# Seven days: Rome, Naples, Pompeii

> Pompeii sells 15,000 morning slots and 5,000 afternoon ones in summer. Three nights in Rome, four in Naples, on a train that runs 45 direct services a day.

URL: https://myitalia.it/itineraries/7-days-rome-naples-pompeii
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Three nights in Rome, four in Naples, and one hard ceiling that fixes the calendar: Pompeii sells at most 15,000 morning entries and 5,000 afternoon ones between April and October.

## Buy the Pompeii slot before the flights

Pompeii has run a named ticket with an identity document and a ceiling of 20,000 entries a day since November 15, 2024. From April 1 to October 31 those entries split into two bands, a maximum of 15,000 between 9:00 am and noon and 5,000 between noon and 5:30 pm.

The measure followed single days above 36,000 people. In 2024 the site recorded 4,267,233 visitors, third among Italian state museums and monuments, on gross takings of €55.3 million.

The afternoon band is a third the size of the morning one, so a lunchtime arrival is the scarce ticket, not the relaxed one. Amounts on this page are in euros.

## Days 1 to 3: Rome, on a 24 hour ticket

The Colosseum sells a named ticket with a compulsory entry time, released 30 days ahead, and the standard 24 hour version limits you to 75 minutes inside the amphitheater while covering the Roman Forum and the Palatine as well.

It costs €18, €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25 and €11.50 for Roma Pass holders, and it includes the second level with the terraces and the Colosseum museum.

Three nights in one Roman base is the right shape for a trip whose second half is heavier. Leave the last morning free: the train south is short.

## Day 4: 1 hour 13 minutes to Naples

Rome Termini to Napoli Centrale takes 1 hour 13 minutes on the fastest direct high speed service, with a median of 1 hour 18 minutes and 45 direct Frecciarossa runs on the weekday sampled in September 2026. The slowest direct service takes 2 hours 3 minutes.

Arrive before lunch and give the afternoon to the National Archaeological Museum, which holds what was carried out of Pompeii and Herculaneum before either site had a ticket office. It opens Wednesday to Monday 9:00 am to 7:30 pm with last entry at 6:30 pm and closes on Tuesdays, at €20 full, €2 for EU visitors aged 18 to 25 and €10 on Artecard.

Some rooms are closed for works. The museum stays open on public holidays that fall on a Tuesday, except January 1 and December 25.

## Day 5: the Circumvesuviana, and only one line works

EAV line L1, Naples to Sorrento, is the only Vesuvian line calling at both Ercolano Scavi and Pompei Scavi Villa dei Misteri, from the Porta Nolana and Garibaldi stations. The timetable in force dates from March 28, 2026.

EAV publishes neither point to point fares nor real frequencies on a readable page, referring instead to a regional fare engine that shows no prices. Journey times, fares and actual reliability on this line are unverified here, and that is a gap worth knowing about before you build a tight morning around it.

The freephone information line is 800 211388.

## Day 6: the Gran Cono, 50 places every 10 minutes

Trail 5 on Vesuvius, the Gran Cono, is walkable only with a ticket bought online in advance: €11.68 full and €9.55 reduced, with 50 places released every 10 minutes and sales opening 30 days ahead.

The path runs 4,010 m there and back, tops out at 1,175 m and takes 2 hours 30 minutes at an easy grade. Opening is 9:00 am to 6:00 pm in July and August, to 5:00 pm from April to June and in September, to 4:00 pm in March and October, to 3:00 pm the rest of the year.

A last minute release adds 10 tickets per band 30 minutes before, named since April 11, 2026 and limited to 5 per email address. The official page also quotes a different capacity elsewhere, 60 people per 10 minutes in three groups of 20; we have used the first figure and flagged the second.

## Day 7: Capodimonte, or the coast road with a catch

Capodimonte costs €10 full, €2 for ages 18 to 25 and free under 18, includes current exhibitions and lets you leave and return on the same day. It is the calm alternative to a fourth archaeological site.

If you drive the Amalfi coast instead, the SS163 runs alternate plates from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm under Anas order 340/2019: odd final digits banned on odd dates, even on even. In 2026 it was applied March 30 to April 6 and April 24 to May 2, and residents, taxis, hotel guests with a booking and motorbikes sit outside it.

The summer and autumn calendar is reported locally but we could not open the order or an institutional notice confirming it, so treat any August date you read as unconfirmed.

## FAQ

### How many trains run from Rome to Naples in a day?

45 direct Frecciarossa services on the weekday sampled in September 2026, with a median journey of 1 hour 18 minutes and a slowest direct run of 2 hours 3 minutes. Italo also works the route, which we did not sample.

### Why does Pompeii sell tickets in two time bands?

To spread a 20,000 daily ceiling. From April 1 to October 31 the site allows up to 15,000 visitors between 9:00 am and noon and 5,000 between noon and 5:30 pm. The measure followed single days above 36,000 people.

### Which train goes to both Pompeii and Herculaneum?

EAV line L1, Naples to Sorrento, from Porta Nolana and Garibaldi. It is the only Vesuvian line serving both Ercolano Scavi and Pompei Scavi Villa dei Misteri. The timetable in force dates from March 28, 2026.

