Pompeii opening hours

In 2026 the general admission to Pompeii is available during the following hours:

Holders of a valid Pompeii ticket can enjoy free admission to four neighboring cultural sites within 30 days of issue. The opening hours for these places are:

At these sites last admission is 4:00 PM in winter, half an hour later than at Pompeii (3:30 PM), and 6:00 PM in summer.

Closure days you need to mark

The site remains open almost every day of the year. According to the official website of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, there are two confirmed closures, in addition to May 1st, the date on which other sources indicate Pompeii will be closed:

If you’re planning to visit the suburban villas included in the Pompeii+ ticket, note that Villa Arianna, Villa San Marco, Villa di Poppea, and the Archaeological Museum of Stabia all close every Tuesday.

Is Pompeii Open on Sundays?

Yes, Pompeii is open on Sundays. The Pompeii archaeological park is open daily, Monday through Sunday, all year round. The only exceptions are the three annual holiday closures mentioned above.

20,000 daily cap and time slots

To manage crowds, Pompeii now restricts access to a maximum of 20,000 visitors daily. For the high season (March 16 to October 14), the day is divided: 15,000 people can enter during the morning (9:00 AM to 1:00 PM), leaving only 5,000 spots for the afternoon window (1:00 PM to 5:30 PM).

The key takeaway? Booking your ticket ahead of time is highly recommended to ensure you secure your spot!

Why booking ahead isn't optional anymore

Used to be that booking online was just convenient. Now? It’s practically mandatory if you don’t want to waste half your day in line.

During high season, physical ticket office lines can hit 45 to 90 minutes of wait time. One tourist in August 2025 called them “biblical waiting times.” And that’s assuming tickets haven’t sold out, which happens regularly when the site reaches its 20,000-person capacity.

Your ticket are now personal (and this matters)

Here’s something that catches people off guard, tickets are nominative. That means each ticket carries your name and you’ll need to show ID that matches exactly. We’re talking passport or official identification. No, you can’t transfer your ticket to your friend if plans change. This was specifically designed to kill the resale market.

What does the time on your ticket mean?

When you book, you choose a date and a preferred time. Your e-ticket may then show 9:00 AM, the opening time, instead of the time you picked. This is normal: the ticket lets you enter at any time that day until last admission, so there is no need to arrive at 9:00. Last admission at Pompeii is 3:30 PM from October 15 to March 15 and 5:30 PM from March 16 to October 14. At Villa Regina (Boscoreale), Stabiae and Oplontis it is 4:00 PM in winter and 6:00 PM in summer.

How late can you enter Pompeii?

As mentioned above, last entry is at 5:30 p.m. from March 16 to October 14, and at 3:30 p.m. from October 15 to March 15. To avoid any inconvenience, we recommend arriving early so you can fully enjoy this remarkable Italian archaeological site.