Our 6 hour route follows Path 3 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 6 hours
The longest of the three, and a full crossing of the ancient city. The first half follows the Forum and the great houses, from the Basilica and the Sanctuary of Apollo through the House of the Faun, the Vettii and the Golden Cupids. The second half moves through the Stabian Baths and the Lupanar, then to the Triangular Forum and the Temple of Isis, past the House of Menander and the Fullery of Stephanus, and finishes with the houses near the Amphitheatre: Venus in the Shell, the Praedia of Giulia Felice and the Large Palaestra, before the Piazza Anfiteatro exit.
- Park route: Path 3, about 5 hours, Porta Marina to Piazza Anfiteatro (plus about an hour for pauses)
- Getting there: Start at Porta Marina (Circumvesuviana Naples to Sorrento, Pompei Villa dei Misteri). You finish at Piazza Anfiteatro, served by the Naples to Poggiomarino line, stop Pompei Santuario.
- Worth slowing down for: The Forum, the Vettii, the Triangular Forum, the Fullery of Stephanus and the Large Palaestra.
- Not on this route: The Villa of the Mysteries and the Garden of the Fugitives. The Park’s 7-hour Path 4 includes both. See our in-depth guide to the Villa of the Mysteries.
At 36 stops this is a long day. Treat the list as an order of travel, not a checklist, and use the pause to eat. The Park\’s easy-reading guide allows food only at the bar near the Forum or on the Casina dell\’Aquila terrace.
How the route flows
Phase one, stops 1-18: the Forum and the great houses, from the Basilica and Sanctuary of Apollo through the House of the Faun, the Vettii and the Golden Cupids. Phase two, stops 19-23: the Stabian Baths and the Lupanar, then the alleys of the Mask and the Hanging Balcony onto Via dell’Abbondanza. Phase three, stops 24-28: the Triangular Forum, the view over the theatres, the Temple of Isis and the House of Menander. Phase four, stops 29-36: the amphitheatre quarter – the Fullery of Stephanus, the House of Venus in the Shell, the Praedia of Giulia Felice and the Large Palaestra – before the Piazza Anfiteatro exit.
Pauses: treat the stop list as an order of travel, not a checklist, and use the pause to eat at the Forum bar or the Casina dell’Aquila terrace. Fountains give drinking water along the way.
Printable cards: download the printable route cards (PDF, 3 A4 pages, one per route – this route is page 3) – an orientation schematic (not to scale), the stops and the pause plan on each card.
- Enter at Porta Marina
- Antiquarium
- House of Triptolemus
- Basilica
- Sanctuary of Apollo
- Forum Granary
- Municipal buildings
- House of Championnet
- House of the Geometric Mosaics
- Building of Eumachia
- Temple of Genius Augusti (Temple of Vespasian)
- Sanctuary of the Public Lares
- Macellum
- Temple of Jupiter
- House of the Faun
- House of the Vettii
- House of the Golden Cupids
- House of Marcus Lucretius (Via Stabiana)
- House of Sirico (Via dell’Abbondanza)
- Stabian Baths
- Lupanar
- Alleys of the Mask and the Hanging Balcony
- Via dell’Abbondanza and Via dei Teatri
- Triangular Forum
- View over the Large Theatre, Odeion and Quadriporticus
- Temple of Isis
- House of Menander
- House of the Cryptoporticus
- Fullery of Stephanus
- House of Paquius Proculus
- House of the Orchard (Floral Cubicles)
- House of Octavius Quartio
- House of Venus in the Shell
- Praedia of Giulia Felice
- Large Palaestra
- Exit at Piazza Anfiteatro
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.