Porta Marina
Arriving by train
The main entrance and the one nearest the station — about 50 m from Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri. It is also the steepest approach: a ramped cobbled slope up into the city.
Guides/Guide I · Getting there · Park data checked 11 August 2026
How to get to Pompeii — trains, fares, gates and parking
Take the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri: 36 minutes, €3.30, every 20–30 minutes. The station is about 50 m from the Porta Marina entrance. Everything else here is that answer adapted to where you are starting — plus the mistake that ruins mornings: plain “Pompei” is a different station on a different line.
Train from Naples36 minCircumvesuviana · every 20–30 min
Fare, one way€3.30no reservation needed
Station → gate≈50 mPompei Scavi → Porta Marina
Gate ticket€20named · under-18 free · EU 18–24 €2
I · Iter
Your route, from wherever you are starting
Napoli Porta Nolana / GaribaldiCircumvesuviana, direction Sorrento36 min€3.30
Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misterithe right station≈50 m on footwalk
Porta Marinamain entrance
The catch — A commuter line with no seat reservations. Garibaldi is one stop after the Porta Nolana terminus — boarding at Porta Nolana is how you get a seat.
4.3 (1,058) Or a $38 tour with the train includedSorrentoCircumvesuviana, direction Naples≈30 min€2.80–3.30
Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misterithe right station≈50 m on footwalk
Porta Marinamain entrance
The catch — Same line, opposite direction. Check the destination board — Naples and Poggiomarino services split, and only one of them stops at Pompei Scavi.
4.8 (2,593) Express tour by train, $58Roma Terminihigh-speed to Naples1 h 10from ≈€20
Napoli Centrale / Garibaldichange downstairs to the Circumvesuviana36 min€3.30
Pompei Scavi50 m from Porta Marina
The catch — Roughly a 12-hour day for 4–5 hours on site. Book the fast train ahead — walk-up fares are far higher than the ≈€20 advance price.
4.6 (5,677) Day trips from Rome, from $80Naples dockor Salerno, ≈40 min≈45 minvaries
Pompei Scavivia Garibaldi and the Circumvesuviana≈50 mwalk
Porta Marinamain entrance
The catch — Count backwards from all-aboard, not forwards from breakfast. Be walking out of the site 3.5 hours before sail time from Naples, 3 from Salerno.
4.5 (113) Ship-safe excursions, from $84A3 motorwayexit Pompei Ovestvariestolls
Paid car parksnear Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra≈5 minparking
Porta Marinamain entrance
The catch — Car parks near the gates fill by mid-morning in season, and none of them are free. From Naples the train usually wins once parking is counted.
4.2 (1,241) Skip-the-line entry ticket, $24All Five Routes in One Table
| From | Time | Fare | If you'd rather book it | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NaplesA commuter line with no seat reservations. Garibaldi is one stop after the Porta Nolana terminus — boarding at Porta Nolana is how you get a seat.More: tours from Naples | 36 min | €3.30 | 4.3 (1,058) | $38 |
| SorrentoSame line, opposite direction. Check the destination board — Naples and Poggiomarino services split, and only one of them stops at Pompei Scavi.More: tours from Sorrento | ≈30 min | €2.80–3.30 | 4.8 (2,593) | $58 |
| RomeRoughly a 12-hour day for 4–5 hours on site. Book the fast train ahead — walk-up fares are far higher than the ≈€20 advance price.More: day trips from Rome | 1 h 10 | from ≈€20 | 4.6 (5,677) | $80 |
| Cruise portsCount backwards from all-aboard, not forwards from breakfast. Be walking out of the site 3.5 hours before sail time from Naples, 3 from Salerno.More: cruise shore excursions | ≈45 min | varies | 4.5 (113) | $84 |
| DrivingCar parks near the gates fill by mid-morning in season, and none of them are free. From Naples the train usually wins once parking is counted.More: tickets and skip-the-line | varies | tolls | 4.2 (1,241) | $24 |
One more service worth knowing about. The same operator runs a seasonal reserved-seat tourist train on the Naples–Sorrento line that also stops at Pompei Scavi. It costs more than the €3.30 regional fare and is sold separately. We have not been able to reach the operator’s site to confirm this season’s fare and timetable, so we are not quoting a number we cannot stand behind — check EAV before you count on it.
II · Portae
Pompeii has three entrances, not one
Almost every guide sends you to Porta Marina because it is closest to the station. It is also the busiest and the steepest. The park operates three gates, each with its own ticket office, and choosing the right one is worth more than any queue-jumping trick.
Piazza Esedra
Antiquarium and a shorter queue
A few steps from Porta Marina and usually the quieter queue. This is the recommended way in for the Antiquarium, which is included in your ticket, and the bookshop is here.
