Walking into Pompeii for the first time is like entering a different world. It is totally unbelievable. Cart wheel grooves on stone streets? Still very much there. The stepping stones that locals used to cross the mud on rainy days? They were left there 2,000 years ago and are still there. Mount Vesuvius is in the background, the spectator of everything it ruined. Most people come there with the idea that they will only see some stones and maybe a column or two.

Later, they come to know that they are walking through real houses where people lived, shops where merchants sold things, and streets where children played. The volcanic eruption that caused the death of all the people also produced the world's most perfect time capsule without anyone realizing it. But the issue is that Pompeii is enormous. Like, outrageously large. You can spend days just wandering around and still not see half of the great stuff.

The maps are not quite accurate, the signs sometimes point to nowhere useful, and by midday, you will be hot, tired, and thinking why you didn't make a better plan. So we will make this right now.

Here are the locations worth your visit, those which you actually need to know about when you want to get the idea of what life was like in this place before everything got chaotic.

1. The Forum:Where Everything Started

Think of the Forum as downtown meets town square meets Wall Street. Business happened here. Religious ceremonies, too. Political speeches. Gossip sessions. If it mattered to Pompeii, it probably happened in or around the Forum.

What's remarkable is how the Romans simply combined everything. You'd have priests doing their thing at the Temple of Jupiter while some guy ten feet away yelled about his discount olive oil. Nobody saw anything weird about that.

The buildings around the Forum tell you who ran this place:

• Basilica for legal stuff and business deals
• Temple of Apollo because the Gods were important
• Macellum where people bought food (frescoes are still visible)
• Government offices for all the boring administrative work

Getting here early matters more than you'd think. Tour groups flood this area by mid-morning, and there's nowhere to hide from the sun once it gets going. Show up at opening time, take your photos, and move on before the crowds arrive.

Avoid the crowds and start your day smoothly with door-to-door service. Book a tailored private Pompeii excursion that gets you there at opening time.

2. House of the Vettii: Show Off Roman Wealth

Two formerly enslaved brothers made a fortune in trade, then built themselves a mansion that screamed, "Look how rich we are now." That's the House of the Vettii in a nutshell.

Right when you walk in, there's a fresco of Priapus with his gigantic... Well, let's just say Romans weren't shy about certain things. They stuck fertility symbols everywhere and thought nothing of it. Different times.

Past that initial shock, the house gets legitimately impressive. Every room has detailed frescoes. The courtyard garden with its columns looks like something from a movie set. Colors that should've faded centuries ago- deep reds, bright yellows, rich blacks; somehow survived.

You can still see the brushstrokes. Actual brushstrokes from someone who painted these walls when Julius Caesar's great-nephew was running the empire. That's the kind of detail that makes you stop and stare.

3. Stabian Baths 

Romans took bathing seriously. Not just the getting-clean part, but the whole social experience. The Stabian Baths worked like a combination gym, spa, and networking event all rolled into one spot.

People came here to make business connections, catch up on neighborhood drama, and relax after work. The bathing process itself moved through different temperature rooms, warm, hot, cold; kind of like a sauna routine but more elaborate.

Men and women had separate sections (because Romans had some limits, apparently). Each side included:

• Changing areas with cubbies for clothes
• Warm rooms to ease into things
• Hot rooms heated from below by furnaces
• Cold pools to finish off

Look up when you're in there. The ceiling decorations made it through the eruption somehow. The heating system underneath the floors was legitimately clever engineering. Hot air circulated through hollow spaces, warming everything from below. No electricity, no modern tech, just smart design.

4. House of the Tragic Poet: Where theFamous Dog Mosaic lies

Everyone knows the "Beware of Dog" mosaic. You've probably seen it on coffee mugs or posters. That came from the entrance of this house.

Despite the fancy name, a merchant probably lived here rather than an actual poet. The place isn't massive, but the artwork inside punches way above its weight class. Middle-class Romans clearly cared about surrounding themselves with beautiful things.

Floor mosaics throughout the house tell little stories. One shows actors getting ready backstage. Another uses geometric patterns that mess with your depth perception when you walk over them. Wall frescoes depicting Iliad scenes got moved to a museum in Naples, but enough remains to get the picture.

The layout tells you how people lived. Tiny kitchen tucked in back. Nice dining room where guests could lounge on couches and admire the art. Simple bedrooms, because Romans spent most of their time in public spaces anyway.

5. The Amphitheater

Here's something most people don't know: Pompeii's amphitheater is older than Rome's famous Colosseum. About 150 years older, actually. Built around 70 BC, it held roughly 20,000 people, basically everyone who lived in Pompeii at the time.

Rich folks got the good seats down low with cushions and shade. Everyone else stood or sat up top in the sun. Classic Roman class structure on full display.

Gladiator fights happened here. Animal hunts. Public executions. Graffiti all over Pompeii shows people following gladiators like we follow football players. Painted ads on buildings hyped upcoming fights and promoted fan favorites.

In 59 AD, spectators from Pompeii and the nearby town of Nuceria got into a massive brawl during a match. Not just some pushing and shoving; a full riot that made Emperor Nero ban all gladiator games here for ten years. They even found frescoes in houses showing the riot. Ancient sports violence, basically.

6. The Street of Tombs that line  the City Exit
Romans buried people outside city limits, so roads leaving town became lined with elaborate tombs. The Street of Tombs near the Herculaneum Gate shows this perfectly.

These weren't quiet, hidden graveyards. Rich families built big monuments right along the road to advertise their status. Some tombs have stone benches where relatives would gather for memorial dinners. Death was way more public back then.

