Pompeii Sights Worth Your Time
The ancient city is too big to see in full, so this page picks the sights that repay the effort and says what each one asks of you. Amounts are in euros.
The postcard view: Temple of Jupiter and Vesuvius
Stand in the Forum and look toward the Temple of Jupiter. Vesuvius stands behind it, and the combination is what most people picture when they think of Pompeii. Around the square you will find the Basilica and the Macellum, once the food market.
The oldest stone amphitheatre
No older stone amphitheatre survives anywhere. Sources disagree on how many it seated, so ignore any confident single number.
Interiors: houses with decoration
The Casa dei Vettii has been open since January 2023, and the Lupanar is another notable building. Since 15 August 2026 the park has opened the House of Menander, the House of Octavius Quartio, the House of the Tragic Poet, the House of Pansa and the Fullonica of Stephanus, which run on daily hours of 09:15 to 18:20, and last admission at 18:00. It has closed the House of the Ceii, the House of the Lararium of Achilles, the House of the Silver Wedding and the Praedia of Julia Felix. Because access to houses shifts, regard any one of them as a possibility and not a promise.
Frescoes outside the walls: the Villa dei Misteri
The villa’s fresco frieze is the main reason to walk Via dei Sepolcri. This route begins at Porta Ercolano. Pompeii+ (EUR 25) covers it, and holders of Pompeii Express (EUR 20) pay EUR 8 more, by card, at the entrance.
The solemn sights: casts of the victims
Treat these as places of mourning. The Garden of the Fugitives (Regio I, insula 21) has casts of 13 victims. The Palestra Grande exhibition, which opened on 12 March 2026, presents 22 casts and describes itself as a memorial that gives the dead their dignity. Further casts remain in the original houses and buildings. Visit with a lowered voice and an unhurried step.
Sights beyond the park gate
Herculaneum, about 20 minutes away on the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, charges EUR 16. At Oplontis the Villa Poppea is EUR 8, and a short excavation viewing runs on Thursdays from 10:30 to 12:00, in Italian. If you would like a sightseeing day arranged for you, look through GetYourGuide .
How to get in
Tickets carry the holder’s name, and no more than 20,000 people may enter each day. The official online seller is Vivaticket . From 16 March to 14 October, pick a slot, and the park is open 09:00 to 19:00 with last entrance at 17:30; from 15 October the park shuts at 17:00 and last entrance is 15:30. Read the park’s timetable page for any changes. Walls and frescoes must not be touched or sat upon.
Read more: walking tours of Pompei puts these sights into routes, and the 3 day Naples itinerary shows how they fit a longer trip.