Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site that preserves a complete Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The excavated area covers 44 hectares (109 acres) with streets, homes, baths, theaters, and public buildings frozen in time. Beyond the main archaeological park, you can hike the volcano that destroyed the city, explore the modern town of Pompei, and use Pompeii as a base for day trips to the Amalfi Coast, Naples, and the crater of Vesuvius. Most visitors spend 4-6 hours in the archaeological site, but you can easily fill two full days if you want to see the peripheral villas and the Antiquarium museum. For more details, see our Pompeii weather by month guide. For more details, see our best time to visit Pompeii guide.
Archaeological Site Highlights
The Forum and Basilica
The Forum was the political, religious, and commercial center of Pompeii, a rectangular piazza 142 meters long by 38 meters wide paved with travertine stone. The Basilica at the southwest corner is the oldest surviving example of this Roman building type, dating to 130-120 BC. Its interior hall measures 60 by 24 meters with 28 large brick columns. The Forum also contains the Temple of Jupiter with its surviving podium and the Macellum (covered food market) where fish-scale frescoes are still visible. Enter through the Porta Marina gate and walk straight up the Via Marina , the Forum opens up after 100 meters on your left.
The Amphitheater
Built around 70 BC, the Pompeii Amphitheater is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheater in the world, predating the Colosseum in Rome by 140 years. It held 20,000 spectators for gladiatorial contests and animal hunts. The arena measures 66.7 by 35 meters with an elliptical shape. It is located at the eastern edge of the site, about a 20-minute walk from the Forum. The structure is remarkably intact and you can walk through the same entrance tunnels used by Roman spectators. A famous fresco depicting a riot between Pompeians and Nucerians in 59 AD that led to a 10-year ban on games was found here and is now in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
Villa dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries)
Located outside the main city walls, 300 meters northwest of the Porta Ercolano gate, the Villa dei Misteri contains the single most important cycle of Roman wall paintings in existence. The frescoes cover three walls of a triclinium (dining room) and depict the initiation of a young woman into the Dionysian mystery cult, executed around 60-50 BC in the Second Pompeian Style. The figures are life-sized against a brilliant red background. The villa itself is a suburban estate with 60 rooms, wine presses, and a panoramic terrace overlooking the Bay of Naples. Allow 30-45 minutes for this villa alone. It is less crowded than the central Forum area because tour groups often skip it due to the walk.
Lupanar (The Brothel)
The Lupanar is Pompeii’s only purpose-built brothel that can be identified with certainty, located at the intersection of Via del Lupanare and Via degli Augustali. It has two floors with five small rooms on the ground floor, each containing a stone bed platform. The walls preserve explicit erotic frescoes above each door that likely served as a pictorial menu of services. The building is small and usually the most crowded attraction in the site with long queues. Visit it early (before 10:30 AM) or late (after 3:00 PM) to minimize waiting. Graffiti scratched into the walls by clients and workers provides rare insight into Roman slang and daily life.
House of the Faun (Casa del Fauno)
The largest private house in Pompeii at 2,970 square meters, the House of the Faun occupies an entire city block (insula). It is named for the bronze statue of a dancing faun in the impluvium (central rainwater basin). The house contained the famous Alexander Mosaic depicting the Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia , the original is in the Naples Archaeological Museum, but a copy is displayed in situ. The house has two atriums, two peristyle gardens, and exquisite floor mosaics including a Nile River scene. It sits on Via della Fortuna, a 5-minute walk north of the Forum.
The Antiquarium Museum
The Antiquarium is Pompeii’s permanent on-site museum, reopened in 2021 after decades of closure. It displays original artifacts excavated from the site: everyday objects carbonized by the pyroclastic flow (loaves of bread, figs, nuts, a cradle), plaster casts of victims including a curled-up child and a dog, silver tableware from the House of Menander, and the famous amulet and gem collection from the Casa del Giardino. The museum is located near the Porta Marina entrance inside the site, so your entry ticket covers admission. Open daily 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM (to 5:00 PM in winter). Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Outside the Archaeological Site
Mount Vesuvius Crater Hike
The Gran Cono trail leads to the crater rim of Mount Vesuvius at 1,281 meters (4,203 feet) above sea level. The hike is 4 km round-trip on a wide gravel path with a 140-meter elevation gain, taking about 30 minutes up and 20 minutes down. From the rim you can peer into the crater with its active fumaroles (steam vents) and see sweeping views of the Bay of Naples, Sorrento Peninsula, and Capri. Tickets cost 10 euros and must be purchased online in advance at vesuvioinrete.it , there is no ticket office at the trailhead. The trail is open year-round but closes in high winds or heavy rain. Buses to Vesuvius depart from Pompeii’s Circumvesuviana station (EAV bus service, about 3 euros, 50 minutes) or from Ercolano Scavi station (Vesuvio Express, 10 euros round-trip, 30 minutes). Morning visits are recommended for clearer views before clouds build around the summit.
Sanctuary of the Madonna of Pompeii (Pontifical Shrine)
The Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii dominates the modern town center, 1 km south of the archaeological site. Built between 1876 and 1901, it is a major Catholic pilgrimage destination receiving 4 million visitors annually. The basilica features a gilded coffered ceiling, a 57-meter bell tower, and the venerated painting of the Madonna of Pompeii above the main altar. The shrine is the focus of two annual pilgrimages: May 8 (the Supplica prayer) and the first Sunday of October. Entry is free. The bell tower is open for climbing for a small fee and offers a view over the Sarno plain to Vesuvius and the sea. Open daily 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Modern Pompei Town Center
The modern town of Pompei (one ‘i’ in Italian, founded 1891) has about 25,000 residents and sits directly adjacent to the archaeological site. Piazza Bartolo Longo is the main square with cafes, the sanctuary, and the start of Via Sacra shopping street. Corso Italia runs north-south with bakeries, pizzerias, and gelaterias catering to both tourists and locals. The town has a genuine southern Italian atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the ancient city across the railroad tracks. Local restaurants serve Campanian specialties: pizza at Pizzeria Alleria (Via Roma 11), seafood at Ristorante President (Piazza Schettini 12), and sfogliatelle at Pasticceria De Vivo (Via Lepanto 86).
