make friends with a cat on holiday 🙂

My daughter and I are traveling to Pompeii in August! I can’t wait. We were planning 2 Days here and then maybe catching a ferry to Capri.

Oh wow, you’ll have an amazing time. Definitely make sure you take a water bottle to refill though! Hope you and your daughter enjoy your trip.

Thanks a most helpful article.

Thanks Rachel, glad it was useful!

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Mostraumen fjord cruise review: the best short tour from Bergen

Thinking about the roman empire 41 best roman ruins to visit.

Pompeii Ruins Self Guided Walking Tour

Download pompeii map with places to see in this pompeii self guided walking tour.

Use the Pompeii map below to visit the 49 Pompeii attractions , (including 8 gates) at the archaeological park ie: excavation site (Pompeii Scavii). A complete guide to the Pompeii ruins, including houses, theaters, brothels, and churches. Follow the walking route to explore Pompeii Ruins at your own place. Spend a few hours or a full day depending on how long you want to spend at each attraction. Click on the arrow icon to the left of the title to display the legend. Click on the Pompeii map pins (blue and green pins) on the interactive map of the Pompeii ruins below, or on the legend or the PDF map that you download for additional information including images of the attraction

Accompanying Pompeii attractions guide to map of Pompeii is HERE

Download the pdf pompeii map, click here, zoom in and scroll to bring the pompeii map above into view. click on pompeii self guided walking tour route for attractions guide.

On the Pompeii map above; click on the arrow icon to the left of the title to display the legend with Pompeii attractions. Click on the map pins (blue and green pins) on the interactive Pompeii map above, or on the legend or on the PDF map that you download for additional information including images and videos of the attraction. To download the Pompeii map in a PDF format, click HERE

Pompeii Self Guided Walking Tour – the route to Visit Pompeii Attractions:

The Pompeii map with approximate boundaries (shown in light purple), Pompeii attractions (shown as dark blue pins) and major routes of the city (shown as blue lines) from north to south and west to east. The Pompeii Gates are the green map pins

The major north to south route starts out as as Via Dei Vesuvio (via=street) at the North near the porto vesevio and becomes Via Stabian as you walk south. The main commercial street is from west to east starting from the west as Via Marina and becomes Via dell’Abbondanza as you walk east. The entire area of Pompeii is broken up into districts (communities) similar to cities today. The regions are divided by roman numerals I to VIII. You will see a plaque when you enter the region with the region number, district number and perhaps the road name. Each of the attractions will also have a plaque outside with the name of the attraction

General Walking Guide: Pompeii Ruins

• From the Pompeii main entrance (ticket office), walk on Via Marina towards porto / gate Marina
• From the Porta Marina (ancient Pompeii entrance from the harbour) continue on Via Marina to walk towards the Roman Forum (Orange Square on the map). Along the way you will see the Temple of Venus on your left and the Basilica right next to the Temple of Venus. Across from the Basilica is the Temple of Apollo, whose entrance is actually from the Forum. Once you have explored these, enter the Forum
• Start with the Temple of Apollo on the south side (where you entered the forum); next to it and walking north is a small alcove with a measuring table called Mensa Ponderaria. Mensa Ponderaria is used to measure dry and liquid goods and assign a weight to them. North of it is the Granary. Next to the Granary and continuing north you will see the Pompeii public toilets; you should now be in the northwest corner of the Forum 
• Starting at the south and east end of the forum is the Building of Eumachia, north of that is the Temple of Vespasiano; north of that is the Sanctuary of Lari. Next to it and north of the Sanctury of Lari is the public food market Macellum. Across from the Macelleum is the Temple of Jupiter with a view of Mt. Vesuvius 8km to the North
• As you continue to walk north, you will reach the Arc of Nero, which looks like an arched gate. You will now be leaving the Forum and entering the street Via del Foro which turns into Via Dei Mercurio as you keep heading north
• After leaving the Forum and entering Via del Foro, there is a cafeteria and toilet facilities on your left for tourists
• Continue walking north on Via del Foro to explore the Terme del Foro (baths on Foro) which are on your left. After exploring the baths, walk north to explore the Thermopolium (fast food restaurant), the House of Pansa, and the House of the Tragic Poet
• As you continue walking north and westward you will be able to explore the northwest section of the Pompeii ruins including; the House of the Small Fountain, the Bakery – Casa del Forno, the House of Sallust, and walk until you arrive at the Herculaneum Gate
• Then walk east and visit the House Meleager; continue eastward to arrive at Porto Vesuivio and the city aquaduct called Castellum Aquae. These are at the end of Street Via Dei Vesuvio, (orange line on the map running north and south, via=street). Note that as you walk south on Via Dei Vesuvio it turns into Via Stabiana
• Then walk south and slightly westward, one street west of Via Dei Vesuvio to Vicoloa dei Vettii and explore the following houses: the House of Vettii and the House of Faun. From the House of Faun walk east towards the main route Via Stabiana to the House of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus Domus. A youtube 3D animated recreation of the house is available from the link on the pdf map
• Continue walking south on via Stabiana towards the Terme central baths (smaller baths), the brothel (Lupanar) and the larger Terme Stabiane baths. After visiting the baths, walk south to the main street Via dell’Abbondanza and walk west on Via dell’Abbondanza to the House of the Physician. The House of the Physician is west of the Terme Stabiane on the Street Via dell’Abbondanza
• Via dell’Abbondanza is a major commercial street that runs west from Porto Marina to east toward Porto Sarno (leads to Sarno River). The corner of Via Stabiana and Via dell’Abbondanza is a major intersection
• After visiting the House of the Physician, walk east on Via dell’Abbondanza to explore the southeast section of Pompeii. This includes the House and Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus (larger tavern/pub), the Amphitheater (Gladiator Games) and the Palestra (Gym)
• From the Palestra, head south on Via di Nocera towards the Triclinium Gardens (garden and outdoor dining), the garden of the fugitives (outdoor garden), porto / gate Nocera and the cemetery Necropli just outside porto Nocera
• From porto Nocera walk west towards the southwest section of Pompeii to explore the following attractions; the House of Menander, the large and small theaters (Teatro Grande and Teatro Picolo)
• Walk back up to Via dell’Abbondanza; then walk west back to the main gate Porto Marina

Other Attractions in Italy

• Visit the Roman Colosseum. Click on the Roman Colosseum attractions map HERE and accompanying Colosseum attractions guide HERE
• Take the Rome attractions map and self guided tour: It includes the Vatican City attractions map HERE and the Vatican attractions guide HERE
• Self Guided Walking tour to explore the neighborhood of Trastevere with map of attractions HERE and guide of attractions HERE
• Visit St Peters Basilica . Explore all the attractions in St Peter’s Basilica with the attractions guide HERE
• One of my favorite places is the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill . The map of attractions is HERE and the self guided walking tour is HERE
• Visit Pompeii with a complete self guided tour map HERE and the attractions guide to the 49 points of interest HERE
• Spend the day in Florence , this was by far one of my best day trips. The self guided walking tour map is HERE and the attractions guide is HERE

Instructions to download the interactive map to a smart phone:

Take the map with you when you travel:.