Piazza Anfiteatro
Step-free access
The far end of the site, by the amphitheatre. This is the start of the park's step-free “Pompeii for all” route — you can leave the same way or exit via Piazza Esedra using the Antiquarium lift.
III · Horologium
How the gate day works — and why mornings sell out
Pompeii sells 20,000 named tickets a day, and from 16 March to 14 October those are split by time slot: 15,000 for entry before 13:00 and 5,000 after. What almost nobody prints is that the morning 15,000 is itself divided — 12,000 for the €20 ticket and 3,000 for the €25 one — so the two tickets sell out at different speeds.
9:00 · gates open13:0017:30 · last entry19:00
Morning window — what tours and early trains compete for
Afternoon — punishing in summer, fine in shoulder season
From 15 October: close 17:00, last entry 15:30
IV · Tesserae
Which ticket you actually need
| Ticket | Price | Reduced |
|---|---|---|
| Pompeii expressThe ancient city only. This is what most visitors need. | €20 | €2 |
| Pompeii+Adds the suburban villas — Villa of the Mysteries and Villa of Diomedes — plus Villa Regina at Boscoreale, the Antiquarium there and the shuttle. | €25 | €2 |
| Pompeii Plus, 3 daysEverything above plus Oplontis, Villa Arianna, Villa San Marco and the Stabiae museum. One entry to each, over three days. | €30 | €2 |
| MyPompeii, one yearUnlimited entry to every site in the park for twelve months. Pays for itself on the third visit. | €45 | €10 under 25 EU |
We cannot sell you any of these, and that is the point. The park’s own tickets are sold only through its ticketing partner — we earn nothing on them. What our partner does sell is entry-plus-audio bundles at $23–44, and those carry the weakest ratings of anything we track: 4.0–4.2★ against 4.8★ for the archaeologist walks. If you want the comparison in full it is in the tickets guide; if you just want in, buy the €20 ticket from the park.
The upgrade nobody mentions. If you already hold the €20 ticket and change your mind about the Villa of the Mysteries, you can add the suburban villas route on the spot for €8 — card payment only, bought at the start of the route by the Porta Ercolano – Street of the Tombs entrance. The villas route cannot be bought on its own.
Also included — your Pompeii ticket gets you into the Volcei museum at Buccino, the Castle of Lettere, the Longola archaeological park at Poggiomarino and the Terzigno museum free, for 30 days after it is issued.
V · Bivium
Do it yourself, or let a tour handle it
Train and gate ticket, on your own
Book the named €20 ticket ahead, catch a morning Circumvesuviana at €3.30 each way, and mind the station name. Total ≈€26.60 — the cheapest good way in. We earn nothing on this path; it is here because it is right for a lot of people.
Read the eight traps first ↓
A tour that includes the ticket and the transport
No station names, no ticket windows, no 13:00 arithmetic: the $38 day trip from Naples bundles the train and the named ticket, and the $57 best seller adds an archaeologist inside. We earn a commission on both.
See both with live availability ↓
VI · Remedium
If You Would Rather Not Think About Any of This
Three tours that take the logistics off your hands, cheapest first: Guided Tour from Naples with Ticket and Train — $38, 4.3★ over 1,058 reviews, cheapest way to have it handled · Naples or Sorrento: Full-Day Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius Tour — $106, 4.7★ over 4,964 reviews, full day, picked up from either base · Entry Ticket and Guided Tour with an Archaeologist — $57, 4.8★ over 23,064 reviews, get yourself there, best two hours inside. Dates and live prices below, straight from GetYourGuide — we earn a commission on bookings made through them, at no extra cost to you.
The baseline hereThe cheapest way to have the journey handled: the train and the named ticket inside one price.
+$68 over itA full day rather than a half: the volcano attached, collecting from Naples or Sorrento, on a base of nearly five thousand reviews.
+$109 over itThe ceiling, honestly labelled — eight hours, both sites, and a winery lunch with wine that is the point rather than a pause.
VII · Cave
Eight traps on the way to Pompeii
- 01
The wrong “Pompei”.Plain Pompei station is on a different line and a 15–20 minute walk from the ruins. You want Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri. This one mistake costs more mornings than anything else on this page.
- 02
The Circumvesuviana is not part of national rail.It is run by EAV, with its own tickets and its own platforms downstairs at Napoli Centrale. A Trenitalia or Italo ticket does not cover it, and it does not appear in their apps.
- 03
Your ticket is named and checked against ID.The gate ticket carries your name and is matched to your passport at the scanner. A misspelled booking can be refused, and fixing it at the gate is nobody’s idea of a holiday.
- 04
One entry, no re-entry.The park states it plainly: you cannot leave and come back on the same ticket. Plan lunch inside, or accept that leaving ends your visit.
- 05
The 13:00 cut-off.In high season only 15,000 of the day’s 20,000 tickets allow entry before 13:00 — and those 15,000 are themselves split, 12,000 for the €20 ticket and 3,000 for the €25 one.
