Guides/Guide V · When to come · Surveyed August 2026
The best time to visit Pompeii — by season, and by hour
Two dates govern the whole year: on 16 March the site switches to 9:00–19:00 with last entry at 17:30, and on 15 October it falls back to 9:00–17:00 with last entry at 15:30. Between those, the constraint is the daily cap of 20,000 named tickets, of which only 15,000 admit you before 13:00 in high season. Everything else on this page is those numbers applied to a calendar.
The Two Timetables, Why Mornings Sell Out Month by Month, Honestly The Free Sunday Is Not Book
The Two Timetables, and the Trap in the Second One
Pompeii runs on two schedules. From 16 March to 14 October the gates open at 9:00 and close at 19:00, with last entry at 17:30. From 15 October to 15 March they open at 9:00 and close at 17:00, with last entry at 15:30.
The winter last-entry time is the one that catches people. Trains keep running long after 15:30 and the light is still good, but the gate stops admitting — arriving at four in the afternoon in November means not arriving at all. Plan the winter visit around 15:30 the way you would plan a flight.
Why Mornings Sell Out Before Cheap Tickets Do
The park releases 20,000 named tickets a day. In high season only 15,000 of them allow entry before 13:00 — and that morning block is itself split, 12,000 on the €20 ticket and 3,000 on the €25 one with the villas. The remaining 5,000 admit you after 13:00.
That is why the morning departures of popular tours sell out first, rather than the cheapest ones. It is a capacity constraint, not a pricing one, and no amount of paying more moves it. Book the early slot as soon as your date is fixed; most tours cancel free up to 24 hours before, so it costs nothing to hold it.
Month by Month, Honestly
September first, then April and May: long hours, bearable stone, and the crowds off their peak. These are the months where the site behaves the way you hoped it would.
July and August work, but only as a morning. The site is 66 hectares with almost no shade and the paving holds heat; by early afternoon a summer visit becomes an endurance exercise rather than a pleasure. Start at 9:00, carry water, and use the free fountains inside.
November to March is the quiet trade. The ruins are close to empty and the light is often better, but you are working against a 15:30 last entry, shorter days and a real chance of rain on stone that becomes slippery. For a second visit it is the best time of all; for a first one, it is a gamble on weather.
The Free Sunday Is Not a Quiet Sunday
Entry is free on the first Sunday of every month, with direct access and no reservation. That sounds like a gift and behaves like a warning: it is the single most crowded day in the park's month, precisely because the barrier to entry disappears.
If you land on one, go at opening or go another day. If you are choosing dates deliberately, the free Sunday is the one to avoid unless the saving genuinely matters more than the experience.
Check Live Availability and Book
Entry Ticket and Guided Tour with an Archaeologist $57, 4.8★ over 23,064 reviews · Pompeii and Vesuvius Day Trip with Lunch $61, 4.8★ over 8,039 reviews · Pompeii and Vesuvius Guided Tour with Lunch (from Sorrento) $126, 4.8★ over 2,057 reviews. Prices are the 7 August 2026 snapshot; the windows below carry the live figure, and that is the one that binds. We earn a commission on bookings made through them, at no extra cost to you.
The baseline here2 hours, 4.8★ over 23,064 reviews.
+$4 over itA full day with the volcano and lunch, on the largest well-rated base we track for a combo.
+$69 over itEight and a half hours from Sorrento with lunch, at 4.8★ — the version that survives an off-season forecast best, because the day is planned around you.
Then the only date arithmetic that matters is the morning allocation. Buy as soon as the date is fixed.
Which ticket to buy, comparedA booked tour holds a slot inside the morning window, and most of them cancel free up to 24 hours before.
See live datesThe Questions People Actually Ask
What is the best month to visit Pompeii?
September, then April and May. Those months combine the long summer timetable — open to 19:00 with last entry at 17:30 — with temperatures the shadeless stone can carry and crowds off their peak. July and August are workable as a morning only; November to March gives you empty ruins against a 15:30 last entry.
What time does Pompeii open?
9:00 all year. Closing is 19:00 from 16 March to 14 October with last entry at 17:30, and 17:00 from 15 October to 15 March with last entry at 15:30. The last-entry time is the one that matters — the gate stops admitting long before the site closes.
Is Pompeii better in the morning or the afternoon?
Morning, and not by a small margin. Only 15,000 of the day's 20,000 named tickets allow entry before 13:00 in high season, so the morning is both the better experience and the scarcer commodity. In summer it is also the difference between a walk and an ordeal on unshaded basalt.
How crowded does Pompeii get?
Up to 20,000 people a day at the cap, with three quarters of them entering before 13:00 in high season. The site is large enough to absorb that on the main routes and noticeably quieter away from the Forum. The genuinely crowded day is the free first Sunday of the month.
Is Pompeii open in winter?
Yes, every day, on the shorter timetable: 9:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 15:30 from 15 October to 15 March. Crowds are a fraction of summer and the cap is rarely reached, so you can often decide the evening before.
Is it worth visiting Pompeii in the rain?
It is open and it is far emptier, but the ancient paving becomes slippery and there is almost nowhere to shelter. If your dates are fixed, bring proper shoes and go anyway; if they are flexible, move the visit rather than the coat.
When is entry to Pompeii free?
The first Sunday of every month, with direct access and no reservation needed. It is also the busiest day of the park's month for exactly that reason — treat it as a crowd forecast rather than a discount.
How far ahead should I book for the best time slot?
In high season, three to seven days for a morning start, and one to two weeks if you want a specific popular tour at a specific hour. From November to March the evening before usually works. Free cancellation to 24 hours on most products means an early booking has no downside.
METHOD · Tour prices, ratings and review counts on this page come from our survey of live GetYourGuide listings on 7 August 2026; the partner's page always carries the live figure. Park facts — gate prices, opening hours, the daily cap — are checked against pompeiisites.org, most recently in August 2026. We run no tours and take no bookings; corrections go to contact, and how we earn is on the disclosure page.