Instructions on:

• Using it offline
• Using it online – We bring one of our older smart phones when we travel and buy a local SIM card. You can purchase a local tourist SIM card from one of the main local providers, they are usually pretty inexpensive. You may need your passport to purchase as its a tourist SIM if you are an international tourist. You should have them put it in your old smartphone and check that it works before leaving the store. Use it to follow the map online, its the best way to explore

Sign into google using your Gmail account on your smart phone and be connected to the internet. If you do not sign in, this process will not work . You will be downloading this map to save it. You will be saving it in google maps in two places:

• Save in “Your Places” for online use and
• Save in “Offline map” for offline use
• Youtube instructions on link as follows: https://youtu.be/_6j9koieMsU

Instructions to save above map:

• Click on the rectangle on the top right hand side of the above map [ ] – if you move your mouse to it, it will say “view larger map”
• It will take you into google maps on your smartphone and it will automatically save this map. You must be already be signed into google maps with your Gmail account, if you are not signed into google maps then the map will not be saved
• In google maps, click on the menu which is the three horizontal lines on the top left of the google map (it is to the left of the search box)
• From the menu, click on “Your Places”. This will take you to another screen with a menu at the top. From the top menu bar select “maps”. A list of your maps will be displayed including the map that was just saved. Select the map you just saved
• Make sure the map is still onscreen; do not close out of it as you will be downloading this map and it has to be onscreen to download. While the map is onscreen, click on menu again (three horizontal lines top left hand corner)
• Select “Offline maps” then select “custom map”
• Once you select “custom map”, the onscreen map will be displayed; select the area you want downloaded (zoom in or out to get all the data points into the blue square outline; pinch fingers for zooming)
• Click on “download” – this will save the map in an offline area that you can use when you are not connected to the internet

The map is now saved in two places. To see this, click on the menu (three horizontal line on top right hand corner) in google maps:

• Click on “Your Places” from the menu, then select “Custom Map”. The map will be listed and you can use the map while connected to the internet
• Click on “Offline Maps” from the menu. The map will be listed to use the map offline ie: not connected to the internet (make sure location services is turned on and your will see the blue dot indicating your location as you navigate with the offline map)
• After you download a map, use the Google Maps app just like you normally would. If your Internet connection is slow or absent, or if you are in “airplane mode” Google Maps will automatically use your offline maps to give you directions

Complete Pompeii Experience: Skip the Line Tour & Archaeologist Guide

• Wandering the ancient streets of Pompeii, it’s easy to miss out on the real must-sees—and difficult to understand them when you do come across them. Get the best from your visit with an expert archaeologist as your guide.
• You’ll visit all the top sights of the ruined city, including the plaster death casts, the Roman Forum, a theater, ancient fast food restaurants, the cemetery, the bakery, the main street and even the supermarket. Over the course of three hours, you’ll explore more of the ruins than on any other guided tour.
• Step into the incredible House of the Vettii, a remarkably preserved example of home design and aesthetics in Ancient Rome.
• With pre-reserved tickets, you won’t have to wait in line. Small groups of 15 people or fewer ensure that your exploration is intimate and engaging, and that you get the most from your time with our expert guides.

Tour description

Step back in time at pompeii, exploring the significant sites and less-visited gems in the ancient city..

There’s no better place in Italy to experience life as an ancient Roman than at Pompeii. And the best way to experience Pompeii? With an expert archaeologist guide! That's not just because your guide brings the sights to life with spine-tingling tales from Pompeii's past. It's also because the site is huge, and signs on the ruins are old, hard to read, and usually with only dull, cursory information. We’ll help you make the most of your time in ancient Rome’s best-preserved city on this in-depth experience that brings the stones and streets of Pompeii to life—covering more ground than any other guided Pompeii tour.

Get the most from your visit and understand the sights before your eyes with context from a knowledgeable guide.

Experience Pompeii without the stress of following a map and trying to decipher ruins by yourself. With an expert archaeologist on hand, you'll be taken right to the coolest sights Pompeii has to offer and truly understand what they are.

You’ll see all the most popular sites throughout your Pompeii tour, including a Roman bakery and the Roman Forum. You’ll learn what Ancient Romans ate and drank, what they did for fun and the sad, misguided beliefs they held about the cause of those ground tremors they felt before the eruption, or the frequent clouds of ash from nearby Mount Vesuvius.

But while the spaces frequented by Pompeii’s public are undeniably fascinating, so are their private homes. We’ll show you around one of the city’s most famous: the stunningly preserved House of the Vettii. Owned by two wealthy brothers, this sprawling home is an excellent living testament to Roman design at the time of Pompeii’s destruction.

Of course, you’ll visit what is, for many visitors, the most unmissable aspect of their Pompeii tour: the world-famous plaster casts of those killed in the eruption. These are eerie and moving glimpses of what it must have been like to experience Armageddon.

Another highlight of our Pompeii tour is one of the city’s beautiful theaters, which is amazingly well preserved. You can easily imagine what it was like to watch a performance here in summer on a warm Italian evening.

Tour with a Pompeii archaeologist guide handpicked for their knowledge and friendliness.

Tour operators are required to use official Pompeii tour guides at the archaeological ruins. We’ve chosen only the best of the bunch to work with, hand-picking guides with passion and knowledge—not to mention the storytelling skills required to bring this incredible city to life for you. As on all our tours, we only work with the best five-star guides, because we understand that they’re the most important element of your tour.

If you take a guided tour on only one stop of your Italy vacation, make it Pompeii. With the power to enchant and delight, Pompeii is a hieroglyphic of a site, needing an expert touch to translate. But in the hands of the right archaeologist, it truly comes to life as a living, breathing city.

For details on how to reach Pompeii from Rome, Naples or Sorrento, see our Important Notes page (link below).

Sites visited

Verified guest reviews, apr 08, 2024.

Ilaria brought Pompeii to life! I had been to Pompeii once before and thought it was impressive. However, seeing it again with an archeologist as my guide, I was able to learn so much more! Ilaria was able to go into much depth about the meanings and uses behind the art and locations. She described the life of the people in a way we could see clearly. She was personable, engaging and has a wonderful sense of humor. I am so glad I booked this experience!

Apr 02, 2024

Enzo was informative and kind. The site was explained in a pleasant fashion and was the right length. Great tour!

Mar 27, 2024

Francesca G was a great guide and we had a wonderful experience!

Jan 07, 2024

The your was super fascinating and our tour guide perfectly troke the balance between informative and humorous. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in the history of Pompeii.

Dec 31, 2023

Outstanding experience for me and my family! Vitale really knew his stuff and did an excellent job balancing detail with pacing and variety. Highly recommended way to get the most out of your visit to Pompeii.

Know before you book

Similar tours, ultimate naples food tour, pompeii tour from rome with amalfi coast drive, pompeii with panoramic winery lunch on vesuvius: day trip from rome.

Contact Information

• Help Center
• Terms & Conditions
• Cancellation Policy
• Health & Safety
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Settings
• Travel Agents

Luxe Adventure Traveler

Adventure Travel With a Glass of Wine

The Do-It-Yourself Tour of Pompeii

By Jennifer Dombrowski 45 Comments

You know it. The tour with the guide holding up a sign, umbrella or some other object so you don’t lose your group. Though it doesn’t really matter if you do lose your group – it’s so large, you have to battle your way to the front to even hear what the guide is saying. And that’s not the only battle; if you want any decent photos, you’re no doubt sighing in annoyance as you try to avoid your fellow tour group members’ heads or, worse of all, their totally obnoxious iPads as they too try to snap photos of the sights. No, thank you! Instead, try this do-it-yourself tour of Pompeii.

In 79 AD somewhere around 20,000 Pompeians went about their daily lives giving nary a thought to the volcano they lived alongside. August 24th would change their lives forever. On that fateful day as Mt. Vesuvius spewed, though much of the city was destroyed, Pompeii was also buried under 20 feet of ash and pumice.

Centuries of history were sealed away until 1748. It was Rocque Joaquin de Acubierre that discovered Pompeii with intentional excavations after Herculaneum was accidentally discovered in 1738, when workers were digging the foundation for the King of Naples’ summer palace. Due to the lack of air and moisture, artifacts buried under the ash and pumice at both archeological sites were extremely well preserved. It’s no wonder that Pompeii is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy and some 2 million people make the trek south to see it every year.

There are several ways to visit Pompeii: on a pre-booked guided tour, to hire a Pomeii guide on the spot (the going rate is €100-115 and official Pompeii tour guides are identified by a badge and certified as guides by the Campania region), to rent a Pompeii audio guide (which is simply a recording of Pompeii’s Little Red Book that hawkers will be pedaling near the Porta Marina entrance), or on a self guided tour of Pompeii. Your Pompeii ticket includes a map and small pocket guide to the site, which is excellent and leads you number by number through the not-to-miss sights at Pompeii. You can also download a great guide right on your iPhone with the Pompeii app to make touring Pompeii on your own a piece of cake.

