Pompeii - what to see

[Trojanbores]

Hello. I am visiting Pompeii tomorrow after a twenty year hiatus. I used to know it quite well but was never on top of its geography. I believe that it has changed with lots of new discoveries.

The thing I remember being difficult is how overwhelming the site is. I only have one day, if that- what do I target?

Also, I know that everyone prefers Herculaneum and that Vesuvius is a great trip, but I will send DH and the DCs to those places … this is a Pompeii mission for me!

A bump …

We targeted the amphitheatre, the arena, the necropolis, a couple of the main houses and shops, and the agora. It was fabulous but absolutely knackering!

Thank you @Squirrelsnut . I am trying to download a decent map or audio guide - none of it looks that promising, actually.

That sounds like a decent number to tick off. DC will like the amphitheatre.

The site has expanded recently and you can access other villas and museum on a single park ticket. The key houses are Julia Felix and the one with the guard dog mosaic, and anything in between. Plus the buildings near the forum like baths and brothel with rude frescoes! They seem to open a different selection of properties at different times.

Following as we are heading there soon. I've also been looking for a decent audio guide. Please do let me know if you find one. I hope you have a wonderful time!

Don't miss the Villa of the Mysteries - bit of a trek from the centre and easy to feel like it's too far to walk/you're too tired at the end of the day etc. but don't give up. Worth the trip to Italy for this one villa alone.

Are you also visiting the museum in Naples? I hadn't realised beforehand that nearly every, single frescoe, plaster cast and artifact is in the museum and not still at Pompeii itself.

Among others, 1 thing I enjoyed was sitting high up in the amphitheater. Other than DH, no one else was there and it felt quiet and secluded from everything else- for about 2min before others came in!

Happy memories going there in 2005. I will have to go back too. Didn't go to Herculaneum last time, I must go next time..,!

I was blown away by the mosaics and sculpture in the Archaeological museum in Naples. There are also quite a few mosaics from Pompeii in the Vatican.
If you haven't been for 20 years is it possible to find out what has been opened up since then? I think I would concentrate on those areas if I was going again. I'd love to go again, haven't been for 10 years.

@DSD9472 I would love to go to the archaeological museum in Naples, but I suspect it might be over ambitious this time (I have been before, but so want to go again!) … I love Naples, but we have small DC and are staying in Sorrento. It is just a bit too far.

@ISeriouslyDoubtIt I didn’t know that the Vatican had mosaics from Pompeii. The Vatican museums have always been too busy for me to make much sense of anything.

I think I was remembering wrongly about that, I think I got mixed up with mosaics from Ostia Antica, sorry for misleading you. If you've never been to Ostia Antica that's another fantastic place, I'd highly recommend a trip if you're in Rome, only a handful of visitors in the whole place, wonderful mosaics and frescos in their original sites.

I wouldn't worry about missing the Archaeological Museum in Naples. I was actually quite disappointed - a lot of things in there were not originals but copies.
Loved Pompeii though.
I always think you never see everything - just enjoy what you see.
I liked "getting lost" in the streets, with just ca. 3-4 must sees (yes, theatres and villa of mysteries for instance) - have a fabulous day

I have woken up early and watched this. Pompeii at the British Museum. Very excited!

I went to that exhibition, it was brilliant and was the inspiration for me to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum. Many of the artifacts are in the museum in Naples.

I am back. Made it in time for an evening swim in Sorrento.

@Curtainconundrum we used this app

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/discover-pompeii-pompei-tour/id1392934511 It isn’t massively sophisticated, but this was a targeted visit, and it got us to where we needed to be (and does an audio guide).

Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know. I hope you had a wonderful visit. Out of interest did you buy your ticket in advance or on the day?

I bought my tickets online @Curtainconundrum to skip the queues. My ticket included the Villa dei Misteri.

The queues weren’t dreadful, actually, but it is early in the season and I was still glad to be prepared.

From the advice on this thread, I managed to see:

The theatres
The temple of Isis
A bath house and gym
The forum (I really need more time to understand the forum)

At this point, my children rebelled - one hurt himself and the toddler got tired of ‘walking on the stones’ which had amused her up until now.

Near the forum there is a very good canteen - wasn’t there twenty years ago, I’m sure (the toilet situation is marginally better, also). Kids were recharged, and I set out my strategy…

• Thermopolium
• House of faun
• House of vetii
• Villa dei misteri

We also took in the house of the tragic poet with its ‘cave canem’ mosaic.

This was my plan to get DC through another hour and it was just absolutely awesome. I really don’t remember having been able to walk around the houses and see the frescoes. Older DC liked spotting the myths.

And we had a jolly good time with the thermopolium (playing shopkeepers), which has only very recently been excavated.

DH liked the Villa dei misteri because it felt like a proper house. I found the fresco a bit upsetting.

That all sounds great! I'm taking notes.

@Trojanbores or anyone else. I'm looking online and it appears that children under 18 are free. It. I'm buying tickets online. Do they need a free ticket or do I just buy the two adult tickets and they just go in without? I can't see a children's option.

I seem to have paid 6 euros for my two dc … @Curtainconundrum I can’t see the details of it, though. Will have a rummage.

… I bought 2 child tickets for ‘Pompeii Plus’ - the company that managed it was called tiquets.

I am not sure is that was the official one, but it got us in!