Pompeii: your first hour after landing
You have just landed at Naples — because Pompeii has no airport, and every route in runs through Capodichino or Napoli Centrale, about 30 km north. This guide covers the direct bus and the €3.30 Circumvesuviana ride south, why the first night belongs in Pompei town, the named €20 ticket and the slot to book, a first route through the Forum to the amphitheatre, and the Vesuvius and Herculaneum days that complete the story.
In this guide
You just landed in Pompeii. There is no airport here — Naples (NAP), about 30 km north, is the gateway, with a direct bus at about €20, an Airalo eSIM live for the ride south, a named €20 ticket to book for the 9am slot before the 20,000 daily cap bites, and the archaeologist-led days that sell out first worth booking ahead through GetYourGuide.
Quick facts
Airport
Getting in
Currency
Languages
Time zone
Emergency
Plugs
Tap water
Tourist tax
Best months
Map
Stays, sights, and landmarks in Pompeii — live hotel prices plus the key places from this guide.
Settle in
Land at Naples and treat the trip south as part of the arrival: Pompei town, not Naples, is this guide's base — sleep here and you enter the ruins at the 9am opening, before the day-trip trains unload.
Set up data before you leave home — an Airalo eSIM loads in minutes, so maps and train times work from the arrivals hall. For a longer Italy trip, compare Saily and Yesim.
The arrival checklist, in order:
- Buy your ruins ticket online before you travel — tickets are named, dated and capped at 20,000 visitors a day, and peak slots sell out
- Ride the direct bus, the Alibus and train combination, or a pre-priced transfer south — never a ride offered by a tout in the hall
- Drop your bags at the hotel or in station-area storage before entering; nobody enjoys 44 hectares with a suitcase
If a delayed or cancelled flight wrecked the arrival, AirHelp checks whether the airline owes you compensation — worth five minutes.
Getting around
Times are airport to city centre.
Direct bus (Pintour)
Several departures a day from outside the terminal to Piazza Porta Marina Inferiore, beside the Porta Marina entrance; book ahead in season and note the last buses leave in the early evening
Alibus and Circumvesuviana
Alibus €5 to Napoli Garibaldi, then down one level to the EAV Circumvesuviana; validate or tap before boarding, and keep bags in front of you on the busy train
Circumvesuviana from Naples city
For arrivals already in Naples: Sorrento-direction trains only, from the lower level at Garibaldi or from Porta Nolana, every 30 minutes or so; Pompei Scavi station is a five-minute walk from the Porta Marina entrance
Taxi
No single fixed fare covers Pompei — reported prices vary widely, so agree the total before the door closes, or pre-book a transfer at a fixed price instead
Two stations serve two entrances: Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri, on the Naples–Sorrento line, sits by the Porta Marina entrance at the west end; Pompei Santuario, on the Poggiomarino line in town, is closer to the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance and the centre. The airport rides:
Choose the direct bus with luggage; choose the train combination on a budget. One correction to older guides: the Campania Express tourist train was suspended from 1 October 2026 — do not plan around its €15 reserved seats. Taxis have no fixed Pompei fare: agree the price before the door closes, or pre-book.
Prefer to be met? A Kiwitaxi transfer or a Welcome Pickups driver puts a name board in arrivals at a fixed price. Driving, price the pickup on AutoEurope first — a car earns its keep on Vesuvius and coast days, not in Pompei.
Inside the ruins you walk: ancient stone streets, punishing on thin soles. Pompei town is small and flat — station, sanctuary and both entrances are walkable.
In the city
Enter at Porta Marina at the 9am opening and go straight to the Forum, the ancient city's civic heart, while the day-trip groups are still on their trains. Read the basilica, the temples and Vesuvius over the rooftops, then work east: the theatres and Stabian Baths, the House of the Faun and the House of the Vettii, the bakery counters on Via dell'Abbondanza, and finally the amphitheatre — among the oldest surviving — and the Garden of the Fugitives, the site's quietest, most moving corner.
Buy the Pompei+ ticket (€25) if the Villa of the Mysteries is on your list.
The Express (€20) covers the ancient city only; Plus adds the suburban villas and the shuttle to the Villa, whose frescoes are the finest to survive from the ancient world.
Take a two-hour guided tour or the audio guide.
Pompeii is a city, not a single ruin — without context you will walk past the most interesting houses unknowing, and a good guided walk gives you the map in your head for the day.
Skip the third-party skip-the-line resellers charging big markups.
The official ticket is €20 to €25 from pompeiisites.org; many reseller packages cost far more for the same entry. The same goes for touts at the station pushing tours and taxis.
Pick one route and accept you cannot see it all.
Forty-four hectares does not fit in one morning. Forum and houses first, amphitheatre second, villas if your legs allow — and eat before you enter: tickets allow one entry only, and the single food venue inside is a self-serve.
Browse GetYourGuide for archaeologist tours and Vesuvius days, and compare Klook when stacking tickets.