Planning Your Self Guided Tour of Pompeii

How long does it take to see Pompeii? That’s entirely up to you! With a pre-booked Pompeii guided tour, most tours spend 3-4 hours visiting selective sites within Pompeii. With a Pompeii self guided tour, you determine how much time you plan to spend or have to spend at Pompeii, and then plan your visit accordingly. You should allow at least 3 – 4 hours for your Pompeii self guided walking tour, and you can cover quite a bit of the site in that amount of time if you’re armed with the tools and a plan. Pompeii is big enough that you could easily make a full day of visiting it.

Download your Pompeii – A day in the past app in advance of your trip. We like this app, though there are several more DIY Pomeii guides in the app store, because you can break down your visit by the amount of time you have to spend at the archeological site with a 2 hour, 4 hour, or full day tour. Browse the app by building and mark your favorites right in the app. You can also look at seven different itineraries to see which monuments and sights that interest you most are located near each other.

If you really want to get a feel for the archeological site before your Pompeii visit, take a virtual walk through Pompeii’s ruins with Google Street View . You can also download this comprehensive free Pompeii guide PDF that is an explanation of all of the excavations by the Board of Cultural Heritage of Pompeii.

Finding Your Way Around on Your Self Guided Pompeii Tour

As I mentioned, your ticket includes a map and small pocket guide to Pompeii, which leads you number by number through the not-to-miss sights at Pompeii. And if you’re not a great map reader, you can use the app with location services turned on to guide you from sight to sight (this function will require an internet connection). If you’re not on any sort of time schedule, you can always wander the site and use the location feature to tell you more about which building you’ve stumbled upon.

The Guide on Your Do-It-Yourself Tour of Pompeii

The Pompeii – A day in the past app does a great job of providing information about each building and includes a Pompeii audio tour if you don’t want to read. If you use the audio guide feature, just be sure to bring headphones with you.

Our Recommended Must-See Sights at Pompeii

It’s best to enter Pompeii from the Porta Marina entrance. Don’t miss the Forum, which was Pompeii’s commercial, political and religious center. Alongside the Forum, visit the Grain Stores where you can see many of the plaster casts of Vesuvius victims.

Clear on the opposite end of Pompeii and following Via dell’Abbondanza is the Amphitheatre, which was built in on the outskirts of Pompeii. It’s well worth the walk as the Amphitheatre is the oldest building of its kind in the world. Like the Colosseum in Rome , gladiators had bloody battles with wild animals while some 20,000 spectators watched.

Continue wandering this end of the archeological site and make your way back toward the Porta Marina gate via the Necropolis. You’ll find many beautiful tombs and gardens and you’ll practically have the area to yourself. You’ll also pass by the Villa dei Misteri if you’re following this route, which is a project to cultivate grape vines and produce wine from the very spot where vines grew in Pompeii some 2000 years ago. Only 1700 bottles are produced and they are auctioned off, so you can’t purchase or taste this special wine unfortunately. But the vineyard set in the ruins is truly unique.

Other Tips for Visiting Pompeii

Wear flats. The streets are very uneven and heels or even wedges are completely unsuitable for walking around the site. For this same reason, if you have little kids you’ll want to bring a carrier as opposed to a stroller, which we imagine would be incredibly hard to push over the stepping stones.

Bring bottled water. It’s perfectly fine to bring it in and you’ll be glad you did with the sun blazing on all those ruins.

You can even bring food in if you plan to spend the day at Pompeii. There is a restaurant on the ground, but there is also a picnic area near Amphitheatre Square and Casina dell’Aquila.

It’s also good to know that any type of bag exceeding 30 x 30 x 15 cm is not allowed inside Pompeii. There are luggage deposit services available at all three entrance gates if you do have a bag that needs storing while you visit Pompeii.

If You’re Set on Taking a Tour, These are the Best Pompeii Tours

There’s definitely appeal in taking tours of Pompeii. You don’t have to plan it yourself, and in some cases like a day trip from Rome, you don’t have to get yourself to Pompeii either. But if you’re really set on taking a tour, book a small group tour where you’ll still feel you got value out of the experience. We’ve taken many tours with Walks and feel they’re one of the best small group tour companies around. They have several Pompeii tours we’re confident in recommending:

Walks of Italy offers a Skip the Line Best of Pompeii Tour , on which their expert archaeologist will guide your small group to the best sights and tell you all about what they are. This is a really good Pompeii walking tour for those not wanting to decipher a map.

If you’re visiting Rome and want to take a day tour to Pompeii, the Pompeii & Amalfi day trip from Rome is the way to go. It makes for a long day (about 13 hours), but you’ll be able to sit back and relax. With just one day to visit the south, this small group tour makes it count with the guided tour of Pompeii plus a drive along one of Italy’s arguably most beautiful coastlines, the Amalfi Coast , and a stop in Positano.

Know Before You Go

• By train: Pompeii can be reached by train on Circumvesuviana . On the Naples – Sorrento line, use the Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri stop. On the Naples – Poggiomarino line, use the Pompei Santuario stop.
• By bus: Pompeii can be reached by bus from Naples or Salerno on SITA . The stop is Pompei (Piazza Esedra).
• By car: Pompeii can be reached on the motorway A3 Napoli-Salerno (exit Pompei ovest) or motorway A3 Salerno-Napoli (exit Pompei est).
• Pompeii is open November – March daily from 8:30am – 5pm (last admission is 3:30pm)  and April – October from 8:30am – 7:30pm (last admission is 6pm). Pompeii is closed on January 1, May 1, and December 25.
• Admission is €13 and is a single day ticket. A global ticket (Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis, Stabia, and Antiquarium of Boscoreale) is available for €22 and is valid for 3 days.
• Audio guides are available at Porta Marina entrance in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish for €6.50 or €10 for two.
• There is a storage room for bags, strollers, and anything else you might not want to lug around Pompeii located at the Porta Marina entrance.

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more info click here. You can see all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites we’ve visited here .

This article contains affiliate links. When you book on Walks of Italy through our affiliate sites, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Loved this post? We love when you share our content! ~ Jen & Tim

About Jennifer Dombrowski

Jennifer Dombrowski is an independent travel publisher and an American expat who has lived in Bordeaux, France since 2016. She previously lived in Northern Italy in a small village near Venice for seven years where she fell in love with wine and wine tourism. She is an award-winning travel writer. She is also a travel correspondent on Traveling on the American Forces Radio Network. Luxe Adventure Traveler was named one of the top travel blogs to watch by the Huffington Post and TripAdvisor, and has been featured by top publications such as National Geographic, CNN, Buzzfeed, and Business Insider. Jennifer's photography has also been featured on publications such as USA Today and Travel + Leisure and on the Travel Channel.

Cheryl says

May 5, 2014 at 5:13 PM

Gosh, I’m dying to get here. It’s been on my Italy list forever. Thanks for the great tips!

Jennifer Dombrowski says

May 6, 2014 at 12:21 PM

You’ll love it Cheryl! I wish we’d had time to visit Herculaneum too when we were there, so be sure to include time for that as well.

Devlin Madden-Perdue says

May 5, 2014 at 6:51 PM

DIY Touring is the only way I like to tour a place – I just don’t like schedules, especially when I’m traveling. Sure it’s nice having a guide explain everything, but you can always overhear what some guide is saying if the place is busy enough, haha. I just prefer to wander about and read the plaques at the sites. Though having a little guide book/app sounds even better!

May 6, 2014 at 12:23 PM

When touring sites like Pompeii, we also much prefer DIY. We want to be able to spend time at the buildings or monuments that interest us and quickly move on from those that don’t. Group tours, even if they’re small group tours, just don’t give you that flexibility. There are other things, like say a walking tour of a city or a food tour, where we loved short small group tours though.

May 6, 2014 at 4:20 PM

I went such a long time ago as a young teenager – I’d love to go back and try a DIY version of the tour.

May 7, 2014 at 4:12 PM

It really is the best way so that you can linger over areas you enjoy and move on from other less interesting parts.

Tamara says

May 6, 2014 at 5:47 PM

Thanks for this, I went about 10 years ago with a guide and we are taking our daughter next month and I’ve been debating whether or not to get a guide upon arrival or do it ourselves between this app and some guidance from Rick Steves.

