Pompeii Museum · Tour
Private Pompeii Tour with Archaeologist Guide and Vesuvius Winery Lunch
The guide is an archaeology expert with 32 years of experience, and the group travels in a Mercedes minivan rather than on a crowded bus. The walk is private and set to the group's pace, with routes that steer away from the busiest areas.
Pompeii covers roughly 150 acres and once held about 18,000 inhabitants, so the walk concentrates on the highlights around the Forum: its public buildings, the baths, the Large and Small Theatres, a tavern, a bakery and one or two private houses. Special requests can be raised ahead of time and the itinerary planned together.
The finish is a lunch at the organic Cantina del Vesuvio winery inside Vesuvius National Park, after a short stroll through the vineyards. The tour does not reach the summit of Mount Vesuvius, and the winery lunch is paid on the spot.
What's included
- Pick-up and Drop-off
- Reservation for wine experience on Mount Vesuvius. Lunch to be paid on the spot
- Transport by A/C Mercedes Minivan
- Private Walking Tour with Official Guide
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- Pompeii Express Skip-the-line tickets
Itinerary
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Archaeological Park of Pompeii
The walk is tuned to the group's wishes and fitness. The city covers roughly 150 acres and held about 18,000 inhabitants, so the route focuses on the highlights around the Forum. Special requests can be sent ahead of time. Most of these are visited in depth: the Forum and its public buildings, the baths, the Large and Small Theatres, a tavern, a bakery and one or two private houses.
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Porta Marina entrance
Porta Marina is the main entrance to Pompeii from the sea, a double-arched gate for pedestrians and carts set in the city walls. The gentle slope of Via Marina leads up to the Forum, past the Antiquarium and the Suburban Baths.
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The Basilica Pompeiana (Pompeian Basilica)
The Basilica was the city's main courthouse and a center of business, not a religious site. It dates to the 2nd century BC. Visitors can walk the central nave, lined with the bases of 28 brick columns, to the raised platform where magistrates sat.
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Temple of Apollo
One of the oldest sacred sites in Pompeii, with origins in the 6th century BC. A portico of 48 columns surrounds it, and the courtyard holds replicas of the bronze Apollo as an archer and Diana, a white marble altar and an Ionic column with a sundial.
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The Forum of Pompeii
The political, commercial and religious center of the city, at the junction of Via Marina and Vicolo delle Terme. Travertine paving and the pedestals that once held statues remain, and Vesuvius rises to the north.
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Macellum
Pompeii's covered food market, in the corner of the Forum. Fish scales and bones found in the drains show that seafood was sold here. Frescoes of mythological scenes and the stone table used to check weights and measures survive.
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Forum Baths
The only bath complex fully operating when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The sequence of changing room, cold bath, warm room and hot room survives, with stucco reliefs on the vaults, a bronze brazier and the hollow walls and floors that carried hot air.
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House of the Faun
One of the largest and richest private houses in Pompeii, filling a whole city block, with two atriums and two peristyle gardens. The Dancing Faun and the Alexander Mosaic are now shown as replicas, the originals being in the Naples Archaeological Museum.
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House of the Vettii
Known as the Sistine Chapel of Pompeii, owned by two brothers who rose from slavery to become wealthy merchants. Highlights are the Fourth Style frescoes, the Priapus painting at the entrance, the Room of the Cupids and a replanted peristyle garden.
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Insula dei Casti Amanti
The Block of the Chaste Lovers, on Via dell'Abbondanza, includes houses and a bakery. It reopened in 2024 with an elevated walkway that gives a view from above of the architecture and the excavation below.
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Teatro Grande
A horseshoe-shaped theater cut into a hillside that could seat about 5,000. The seating shows the social hierarchy of the day, and the acoustics can still be tested by speaking from the center of the orchestra.
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Antiquarium
The museum at the Porta Marina entrance, covering Pompeii from its Samnite roots to the eruption of 79 AD. It holds the Moregine silver treasure, amulets, frescoes and plaster casts, including the Dog of Pompeii.
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Cantina del Vesuvio winery lunch
An organic winery inside Mt. Vesuvius National Park, with views of the Bay of Naples and the crater. A 15-minute guided stroll through the vineyards introduces the Lacryma Christi wines, followed by a set lunch with 5 local wines: appetizers, spaghetti with Vesuvius cherry tomatoes and meatballs, and Neapolitan pastiera. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available. Payment is on site by card or cash, and wines and olive oils can be shipped home.
Extra fee
Not included
- The wine experience is booked on request and includes a visit, lunch and wine tasting. The additional cost is 50 euros for the Classic tasting or 60 euros for the Superior wine experience.
- The tour does NOT reach the top of Mt Vesuvius
Good to know
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
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- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Up to 7 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, it, fr, es.
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