### Is the Naples archaeological museum closed on Mondays?

No, it closes on Tuesdays, which catches people out. It opens Wednesday to Monday 9:00 am to 7:30 pm with last entry at 6:30 pm, at €20 full, €2 for EU visitors aged 18 to 25 and €10 with Artecard.

### What are alternate plates on the Amalfi coast road?

A ban by number plate on the SS163 between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, under Anas order 340/2019: odd final digits cannot drive on odd dates, even on even. In 2026 it applied March 30 to April 6 and April 24 to May 2. Motorbikes are outside it.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| In treno ad alta velocita' Roma Termini-Napoli Centrale il collegamento diretto piu' veloce impiega 1 ora e 13 minuti; la mediana dei Frecciarossa diretti e' di circa 1 ora e 18 minuti (orario in vigore a settembre 2026). | [Trenitalia (sistema di vendita Le Frecce)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2026-12-13 |
| Al Parco archeologico del Colosseo il biglietto e' nominativo e con fascia oraria di ingresso obbligatoria: le vendite online si aprono 30 giorni prima della data di visita e con il biglietto ordinario 24h la permanenza all'interno dell'anfiteatro e' limitata a 75 minuti (2026). | [Parco archeologico del Colosseo](https://colosseo.it/orari-e-biglietti/); [doc 2](https://colosseo.it/biglietti/colosseo-foro-romano-palatino/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Dal 15 novembre 2024 il Parco archeologico di Pompei applica il biglietto nominativo con documento d'identita' e un tetto di 20.000 ingressi al giorno; dal 1 aprile al 31 ottobre gli ingressi sono divisi in due fasce, un massimo di 15.000 visitatori dalle 9:00 alle 12:00 e 5.000 dalle 12:00 alle 17:30. La misura e' stata presa dopo picchi superiori a 36.000 persone in un solo giorno. | [Parco archeologico di Pompei](https://pompeiisites.org/comunicati/dal-15-novembre-pompei-introduce-il-biglietto-nominativo-e-il-limite-giornaliero-dei-20-mila-visitatori-2/); [doc 2](https://pompeiisites.org/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Parco archeologico di Pompei ha registrato 4.267.233 visitatori nel 2024 (3 posto tra i luoghi della cultura statali italiani) | [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio di Statistica](https://statistica.cultura.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MUSEI_TAVOLA8_2024-1.pdf); [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/comunicato/27590) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Dalle stazioni napoletane di Porta Nolana e Garibaldi la linea EAV L1 Napoli-Sorrento e' l'unica delle linee vesuviane che serve sia la fermata Ercolano Scavi sia Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri; l'orario in vigore e' quello valido dal 28 marzo 2026. | [EAV srl](https://www.eavsrl.it/orari-linee-ferroviarie/); [doc 2](https://www.eavsrl.it/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| Il Sentiero 5 'Il Gran Cono' del Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio si percorre solo con biglietto acquistato online in anticipo: 11,68 euro intero e 9,55 euro ridotto, con 50 posti ogni 10 minuti messi in vendita fino a 30 giorni prima. Il percorso e' lungo 4.010 metri andata e ritorno, arriva a 1.175 metri di quota e richiede circa 2 ore e mezza (2026). | [Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio](https://www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it/en/visit-the-park/the-paths/the-great-cono-of-vesuvius/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli e' aperto da mercoledi' a lunedi' dalle 9:00 alle 19:30 con ultimo ingresso alle 18:30 ed e' chiuso il martedi'; il biglietto intero costa 20,00 euro e il ridotto per i 18-25 anni dell'Unione europea 2,00 euro (2026). | [Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli](https://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/timetables-and-fares/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Al Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte il biglietto intero costa 10,00 euro, il ridotto per i 18-25 anni 2,00 euro e i minori di 18 anni entrano gratis; il biglietto comprende le mostre in corso ed e' valido per tutta la giornata con diritto di rientro (2026). | [Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte](https://capodimonte.cultura.gov.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Sulla Strada Statale 163 Amalfitana e' in vigore la circolazione a targhe alterne dalle 10:00 alle 18:00, disposta con ordinanza Anas 340/2019: nei giorni dispari non possono transitare i veicoli con targa che finisce con cifra dispari e nei giorni pari quelli con cifra pari. Nel 2026 il provvedimento e' stato applicato dal 30 marzo al 6 aprile e dal 24 aprile al 2 maggio. | [Comune di Amalfi](https://comune.amalfi.sa.it/Novita/Comunicati/Anche-per-il-2026-targhe-alterne-sulla-statale-163-a-partire-dalla-Settimana-Santa) | medium | 2027-04-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/region.campania.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Martuna.22. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Costiera_amalafitana_(1).jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/itinerari/7-days-rome-naples-pompeii.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/itinerarios/7-days-rome-naples-pompeii.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/itineraires/7-days-rome-naples-pompeii.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/routen/7-days-rome-naples-pompeii.md