May 7, 2014 at 4:13 PM

We really think that you can get just as much out of a DIY visit as with a guide – and save a whole lot of money in the process. Let us know what you decide and how your trip goes Tamara!

January 16, 2017 at 3:00 PM

go to the beach

Rhonda Krause says

May 10, 2014 at 12:59 AM

I think I would have enjoyed my visit to Pompeii much more, if I wasn’t part of a tour group. Like you said, the groups are too big to hear anything anyways and, my least favourite part is how they rush you through the site. I much preferred my visit to Ostia Antica over Pompeii because I went alone and could linger as long as I liked, plus there were no crowds. I had the place practically all to myself!

I would go back to Pompeii though to give it a second chance, but next time I would do a do-it-yourself tour!

Jennifer says

May 18, 2014 at 11:17 PM

We saw tour groups and how they were rushed through. Definitely not our style! We haven’t been to Ostia Antica yet. We’ll have to check it out. Any place that doesn’t have a crowd entices us.

May 11, 2014 at 10:50 PM

I visited Pompeii a few years ago with a guided tour, next time I would definitely do a do-it-yourself tour as well.

May 12, 2014 at 12:19 AM

I’ve definitely got to go here…and I would much rather explore on my own rather than with a group!

May 19, 2014 at 3:49 PM

This is such a rad guide! You went super in depth with detail…looking to visit Pompeii myself while in Rome this week! Cannot wait! Again, amazing guide =)

August 20, 2014 at 9:22 AM

This is very useful! I admit I usually plan my travels, so these recommendations and tips come in handy!

June 24, 2016 at 11:16 PM

Awesome post thank you for sharing. Definitely keen to do our own tour rather than a group. We’ve downloaded the apps you suggested and can’t wait to see it tomorrow!

Alberto C. says

August 3, 2016 at 9:38 PM

Great post! I recently had the chance to visit Pompeii and it was just amazing!

Happy travels!

January 23, 2017 at 12:31 AM

Thanks for the great guide! We were planning to do an organized tour, but they are only 2 1/2 hours long! I think we\’ll try it on our own. Do you have any recommendations about a place to grab something to eat? Thanks!

January 23, 2017 at 12:04 PM

There are several places just outside of the Pompeii ruins, but we’d suggest Il Ristorante Maccarone. They have really good pizzas and other dishes typical of the area.

Sylvain Belanger says

May 7, 2017 at 4:27 PM

Thanks for the great details here. I’m planning a visit to Pompeii on a cruise stop at Naples. I had planned to take a guided tour that included the Vesuvius but my wife thought it would be to hard so after some research, I ended up on your Do it yourself guide of Pompeii so we’ll give it a try based on your tips.

I’m also taking note of one of your restaurant tip Il Ristorante Maccarone as we’ll have some time to eat before getting back to the ship.

Do you have some useful information to get to Pompeii from Naples’ port (taxi, train, bus, else)?

Thanks! Sylvain

May 13, 2017 at 10:49 PM

It would be quite expensive to take a taxi to Pompeii and the traffic in Naples can be atrocious. The center of Naples is easy walking distance from the cruise port, so you can easily take the train to Pompeii. Pompeii can be reached by train on Circumvesuviana. On the Naples – Sorrento line, use the Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri stop. On the Naples – Poggiomarino line, use the Pompei Santuario stop.

Caroline Gregory says

June 30, 2017 at 10:36 AM

We are visiting Pompeii on 22nd July and I keep seeing different views on booking ‘skip the line’ tickets for Pompeii Ruins. We are going independently and this post is the best I’ve seen so I’m confident that the replies will be very useful.

June 30, 2017 at 12:02 PM

Hi Caroline,

We didn’t have to wait in line long, and that’s typically the case if you arrive at opening. Peak time at the ticket offices is from 10-11am when most groups and visitors arrive. Especially in July, it’s best to go early anyway because it just gets so incredibly hot.

karen escalera says

August 14, 2017 at 6:37 PM

TErrific article, thanks. I want to go to Opolontis and Herculaneum. Any info on DIY tours or tour companies offering that? Can one combine two of these in one day?

August 20, 2017 at 10:17 AM

We don’t have any personal recommendations. This private day tour that visits all 3 sites has a lot of great reviews on TripAdvisor. https://benvenutodriver.com/

Lisa Vergara says

July 7, 2018 at 9:36 AM

Was an amazing tour!! Thanks. Pompeii is awesome but very hard to visit. We have used the app you suggest, Pompeii, a day in the past) perfect! We’ll follow you everywhere .

Bronnie Q says

January 20, 2019 at 10:21 AM

We are coming over for a European holiday from Australia and Pompeii is on our to do list in November. Do we just pay the entry when we get there or do you have to pre book entry tickets for a self guided tour. We have zero interest in being on any kind of tour anywhere as we also prefer to do our own thing. Any help would be appreciated 🙂

WINIFRED JENSEN says

April 8, 2019 at 10:20 PM

PLANNING ONE DAY AT POMPEII ARE THERE TOILET FACILITIES???? AT ENTRANCE ONLY? PLEASE EXPLAIN…….. AND HOW LONG A WALK AFTER YOU GET ON YOUR BUS, TRAIN ETC???? THANKS

April 16, 2019 at 2:38 PM

No, there are toilet facilities throughout the archaeological site, not only at the entrance. As for the walk from the train/bus, the closest stop is the Pompeii stop. It is about a 20 minute walk to the entrance of the archaeological site, and it is flat.

Winifred jensen says

April 16, 2019 at 7:16 PM

Thanks for info. Now about Paestum. Toilet facilities there? And far is the town of Pompeii from the ruins there? We ll. Be there in middle October this year. We are in our later years and all info is greatly appreciated ? Also lodging at Parstum

June 10, 2019 at 6:30 AM

Hi Jennifer & Tim,

I’m Fiona from Singapore. Nice to e-meet the both of you.

I have some questions with regards to travelling to Pompeii.

Are you able to send me your travel itinerary and do you recommend that I do not purchase the online ticket with the gudied tour. As I am looking at a cheaper alternative to go for a day tour in Pompeii.

Kindly let me know your thoughts, thanks!

Cheers, Fiona

June 10, 2019 at 11:47 AM

We lived in Italy, so we just made a day trip to Pompeii while staying on the Amalfi Coast.

If you are looking for the cheapest way to visit Pompeii, then that would be by the do-it-yourself visit as we recommend here. You can download the free PDF we linked to that tells you about Pompeii. You would pay the admission at Pompeii and it’s a few euros more if you also get the audio guide there.

We don’t not recommend taking a tour. As we mentioned in our article, Walks of Italy has very good tours and we do recommend them. It’s worth considering doing the day tour with Walks as their guides are very good and you skip the line. Their groups are small with no more than 15 people, so you’re not fighting a bus load of others to hear the guide and see inside the buildings. That’s this tour: https://www.walksofitaly.com/pompeii-tours/best-of-pompeii-tour/?tap_a=8993-5dea35&tap_s=47168-63b831

We’re just telling you how you can also do it yourself if you don’t want to take a tour. What we DON’T recommend is the overpriced private guides available for hire at Pompeii itself or massive bus tours with huge groups.

Hope that helps!

Georgie Ray says

June 15, 2019 at 4:31 PM

Hello Jennifer and Tim,

Your Pompeii info was so helpful! Just about to download the apps you suggested.

Off to Naples next week!

Kind regards,

Georgie Ray

June 17, 2019 at 12:09 PM

Hi Georgie,

Thanks so much for the note and we’re happy to hear you found the information about Pompeii helpful. Enjoy your trip!

Jennifer & Tim

July 11, 2019 at 9:27 PM

Jennifer and Tim: Thanks for your great article. We are coming to Naples on a cruise, the itinerary states that we land at 7 am and depart at 6 pm. We are three adults, from Canada, and we like walking, We are not too keen on driving to Pompeii ourselves.

What do you suggest is the best way to see Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius given our time frame. It will be on Aug 9 – yes likely extremely hot!

