Visiting Pompeii Guide: What to see on your first visit to Pompeii (+Map)

Since its rediscovery in the 16th century, Pompeii has fascinated archeologists and enthusiasts alike.

The town that was destroyed by the famous Mt Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, sat completely covered in ashes for centuries, preserving the daily life of its citizens in the last moments of it. 

After 1960, Pompeii was completely excavated, and in recent years, further excavations and restoration have been carried out, leading to discoveries. 

Pompeii was a wealthy town, with something between 10,000 and 20,000 inhabitants.

It was relatively big for its time, so you can imagine there are lots of things to see in this fantastic archeological site.

To make things easier though, for those of you who are visiting Pompeii as a day trip from Naples, here is a list of my ultimate Pompeii guide, you will find all the relevant information you need for visiting it for the first time.

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Quick links to plan your Visit to Pompeii

How to get to Pompeii

Getting to Pompeii is really easy if you are in Rome, the first thing you should do is take a train to Naples, and from Naples, all you have to do is take the Circumvesuviana line train to Pompeii. 

Make sure you exit at the Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri and from there, it is just a short walk to the entrance of the archeological site. 

If you are looking for a more detailed guide, make sure to check my post on how to get to Pompeii from Naples. 

Alternatively, you can also take a guided tour that will take you from Rome or Naples to Pompeii, this would save you time and offer you more comfort on your journey, if that is something you like, here are some tours that I recommend:

Best Tours to Pompeii

If you are coming to Pompeii from Naples, you have the option of taking a guided tour leaving directly from Naples to Pompeii, this does make life easier, if you are like me, got tired of trying to figure your way out, just want to sit down, relax and enjoy your trip, I couldn’t recommend this enough! Here I made a list of the best guided tours from Naples to Pompeii.

Best Pompeii Tours from Naples:

• 1 – Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius Tour – Take a tour from Naples to Pompeii, stroll around its streets, visit the main highlights, and finish your trip by walking to the crater of Mt Vesuvius, where you will have a beautiful panoramic view of the Bay of Naples. Pickup & drop-off are available, the tour also includes lunch and one drink.
• 2 – From Naples to Pompeii and Herculaneum, Guided Tour with an Archaeologist – The best option if you want comfort and an immersive experience. This tour takes you from Naples to Pompeii and Herculaneum ruins in the company of an experienced Archaeologist.
• 3 – From Naples: Pompeii, Herculaneum, & Vesuvius Full-Day Tour – This tour takes you from Naples to the source of the tragedy: Mt Vesuvius, after that you will visit the ruins of Herculaneum and then Pompeii.

Visiting Pompeii Overview

Pompeii used to be a big city for its time, with around 10,000 and 20,000 people living in it when it was destroyed by the Mt Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD.

By this number, you can have an idea of how big the archeological site is.

With this in mind, it is important to be objective with your time during your day trip to Pompeii so you make sure you will cover the most impressive ruins.

To help you get situated, here is a map of the highlights of Pompeii, covering the ruins you shouldn’t miss, bathrooms, and restaurant areas.

Map of our 1 day in Naples, Italy

What to see in Pompeii

Entrance

Once you get out of the Pompeii – Vila dei Misteri station, you will be just a walk distance away from the main entrance of the site.

There are other entrances, however, this one is the most popular as it is closer to the main highlights of Pompeii. 

Once you pass the ticket office, you will enter the city through the Porta Marina (Marina’s gate) overlooking the Terme Suburbane (Suburban Bath), a private bath, I suggest skipping this ruin though.

Below is the list of Pompeii highlights and the ruins you shouldn’t miss during your visit. 

Basilica 

The Basilica was one of the most important buildings in Pompeii,  and probably one of the oldest, it was the center of the city’s economic life, dedicated to business and justice. 

The access to the Basilica was through five doorways located in the Forum and separated by pillars, inside, it was divided into three naves.

At the center of the Basilica there used to be a suggestum, an area where the judges would sit and manage judicial affairs. 

Forum

The Forum in the Roman society was like a public square, serving as the civic, religious, and commercial heart of the city, it was where much of the community’s social and political life took place.

The Forum in Pompeii is an open rectangular area, surrounded by colonnades on three sides.

It was paved with travertine and lined with various shops on one side, and some significant buildings, such as the Temple of Jupiter, and Sanctuary of Apollo. 