You can read the social hierarchy just by looking at tomb sizes:

• Huge columned monuments for wealthy aristocrats
• Medium-sized altars for successful merchants
• Simple markers for formerly enslaved people

Inscriptions on the tombs list what people accomplished, what jobs they held, what charities they supported. These were real folks named Gaius or Flavia who had careers and families. Reading their ancient obituaries makes everything feel less abstract.

The Villa of the Mysteries sits just outside the gate, which works perfectly for the next stop.

7. Villa of the Mysteries 

One room in this villa contains the most famous painted walls in all of Pompeii. Life-sized figures doing what looks like secret religious rituals for a cult worshiping Dionysus cover the walls in vivid red.

Mystery religions were secretive groups promising special knowledge to members. Scholars still argue about what exactly these paintings show, but nobody argues about the artistic skill. Twenty-nine figures wrapping around all four walls telling some kind of story that's been debated for decades.

The villa worked as both a farm and a luxury getaway. Wine or olive presses sit next to beautifully decorated living areas. That's how Roman country estates operated; rich owners managed their agricultural business while enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

Other rooms beyond the famous fresco contain gorgeous gardens, excellent mosaics, and more painted walls. The dining room has black walls painted in this sophisticated style showing how Romans used color to set different moods in different spaces.

8. The Lupanar: Pompeii's Brothel

This building draws crowds for obvious reasons. Pompeii had sex workers scattered throughout the city, but the Lupanar specifically operated as a brothel. Small rooms with stone beds, explicit frescoes showing what was available, and graffiti from workers and customers.

Romans saw sex completely differently. Erotic images showed up everywhere without shame: houses, shops, public spaces. The frescoes here probably worked like a menu more than decoration.

The building layout shows the reality, though. Cramped rooms. Stone beds. Barely any light in most spaces. The conditions reflect how society treated sex workers, most of whom had no choice in the matter.

Graffiti scratched into walls gives you glimpses of real people. Guys bragging. Workers advertising themselves. A few messages even mention prices, which helps historians understand what things cost.

9. Garden of the Fugitives

Thirteen plaster casts of people who almost escaped. That's what you see here.

Archaeologists poured plaster into the hollow spaces where bodies decomposed in the hardened ash. What came out preserved everything; faces, clothes, final positions. A mother holding her kids. Someone who fell while running. Bodies twisted in pain from suffocation and heat.

These people nearly made it. They ran from their homes, got through the city, and reached the outskirts. Just a little farther, and they might've survived. Instead, a surge of superheated ash and poisonous gas caught them right here.

CT scans of the casts keep revealing new information. Bone structure shows age and health conditions. Some people had old injuries. Others had great teeth and strong bones, suggesting they came from wealthier families. Vesuvius didn't care about any of that.

10. Thermopolium: The Ancient Fast Food Spot

Pompeii had about 80 fast-food spots called thermopolia. People living in tiny apartments with no kitchens grabbed meals from these places. Workers wanting something quick stopped by during lunch. The Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus is the best-preserved example you can see.

Big clay jars set into a stone counter held different foods: meats, vegetables, and stews kept warm by coals underneath. Paintings on the counter show some of what they sold, including ducks hanging upside down. A back room had space for eating in, but most people probably grabbed their food and left.

Recent excavations at another thermopolium found actual food residue still in the jars. Scientists analyzed it and found:

• Duck bones
• Fish sauce (Romans put this on everything)
• Snails
• Beans
• Wine mixed with ground fava beans

Turns out ancient fast food wasn't automatically garbage. These places served real meat, fresh vegetables, and decent wine to working people who needed something affordable and quick.

Planning Your Visit

Best times to go: Gates open at 9 AM. Get there right when they open, or show up after 3 PM. The middle of the day brings tour bus crowds and brutal heat. Morning light also makes for better photos.

What to pack: Comfortable shoes aren't optional; you'll walk on uneven ancient stones for hours. Bring more water than you think you need. Sunscreen, hat, snacks. Food inside is limited and overpriced. A phone battery pack helps since you'll use your phone constantly for photos and maps.

Tour or no tour: First-timers benefit from guides who point out stuff you'd walk right past. That said, leave time to wander alone so you can spend extra time at spots that grab your attention. Our private day trips handle the details and provide expert guides who bring Pompeii to life.

Tickets: Your entry usually covers some suburban villas and other sites. Check what's included. Some special exhibits need separate tickets you should book ahead.

The things to do in Pompeii covered here give you a solid foundation for understanding this place. You'll see where Romans worked, where they lived, where they relaxed, and how they died. Every spot adds another piece to the puzzle.

Pompeii isn't just a bunch of old buildings. It's as close to time travel as we're going to get. Walk slowly. Pay attention. Let yourself feel what it means to stand where people stood two thousand years ago.

Ready to experience Pompeii with comfortable transfers and an expert guide? Discover our flexible private tours from the Amalfi Coast and plan your visit today.

Three Questions People Always Ask

How long does it really take to visit Pompeii?

Four to five hours will see you cover the major highlights without totally exhausting yourself. If you want to see every single detail and corner, then a whole day is what you should plan for. The site is huge and there is hardly any shade, so you will have to take breaks. Summer heat is the main reason why this is even more necessary. Getting started early will give you a chance to visit the major spots before the crowds and heat get too much.

How easy is it to get to Pompeii from Naples or Sorrento?

From Naples, the Circumvesuviana train takes you to Pompeii Scavi station in about 40 minutes, where you get off right at the entrance, from Sorrento; only 30 minutes on the same train. You can also drive, but parking during the high seasons will be a challenge. Many people do a hike on Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii the same day since one is right next to the other.

Are there restrooms and food inside?

There are restrooms at the entrance and some at intervals but not enough. A cafeteria by the Forum sells very basic things and at quite a high price. Most of the people who have been there bring their own water and food. Large bags are not allowed in but there is a deposit at the entrance for such items.