Pompeii Guide: Tickets, Prices & Booking

Pompeii is a Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, preserved beneath volcanic ash and rediscovered from the 18th century onward. It is one of the largest and best-known archaeological sites in the world, with streets, houses, and public buildings still standing.

There is no single Pompeii ticket. Standard entry (EUR 20.00) covers only the main ancient city. A more expensive Pompeii+Suburban Villas ticket (EUR 25.00) adds the Villa of the Mysteries and Villa of Diomedes for a single day. A separate 3-day, 5-site ticket (EUR 30.00) adds Oplontis, the Stabiae villas, and Boscoreale on top. Choose based on how much of the wider archaeological park you plan to see.

Pompeii was a thriving Roman town of an estimated 11,000-15,000 people when Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79 AD (a date recorded by Pliny the Younger, though some scholars argue for an autumn date based on archaeological evidence). Ash and pumice buried the city, preserving buildings, frescoes, and even the forms of victims as voids in the hardened ash.

Systematic excavation began in the 18th century and continues today — new areas of the site are still being uncovered, and the Archaeological Park periodically opens newly excavated houses to the public.