Pompeii Tickets and Pompeii Guided Tours plus my review. We travelled by Train from Rome on a day trip, and it was amazing, here are some of the highlights, on our day of discovery!

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Recommended: Pompeii entry ticket and guided tour with archaeologist

Recommended: Best hotels near the Pompeii Ruins

Pompeii is one of Italy’s most fascinating ancient sites, it is frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Once a thriving Roman city, it was buried under ash and forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered, almost perfectly preserved. Walking through its streets today, you’ll see everything from grand villas and bathhouses to graffiti left by the locals! The plaster casts of people caught in the eruption are a little haunting, but they bring history to life in a way not many places can. Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about the past, Pompeii is an unforgettable place to explore.

Welcome to Pompeii, we started in Rome from ‘Termini Station‘, on a day return trip.

Let’s get going – If you need help organising this trip, see links below.

My ‘Rome/Pompeii Resource Kit‘ at the bottom of this page, will help you organise your travel, trips, food, accommodation and tours when planning your visit, it’s all there to help you plan, give it a go.

Just a couple of points from the day that maybe useful for you to know. If like us you go with a guide, we went with GetYourGuide then read all the information they send you, there are I believe 3 entry points and you’ll need to go to the correct one to find the company you have booked with, and that person will then take you to the ticket office to get your entry tickets. The QR code on the email is just the receipt of the purchase from that company, it’s not an entry in the ruins ticket.

Also, the ruins are huge, it was way bigger than we imagined, so with that we didn’t walk down every street, or go into every house, that I think is impossible. So your guide will take you to the main places, but if you go without a guide, start early and get yourself a map, and try and work it out where you are and then how to get out 😊.

Pompeii is a day of discovery, the map will help you out, and below I will point out some of the main places we visited. But my best advice is to plan for a full day and take your time and enjoy, there isn’t a set route, and there is SO much to see.

We travelled by train from Termini station in Rome to Pompeii on a day return. Having bought our tickets on the ‘Ticket Line‘ app weeks before. It’s a good idea to carry ID with you also, we did get asked.

You can get some great food and coffee in the food market place in Termini, which set us up for the journey ahead. The fast train took us to Naples first, then we took a connection to Pompei from there. We asked for help at Naples to find the platform, and then it was a case of counting stations until we arrived at Pompeii. Having got off at Pompei train station we then needed to catch the bus to the ‘Porta Marina Superiore‘ gate, but if that is the gate you need to get too, you will find it easier to get off the train at the ‘Circumvesuviana train station‘, which is the stop before, as the gate is only a few steps away.

If you go with ‘GetYourGuide ‘, read the instructions they send you and do a little online research, it will serve you well and start your day off perfectly. By the way, the bus we caught (Pompei Link) literally picks you up outside the train station entrance, and you can pay by card.

Grab your map, get your suncream on, tie your laces up and make sure you bring plenty of water, we’re off to spend the day at Pompeii and see the ruins. I’ll cover a few of the special places.

The ruins have been broken up into 8 regions, they are colour coded on the map, and you could use that as a guide, but I think picking out the most interesting parts then using the map to find out how to get there is the best way. The guide will take you to all those most interesting areas, so don’t worry too much if you do get a guide, but there will be plenty of time after to then wander around yourself.

Region VIII – The Temple of Venus and the Basilica.

The ‘Temple of Venus‘ was made entirely in marble, and was built so it had the best view out to sea, and so was clearly visible to ships. Not much remains now because of an earthquake in 62 a.D, and because it was stripped of its marble after the eruption. ‘The Basilica‘, which stands near the forum, is one of the oldest known examples of this type of building and then set the model for the Christian basilicas.

Region VII – Suburban Baths, The Forum and the Bodies in Glass Showcases.

The ‘Suburban Baths‘ were built in the middle of the Julio-Claudian period (I century a.D.) and they were the most technically advanced complex of their time. The building was located outside the walls but close to Porta Marina. There are many houses with incredibly interesting paintings, floorings and artifacts and have to be seen to experience the beauty of this city. ‘The Forum‘ was the centre of Pompeii when it was first founded, and was, the focus of political, economic and religious life.

Region VII & VIII – The Large Theatre, The Arch of Caligula, The House of the Small Fountain and a Coffee Break at Casina dell’Aquila high above the ruins.

The ‘Arch of Caligula‘ is located in Regio VII of the Pompeii ruins, near the Forum. The arch was once adorned with an equestrian statue, believed to be of Emperor Caligula. ‘The House of the Small Fountain‘ is located on the Via di Mercurio, again in region VII, and this house derives its name from a mosaic fountain at the rear of the property. ‘The Large Theatre‘ was built in the 2nd century b.C, and was built into a natural hollow in the hillside, the seating area was in the shape of a broad horseshoe with the stage built across its open end. We stopped for a coffee at Casina dell’Aquila stood high over the ruins, half way along Via dell’Abbondanza. You can see how much pumice, lapilli and ash had to be removed to excavate the ruins!

Region VII – House Of Octavius Quartio and The Amphitheatre.

‘The house of Octavius Quartio‘, also known as the House of Loreius Tiburtinus was first excavated in 1916 with new excavations during the period 1933-35 and in 1971. The property is an impressive building with substantial decorative remains and an extensive garden to the rear. ‘The Amphitheatre‘ was completed in 80BC. It is an impressive structure being able to hold about 20,000 people. It is the earliest surviving permanent amphitheatre in Italy, and is important in providing a picture of this type of typically Roman architecture.

– Find accommodation in Rome with Booking.com

Recommended: Pompeii entry ticket and guided tour with archaeologist

Recommended: Best hotels near the Pompeii Ruins

Leaving via the Piazza Anfiteatro exit, near the main ‘Pompei Train Station’. We walked the full length of the ruins, walked through the town, got an ice-cream then caught the train back to Naples.

That’s it, you’ve completed the ‘Pompeii Ruins’. Hopefully, the weather has been on your side, and you’ve had an incredible experience. We gave this day a 10 out of 10, it’s fantastic for all ages, it’s way bigger than you think and we were there nearly 5 hours, so excellent value for money. But it does get booked up quickly, and because of the nature of the place, some places are not accessible to those in wheelchairs, and even able bodied people should be careful on some of the streets and steps.

I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this post, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this post. Your comments are also more than welcome, I love connecting with new people and discussing our shared experiences. Who knows, we might even meet up on one of our future walks. Thank you for joining me on this memorable adventure, and here’s to many more to come!