# Campania: three access rules to plan around

> Pompeii caps entry at 20,000 a day, the Vesuvius summit sells timed slots, the Amalfi road alternates plates. What to book, and in what order.

URL: https://myitalia.it/regions/campania
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Campania is the only Italian region where three separate access rules decide your day: a daily cap at Pompeii, timed slots on the Vesuvius summit trail, and alternating number plates on the Amalfi road.

## Pompeii: 20,000 a day, and your name on the ticket

Since November 15, 2024 the archaeological park has issued named tickets and asks for photo ID at the gate, with a ceiling of 20,000 visitors a day. The measure followed days that passed 36,000 people.

Between April 1 and October 31 the cap is split in two: up to 15,000 from 9:00 am to noon, then 5,000 from noon to 5:30 pm. Morning slots go first, and the afternoon band is small.

Four tickets have existed since January 12, 2026. Pompei Express at €20.00 covers the ancient city alone; Pompei+ at €25.00 adds the suburban villas and the shuttle; Pompei Plus 3 days at €30.00 covers four sites over three days out of four; the annual pass is €45.00. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2.00.

## Vesuvius: the crater rim is a timed ticket

Trail 5, the Gran Cono, is sold only on the park's online platform, at €11.68 full and €9.55 reduced. Places are released in blocks of 50 every 10 minutes, up to 30 days ahead, plus ten late tickets per slot on sale half an hour before, named since April 11, 2026 and limited to five per email address.

The walk is 4,010 m out and back to 1,175 m above sea level, rated easy, and takes about two and a half hours. Closing time moves with the season: 6:00 pm in July and August, 5:00 pm from April to June and in September, 4:00 pm in March and October, 3:00 pm in winter. Last entry is well before that, so an afternoon slot in October is shorter than it looks.

## The Amalfi road alternates number plates

On the SS163 Amalfitana, between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, Anas order 340/2019 bans cars whose plate ends in an odd digit on odd numbered days, and even on even. In 2026 it applied from March 30 to April 6 and from April 24 to May 2.

Exemptions cover residents of the Costa d'Amalfi towns, disability permit holders, taxis and hire cars with driver, emergency vehicles, hotel guests holding a reservation, and non resident workers under contract. Motorbikes and scooters are outside the rule, and traffic runs freely outside the hours. A rental car with the wrong plate on the wrong day is a real problem, and it's the hotel booking that fixes it.

## If Pompeii is full: Herculaneum, Paestum, Velia

Herculaneum costs €16.00 full and €2.00 for ages 18 to 25, opens every day except December 25, and runs 8:30 am to 7:30 pm with last entry at 6:00 pm from March 16 to October 14, then 8:30 am to 5:00 pm with last entry at 3:30 pm.

Paestum and Velia share one ticket valid three days, covering both archaeological areas and the national museum at Paestum: €15.00 from March to November, €10.00 from December to February, €2.00 reduced. Open daily 8:30 am to 7:30 pm, ticket office closes at 6:30 pm.

## Seven World Heritage sites, and where the crowds are not

Campania holds seven World Heritage sites: the Royal Palace at Caserta with the Carolino aqueduct and San Leucio, the historic center of Naples, the Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata group, the Amalfi Coast, the Cilento and Vallo di Diano park with Paestum, Velia and the Padula charterhouse, the Longobard sites, and the Via Appia added in 2024.

Pressure is not spread across them. Naples alone takes 7.0% of all American nights in Italy, part of the 60.3% concentrated in five towns nationwide, while the Cilento at the southern end of the same region barely registers.

Getting to the two Vesuvian sites without a car is simpler than it looks. From Porta Nolana and Garibaldi in Naples, the EAV L1 line toward Sorrento is the only Vesuvian line that stops at both Ercolano Scavi and Pompei Scavi Villa dei Misteri, on the timetable in force since March 28, 2026.

Naples Capodichino handled 13,271,522 passengers in 2025. The region logged 21,369,462 overnight stays in 2024, 4.58% of the national total. Buffalo mozzarella from these plains has been DOP since June 21, 1996.

## FAQ

### Do I need to book Pompeii in advance?

Yes, and the ticket carries your name. Since November 15, 2024 the park caps entry at 20,000 people a day and asks for photo ID. From April 1 to October 31 the cap splits into 15,000 places from 9:00 am to noon and 5,000 from noon to 5:30 pm.

