The unmissable highlights: the Forum (civic heart, direct Vesuvius view), the Temple of Apollo (oldest sacred building), the House of the Faun (Alexander Mosaic, grandest residence), the House of the Vettii (finest frescoes, reopened 2023), the Lupanar (ancient brothel), the Plaster Casts (haunting human forms in volcanic ash), the Amphitheatre (world’s oldest surviving Roman stone arena), and the Thermopolium of Regio V (perfectly preserved ancient food counter). The Villa of the Mysteries requires a Plus ticket.
Pompeii covers 66 hectares across nine districts — the equivalent of 90 football pitches — and only about two-thirds has been excavated. Even a single district could occupy a full morning if you took every building seriously. This guide identifies the sites that are genuinely unmissable: the ones that make any visit incomplete without them, with honest advice on how long each needs, why it matters, and whether a guide transforms the experience. Each attraction links to its dedicated detailed page.
Top Tickets
# Entry Ticket with Audio Guide
# Guided Tour with an Archaeologist
# 2-Hour Small Group Tour
Table of Contents
How to Use This Guide
The highlights below are arranged roughly in the order you encounter them walking the standard route from Porta Marina entrance east toward the Amphitheatre. This is the most logical visiting sequence — it follows the main streets, avoids backtracking, and builds toward the most dramatic spaces. For a pre-planned route with timings, see our Pompeii itinerary guide.
The Forum
What is the Forum of Pompeii? The Forum is the civic, religious, and commercial heart of ancient Pompeii — a large open piazza surrounded by temples, the Basilica law court, markets, and government buildings. Standing at the southern end and looking north toward the Temple of Jupiter with Mount Vesuvius behind it is the single most powerful view in the entire site.
The first major sight after entering at Porta Marina and the most important single space in Pompeii. The Forum’s principal axis aligns directly with Vesuvius — a deliberate architectural choice placing the volcano at the centre of civic life. The surrounding buildings include the Basilica (law court and financial exchange), the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple of Apollo, the Macellum (food market), and the Eumachia Building. Allow 30–45 minutes.
→ Full guide: The Forum of Pompeii
Temple of Apollo
Pompeii’s oldest and most significant sacred building, dating to the 6th century BC — before Roman rule, before the Forum was formalised. The 48-column colonnade surrounding the sacred precinct, the original sacrificial marble altar, replica statues of Apollo and Diana (originals in Naples), and the omphalos (the ‘navel of the world’) stone connected to the Delphic cult of Apollo. Allow 10–15 minutes, ideally visited alongside the Forum.
→ Full guide: Temple of Apollo, Pompeii
House of the Faun
What is the House of the Faun? The House of the Faun is the largest private residence in Pompeii — a full city block of 3,000 square metres, with two atria, two peristyle gardens, and seven high-quality mosaic floors. It is named after the bronze dancing faun statue found in its impluvium (now in Naples). The house also yielded the Alexander Mosaic — the largest and most celebrated floor mosaic from the ancient world, depicting Alexander the Great’s victory at Issus — also now in Naples.
One of the most architecturally impressive houses in the entire Roman world. The House of the Faun occupies an entire city block and gives an immediate sense of the extraordinary scale of wealth in Pompeii at its height. The replica of the Alexander Mosaic is in situ in the exedra (ceremonial room). Allow 20–30 minutes.
→ Full guide: House of the Faun, Pompeii
House of the Vettii
Reopened in January 2023 after twelve years of restoration, the House of the Vettii contains the finest mythological fresco programme in Pompeii. Owned by two wealthy freedmen brothers, the house is famous for its triclinium frescoes — three large panels depicting Hercules strangling serpents, Pentheus torn apart by Maenads, and Ixion on the eternal wheel — and for its beautifully replanted peristyle garden with original bronze sculptures returned to their positions. Allow 25–35 minutes.
→ Full guide: House of the Vettii, Pompeii
Stabian Baths
The oldest thermal complex in Pompeii, dating to the 2nd century BC. The Stabian Baths show the complete Roman bathing sequence: apodyterium (changing room), frigidarium (cold plunge), tepidarium (warm room), and caldarium (hot baths) — with separate male and female sections. The elaborately decorated stucco ceilings in the men’s section are among the best-preserved decorative elements in Pompeii. Allow 15–20 minutes.
The Lupanar
What is the Lupanar at Pompeii? The Lupanar is Pompeii’s purpose-built brothel — two storeys, ten rooms, original stone beds with stone pillows, explicit frescoes above each door advertising services, and over 120 pieces of graffiti. It is consistently Pompeii’s most visited individual building. Queue peaks 10:30 am–2:00 pm. Visit before 10:00 am or after 3:00 pm for the shortest wait.
Small, sobering, and fascinating — the Lupanar is the building most visitors anticipate and most find more thought-provoking than expected. The graffiti corpus alone — clients’ records, workers’ names, prices paid — is one of the most important primary sources for understanding enslaved life in the Roman world. Allow 10–15 minutes inside. The external queue often takes longer than the visit.
→ Full guide: The Lupanar, Pompeii
Via dell’Abbondanza
Pompeii’s main commercial street — the longest and most evocative stretch of Roman urban life in the city. Walking its full length reveals thermopolia (fast-food counters), workshop facades, electoral graffiti, stepping stones at every crossroads, and the wear patterns of 2,000-year-old wheel ruts in the basalt. The Thermopolium of Asellina and several preserved house facades face directly onto this street. Allow as long as your visit permits — this is Pompeii at its most alive.