Thanks, Vita

July 16, 2019 at 2:12 PM

You can easily get to Pompeii from Naples on your own. Is the ship docking right in Naples? If so, you can by either bus or train from Naples to Pompeii.

By train: Pompeii can be reached by train on Circumvesuviana. On the Naples – Sorrento line, use the Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri stop. On the Naples – Poggiomarino line, use the Pompei Santuario stop. By bus: Pompeii can be reached by bus from Naples or Salerno on SITA. The stop is Pompei (Piazza Esedra).

As for Mt. Vesusvius, there are tourist buses that go right from Pompeii train station. I’d recommend taking the bus company Busvia del Vesuvio https://busviadelvesuvio.com/en/ . It departs hourly between 9am – 3pm and the tour to Mt. Vesuvius takes 2.5 hours.

If the ship isn’t docking right in Naples, you may want to check if the ship offers an excursion to Pompeii as it may be difficult and expensive to get from the ship to Naples to change to the bus or train.

Just take a big bottle of water since the day will be hot!

Peterina Spanjers says

July 27, 2019 at 4:56 PM

Hi, Thank you for the information, it is a great help in the decision to do the tour by ourselves at our own pace.

It has been recommended that we book on-line entrance and the audio-guide, but I was wondering it this is absolutely necessary. There are a number of different sites with different prices for on-line tickets, with or without audio-guide so it is confusing which to use.

We are pensioners, going on August 14th and not all too Iphone/smart phone savy so prefer printed tickets.

Any suggestions regarding the tickets/audio-guide would be greatly appreciated! And yes we will be using the PDF as a reference!

Kind Regards, Peterina Spanjers.

July 29, 2019 at 3:56 PM

Hi Peterina,

The official online ticket office for Pompeii is TicketOne. You can get your tickets online in advance, which I do recommend doing as the busiest time will be in August and you don’t need to wait in line at the ticket booth. You can buy and print the tickets here: https://www.ticketone.it/biglietti.html?erid=988882&doc=artistPages/tickets&action=tickets&fun=artist&language=en

Enjoy your trip to Pompeii!

Sinohe says

July 27, 2019 at 11:06 PM

This was incredibly helpful! The suggested App does not seem like the best choice now based on app reviews (I went with the PompeiiMap app and it looks amazing). The information listed above was just what I needed.

July 29, 2019 at 3:52 PM

Let us know how you like the PompeiiMap app. We still like the audio tour in the app we’ve suggested.

Daniel E Herron says

December 26, 2019 at 4:11 AM

Is it still possible to freely walk through the city streets in Pompeii?

December 29, 2019 at 7:07 PM

Do you mean without a ticket? No, you can’t enter Pompeii without a ticket. The site is ticketed in order to preserve it. But you don’t have to visit with a guide.

Maryanne says

July 10, 2020 at 3:16 PM

Pompeii is so amazing though i find it difficult.

March 11, 2021 at 8:00 PM

I come from a volcanic country (New Zealand) and was always terrified and fascinated by Pompeii. Lucky enough to go there a few years ago. Italy is a museum, incredible!

I would recommend spending a couple of days at Pompers… it’s huge. As you say, a small tour, then maybe download a guide and self navigate.

And Herculean next time too!

Maybe hire a campervan and follow the coast.

What a wonderful world…

Cheers Elle

Carole Eglash-Kosoff says

May 8, 2023 at 6:57 PM

Hi…my friend and I are both elderly. Are there any vehicles, such as golf carts, that are available at Pompeii and Herculaneum for those who struggle with extended walking?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Pompeii Self Guided Audio Tour

Italy, Pompeii

Book Your Tour

Self guided audio tour.

Free cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund

Visitors can explore the ruins at their own pace while listening to insightful commentary on various sites and artifacts. These Pompeii tours are popular for those who want to avoid the crowds of organized Pompeii sightseeing tours and enjoy a more personalized experience.

Our tour allows you to explore one of Italy’s most interesting and historical sites, Pompeii, which was once a thriving city. In 17 AD, a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the beautiful Roman city, leaving it completely buried in ash for years to come. Today, Pompeii is an important archaeological site where visitors can explore the streets, houses, and ruins that have been incredibly preserved for centuries.

The entrance ticket to Pompeii is not included and needs to be purchased separately.

With this app-based self-guided audio tour you will enjoy unlimited independent sightseeing of Pompeii. There's no need to meet up with a member of staff, simply download our App and start your experience straight away anywhere. Please note this is not the audio guide offered on the premises.

This self-guided audio tour is subject to the opening days and hours of Pompeii. The entrance ticket needs to be purchased separately.

Inclusions & exclusions

What you get: ✔️ Unlimited access to all self-guided features ✔️ Unlimited use for the duration of your stay  ✔️ Multilingual audio commentary in English , Chinese, German, French, Italian and Spanish

What you don’t get: ✖️ Mobile Device ✖️ Headphones ✖️ Entry to Pompeii or any special exhibitions ✖️ Public Transportation Tickets

Discover the masterpieces of this venue, including:

⚬ The Forum  ⚬ House of Sirico  ⚬ The Amphitheater ⚬ Teatro Piccolo ⚬ Stabian Baths

Know before you go

• To activate your digital guide, the Vox City app should be downloaded from the Apple or Android store • Open the Vox City App and scan your QR code • Choose your preferred language and download the map • Once downloaded, access will be immediately be granted to all self-guided features • This app is valid for 365 days from booking

Please note, this is a digital experience. There is no meeting point or staff on-site.

Frequently Ask Questions

What is a self-guided tour?

A self-guided tour is a type of tour where visitors explore a destination on their own using an audio guide or a map. Unlike a guided tour, visitors are not led by a tour guide and are free to choose their own pace and explore the sights that interest them the most. Self-guided tours offer more flexibility and freedom to visitors. They are a popular option for those who prefer to explore a destination independently. 

Is a Walking Tour suitable for all ages?

The walking tour is suitable for all ages, but keep in mind that it involves a fair amount of walking and standing, so participants should be able to walk for at least 2.5 hours. Additionally, wearing comfortable walking shoes and bringing a water bottle can help ensure that you're comfortable throughout the tour

What is a Multilingual Audio tour?

A multilingual audio tour is a type of tour that provides visitors with audio guides in multiple languages. Visitors can use headphones to listen to the audio guide as they explore a destination, with the audio guide providing information about the sights, history, and culture of the area. The audio guides are typically pre-recorded and offer visitors the option to choose their preferred language.

Rated By Vox Citizens.

Overall rating

Review summary

I've visited Pompeii before, but using Vox City for the audio guide made it feel like a whole new experience. The information was presented in a way that was easy to understand, and the app even includes interactive maps to help navigate the site.

I had a great time exploring Pompeii with the Vox City app. The audio guide was informative and helped bring the history of the site to life. I especially like and appreciated the ability to pause and replay sections as needed.

The audio guide was informative and engaging, and the app was easy to use.

Discover More Experiences

Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Audio Tour

• Palatine Stadium
• Domus Augustana
• Arch of Titus & more…

Rome: Skip the line & flexible Pantheon ticket + Audioguide

• The Rotonda 
• The Eminent Tombs
• The Dome & more…

Rome: St. Peter's Basilica and Cupola Guided Tour

• St. Peter's Basilica & Dome
• Elevator to first level
• Vatican Gardens & more…

Trevi District Underground Entry Ticket

• Trevi District
• Vicus Caprarius
• Roman villa & More

Explore Rome: Self-Guided Tour Discovery Pack - Top Rated

• St. Peter's Basilica
• Pantheon & more..

St Peter's Basilica Digital Audio Guide

• St Peter's Basilica
• Sistine Chapel

The World At Your Fingertips.

Experience what it's like to Discover the world with the Vox City App.

Exclusive discounts and travel inspiration

Weekly in your inbox, daily in your feed

Explore the World

The best way to visit Pompeii

When the ancient city of Pompeii was struck by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, it was simultaneously destroyed and protected under the ash.

Written by Michael Turtle

Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle. A journalist for more than 20 years, he's been travelling the world since 2011.

Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle and has been travelling full time for a decade.

Updated: February 29, 2024

How to visit Pompeii

Visiting Pompeii today is like stepping back in time to a Roman city 2000 years ago, where you can walk the streets and explore the temples and theatres.

But it's an enormous archaeological site and there's lots to know about a Pompeii day trip before you go. I would recommend a bit of planning.

• A brief history of Pompeii (and the eruption!)

The best things to see at Pompeii

• My top tips for visiting Pompeii

Normally, time passes.

In most cases, a city evolves as the generations follow each other, the next leaving their mark on top of the previous.

Sometimes a city is abandoned, as history has shown us countless times. The elements then get their chance to mould what is left, gradually stripping away what was made by man and covering it with nature.

And this is why visiting Pompeii is so special. Frozen in time, it neither evolved nor was abandoned. What it was in 79 AD is what it also became. Except, of course, without life.

Is a city still a city if it has no life? Is a city defined by the buildings and the urban layout or is it defined by the people who move throughout hit?

When Mount Vesuvius erupted, did it preserve Pompeii or did it destroy it? I wonder whether it can do both.

When was Pompeii destroyed?

Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, spewing out gases, molten rock, and ashes that covered the city of Pompeii. Historians have never known the exact date of the eruption for sure, although the best current estimate is the last week of October.

Why is Pompeii important?

Although an entire city being wiped out by a volcano would have made Pompeii important regardless, the reason we hear so much about it is because the city’s infrastructure was so well preserved under the ash for centuries. The archaeological site of Pompeii has given historians one of the best looks into life during the Roman Era.

Is it easy to visit Pompeii?

The site of Pompeii has become a hugely popular tourist attraction and it is easy to visit, in the sense that you can just buy a ticket and go in. But the site is enormous so it can be difficult to see everything and find your way around. There is also not much shade or many places to rest.

As I walk through the streets of Pompeii, almost 2000 years after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius , I think about this question.

I’ve been to a lot of ancient sites in my travels, a lot of ruins, but this is different. Never before has something that’s been struck by such disaster felt so complete.

Visiting Pompeii is certainly a remarkable experience and one of the best day trips from Naples .

Remember, the Pompeii ruins were once a city and they’re spread out over an enormous area. It can take a long time to walk through and see everything.

I would definitely recommend a guided tour of Pompeii – partly because the guide will take you to the highlights, but also because they’ll offer the context you need to appreciate it properly.

If you need a suggestion, I would recommend either this tour with an archaeologist , or there is also this tour that includes Mount Vesuvius .

There are some other great options here that I would also recommend:

Even with a guided tour of Pompeii, it’s unlikely you will be able to see everything properly in just one visit.

What will definitely help is having a bit of an understanding about the history and the main features at Pompeii.

The story of Pompeii

In the time before the eruption, in the first century AD, Pompeii was a thriving city.

It had more than 10,000 inhabitants and it was a wealthy centre because of the fertile agricultural land around it. Culturally, it was influenced by the neighbouring Greeks and Etruscans and was known for its art and architecture.

After Pompeii fell under the control of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century BC, it became a prosperous trading city and popular seaside resort for Romans.

As we know, though, the volcano that gives the rich land takes away with the other hand. Despite earthquakes and tremors in the years leading up to the major eruption, many people didn’t move away from Pompeii.

On that fateful day in 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted unexpectedly and many people weren’t able to flee from the volcano in time.

Those who remained were suffocated by toxic gases and buried under metres of volcanic ash.

It’s this ash that I can thank for what I am seeing today. It protected Pompeii from the moisture and the air that would normally damage a city.

The ancient city stayed underground, preserved for centuries until it was rediscovered in 1599 and then excavated properly for the first time in 1748.

Imagine what opening that time capsule for the first time must have been like.

Pompeii was an enormous city and although there have been many years of archaeological work here, much of the urban area is still buried underground.

In fact, the best estimate is that about 70 per cent is still to be excavated!

Before starting, it’s important to know that there are two main entrances to Pompeii. There’s the Porta Marina entrance (and adjacent Piazza Esedra) at the southwest of the site, and the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance at the southeast.

Porta Marina is the main entrance and it’s where you can get an audioguide. It’s also closest to the main attractions in Pompeii. However, this makes it much busier and the queues for tickets can be long during busy periods.

I would actually recommend using the other entrance at Piazza Anfiteatro. It’s much quieter and you’ll get in faster.

Also, it is close to the Trenitalia station called Pompeii, which is a much nicer way to travel than the Circumvesuviana line (I’ll explain more about that soon too).

Either way, it will save you time if you buy your ticket online in advance .

Map of Pompeii

To assist with your visit to Pompeii, I have put together this map with my suggested itinerary of the archaeological site. If you’re going to do a self-guided tour of Pompeii, I hope you’ll find it useful.

You’ll see in this map of Pompeii, that the suggested route begins at Piazza Anfiteatro and loops around. If you prefer, you could start at the other entrance and do the loop anyway.

You will go past many things on this route and, depending on how many you stop at along the way, it will take you between three and five hours (just walking alone at a brisk pace would take at least one hour).

Large Palaestra

This large gymnasium is a square with sides of 140 metres each. It is from the 1 st century AD and would have been used for training young people, physically and mentally.

It has an exhibition in one of the porticos of frescoes from a building discovered near Pompeii.

Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre is quite significant because it is the oldest among those known in the Roman world.

The stands could hold up to 20,000 people, who would have come to watch all sorts of violent shows. It is on the outskirts of the city to help with the flow of the crowds.

House of Venus in the Shell

You will see a lot of houses but, as this may be one of the first, it’s worth noting the layout. There is a central space, in this case, a garden, and frescoed rooms come off it.

You can still see quite a few of the artworks and the most significant is the one of Venus on the back wall.

House of Octavius Quartio

This is certainly a grand house and its layout is a smaller version of the aristocratic villas that were found in the countryside.

The main building has some beautiful artworks but the highlight is the large garden at the back that stretches out with a water feature down the middle.

House of Sirico

The last owner of this house was a powerful man with connections in politics and trade. He used this space almost daily for entertaining and you can see that in the ‘exedra’ room where guests would have sat around on couches.

The floor had found marble slabs and there were beautiful frescoes with mythological subjects inspired by the Trojan War painted on the walls.

House of Marcus Lucretius in via Stabiana

Here you can a house that has been created by combining two smaller adjoining houses. There are paintings of mythological creatures that have been preserved well, but the most interesting element is the garden. The elegant marble fountain is one of the highlights.

House of the Faun

This is one of the most famous houses in Pompeii because it is one of the largest and most opulent. You can see that straight away in the pillars and inlaid floor of the entrance.

There are two atriums and two courtyards with private and entertaining rooms coming off them. The two most important elements are the statue of the faun and the floor mosaic of a famous battle.

House of the Tragic Poet

This is another famous house but for a completely different reason. It is the small image of a dog at the front of the house that makes it interesting because it also comes with the words “Beware of the Dog”.

Perhaps the ancient Romans of Pompeii weren’t so different to homeowners of today!

Forum Baths

It gets dark when you go inside the Forum Baths, one of the few spots of Pompeii that isn’t uncovered.

These baths were built early in the city’s history and are quite complex. In the men’s area, you’ll find different areas for baths of various temperatures. The decorations in the rooms are also really interesting.

Forum Granary

This space was once used as the fruit and vegetable market but it now holds something much more important. Under this roof are artefacts that have been found during the excavations of Pompeii.

There are more than 9000 items, including pots, jugs, tables, baths, and even a dog! (But if you want to see the best artefacts from Pompeii, make sure you visit the National Archaeological Museum in the centre of Naples .)

Temple of Jupiter

The Temple of Jupiter is one of the iconic buildings of Pompeii – not just because of its scale but because Mount Vesuvius looms behind it. The temple dominates the northern part of the Forum and would once have had statues dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.

Of course, the Forum itself is one of the most important parts of Pompeii. All the main public buildings would either have been situated on the square or would be found very close.

It would also have been used for markets and other sorts of trading. Excavations show that it changed shape several times over the centuries.

