What to Expect at Pompeii — The Practical Pre-Visit Briefing

Most visitors leave Pompeii dehydrated, bag-checked at the gate, and footsore. The site is not hostile — it just runs on unwritten rules. If you know the bag size limit, the location of the free water fountains, the gate that matches your needs, and which app to download before you arrive, your visit will go several gears smoother than the average traveller’s. Here is the practical briefing — what your ticket page doesn’t tell you, condensed for one read before you go. For the 2-hour archaeologist-guided tour, most of this matters for the rest of your visit after the tour ends.

The 30×30×15 cm Bag Rule (and the Free Cloakroom)

Pompeii’s regulations cap visitor bags at 30 × 30 × 15 cm — about the size of a small daypack. Anything bigger must be checked at the free cloakroom at the Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra, or Piazza Anfiteatro entrances. The official wording is that the service is free of charge, although some travel blogs report being charged a small fee — phrase your expectations accordingly. Collection is at Porta Marina ticket office only, regardless of which gate you checked in at, so if you enter at Piazza Anfiteatro and check a bag there, plan to leave through Porta Marina.

If you arrive with a wheeled suitcase (e.g. straight off the Circumvesuviana), the Pompei Scavi station has a paid luggage deposit at around €8 per bag — a useful overflow when the park cloakroom can’t take a full case.

Free Drinking Water (Bring a Refillable Bottle)

Pompeii has free public drinking water fountains placed along the main streets — marked on the official map handed out at entry, and visible in the services layer of the MyPompeii app. The park doesn’t publish an exact count, so don’t trust any source that quotes a precise number. The practical advice: bring a refillable bottle, look for the fountains on your entrance map, and top up at every chance. The park’s own heat-safety advisory recommends drinking even when you don’t feel thirsty.

Pompeii Has Shade — You Just Need to Know Where

The cliché says Pompeii has no shade. The park’s own heat advisory lists 19 designated shaded rest spots, including the Triangular Forum, the ambulacra of the Amphitheatre, the House of Menander, the House of the Vettii, the botanical garden, and the pine grove next to the Piazza Esedra entrance. Plan your visit so you can step into one every 30–40 minutes in July or August — the heat is real, but cover exists if you know where to look.

The park’s own heat checklist:

• Carry a refillable water bottle and drink even when not thirsty
• Wear a sun hat and sunglasses
• Apply high-factor sunscreen
• Avoid the hottest hours of the day, especially with children or elderly travellers

Accessibility: The 3.5 km “Pompei per Tutti” Route

The park’s accessible route — Pompei per Tutti (“Pompeii for All”) — runs over 3.5 km from the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance through the city to the Sanctuary of Venus, exiting at Piazza Esedra via the Antiquarium elevator. Operational since 2016 under the Great Pompeii Project, the route is the city’s barrier-free spine. In May 2024, a new fully accessible elevated walkway opened over the Insula dei Casti Amanti, extending the route further. The walkway is open daily 10:30–18:00.

Honest caveats from the park’s own page: some ramps may exceed an 8% gradient, there are small height changes typically under 5 cm, the ancient paving is not perfectly level, and there are no curb ramps along sidewalks. Only some sections are wide enough for two wheelchairs to pass.

Six folding wheelchairs are available to borrow at the Piazza Esedra and Piazza Anfiteatro entrances. Reserve in advance via pompei.info@cultura.gov.it or +39 081 8575 347 — supply is limited.

Wear the Right Shoes

Pompeii’s streets are paved with original Roman polygonal basalt blocks — lava from Vesuvius, worn smooth and rutted by 2,000 years of cart wheels. Stepping stones cross the streets every block, a Roman pedestrian solution for stepping over water and waste. There are roughly 316 surviving stepping stones across the city — more than at any other Roman site. They are also ankle-twisting in sandals or dress shoes. Closed-toe walking shoes with grip are mandatory; trainers, hiking shoes, or sturdy sneakers all work. The site is mostly outdoors and the surface is uneven enough that even a 2-hour tour will tire you in flip-flops.