→ Full guide: Thermopolium of Pompeii
Thermopolium of Regio V
Excavated in 2020, the Thermopolium of Regio V is the most completely preserved ancient food counter in the world — its painted menu still on the front face, food remains (duck, pig, fish, snails) still identifiable in the serving jars, and the last meal of the last working day preserved exactly as it was left. Located in the northern part of the site and significantly less crowded than the main circuit. Allow 15–20 minutes.
→ Full guide: The Thermopolium of Pompeii
Plaster Casts & Garden of the Fugitives
Where can you see the Pompeii plaster casts? The new 2025 permanent exhibition ‘Memories from 79 AD’ in the Antiquarium near Porta Marina is the primary display. The Garden of the Fugitives (south-east of the site) has the most emotionally powerful in-situ display — 13 people, adults and children, found huddled against the garden wall. Individual casts are scattered throughout the site at discovery locations.
The plaster casts are the defining experience of Pompeii for most visitors — the thing that makes the eruption real in a way that no fresco or mosaic can. The new 2025 Antiquarium exhibition presents them with CT scan data and osteoarchaeological analysis that has transformed our understanding of how the eruption killed Pompeii’s residents. The Garden of the Fugitives is the most affecting single location in the entire site. Allow 30–40 minutes for the Antiquarium exhibition; 10–15 minutes at the Garden.
→ Full guide: Plaster Casts of Pompeii
Note: Pompeii is an active place with daily excavations, so you should be ready for any changes. Because of this, some of the attractions can be closed temporarily.
Pompeii Amphitheatre
Built around 70 BC, the Pompeii Amphitheatre is the oldest surviving stone amphitheatre in the Roman world — predating the Colosseum by approximately 140 years. You can walk onto the arena floor itself. The seating structure used an earthwork embankment rather than the free-standing vaults of later arenas, giving it a distinctive grass-covered exterior. The adjacent Palestra Grande (gymnasium) with its large swimming pool completes the entertainment district. Allow 20–30 minutes.
→ Full guide: Pompeii Amphitheatre
Villa of the Mysteries (Plus Ticket Only)
Do you need a special ticket for the Villa of the Mysteries? Yes — the Villa of the Mysteries requires the Pompeii Plus ticket (official €25 adult, GYG from €39 with audio guide). It is a 10-minute walk outside the main city walls via the Porta Ercolano gate and the ancient Street of Tombs (Via dei Sepolcri).
The Villa of the Mysteries contains the most extraordinary cycle of ancient wall paintings in existence — 29 near-life-size figures on a deep Pompeian red background depicting a Dionysiac initiation rite. The frescoes are entirely original and in situ. The villa also has a working wine-pressing room (torcularium) with the original wooden press partially preserved. This is arguably the single most important reason to spend extra time and the extra ticket cost. Allow 45–60 minutes.
→ Full guide: Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii
The Nine Regions: A Quick Reference
How is Pompeii divided? Pompeii is divided into nine regio (regions) numbered I–IX. Region IV is not yet open to the public (still being excavated). The most visited regions are VII (Forum, Temple of Jupiter, Lupanar, Stabian Baths), VI (House of the Faun, House of the Vettii, House of the Tragic Poet), and I (Amphitheatre, Garden of the Fugitives, House of Menander).
- Region I: 20 attractions — most popular: House of Menander (magnificent frescoes and silver treasure)
- Region II: 11 attractions — most popular: Amphitheatre
- Region III: 5 attractions — most notable: Schola Armaturarum (gladiators’ training hall)
- Region IV: Not open to the public — active excavation zone
- Region V: 9 attractions — most notable: Thermopolium of Regio V (2020 excavation) and the Great Pompeii Project new finds
- Region VI: 22 attractions — most popular: House of the Faun, House of the Vettii, House of the Tragic Poet
- Region VII: Most popular: Forum, Stabian Baths, Temple of Jupiter, Lupanar
- Region VIII: 20 attractions — most notable: Large Theatre, Temple of Isis, Basilica, Sanctuary of Venus
- Region IX: 9 attractions — most notable: Thermopolium of Asellina, Central Baths
- Suburban area (Region VI ext.): Villa of the Mysteries (Plus ticket required)
Wondering how to reach Pompeii from different locations? Whether you’re coming from Rome, Naples, Amalfi, Sorrento, or Positano, we’ve gathered the best travel options to make your journey easy and hassle-free.
Practical Visit Planning
How Long Do You Need?
- 2–3 hours: Main highlights only — Forum, Lupanar, one or two houses, Amphitheatre
- 3–5 hours: Thorough coverage — all highlights above plus Thermopolium of Regio V, the baths, Via dell’Abbondanza
- 5+ hours: Complete visit — all highlights plus Villa of the Mysteries (Plus ticket), Plaster Casts exhibition, lesser-visited regions
See our full how long to spend at Pompeii guide for day-by-day recommendations.
Which Ticket?
For most visitors: Entry Ticket with Audio Guide (Express). If the Villa of the Mysteries is a priority: Pompeii Plus. If it is your first visit and you want the story: Guided Tour with Archaeologist. See our full ticket prices guide.
Beyond the Main Site
The sites of the wider Vesuvian circuit — Herculaneum, Oplontis, Boscoreale, and Stabiae — are all accessible free with a valid Pompeii ticket within 30 days of issue. Mount Vesuvius is 10 km from Pompeii and the natural complement to any visit.
For a quick overview of Pompeii, plus the best ticket options and key tips, check out this visitor’s guide here.
