An Extraordinary Day in Pompeii: Essential Strategies for Travelling Well
A view over the streets of Pompeii.
Spoiler alert: these travel strategies are helpful for any kind of large and potentially overwhelming attractions. Travelling well doesn’t mean NO stress, just less! Pin this for later.
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When the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted on October 24th, 79AD it enveloped the city of Pompeii in ash, dust, and rock which settled like snow over the city. Most residents fled but many stayed behind. 18 hours after the eruption the city was buried and Pompeii was lost and forgotten.
1,520 years later, engineers accidentally discovered the city, perfectly preserved under its blanket of ash and rock. It wasn’t just buildings that were intact - people, animals, bread on the table, household goods scattered on the street… the city was frozen in time.
Visiting Pompeii is an awe-inspiring experience. The site is massive - it’s a CITY, so it's helpful to plan ahead to make it as stress-free as humanly possible. There is no ONE right way to travel and sightsee but allow me to share my experience of Pompeii. Learn from my mistakes, try out my travel strategies, or do your own thing and strike out on your own path. However your day at Pompeii looks - we can marvel together at the incredible window into the past.
Is Pompeii worth visting?
As the story of Pompeii suggests, this is a very unique place and an opportunity like no other to visit an ancient Roman city almost as it was! It’s a UNESCO World heritage site with ongoing archaeological activities.
Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius looming in the distance.
But let’s be honest - ‘ruin-fatigue’ or saturation is a thing! Even if ancient archaeological sites are your passion it's still wise to pick and choose where you spend your time in Italy. There are at least 8 other ancient sites of significance all near Naples: Herculaneum, Oplontis, Paestum, Cumae, Baia, Pausilypon, Puteoli, Capua. My advice is not to try to fit them all in. Pick your favourite(s), limit yourself to one a day, and save others for a return visit. Besides, there are beautifully small slices of ancient Roman (and Greek) civilization all around Italy, often where you least expect it!
My husband and I prioritized a day in Pompeii based on its location, size and level of preservation. We were travelling by public transit and Pompeii was easily reached by train from our home base of Salerno. My husband was excited to see a full city of ruins and to be wowed by Roman engineering, while this cemetery-loving girl heard there were fully preserved bodies and, naturally, wanted to go!
Should I book a tour of Pompeii or can I visit Pompeii on my own?
I’d say that there isn’t one right answer, it depends. And here also divides readers into Tour Go-ers and DIY-ers. No matter the route you choose, know this: you cannot do, see, and learn it all in one day. I do NOT suggest visiting without some sort of guidance or education. The place is in literal ruins, so the work of archaeologists is required to tell the full story of the place. Unless you have a degree in ancient history, you will benefit from one of these options.
Option 1: Private, small, or large group tour.
Professional guides have facts, figures, stories, and insights that bring Pompeii to life. If this is your preferred travel style - you can find guides online. I’ve linked a few below to check out. I appreciate how tour guides add stories and a human interest element to help understand history. At the same time, when at Pompeii, I saw group upon group of people with tired and glazed-over faces being led from place to place. When I have participated in guided tours, my most enjoyable experiences have been with smaller groups, not rushed, and where there is some ‘free time’ to explore or revisit places of interest.
Here are a few tour options with good ratings:
Option 2: The DIY approach.
This was our choice at Pompeii. We arrived equipped with a free audiotour from Rick Steves - which are always delightfully cheesy, informative, and curated to share the best of the best (in his opinion). We began our day using the audioguide which lasted about 2-3 hours with several pauses to explore. Afterwards, we had developed a good sense of the city and its layout. We then referred to a paper map and designed a route to check out additional things. Plus we wanted time to get lost!
I am a big fan of getting lost in ancient cities (like Bruge, Barcelona, Sevilla, ect..) How? Put your map and phone away and simply wander. As you do, follow whatever catches your eye or makes you curious. My husband and I took turns to choose directions.
“Let's go left.”
“Let's go in here.”
“Let's keep going until we see ‘x’.”
We imagined the hustle and bustle of life way back when. In the streets of Pompeii, it's not hard to imagine children playing, grandmothers cooking, merchants selling wares, performances in the theater, and so on.
Every once in a while we saw a lineup of people or a sign indicating a point of interest. But seriously, you can’t do it all. Keep your expectations in check and give yourself permission to deeply enjoy the things you can reasonably take in.
Too big to see it all in a day in Pompeii!
5 Travel Strategies for your Day in Pompeii
One: Plan Your Visit in Advance.
Purchase online tickets in advance to avoid long lines at the ticket counters.
Consider how you want to feel during and after your visit to Pompeii, and make choices that support that. For example, do you want to feel …like a scholar of ancient history? …connected with the sorrowful story of the people who were tragically killed? …inspired by the sense of civil society?…educated about the art? …like a time traveller?
