Our 4 hour route follows Path 2 of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, plus about an hour for pauses. The Park’s own times are for the route itself; the extra hour on the 4 and 6 hour routes is our estimate for a break, queues and slower walking, not an official duration.
Pompeii in 4 hours
A loop that starts with the leisure buildings and moves into the busiest street life. After the theatres you pass the House of Menander and the House of the Cryptoporticus and walk along Via dell’Abbondanza and Via Stabiana to the Stabian Baths and the Lupanar. Then you turn to the House of the Faun and the House of the Vettii, the two best known houses, and finish with the Forum: Macellum, Temple of Jupiter, the public buildings, the Sanctuary of Apollo and the Basilica. The Antiquarium is the last stop before you leave by the same gate you came in.
- Park route: Path 2, about 3 hours, in and out at Piazza Esedra (plus about an hour for pauses)
- Getting there: Circumvesuviana Naples to Sorrento, stop Pompei Villa dei Misteri, then the Piazza Esedra entrance.
- Worth slowing down for: The Stabian Baths, the Lupanar (often crowded), the House of the Vettii garden, the Antiquarium.
- Pace: The Park’s easy-reading guide names the bar near the Forum and the Casina dell’Aquila terrace as the places to eat, so plan your pause around one of them.
How the route flows
Phase one, stops 1-4: the theatre district – Quadriporticus, Large Theatre and Odeion – then the House of Menander. Phase two, stops 5-9: the busiest street life, along Via dell’Abbondanza and Via Stabiana to the Stabian Baths and the Lupanar, which is often crowded. Phase three, stops 10-14: the two best-known houses, the Faun and the Vettii. Phase four, stops 15-27: the Forum loop – Macellum, Temple of Jupiter, public buildings, Sanctuary of Apollo, Basilica – ending at the Antiquarium before you leave by the same gate.
Pauses: plan the break around the bar near the Forum or the Casina dell’Aquila terrace, the only places the Park’s guide allows food. The Lupanar corridor has erotic paintings; the House of the Vettii has some too – families decide for themselves.
If time runs short: the Forum’s public buildings (stops 17-23) can be seen from the square; the theatres, baths and the two great houses carry the visit.
Printable cards: download the printable route cards (PDF, 3 A4 pages, one per route – this route is page 2) – an orientation schematic (not to scale), the stops and the pause plan on each card.
- Enter at Piazza Esedra
- Quadriporticus of the theatres, Large Theatre, Odeion
- House of Menander
- House of the Cryptoporticus
- Via dell’Abbondanza
- Via Stabiana
- Stabian Baths
- Lupanar
- House of the Wounded Bear (Via degli Augustali)
- Via di Mercurio
- House of the Faun
- House of the Vettii
- House of the Small Fountain
- House of the Tragic Poet
- Macellum
- Temple of Jupiter
- Forum Granary
- Sanctuary of the Public Lares
- Temple of Genius Augusti (Temple of Vespasian)
- Building of Eumachia
- Municipal buildings
- House of Championnet
- House of the Geometric Mosaics
- Sanctuary of Apollo
- Basilica
- Sanctuary of Venus
- Antiquarium and Villa Imperiale, then exit at Piazza Esedra
Park hours and building hours are different, winter
From 15 October to 15 March the Park lists the site as open until 17:00, with the last entrance at 15:30. Individual buildings have their own listing on the Park’s open-buildings page, and many houses are listed as 9:15 to 16:20 with last entrance at 16:00. So getting through the gate before 15:30 does not mean every building on a route will still admit you. We do not calculate a latest start time for any route: your pace, queues, breaks and the buildings that are closed on the day all change how long a route takes. Our general suggestion, not a Park rule: start a route in the morning, put the houses you most want to see early, and leave the final hour for the open areas. In summer the hours are longer, so check the Park’s page for your date.
Check on the day
Stops are listed exactly as the Park publishes them. In the Park’s open-buildings list, some stops did not appear when we checked (for example Suburban Baths, House of the Small Fountain, House of Championnet, Villa Imperiale, Temple of Isis, House of the Cryptoporticus), and the Forum Granary is marked “temporarily not visible”. That list may not be complete, so skip any building that is closed and follow the signs and barriers on the day.
Information from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (pompeiisites.org), checked on 28 October 2026. Hours, closures and access change, so check the Park before you travel. This site is an independent guide and is not the official site.