The archeological site of ancient Pompeii is one of Italy's top tourist attractions and the modern town of Pompei (spelled with only one i) makes a good base for visiting it. Pompeii can also be visited as a day trip from Naples or Sorrento. You can see Pompeii's location on this Bay of Naples map.
Our guide below has useful tips for your visit to ancient Pompeii and links to several photo galleries of the excavations.
Visitors Guide to the Pompeii Excavations
© 2010 by Martha Bakerjian
Europe Travel's Pompeii visitors guide has useful information about the excavations, opening times, and transportation.
Hotel Diana
© 2010 by James Martin, Europe Travel
Hotel Diana is near the FS train station and in walking distance of the ancient Pompeii site. The modern town of Pompei (spelled with only one i) makes a good base for visiting the ancient site and other nearby attractions like Mount Vesuvius (a day trip is offered by the hotel) and Herculaneum. Since most people visit Pompeii only as a day trip, the town is pretty pleasant in the evening and there's a good restaurant near the hotel.
Hotel Diana Review | Hotel Diana (book direct)
Pompeii Night Tours, Le Lune di Pompeii
© 2010 by James Martin, Europe Travel
Le Lune di Pompeii, the moons of Pompeii, is a special night tour offered on weekends from May through October. You'll need to make reservations. Find out more about the tour and how to make reservations with the link above.
Pompeii Map
With this Pompeii map you'll see the location of the train stations, our recommended hotel and restaurant, the entrance to the ancient site of Pompeii and an aerial view of the city and site.
Streets of Ancient Pompeii Illustrated Walking Tour
Here's an illustrated walking tour through the streets of ancient Pompeii from About.com's Archeology site that will be useful to help you plan your visit or if you just want to take a virtual tour.
Ancient Pompeii Pictures
Take a virtual tour of ancient Pompeii with these slides on Europe Travel.
A Look at the Houses of Pompeii
In this gallery you'll see photos of the remains of some of Pompeii's houses and find out more about them, from About.com's Ancient History site.
One of the largest and most opulent houses found in the Pompeii excavations is the House of the Faun, with several mosaics still visible. See House of the Faun photos on About.com's Archeology Site.
Guided Walking Tour of Pompeii
The ruins of Pompeii are vast and can be confusing. A good way to see them is by taking a guided tour, where you'll also find out interesting things about the site. Totally Ruined: The Excavations at Pompeii is a half-day guided walking tour offered by Select Italy.Pompeii Guided Excursions from Rome
The easiest way to visit Pompeii from Rome is on a guided excursion. On this tour, booked through Kajubi, you'll travel by bus from Rome to Naples where you'll pass by the city's historic sites and travel through the valley below Mount Vesuvius where you'll see the volcano looming above. Upon arrival in Pompeii you'll have lunch and then visit the Pompeii excavations before being taken back to Rome.
Pompeii Exhibits at the Naples National Archeology Museum
The National Archeology Museum in Naples has many mosaics and frescoes from ancient Pompeii, a special exhibit of wall paintings and atifacts removed from the temple of Isis, and a detailed model of ancient Pompeii made in the 19th century.
Mount Vesuvius Visitor Information
Mount Vesuvius is the volcano that buried the city of Pompeii and can easily be visited from Pompeii or Naples.
Recommended Books about Pompeii
For reading beyond the usual Pompeii guide books, I recommend Pompeii Awakened by Judith Harris, a non-fiction book about the excavations themselves (Read Review) and Pompeii by Robert Harris, historic fiction set in the days leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius (Read Review).