Sanctuary of Apollo

Another temple, this one dedicated to Apollo, is one of the oldest places of worshipping in Pompeii.

The temple was surrounded by porticos, and in the center of the sanctuary located its altar.  

Mensa Ponderaria

In a niche next to the Sanctuary of Apollo you may notice a limestone table, used in ancient times as a counter for solid and liquid goods. 

The table consists of nine holes, each of them with a different measurement, the goods were placed inside the hole under the supervision of the town magistrates, to ensure the amount was correct. 

Temple of Giove (Temple of Jupiter)

From all the cool things in the Forum, nothing stands more than the Temple of Jupiter, whose columns still dominate the square, with Mt Vesuvius right behind, providing one of the most iconic scenes of Pompeii. 

The temple used to have three statues, of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, similar to those in the Capitolium in Rome.

These statues were placed on a high base and could be seen by those passing by the Roman Forum. 

Forum baths

The Forum baths are located behind the Temple of Jupiter and consist of a network of chambers, including the frigidarium (cold bath), tepidarium (warm bath), and caldarium (hot bath). 

The rooms are richly decorated with mosaics, frescos, and male terracotta figures. 

Thermopolium

These small cooking shops were all over Pompeii, the city had a total of 89 of them.

These shops used to sell hot meals, the dishes were displayed on a table with holes in it, each hole with one different, already prepared dish, ready to be eaten. 

These shops were meant for the lower class, such as craftsmen and merchants to find an already prepared hot meal, as in most cases, these people lived in small houses on the second floor of local shops.

Most of these small houses didn’t have kitchens, so the “hot shop” (thermopolium) offered a solution for this. 

Villa dei Misteri

Leaving through the Herculaneum Gate, on the road that once led to Naples, you will find yourself in one of the most well-preserved ruins in Pompeii: the Villa dei Misteri. 

It received its name due to one of the rooms in the property, known as the Hall of Mysteries, which displays a three-wall fresco with vibrant colors and detailed figures.

The red in the wall is so bright and so unique, that this tone was affectionately nicknamed Pompeian red.

The fresco represents the Dionysus mystery cult. 

Besides this fresco, other rooms in the house are also well-decorated. 

House of the Faun

One of the most famous houses in the archeological site is the House of Faun, which receives its name due to the dancing satyr statue in the impluvium (a small pool in the main atrium used to capture rain-water), the statue was probably an allusion to the family’s name: Satrii. 

Judging by their residence, the Satrii were a very wealthy family, owning one of the biggest houses in Pompeii. 

Besides that beautiful Satyr statue, the House of the Faun is also home to the striking mosaic depicting the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius, king of Persia.

The original mosaic as well as the original statue of the faun are now on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. 

House of the Vettii

Another example of a highly decorated and well-preserved house in Pompeii.

The House of the Vetti was the residence of Aulus Vettius Restitutus and his brother Aulus Vettius Conviva liberti, both were former slaves who got rich trading wine. 

The house preserves most of its frescos, the most famous one is, without a doubt, located in the entrance, and depicts Priapus, the god of prosperity, weighing his phallus against a bag of coins (I mean, what else a visitor would want to see when first visiting someone else’s house), jokes aside, it was meant to symbolize the prosperity of the brothers. 

Among other wall paintings are twelve mythological paintings, the frieze of Cupids, and some erotic frescos that alongside graffiti, suggest that a Greek prostitute worked in the house, offering her services in a room adjacent to the kitchen, in what would be an area for the enslaved members of the house. 

Lupanar

Lupanar (Roman word for brothel) is the biggest and most well-preserved brothel in the city.

Pompeii at its peak had a total of 35 brothels across the city, however, this one specifically is famous for its erotic paintings. 

Inside, it gives you a good idea of how miserable the lives of prostitutes used to be, the women, who were usually Greek or of Oriental origins, worked out in small, individual rooms.

The Lupanar had 10 rooms, curtains were probably placed on the doors to give privacy.

The rooms were equipped with a built-in stone bed and a mattress to give some comfort. 

The individual prices of the girls would be listed on a wall, and the erotic scenes painted on the wall would give an idea to the clients of the services they could get in that place. 

More About Italy

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• 2 Days in Naples, Italy
• Best Day Trips from Naples
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