For most visitors, a 1-day itinerary starting at 9:00 am covers all the highlights: Forum, House of the Faun, Stabian Baths, Lupanar, Large Theatre, and Amphitheatre. Add the Villa of the Mysteries with a Pompeii Plus ticket. Enter at Porta Marina for the most logical west-to-east route.
A well-planned route is the difference between a memorable visit and an exhausting wander through rubble. Pompeii covers 66 hectares — the distances between key sights are significant, and without a clear path you will double back, miss things, and run out of energy before you run out of ruins. This guide gives you tested, practical itineraries for every time budget, from a focused half-day highlights run to an immersive two-day deep dive that includes the suburban villas and nearby sites.
All itineraries are designed around Pompeii’s 9:00 am opening time to make the most of the quieter morning hours.
Top Tickets
# Entry Ticket with Audio Guide
# Guided Tour with an Archaeologist
# 2-Hour Small Group Tour
Table of Contents
Before You Start: What to Know
Book tickets before you arrive. Pompeii operates timed entry from mid-March to mid-October with a daily cap of 20,000 visitors. Book an entry ticket with audio guide online to walk straight to the turnstile.
Choose your ticket type. The standard Pompeii Express ticket covers the main city. The Pompeii Plus ticket adds the suburban villas including the Villa of the Mysteries.
Enter via Porta Marina for all the itineraries below. See our full Pompeii entrances guide.
Wear the right shoes. Pompeii’s streets are original Roman basalt paving stones — large, uneven blocks. Trainers or solid walking shoes are essential.
Half-Day Itinerary (3 Hours)
Can you do Pompeii in half a day? Yes. A 3-hour half-day visit covers Pompeii’s most important sights: the Forum, House of the Faun, the Lupanar, and the Amphitheatre. Enter at 9:00 am via Porta Marina.
Ideal for day-trippers from Naples or Sorrento. Works best with a pre-booked guided tour so you spend zero time navigating.
9:00 am — Enter via Porta Marina
Arrive at opening. The first 30 minutes are the quietest the site will be all day.
9:05 am — The Forum (30 minutes)
The Forum is Pompeii’s civic centre. The view northward to Mount Vesuvius from the south end is one of archaeology’s most photographed sights. Walk the perimeter; visit the Macellum and the Basilica.
9:35 am — Temple of Apollo (10 minutes)
Just west of the Forum. The Temple of Apollo is one of Pompeii’s oldest sacred buildings — quick stop but genuinely atmospheric.
9:45 am — House of the Faun (15 minutes)
The House of the Faun — the largest private residence in Pompeii. The bronze dancing faun in the atrium and the vast floor plan give a vivid sense of elite Roman domestic life.
10:00 am — Stabian Baths (15 minutes)
The oldest public bath complex in the Roman world — showing how Romans used heated rooms, cold pools, and communal bathing as part of daily life.
10:15 am — The Lupanar (15 minutes)
The Lupanar draws the longest queues of any single structure, which is why arriving early matters. The explicit frescoes above each door were functional menus for the city’s official brothel.
10:30 am — Via dell’Abbondanza (15 minutes)
Pompeii’s main commercial street. Walk it past thermopolia, electoral graffiti, and chariot ruts worn into the paving stones.
10:45 am — Amphitheatre (20 minutes)
The Amphitheatre — the oldest surviving stone amphitheatre in the Roman world (70 BC). Stand on the arena floor and look up at the seating banks. The scale is extraordinary.
11:05 am — Exit
Essential Pompeii done in 3 hours. Exit through Piazza Anfiteatro for transport back.
Full-Day Itinerary (6 Hours)
Six hours gives you everything in the half-day plan plus the sites that define an outstanding visit. You will need a Pompeii Plus ticket to access the Villa of the Mysteries.
9:00 am — Forum & Antiquarium (40 minutes)
Same Forum start, with an extra 10 minutes at the Antiquarium to see the plaster casts and original artefacts — essential context for the rest of your day.
9:40 am — House of the Vettii (20 minutes)
The House of the Vettii reopened after extensive restoration in 2023. Its mythological frescoes are arguably the most spectacular in Pompeii.
10:00 am — House of the Faun (20 minutes)
More time here lets you explore the vast second peristyle garden and study the replica of the Alexander Mosaic — the most celebrated floor mosaic from the ancient world.
10:20 am — Stabian Baths & Lupanar (30 minutes)
Combined stop. By 10:20 am the Lupanar queue is manageable; by 11:30 am it is often 20+ minutes.
10:50 am — Thermopolium of Regio V (20 minutes)
A fully preserved ancient fast-food counter with its original painted menu and food remains still in the containers — one of the most extraordinary recent discoveries in Pompeii.
11:10 am — Large Theatre & Odeon (20 minutes)
The Large Theatre seats 5,000. The smaller covered Odeon was used for music and poetry recitals. Both in excellent condition.
12:00 pm — Lunch Break (60 minutes)
Crowds peak between 12:00 and 1:30 pm. Eat at the on-site café or walk 5 minutes to Pompeii town.
1:00 pm — Garden of the Fugitives (20 minutes)
Thirteen people found huddled together as the pyroclastic surge hit — the most emotionally affecting place in Pompeii.
1:20 pm — Amphitheatre & Palestra Grande (30 minutes)
The Amphitheatre as before, plus the Palestra Grande — a vast gymnasium with one of the largest swimming pools in the Roman world.
2:00 pm — Villa of the Mysteries (45 minutes)
Exit via Porta Ercolano and walk 5 minutes to the Villa of the Mysteries — the most extraordinary cycle of ancient paintings in existence. The Dionysiac frieze: 29 near-life-size figures on a blood-red background.
2:45 pm — Exit
Six hours done. You have seen Pompeii properly.
2-Day Itinerary (Pompeii + Nearby Sites)
Is 2 days in Pompeii worth it? Yes — two days lets you explore Pompeii thoroughly on day one and combine it with Herculaneum, Oplontis, or Mount Vesuvius on day two. It transforms a highlights visit into a genuinely deep experience.
Day 1: Full Pompeii (Follow the 6-Hour Itinerary Above)
Spend Day 1 as described above. By late afternoon you will have covered every major area of the site and the Villa of the Mysteries.
Day 2 Option A: Herculaneum + Oplontis
Herculaneum is 15 minutes from Pompeii by Circumvesuviana train. Buildings stand 2–3 storeys tall; organic materials — furniture, food, fabric — survived the eruption. Allow 2–2.5 hours. Then one stop west to Oplontis. See the Pompeii and Herculaneum combo tickets for the best pricing.
Day 2 Option B: Mount Vesuvius
A Pompeii to Mount Vesuvius tour gives you views across the Bay of Naples and down onto the city you explored the day before. See our Mount Vesuvius tickets guide for options.
Day 2 Option C: Boscoreale + Stabiae
Boscoreale and Stabiae are both included in the Pompeii Plus ticket via the Artebus shuttle — perfect for archaeology enthusiasts.
Pompeii Itinerary Tips
- Download the free map at the entrance — essential for orientation.
- Re-entry is not allowed on the same day. Plan all breaks before exiting.
- Some buildings open on a rota — check the official schedule for the House of the Vettii and Garden of the Fugitives before your visit.
- If you want a structured plan without the thinking, a small-group guided tour follows an optimised route automatically.