Download the MyPompeii App

The MyPompeii app (iOS + Android, free) is the official park app. It includes:

• A live map of the park with points of interest
• Audio guides for adults and children, in multiple languages
• A real-time visitor-density indicator
• A services locator showing first-aid posts, toilets, refreshment points, and accessible routes
• QR-code activation for purchased ticket features

Download it over Wi-Fi at your hotel — mobile data inside thick-walled domus can be patchy. Bring headphones if you plan to use the audio content.

Not Every House Is Open Every Day

Pompeii rotates its open buildings. Major houses (House of the Faun, House of the Vettii, the Lupanar, Villa of the Mysteries) are reliably open most days. Minor domus shift in and out based on conservation work and staffing. Two practical implications: don’t promise yourself a specific obscure building in advance, and check the Open Buildings page at pompeiisites.org/en/houses/ the day before you visit, or use the MyPompeii app for live status. This is also a strong argument for a guide — they’re working from the day’s open list, not a generic map.

Reaching the Villa of the Mysteries

The Villa of the Mysteries sits about 400 m outside Pompeii’s city walls, reached via the Porta Ercolano (Herculaneum Gate) on the northwest side of the city. You enter through any of the three main gates, walk through Porta Ercolano, then continue along Via dei Sepolcri past the necropolis. The door beside the villa itself is exit-only — do not try to enter through it. Round-trip detour from the Forum: 30–40 minutes including viewing time. Note: the Villa is not included in the standard Pompeii ticket — it requires the Pompeii+ tier (currently €25).

Restrooms and Baby Facilities

Restrooms are located at all three main entrances (Porta Marina, Piazza Anfiteatro, Piazza Esedra), plus inside the park near the theatres beyond Piazza Esedra, inside the Antiquarium, at Casina dell’Aquila, at the Quadriportico, near the Villa of the Mysteries, and on Via dell’Abbondanza near the House of Julius Polybius. Three baby-changing facilities are located on Via dell’Abbondanza, Via di Nola, and the Via Stabiana / Via della Fortuna corner — keys are collected at the entrance.

Food Inside the Park

Pompeii’s on-site food is concentrated at Casina dell’Aquila in the centre of the site — a self-service restaurant (“Pizza, Pasta & More”) with a separate café and wine bar — plus a cafeteria at the Quadriportico. Quality is reliably mediocre by any Italian standard. Three designated picnic areas are available for packed lunches: near Casina dell’Aquila, on the north side near Porta di Nola, and on the east side near Torre IV next to the Amphitheatre. Eating outside designated areas is not permitted.

Photography, Drones, and Other Rules

Standard personal handheld photography is permitted everywhere with no permit. Professional cameras, video equipment, tripods, and microphones require formal authorisation from the Park administration — allow several weeks for processing. In practice, small tabletop tripods are often tolerated; full tripods are routinely refused by staff. Drones are forbidden without a permit. Flash photography in frescoed rooms is widely understood to be discouraged because flash damages ancient pigments. Smoking is forbidden outside designated zones.

Quick Pre-Visit Checklist

• Bag under 30×30×15 cm (or plan to use the free cloakroom at Porta Marina)
• Refillable water bottle
• Sun hat, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen
• Closed-toe walking shoes with grip
• MyPompeii app downloaded over Wi-Fi
• Charged phone, headphones, portable charger
• Cash for the bus or shuttle if combining Vesuvius or Herculaneum

For weather and seasonal planning, see our best time to visit Pompeii guide. For getting there, see how to get to Pompeii.

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The featured 2-hour Pompeii archaeologist tour handles the queue (skip-the-line entry included), the navigation (your guide knows the day’s open buildings), and the interpretation (a working archaeologist explains what you’re actually looking at). Rated 4.8/5 by 21,008+ verified travellers, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Check availability and book →