Sanctuary of Apollo

The Sanctuary of Apollo is one of the oldest places of worship in Pompeii, with the current shape from around the 3 rd century BC, and evidence of an older temple from the 6 th century BC.

It was built in an important location, that many people would pass through on their way into the main part of the city.

The Basilica

This incredible building would have been used effectively as a court – where justice was administered and important business decisions were made. The judges would have sat at the bench on the western side and the walls were decorated with stucco like large blocks of marble.

Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre was the first large public building that was completely excavated at Pompeii, many centuries after the eruption. The auditorium of the theatre was made into the natural slope of a hill.

The stage was used to perform comedies and tragedies in Greek and Roman styles. The nearby Small Theatre was used for other entertainment like mime shows, singing, and music.

Visiting Pompeii

Remember, Pompeii was a city, so it stretches out over the size you would expect a city to fill (even an ancient one). Understanding how to visit Pompeii before you set off will save you a lot of time – and maybe even money.

The first decision to make is whether you’re going to take a tour or not.

Then the practical information you’ll need will depend on whether that tour is picking you up from your accommodation, or whether you still need to get from Naples to Pompeii to meet the guide.

Pompeii may be one of the most popular tourist sites in Italy but your first visit always makes you feel like an explorer.

Discovering Pompeii by walking through the entrance gates can have the same emotional effect as discovering it by digging down into the ground.

Either way, it is equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming.

There are the highlights – the amphitheatre, the basilica, the temples, and the fora.

There are dozens of houses that have been restored to much of their former glory and are worth exploring.

And then there is just the general layout of the city, filled with intersections offering new opportunities, and streets that must be traversed to see the best sights in Pompeii.

Guided tours of Pompeii

I know I’ve offered a lot of information so far on many of the main things to see in Pompeii, but that’s just scratching the surface (a relevant pun considering the fate of the city).

However, this is certainly a place where you will benefit from having an expert who can give you the context of what you’re seeing.

Trust me, doing Pompeii on your own can be overwhelming so a tour can also be really beneficial if you’ve got kids or are in a group, which can make the logistics even harder to do independently!

Visiting Pompeii on your own

If you’re planning to visit Pompeii independently, it is definitely worth being prepared.

As I’ve explained, the site is enormous and can take a long time to explore. It’s likely you’ll be doing that in the hot sun and you don’t want to be wasting too much time with the logistics.

When you buy an entrance ticket for Pompeii, you’ll be given a map and you can also ask for a 150-page booklet with detailed information about the highlighted locations. You can see the map online here (24 megabytes) and read the booklet here (7 megabytes).

These will help you understand more about the site and give you a lot of the history and details you need to interpret what you’re seeing.

Before starting, it’s important to know that there are two main entrances to Pompeii. There’s the Porta Marina entrance (and adjacent Piazza Esedra) at the southwest of the site, and the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance at the southeast of the site.

In the FAQ section below, I’ll explain which one I think is better.

A few other useful bits of visitor information:

• There is a restaurant on site but it can get very crowded and is not great quality.
• You can buy drinks at the restaurants, and there are drinking fountains throughout the site, but I would recommend bringing water with you (or a bottle to refill).
• There is not much shade so make sure to bring sun protection.
• There is a special itinerary called ‘Pompeii for All’ designed for visitors with mobility issues. It claims to be Italy’s longest accessible path in an archaeological site.

How long you spend at Pompeii is up to you – it could easily be all day! But because it’s generally quite hot and there’s lots of walking involved, I would recommend factoring in about half a day to see Pompeii, with a minimum of about three hours.

Where is Pompeii?

Pompeii is about 25 kilometres southeast of central Naples and 240 kilometres southeast of central Rome. You can see it on a map here .

How do you get to Pompeii from Naples?

If you’re going by public transport, there are two options. You can catch the Circumvesuviana train between Naples and Sorrento and get off at the Pompei Scavi stop, which is right at the main entrance. The other option is to catch the Trenitalia train to Pompeii station and then walk for about 10 minutes. In my opinion, the Circumvesuviana is awful and best avoided. It’s crowded, hot, dirty, uncomfortable, and has a reputation for pickpockets. The Trenitalia train is much nicer and I think the walk is worth it. (Plus, with Trenitalia you will arrive at the entrance that has shorter queues to buy tickets.

When is Pompeii open?

From April – October, Pompeii is open from 09:00 until 19:00 (with the last admission at 17:30). From November – March, the site is open from 09:00 – 17:00 (with the last admission at 15:30).

How much is the Pompeii entrance fee?

The entrance fee for Pompeii is €22 and a concession is €2. You’ll save time by buying the ticket in advance here . You can also get a combined ticket for Pompeii, Oplontis and Boscoreale for €18 for full admission and €2 for a concession.

My top Pompeii tips

There are very limited options for food and drink inside. There is a cafeteria that does fast food but there’s often a long line and the quality isn’t great. I would suggest bringing in your own food and drinks for the day. In summer, it gets very hot so make sure you have enough water.

You can find out more information on Pompeii’s official website .

However you visit Pompeii, however long you stay, remember that this really is a moment frozen in time.

We don’t get to see them very often. Most places have some form of evolution or damage. Of course, Pompeii was damaged – more than any city should be able to handle. But, in some strange way, it has left us with something that is also so perfectly undamaged.

There are lots of things to see in the region and I would recommend basing yourself in Naples while you visit some of the other sites, including climbing Mount Vesuvius .

Here are my suggestions for good accommodation in Naples:

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN NAPLES

I’ve got lots of tips about where to stay in Naples in another article or have a look at some of the highlights below.

The bunk beds are fairly standard, but Tric Trac Hostel has a fun modern feel and a great breakfast.

A large apartment with a cool design, Casa Calu makes a great base if you’re staying a while

Like an oasis in the middle of the city, Costantinopoli 104 is set within a gorgeous 19th-century villa with a pool.

It doesn’t get much more luxurious than the Britannique Hotel , with fabulous suites and panoramic views.

This site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List ! I'm on a mission to visit as many World Heritage Sites as I can. Only about 800 more to go... eek!

5 thoughts on “The best way to visit Pompeii”

Thanks for this very good overview of Pompeii, Michael! Especially, thanks for posting links to the official map and guidebook, these will keep me occupied for a long time!

What a amazing detail and guide you shared. You captured awesome pictures in your travel trip. Thank you so much for sharing this experiences.

Hi Will be visiting Pompeii with daughter and her two 3 year old boys. Any suggestions as what best to do so the boys stay happy. Will be going in Oct so heat should not be that big a problem TY

Thank you so much for this great site with photos and info. I visited Pompeii many years ago and have always wanted to take my grandkids. This spring it might happen. I am trying to figure out which Italy sites I need to hire guides and transportation for and which I can do on my own. (Booking tours for 7 people really adds up!)

Hi Micheal thanks for you very thorough and helpful guide’s around sorrento etc . It will be most useful when we travel in june

Leave a comment Cancel reply

In italy, i recommend:.

🏨 Hotels: Booking.com 👩‍🏫 Tours: GetYourGuide 🚗 Car hire: Discover Cars ⛴️ Ferries: Ferryhopper

Find me on the socials:

Subscribe for news and deals:.

top stories:

Members save 10% or more on over 100,000 hotels worldwide when you’re signed in

Check availability

• About this activity

The Complete Pompeii Tour with Skip-the Line Tickets & Exclusive Guide

• Free cancellation available
• Mobile voucher
• Instant confirmation
• Multiple languages

Skip the ticket queues as you discover the largest excavated Ancient Roman site in the world with a top rated guide.

The guide will greet you at the Coffee shop Vittoria,  before taking you on a walking tour of the ancient Roman town, amidst ruins that date back as far back as the 7th Century BC.

The local guide will lead you through the daily life of this Roman town, allowing you to imagine life as it used to be then, bringing the dead city back to life. You will explore the wonders of Pompeii for about five hours.