- 06
Last entry is not closing time.Summer the gates close at 19:00 but last entry is 17:30. From 15 October it is 17:00 and 15:30. Trains keep running long after the gates stop letting people in.
- 07
Sail-time arithmetic.From a cruise ship the site is 40–45 minutes from the dock on a good day. Leave the ruins 3.5 hours before all-aboard from Naples, not “about two hours”.
- 08
The free first Sunday is not a quiet Sunday.Entry is free on the first Sunday of every month with direct access and no reservation — which is exactly why the whole 20,000 turns up. Go early or go another day.
VIII · Impensae
What getting in actually costs
One adult, from Naples
Circumvesuviana round trip€6.60
Pompeii express gate ticket€20.00
Transport + entry≈€26.60
Family of four, two adults and two under-18s
Train round trips × 4€26.40
Gate tickets × 2 adults€40.00
Gate tickets × 2 under-18free
Transport + entry, all four≈€66.40
EU citizens aged 18 to under 25 pay €2 at the gate with ID, so a family with students in that band pays less again. We have assumed full adult train fares for the children; EAV concession rules are worth checking at the ticket window.
You have decided to do it yourself
Then all you need is the named €20 ticket and the right station. Everything above is the whole plan.
Which ticket to buy, compared
Then the numbers you just read are the entire difference: about €8–25 a head buys the train, the ticket queue and a guide, depending which of the three you pick.
See dates and prices
IX · Quaestiones
Getting to Pompeii FAQ
Which station is Pompeii on?
Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri, on the Circumvesuviana Naples–Sorrento line, about 50 m from the Porta Marina entrance. Plain “Pompei” is a different station on a different line, a 15–20 minute walk away — it is the most common navigation mistake at the site.
How long is the train from Naples to Pompeii?
36 minutes from Napoli Garibaldi, direction Sorrento, for €3.30 one way, with departures every 20–30 minutes. There are no seat reservations. The line actually starts one stop earlier at Porta Nolana, which is where you board if you want to sit down.
Which entrance to Pompeii should I use?
There are three: Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra and Piazza Anfiteatro. Porta Marina is nearest the station and the busiest. Piazza Esedra is a few steps further, usually quieter, and the recommended way in for the Antiquarium. Piazza Anfiteatro is where the step-free “Pompeii for all” route begins.
Can you do Pompeii from Rome in a day?
Yes, but it is roughly a 12-hour day for 4–5 hours on site: high-speed train to Naples in about 1 h 10 from around €20 booked ahead, then the Circumvesuviana. A packaged day trip removes the connections; going via Naples yourself is cheaper and more flexible.
How do I get to Pompeii from a cruise ship?
From the Naples dock the gate is about 45 minutes away; from Salerno about 40. Count backwards from all-aboard and be walking out of the site 3.5 hours before sail time. Ship-safe excursions cost more but carry the schedule risk for you.
Is there parking at Pompeii?
Yes — take the A3 exit Pompei Ovest and use the paid car parks near Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra. They fill by mid-morning in high season. From Naples the train usually beats driving once parking is counted.
Can I buy the ticket at the station?
No. The official ticket offices are inside the archaeological area, at Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra and Piazza Anfiteatro, and online sales run through vivaticket. In high season book ahead: the cap is 20,000 named tickets a day and only 15,000 of them allow entry before 13:00.
What time should I arrive?
For the 9:00 opening. Morning entry is capped, summer afternoons are punishing on shadeless basalt, and last entry is 17:30 in summer but 15:30 from 15 October. An early train from Naples puts you at the gate before the coaches.
Is Pompeii ever free?
The first Sunday of every month, with direct access and no reservation needed. That also means the full daily allowance turns up, so arrive at opening or pick another day. Under-18s are free every day, and EU citizens aged 18 to under 25 pay €2.
Can I leave and come back on the same ticket?
No. The park states that a ticket is valid for one entry and re-entry is not permitted. If you want lunch, eat inside the site or at the very end of your visit.
Is the Circumvesuviana safe?
It is an ordinary, heavily used commuter line — crowded at rush hour and often scruffy, but the standard route for thousands of visitors every day. Keep bags zipped and in front of you as on any busy urban train, and ignore anyone offering unofficial “guides” at Garibaldi.
X · Summa · the bottom line
From Naples or Sorrento, take the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri — 30–36 minutes, about €3.30, and the gate is 50 m away. Enter at Piazza Esedra if the Porta Marina queue looks grim, or at Piazza Anfiteatro if you need step-free ground. From Rome, accept that it is a long day or take a tour. From a cruise ship, count backwards from sail time and leave a 3.5-hour buffer. And if reading timetables on holiday is not your idea of a holiday, the $38 tour from Naples makes the whole question disappear.