Visit early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid crowds and the midday heat, especially during peak tourist seasons.
Consider tackling the park in sections. We didn’t and found ourselves crisscrossing and backtracking. If efficiency is what you are going for, download a map before you go and create a general route to follow.
Two: Use the map!
Pick up a map at the entrance or download a digital map beforehand to efficiently navigate Pompeii's vast site. We enjoyed having a paper map (that literally disintegrated over the course of the day!) and used our phones to look things up and take photos.
Note the multiple entrances and exits. Make sure you pay attention to where you need to exit as you can’t come back in! If you are using the Rick Steves audio tour, it starts at Porta Marina. We were dropped off by the shuttle bus at the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance so we took some time using the map to slowly find our way to the audio tour starting point. Here’s a handy guide about the entrances.
Three: Take care of your feet!
The basalt stones are uneven in shape and depth. It’s not easy walking and could be slippery if wet. Wear comfortable, sturdy walking shoes or sneakers to navigate comfortably.
Pompeii was designed with such civilized features like these permanent road barriers that kept chariots from entering pedestrian sections of the city. Also, notice the raised sidewalks - the roads were regularly flushed with water to keep things clean!
My bright, yet comfortable Hoka trail runners. Here they are highlighting an incredible feature in one of the villas - the tiny white stones shimmer with torch light providing extra illumination at night! Roman night lighting!!
Four: Know some of the story before you go.
Do some reading or watch some movies to get the gist - it’s the story that puts all the “rocks and stones” into context! But remember that fiction is fiction and Hollywood isn’t always accurate.
Five: Bring Food & Water!
Avoid getting hangry at all costs! Pack some snacks and a lunch to keep your energy levels up during your day at Pompeii. Being overwhelmed AND hungry is a bad combination and will detract from the day! There is only one cafeteria in Pompeii Park. We thankfully packed some sandwiches, apples, and nuts and chose to sit on some ancient stones, take a load off our feet, and enjoy a picnic in the Forum.
Carry a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated. There are water fountains within the site for refilling your bottle. On a sunny Italian day, water is essential along with some sunscreen!
How much time do you need to see Pompeii?
The gymnasium in Pompeii.
We arrived at 9am and left at 3pm somewhat exhausted! Our six hours exploring was at a very leisurely pace. We took photos, got lost (this is inevitable and we did it on purpose), and enjoyed many breaks along the way.
Pompeii covers 163 acres. In comparison for those who know Vancouver - it is slightly bigger than the PNE fairgrounds. The key sights are spread out so your visit will involve a lot of walking! We clocked 14 km that day.
If you only have two hours to visit an ancient Roman city, Pompeii might simply be too large. Instead, you might consider finding a smaller site like Herculaneum to scratch your archaeological itch. There are many travellers who spend two or three DAYS in Pompeii but for the general population, I think 4 hours +/- gives the site the respect it deserves. A day in Pompeii makes a perfect day trip from Naples or the Amalfi Coast.
If I did it again, I personally wouldn’t purchase the “plus ticket” that includes the Villa of the Mysteries and save that for a return trip. Near the end of the day my feet were throbbing and while the Villa’s frescos are beautiful, I was equally blown away by the frescos in the House of the Vettii within the regular park boundaries. I also had assumed (I should never assume!!) that there would be great views on the edge of Pompeii from the Villa of Mysteries. If there were, I didn’t find them!
Incredible frescos in the House of the Vettii brothers.
Villa of Mysteries - this famous fresco depicts the initiation of a woman into matrimony within the mystery cult of the god Bacchus.
Fun Facts Learned from a Day in Pompeii
The colour of red you see in the frescoes is aptly called Pompeii Red. Red pigment was created by toasting ochre yellow or using cinnabar. It is thought that some of the original ochre yellow colour might have turned red during the hot volcanic event, but much of the red is original.
The word “Graffiti” comes from the Italian word graffiare which means to “scratch”. You can see graffiti in many places around Pompeii - names, words, and pictures scratched in the soft stone.
The longest line-up was to view a brothel! Tiny rooms with stone beds and stone pillows decorated with erotic frescoes.
Romans in Pompeii had fast food joints! These eateries were easy to spot with a stone counter with jugs built into them.
Were you waiting for the bodies? About 1,000 casts have been made of the dead bodies found in Pompeii, which included entire families, groups, or couples who died in an embrace. It was truly humbling and unsettling to see people preserved in distress. Archaeologists have made casts from the remains which you see in these photos. They capture people huddled in fear with terrorized facial expressions. ❣️
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I hope this article helps you to plan your next adventure! Looking for more guidance?
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