Taking Children Around Pompeii
Parents planning a day at Pompeii tend to ask the same questions: what will it cost, how long will the children cope, and what should they see or avoid. The answers below come in that order, with prices in euros.
What does it cost?
Admission is free for anyone under 18, at Pompeii and also at Herculaneum. At Pompeii the adult tickets are EUR 20 (Express) and EUR 25 (Pompeii+). Teenagers and young adults between 18 and 25 pay EUR 2 at both sites if they qualify; at Pompeii that means EU citizens plus non-EU residents holding an Italian residence permit. Each Pompeii ticket is issued to a named person, and ID is shown at ticket offices. On free first Sundays there is no online sale and no named ticket, only the turnstiles and the daily limit of 20,000.
How long will the children cope?
Treat a half day as the minimum for the whole site, but families do well with shorter loops and frequent rests. The streets are old basalt blocks, uneven enough to jolt pushchair wheels, and very little shade exists. In the warm season (16 March to 14 October) the park opens at 09:00 and closes at 19:00, so use the first hours. Pack water, hats and food, keeping bags under 30 x 30 x 15 cm. The entrances have free luggage storage for anything bigger.
What will they enjoy?
The Forum is open and legible, with Vesuvius rising behind the Temple of Jupiter. The amphitheatre, the oldest stone amphitheatre that survives, gives children a sense of scale. For more structure, book a park itinerary of about 1.5 hours; it costs EUR 8 above the entry fee, and under 10s join without paying.
Herculaneum is smaller and takes less time. Reach it in about 20 minutes on the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi. A guided family day that includes it can be found on GetYourGuide .
What about the casts?
Some of the casts are the bodies of people who died here in AD 79, including the 13 in the Garden of the Fugitives and the 22 in the Palestra Grande exhibition that opened on 12 March 2026. Others stay in the buildings where they were discovered. This is a matter for each family. Some children will be curious and serious, while others will be upset, and neither reaction is wrong. Explain beforehand what they will see, and skip these places freely.
What if someone needs step-free or sensory support?
The park has added tactile, Braille and LIS (Italian Sign Language) supports under a project named Pompei tra le mani, at the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance. Visitors using wheelchairs should note that the Artebus site shuttle does not take them. Use the park’s own pages to check what is accessible.
Is Vesuvius suitable?
Children under 6 are allowed on the Gran Cono walk free of charge when with an adult. Even so, the walk lasts up to 2 hours there and back, and a guide leads each group. Tickets exist only online at the official Vesuvius seller , and children without ID are verified through the adult.
Read more: outdoor activities near Pompei and the 4 day Naples itinerary help you build a family week.