Activity location

• Porta Marina (via Villa dei Misteri)
• 80045, Pompeii, Italy, Italy

Meeting/Redemption Point

• 80045, Pompei, Campania, Italy
• Fri., Apr. 12 -
• Sat., Apr. 13 -
• Sun., Apr. 14 CA $718
• Mon., Apr. 15 CA $718
• Tue., Apr. 16 CA $718
• Wed., Apr. 17 CA $718
• Thu., Apr. 18 CA $718
• Fri., Apr. 19 CA $718
• Sat., Apr. 20 CA $718
• Sun., Apr. 21 CA $718
• Mon., Apr. 22 CA $718
• Tue., Apr. 23 CA $718
• Wed., Apr. 24 CA $718
• Thu., Apr. 25 CA $718
• Fri., Apr. 26 CA $718
• Activity duration is 5 hours 5h 5h

What's included, what's not

• What's included What's included Local guide
• What's included What's included Private tour
• What's included What's included Professional guide
• What's included What's included All taxes, fees and handling charges
• What's included What's included Professional art historian guide
• What's included What's included Guaranteed to skip the long lines
• What's excluded What's excluded Lunch
• What's excluded What's excluded Service charge
• What's excluded What's excluded Hotel pickup and drop-off

Know before you book

• Public transport options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• A current valid passport is required on the day of travel

Activity itinerary

Orange tours and trips (pass by), pompeii archaeological park.

• Admission ticket included

Best Deals on Things to Do

Top experiences in pompeii.

Expert Picks: Masters Tournament

Expert Picks

Change Text Size

How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments.

Aside from the experts below, Golfbet Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at the Masters Tournament in this week's edition of Power Rankings .

Betting picks

WILL GRAY (Lead, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Scottie Scheffler (+400) – It’s not sexy, but I’ve spent too much time trying to rationalize a pick on someone else. At the end of the day, Scheffler was red-hot heading into his 2022 Masters triumph – and he’s playing materially better this time around.
• Top 10: Ludvig Åberg (+225) – We all know the trends against first-time winners, but they don’t apply to the finish markets. Åberg led the Valero field in SG: Tee-to-Green last week and has all the skills required to contend in his major championship debut.
• Longshot: Russell Henley (+6000) – The former Georgia Bulldog finished T4 here a year ago and has been known to heat up on the greens from time to time. Two top-5s in his last three starts show signs of promise.
• H2H: Chris Kirk (-120) over Keegan Bradley – There aren’t a ton of course comps for Augusta National, but there are some undeniable parallels with the terrain of Kapalua. Expect the Sentry champ to play well, having finished T23 here last year, while Bradley has missed three of four cuts entering the week.

BEN EVERILL (Senior writer, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Xander Schauffele (+1600) – Look, we all know Scheffler has the chance to take this tournament and run with it but my process of elimination story brought me a winner last year and I’m banking it can do it again. Schauffele is ready to contend again… and you have to be knocking on the door to eventually be let in. Back off my blacklist and into the furnace!
• Top 10: Sahith Theegala (+320) – I really like Theegala as an outright option here over the next few years. T9 a year ago with a hot finish and another year wiser to his game. He still has more foul balls off the tee than I’d like but if he can get away with those this week he’s a chance.
• Longshot: Jason Day +6600 – Longshots don’t win the Masters and my campaign to move the threshold to +4000 this week fell on deaf ears (Zalatoris, Finau, Smith…). But how can I not plump for the man who – in his prime – had me declaring he’d win two green jackets in his lifetime? Multiple chances in the past… why not another.
• Head to Head: Shane Lowry (-110) over Collin Morikawa – Lowry’s Tee-to-Green game has been good of late whereas Morikawa is in a ball-striking slump compared to his usual high standards. This is as much a Morikawa fade as anything else.

CHRIS BREECE (Senior Content Manager Golfbet)

• Winner: Scottie Scheffler (+400) – I’ll be that guy. My three finalists were him, Spieth and Schauffele. It came down to who I trusted most to win. And it’s not even close.
• Top 10: Matt Fitzpatrick (+275) – I’m staying patient and not backing off my support of him. He had the best weekend of anyone in San Antonio and I still feel like he has great golf ahead of him.
• Longshot: Max Homa (+5500) – I know what you’re thinking. However, name me a player with more talent/star power whose odds are above +5000.
• H2H: Shane Lowry (-110) over Collin Morikawa – I almost picked Lowry for the top 10. Generally plays well here and has been in good form.

MATT DELVECCHIO (Social content manager, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Will Zalatoris (+4000) – Beware the hungry dog runs faster. It’s comeback time for the previous major runner-up. He’s come back to good form from his back surgery with a three-game stretch of T13, T2 and T4 earlier in the year. He played with Tiger on Monday and saw how great he looked recovering from his own surgery. Will even talked about the influence Tiger's comeback has had on his own journey. People are sleeping on Zalatoris' comeback because of his MC at THE PLAYERS and T74 in Houston. Augusta will bring something out of him. Zalatoris is ready to be among the top players in the world and will show it this week.
• Top 10: Bryson DeChambeau (+300) – It’s been four years since he called Augusta National a par 67. He is older and wiser now to say such a thing. DeChambeau's game fits Augusta well and I see him taking a big charge at this championship in a quest to become a two-time major champion.
• Longshot: Sam Burns (+5500) – The only reason I’m taking him here is that I’ve liked him to win for the past couple of months now and he hasn’t. A wise man once said, “if you like a player to win soon, more likely than not they will”.
• H2H: Lowry (-110) over Morikawa – Collin’s game is a mystery this year. Most alarming has been his iron play which in past years has been seen as unstoppable. Combo that with the fact that Lowry does like Augusta and is in relatively good form as of late. I’ll take the current form over past success.

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, April 9. For live odds, visit BetMGM .

Want to see how to set up your PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf lineup? Scroll below.

THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below.

Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create a team, click the "LEAGUES" tab. Then click on "FEATURED," and then on the PGA TOUR Experts league that populates.

*Brett Jungles joined the Expert Picks league at the beginning of Segment 1 and did not accumulate any points from the FedExCup Fall.

Golfbet experts longshot: 0-14

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER today.

Pompeii Tour - Travel Guide 12+

Works offline, caspar roderick nelissen, iphone screenshots, description.

Simply the best way to visit the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, one of the most popular tourist sites in Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Featuring great interactive maps with nearly 200 points of interest. Explore the city at your own tempo without having to follow a tour guide and avoid renting an expensive audio guide, with only limited information about the sites in Pompeii. Featuring: •Online and offline maps of the city, including a beautiful 3D flyover map. •Information about nearly 200 different points of interest, including temples, villas, private houses, bars, shops, bakeries, laundry facilities, bathing complexes, theaters, the city gates, arches, the amphitheater, the basilica and many more. The information includes a detailed description of the site, pictures of the site, a plan of the layout of the building and its location on the map. •Augmented Reality: When visiting Pompeii just point your device at the site you are interested in to get more information about that site. •Paths: Choose from one of the paths based upon the duration of your visit to Pompeii. Navigate through the ancient city on beautiful 2d or 3d maps and let the guide take you to all of the must-see sites. You can even create and save your own custom path for your visit to Pompeii, adding all the sites you are interested in visiting. •Detailed history of the city, from its founding to the volcanic eruption in 79 AD, and from the discovery of the city in 1748 to the present day archaeological site. •Glossary for all the Roman and Greek terminology, including detailed descriptions of Greek mythology, often the inspiration for many of the frescoes and mosaics in Pompeii. •Notes: Add your own notes to the descriptions of the sites contained in the guide. Use it before your visit to add extra information about the sites, or during your visit to take notes. •Train schedule from Naples and Sorrento to Pompeii. •Various other tips and information for your visit to Pompeii. Hope you love our app. We really appreciate your feedback, so please contact us with any thoughts, suggestions or questions you might have at [email protected]. Have fun visiting this incredible archaeological site!

App Privacy

The developer, Caspar Roderick Nelissen , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• App Support
• Privacy Policy

Family Sharing

Up to six family members can use this app with family sharing enabled., more by this developer.

Rome Tour - Travel Guide

You Might Also Like

Pompeii Travel Guide

Venice Art & Culture

Pompeii Touch

Pompeii Visit & Guide