Pompeii Tickets 2026
Pompeii changed how it sells tickets in 2026: one official seller, a 20,000-a-day cap, named tickets. Here's what to book, and what to do when your date is sold out.
Pompeii changed how it sells tickets in 2026, and most blogs still run the old version. Since March there is one official seller, a hard cap of 20,000 people a day, and named tickets you can't pass to a friend. In July and August it sells out days ahead.
Here's what to book, what to do when your date is already gone, and how to spend three hours once you're inside.
In 3 minutes:
- Tickets only at vivaticket now — €20 for the ancient city, €25 to add the Villa of the Mysteries.
- Sold out? GetYourGuide and Tiqets hold separate stock that often shows availability when the official site doesn't.
- Walk in at the 9:00 opening. The Forum is quiet for the first hour and packed by noon.
How much are Pompeii tickets in 2026?
Express €20 — the ancient city only, no suburban villas. Pompeii+ €25 — adds the Villa of the Mysteries, the Villa of Diomedes and Villa Regina at Boscoreale, plus the shuttle bus. A 3-day €30 ticket folds in Oplontis and the Stabiae villas. Reduced €2 for EU citizens 18–24, free under 18.
If the Villa of the Mysteries matters to you, buy the €25. On Express you can still add that route for €8 at the Herculaneum Gate, but it's card-only and one more queue.
Where to book
Our take: Buy direct on vivaticket to save a euro; switch to GetYourGuide the moment your date shows sold out, since its stock is allocated separately.
What if Pompeii tickets are sold out?
Vivaticket is the only official channel, and in high summer it runs out for the popular morning slots well before you arrive. When your date shows nothing, that isn't the end of it: GetYourGuide and Tiqets buy their own allocation and frequently still list entry slots. One recent visitor on the €21 ticket put it plainly — tickets were impossible on the official site for the only day they had free, so they booked through the reseller and walked straight in.
You pay a euro or two over the official €20. In July, August and on free Sundays, that's a fair trade for getting in at all.
When is the best time to visit Pompeii?
The 9:00 opening is the quietest hour of the day. Coach groups from Naples and Sorrento fill the Forum and the main houses between 11:00 and 14:00, then it thins after 15:00. Book a morning slot — the 9:00–13:00 window holds 15,000 of the 20,000 daily places, so it's where availability sits too.
Heat is the real problem. The site is open stone with little shade, and summer afternoons hit 30–35°C underfoot. April–May and late September are the kindest months.
How do you get to Pompeii from Naples?
Take the Circumvesuviana from Napoli Garibaldi toward Sorrento — about 36 minutes, €3.50 — and get off at Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri. The Porta Marina entrance is 100 metres from the platform. Don't get off at the mainline "Pompei" station; that's the modern town, a 15-minute walk from the ruins. The train is crowded and has no air-conditioning, but it's cheap and direct.
What to see at Pompeii in three hours
Enter at Porta Marina and follow the highlights in order:
The Forum. The civic heart, columns framing Vesuvius straight ahead — the volcano that buried all of it in 79 AD.
The House of the Faun. Pompeii's grandest house. The Alexander Mosaic was lifted from its floor and now hangs in the MANN in Naples; what's here is the setting, not the artwork.
The Lupanare. The brothel, with frescoes advertising its services. Small, crowded, and a blunt window into daily Roman life.
Garden of the Fugitives. Plaster casts of a family caught mid-flight. The quietest and most human stop at the site.
Villa of the Mysteries. Outside the walls, the deep-red Dionysian fresco cycle. Only on the €25 ticket.
What most visitors get wrong
The named-ticket rule is real. Bring the ID you booked with — staff check it, and a ticket bought in someone else's name won't scan.
Free Sundays are a trap in disguise. Free entry on the first Sunday of the month sounds great until you're shoulder-to-shoulder in the Forum. Worth it only in winter, when crowds are thin anyway.
Eat first. The single café inside is overpriced and slow. Bring water and a snack.
- Site
- Pompeii Archaeological Park
- Tickets
- Express €20 · with suburban villas €25 · 3-day all-sites €30 · reduced €2 (EU 18–24) · free under 18
- Where to buy
- Vivaticket only (official) since 2 March 2026 · resellers hold separate stock
- Hours
- 9:00–19:00 (16 Mar–14 Oct, last entry 17:30) · 9:00–17:00 (winter, last entry 15:30)
- Daily cap
- 20,000 · timed entry mid-March to mid-October · book 3–7 days ahead in summer
- Free day
- First Sunday of every month
- Getting there
- Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri (36 min from Naples)
- Book at
- GetYourGuide (skip-the-line) · official site
Hours and prices can change — confirm on the official site before you go.
Last verified: June 2026
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if Pompeii tickets are sold out?
Vivaticket is the only official seller, and in July and August it sells out days ahead. When it shows nothing for your date, check GetYourGuide or Tiqets — resellers hold a separate ticket allocation and often still have entry slots. You pay €1–2 more for the same skip-the-line entry.
How far in advance should I book Pompeii tickets?
Off-season you can often book a day ahead or walk up. From mid-March to mid-October timed entry is required and the site caps at 20,000 visitors a day, so in July and August book 3 to 7 days ahead. The first Sunday of the month (free entry) is the hardest day to get into.
What's the difference between Pompeii Express and Pompeii Plus tickets?
Express (€20) covers the ancient city only. The €25 ticket adds the suburban villas — including the Villa of the Mysteries — plus Villa Regina at Boscoreale and the shuttle bus. A 3-day €30 ticket adds Oplontis and the Stabiae villas. If you want the Villa of the Mysteries, buy the €25.
Is there a free admission day at Pompeii?
Yes. Entry is free on the first Sunday of every month, and free year-round for under-18s. EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay a reduced €2. Free Sundays aren't bookable in advance and fill fast, so arrive at the 9:00 opening.
How do I get from Naples to Pompeii?
Take the Circumvesuviana from Napoli Garibaldi toward Sorrento, about 36 minutes and €3.50, and get off at Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri. Porta Marina is 100 metres away. Don't get off at the mainline "Pompei" station — that's the modern town.
Pair it with the art that came out of the ground: Pompeii for the streets, the MANN in Naples for the mosaics and frescoes lifted from them. Coming the other way, our Pompeii day trip from Rome covers the train-versus-tour math if you're not based in Naples.