### Can you walk up to the Vesuvius crater without booking?

No. Trail 5, the Gran Cono, is sold online only, at €11.68 full and €9.55 reduced, in slots of 50 people every 10 minutes released up to 30 days ahead. Ten extra tickets per slot go on sale 30 minutes before.

### What is the alternate number plate rule on the Amalfi Coast?

On the SS163 between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, cars with an odd final digit can't drive on odd dated days, and even on even. It runs under Anas order 340/2019 on set spring and summer dates. Motorbikes, residents, taxis and hotel guests with a booking are exempt.

### Is Herculaneum a good substitute if Pompeii is sold out?

It's a different site, not a smaller one. Herculaneum costs €16 full, €2 reduced for ages 18 to 25, and opens daily except December 25. Hours are 8:30 am to 7:30 pm from March 16 to October 14, and 8:30 am to 5:00 pm the rest of the year.

### How much is the tourist tax in Naples?

Between €4.00 and €6.00 per person per night in hotels, depending on category, under the council decision of March 12, 2026 in force since May 1, 2026. Non hotel accommodation has its own bands. It's usually collected at the property, often in cash.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2024 Campania ha registrato 21.369.462 presenze turistiche. pari al 4.58% del totale nazionale | [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/tour_occ_nin2) | medium | 2027-07-31 |
| In Campania ricadono 7 siti UNESCO del Patrimonio Mondiale (2026) | [UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it/); [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/); [Wikidata (query SPARQL su P1435=Q9259, P17=Q38, P757, P131)](https://query.wikidata.org/sparql) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| La Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP e registrata nel registro UE dal 21 giugno 1996. | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| 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 |
| Dal 12 gennaio 2026 il Parco archeologico di Pompei vende quattro titoli distinti: Pompei Express a 20,00 euro per la sola citta' antica, Pompei+ a 25,00 euro con le ville suburbane e la navetta, Pompei Plus 3 days a 30,00 euro valido tre giorni su quattro siti, e l'abbonamento annuale a 45,00 euro; il ridotto per i cittadini UE di 18-25 anni e' 2,00 euro. | [Parco archeologico di Pompei](https://pompeiisites.org/info-per-la-visita/orari-e-tariffe/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Il Parco Archeologico di Ercolano costa 16,00 euro di biglietto intero e 2,00 euro di ridotto per i 18-25 anni, e' aperto tutti i giorni dell'anno tranne il 25 dicembre e osserva due orari: 8:30-19:30 con ultimo ingresso alle 18:00 dal 16 marzo al 14 ottobre, 8:30-17:00 con ultimo ingresso alle 15:30 dal 15 ottobre al 15 marzo (2026). | [Parco Archeologico di Ercolano](https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/biglietti/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Parco archeologico di Paestum e Velia usa un biglietto unico valido 3 giorni che copre l'area archeologica di Paestum, quella di Velia e il Museo archeologico nazionale di Paestum: costa 15,00 euro da marzo a novembre e 10,00 euro da dicembre a febbraio, con ridotto a 2,00 euro. Apertura tutti i giorni 8:30-19:30, biglietteria chiusa alle 18:30 (2026). | [Parco archeologico di Paestum e Velia - Ministero della cultura](https://parchipaestumvelia.cultura.gov.it/info-biglietti/); [doc 2](https://parchipaestumvelia.cultura.gov.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'aeroporto di Napoli Capodichino (codice IATA NAP) ha registrato 13.271.522 passeggeri nel 2025 (+4,9% sul 2024), quarto scalo italiano. | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| A Napoli l'imposta di soggiorno, aggiornata con deliberazione di Giunta n. 89 del 12 marzo 2026 ed efficace dal 1 maggio 2026, va da 4,00 euro a persona per notte negli alberghi a 1 stella a 6,00 euro negli alberghi a 4 e 5 stelle e nelle locazioni brevi, per un massimo di 14 giorni consecutivi. | [Comune di Napoli](https://www.comune.napoli.it/articolo_tematico/tributi-locali/imposta-di-soggiorno/imposta-di-soggiorno-2026/) | medium | 2027-04-30 |
| 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 60,3% delle notti statunitensi si concentra in cinque comuni: Roma 25,5%, Firenze 14,6%, Napoli 7,0%, Venezia 6,7%, Milano 6,5%. | [Banca d'Italia, Indagine sul turismo internazionale](https://www.bancaditalia.it/statistiche/tematiche/rapporti-estero/turismo-internazionale/) | medium | 2027-07-31 |

## 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

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