After you land in Pompeii: Bookable experiences
Where to stay your first nights
Hotel Forum Pompei.
Best for the splurge base between the Anfiteatro entrance and the Sanctuary — family-run four-star, garden breakfast room and private parkingSleep at Via Roma 99, between the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance and the Sanctuary — a family-run four-star with private parking, a breakfast room opening on a garden, and a bar. Book it for the fullest base in town.
Hotel Maiuri.
Best for a calm four-star base on the Scavi side of town, a short walk from Pompei Scavi station and the Porta Marina entranceStay on Viale Unità d'Italia, on the Scavi side of town — a four-star a short walk from Pompei Scavi station and the Porta Marina entrance, with its own parking and dining. Book it for comfort at the western gate.
Hotel Diana Pompei.
Best for budget rooms in a lemon and orange tree garden on a quiet lane near the station and the SanctuaryBed down at Vicolo S. Abbondio 12, a three-star with 22 rooms on a quiet dead-end street near the station and the Sanctuary — a garden of lemon and orange trees, restaurant and parking. Book it for the calm budget base.
Stay in Pompei town for the dawn start and the quiet evening after the day-trippers leave; stay in Naples if evenings out matter more — the train is 30 minutes, but the first hour inside belongs to the people who slept here.
Book ahead for spring, autumn and holiday weekends. Budget for the tourist tax on top: €3 a person a night at most properties.
Where to eat first
Eat before the ruins and eat Campanian after them: the town's tables run on pizza, seafood pasta, buffalo mozzarella and gnocchi alla sorrentina. Three first stops:
Ventuno Grammi, Via Plinio, near Porta Marina.
Grab a quick pizza a few minutes from the entrance — the pre-ruins fuelling stop, so you are not relying on the one self-serve venue inside.
Stuzzico By Lucius, Via Plinio 7.
Eat casual seafood and local plates near the ruins — a sit-down lunch by the gate area, at about €10 to €20 a person.
Add'ù Mimì, Via Roma, town centre.
Dine on traditional Campanian cooking after a full ruins day, then walk to Pasticceria De Vivo on Via Roma for the historic pastry shop's gelato.
For food tours and pizza-making classes around Naples and the coast, browse the Pompei listings on GetYourGuide.
Day trips and more
Three escapes complete the Vesuvius story: the volcano, the other buried town, and the villa the standard ticket leaves out. Carry water and sunscreen.
Mount Vesuvius
Two and a half hours to a full day: park entry (the €11.68 crater ticket is included) and a digital guide, with bus transfers from Pompei or Naples to the trailhead, then the walk to the Gran Cono rim. From about US$18. Check availability →
Herculaneum with an archaeologist
Two hours, 20 minutes up the line at Ercolano Scavi: the smaller, better-preserved town — upper floors, carbonised wood, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, and the boathouses where 300 people waited for rescue. Pompeii shows a city's scale; Herculaneum shows its interiors. Rated 4.8, from about US$50. Check availability →
Villa of the Mysteries with an archaeologist
Three hours in a small group, from Porta Marina Superiore through the houses and public spaces to the Villa of the Mysteries outside the walls, for its famous fresco cycle read by an archaeologist. Rated 4.8, from about US$84. Check availability →
Leave a half-day for Naples: its Archaeological Museum holds many of Pompeii's finest frescoes and mosaics, and seeing it after the ruins connects objects to rooms.
When to go and what it costs
April to May and September to October are the sweet spot: highs of roughly 19 to 26°C, long hours and sub-peak crowds. June to August runs 30 to 33°C with no shade inside the walls — start at the opening or not at all. Winter brings the fewest visitors, the most rain and a 5pm close.
The fixed costs are the ticket (€20 Express, €25 Plus) and the train (€3.30 each way). A budget day — train, pizza, one ticket — runs about €70 to €110 a person. Mid-range, with a guided tour and sit-down meals, €140 to €220. A splurge day passes €300.
Book the 9am slot in season: from mid-March to mid-October the 20,000 cap splits into 15,000 morning entries and 5,000 afternoon ones, and the morning is the visit you want.
What to pack
Tap items to check them off — your list is saved on this device.
Pack for a full day on ancient stone with no shade — this is a walking site, not a museum. This is the full list:
- Comfortable walking shoes Shop walking shoes on Amazon →
- Sunscreen Shop sunscreen on Amazon →
- Reusable water bottle Shop water bottle on Amazon →
- Phone charger and power bank Shop power bank on Amazon →
- Daypack Shop daypack on Amazon →
- Sunglasses Shop sunglasses on Amazon →
- Light rain jacket Shop rain jacket on Amazon →
Add the Pompei extras: the pack-list shoes must be sturdy and closed-toe, not sandals — a sun hat, and a layer covering shoulders and knees for the Sanctuary basilica, where modest dress is required.
Language, visa and entry
✓ Visa-free entry
Italian runs Pompei, warmly: greet first — buongiorno before any request — and expect English at the ruins and in hotels, thinning out in smaller shops. Dinner starts late.
