Planning a manageable visit to Pompeii
Pick the right entrance and ticket, then build a route around a few places you want to see rather than covering the whole site.
Pompeii rewards a little selection. You can spend hours walking its streets without seeing everything, and a long list of houses is not much help once you are tired. Choose a handful of stops, check that they are open and leave space for a shaded break.
Choose your ticket before planning the route
The park's current ticket page, lists Pompeii Express at €20 and Pompeii Plus at €25 for a full-price adult. Express covers the ancient city. Plus adds the suburban villas, including the Villa of the Mysteries, and the listed Boscoreale sites and shuttle service.
Do not place the Villa of the Mysteries in an Express-only plan without checking the additional admission arrangements. Tickets are named, daily entry is limited and ordinary tickets do not allow you to leave and re-enter for lunch.
Match the station and entrance
Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri and Pompei town station are different stations. Use the park's arrival directions to match your train with the entrance you intend to use. Save the return journey before setting off.
For a first visit, a route around the Forum, nearby streets and a few open houses can be enough. The amphitheatre lies farther across the site, so add it only if you still have time and energy. Use the official map and daily opening notices rather than a fixed list of rooms from an old blog.
Visitors with mobility difficulties should look at the park's “Pompeii for All” route and its recommended entrances. The advertised shuttle is not wheelchair accessible, so it is not a substitute for checking the accessible route.
Wear shoes that grip uneven paving. Carry water, a hat and a small snack where permitted, and shorten the visit during severe heat. An early arrival helps with your schedule, but it does not guarantee an empty site.
For trains from Naples, read the Circumvesuviana and Campania Express guide before choosing a service.
Keep the Naples archaeological museum for a separate day if possible. The Naples guide explains that pairing without rushing both visits.