Four phrases do most of the work:
Sort your entry paperwork before booking anything non-refundable. Italy is Schengen: US, Canadian, British, Australian and many other nationals enter visa-free for 90 days in any 180 across the area. Your passport must be valid three months beyond departure and issued within the last ten years.
The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026: at your first crossing, fingerprints and a facial image are recorded instead of passport stamps. ETIAS is not in operation — no applications are collected, and any website selling you one today is a scam.
Safety and health
Keep your valuables zipped, in front and out of back pockets
The real risk is opportunistic theft, not violence: pickpockets work the crowded Circumvesuviana trains, stations and ticket-machine queues. Decline help at machines and ATMs.
Respect the heat — the ruins have almost no shade
Summer middays are brutal on exposed stone: enter at the opening, carry water, wear a hat, and never power through a July afternoon. Winter's risk is wet, slick stone.
Agree every taxi fare before you get in
Travellers have reported €20 charged for a 1.7 km hop. Use pre-priced transfers for the airport run, official ticket offices for entry, and walk away from touts at the station and gates pushing tours, taxis or help.
Treat the site and the sanctuary with care
Do not climb on walls, touch frescoes or cross ropes — these are 2,000-year-old surfaces. The Sanctuary is a working basilica: cover shoulders and knees inside. For anything serious, dial 112.
Related destinations
If you liked Pompeii, try these next:
Frequently asked questions
The gateway airport, the named ticket and the town-versus-Naples call, in short.
Site fees checked against the Archaeological Park's January 2026 fee notice; train fares and the Campania Express suspension against EAV reporting, October 2026; entry rules against the official EU EES and ETIAS pages.
Three honest routes: the direct Pintour bus to Porta Marina, about €20 and 30 to 60 minutes; the Alibus (€5) to Napoli Garibaldi plus the Circumvesuviana (€3.30) to Pompei Scavi, €8.30 combined in 65 to 90 minutes; or a taxi or pre-booked transfer in about 30 minutes — agree the fare first, as reported prices run €80 to €170.
Pompei Express (€20) covers the ancient city; Pompei+ (€25) adds the suburban villas — the Villa of the Mysteries above all — and the shuttle. Tickets are named, dated and capped at 20,000 a day, with no re-entry, so book the 9am slot online before you travel. EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2; under-18s are free.
Pompei town for the ruins: you enter at the 9am opening, before the day-trip trains unload, and get the quiet evening after they leave. Naples for evenings out and nightlife — the train is only about 30 minutes, but the first hour inside the walls belongs to the people who slept in Pompei.
No visa for US, Canadian, British, Australian and many other nationals — up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area, with a passport valid three months beyond departure. The Entry/Exit System has recorded fingerprints and a photo instead of stamps since 10 April 2026. ETIAS is not in operation: any site selling one is a scam.
April to May and September to October: highs around 19 to 26°C and crowds below the peak. Summer runs 30 to 33°C with almost no shade inside the ruins — survivable only with a 9am start. Winter is the quietest season, with the shortest hours (9am to 5pm) and the most rain.
Pompei charges a per-person, per-night tax collected by your property, on top of the room rate: most properties report €3 a night for up to seven nights, under-16s exempt; some four-star listings report €4. Keep small cash for it.
Fares and site rules change — EAV, pompeiisites.org and your property always win.
Pompeii, in your pocket
Landing soon? Get the printable PDF — ticket links, the airport transport cheat sheet, our 3 restaurant picks with maps, and the packing checklist. Everything above, formatted for your phone.
One email with your Pompeii PDF. Fare changes and new guides after that. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Sources and last verified
Site tickets against the Archaeological Park (pompeiisites.org): fees from 12 January 2026 — Pompei Express €20, Pompei+ €25, three-day €30; named tickets, 20,000 daily cap with the 15,000/5,000 slot split from 16 March to 14 October, one entry only, EU citizens aged 18 to 24 at €2, under-18s free. Transfers against EAV and operator listings, October 2026: the Circumvesuviana fare to Pompei Scavi is €3.30 from 1 October 2026 — the €3.20 in this guide's previous version is out of date — and the Campania Express was suspended from 1 October 2026, so it is no longer listed as running. Direct bus at about €20 against Pintour and CheckMyBus listings; taxi range as reported across 2026 listings, hence the agree-the-fare-first warning. Tourist tax against Pompei property listings: most report €3 a person a night for up to seven nights, under-16s exempt; one four-star listing reports €4 — the guide prints both. Entry rules against the official EU EES and ETIAS pages. GetYourGuide products opened and read October 2026: Vesuvius excursion, Herculaneum archaeologist tour, Villa of the Mysteries tour. Hotels from this guide's previous edition, checked against the properties' own sites. Expedia returned rate limits during this build, so hotel URLs are empty pending the confirmation pass. Photo credits as in the guide data. Last verified October 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: hotel names, transfers, experiences, and products linked in this guide may earn After You Land a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and times were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — confirm before you book.