Pompeii hours 9:00–19:00 · last entry 17:30 · to October 1452 buildings listed as open · all 67Vesuvius · September admission until 17:00Updated Sep 18, 2026 · sources
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Places · Amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre of Pompeii

Built in 70 BC, it's the oldest known Roman amphitheatre. It could hold up to 20,000 spectators. Since June 14, viewing is from the southern entrance only. Use Piazza Anfiteatro if the Amphitheatre is your first stop.

By Chiara Vitale · Updated September 19, 2026

Updated September 19, 2026
  • 9:00–19:00, summer season to October 14
  • Regio II, by the Piazza Anfiteatro gate; since June 14 "visible from the southern entrance" only
  • On the €20, €25 and €30 tickets; nothing extra
  • Station Pompei Santuario, Poggiomarino line; Trenitalia Pompei + Pompei Link bus
The arena and tiers of the Amphitheatre of Pompeii
The arena and the tiers. Photo: Marco Ebreo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Access is limited; see the notice below.

What is there to see?

70 BCbuilt just before the Roman colony was founded, by two magistrates who also built the Odeon
20,000spectators, from Pompeii and the towns around it; that's why it sits at the edge of the city
59 ADa brawl with the fans from Nocera; the Senate shut the arena for ten years, lifted after the earthquake of 62
1748first excavated; the rest in 1813–1814

The oldest amphitheatre known in the Roman world. The outside stairs have two flights. They led to the upper seats. A corridor led to the lower seats. A parapet with paintings of gladiators separated the arena from the seats.

View the Amphitheatre from its southern entrance. Since June 14 the park's list of open buildings says "visible from the southern entrance". The park's list gives no end date for this restriction.

In 59 AD a brawl with the crowd from Nocera got the arena closed by the Senate for ten years; the ban was lifted in 62 AD after the earthquake.
The outer arches and stairways of the Amphitheatre
The outside stairways to the upper tiers. Photo: Marco Ober, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Archaeological Park of Pompeii, "A Guide to the Pompeii Excavations"; list of open buildings. Updated September 19, 2026.

What's next to it

Large Palaestra

140 × 140 mwith a pool at the centre

Visit the casts exhibition in the Large Palaestra next door. It opened on March 12, 2026. Closes earlier than the site.

9:15–18:20, last entrance 18:00

Garden of the Fugitives

13casts, where they were found

The garden was a vineyard. The casts of thirteen people are in a glass case near the back wall, where they were found.

9:00–19:00 · Where are the bodies? →
What I'd do: visit the Palaestra first if you arrive in the afternoon. It closes at 18:20; the Amphitheatre at 19:00.

Park list of open buildings; the park's guide. Updated September 19, 2026.

How do I get to the Amphitheatre?

  1. From Naples, take the Circumvesuviana toward Poggiomarino. Get off at Pompei Santuario.
  2. Or take Trenitalia to Pompei. From there, the Pompei Link bus takes about 15 minutes to the park.
  3. Enter at Piazza Anfiteatro. There's a ticket office and a cloakroom. The picnic area is near Amphitheatre Square. Schools must use this gate.
  4. From Sorrento, take the train to Pompei Villa dei Misteri and enter at Porta Marina; the Amphitheatre is by Piazza Anfiteatro, at the other gate. You can't leave and re-enter on the same ticket. What I'd do: visit the Amphitheatre last if you enter at Porta Marina.

Park "How to get there" and visitor regulations. Updated September 18, 2026.

Which tours come here?

All tour selections →

Choose a tour whose itinerary names the Amphitheatre. The meeting gate and duration don't tell you the route. Check the route line on the tour page before you book.

No tour in our selections names the Amphitheatre in its itinerary yet. The tour pages show the route line. Viator listings. Updated September 19, 2026.

Before you go

Can I walk into the arena?

No. Since June 14 the park lists the Amphitheatre as visible from the southern entrance only.

Is it included in the ticket?

Yes, on all three: €20, €25 and €30. The Amphitheatre closes at 19:00 in summer. The Palaestra closes at 18:20, with last entry at 18:00.

What else is at this end?

The Large Palaestra with the casts exhibition, next door, and the Garden of the Fugitives in Regio I. Both are on the park's Path 1, which starts at Piazza Anfiteatro.

Which gate is closest?

Piazza Anfiteatro, from Pompei Santuario on the Poggiomarino line. From Sorrento, take the train to Pompei Villa dei Misteri, enter at Porta Marina and continue through the site.

Can I eat nearby?

There's a picnic area by Amphitheatre Square, and a restaurant inside the site near the Forum. Bags over 30 × 30 × 15 cm stay at the cloakroom by the gate.

Can I take photos?

Yes, for private use, without flash. That's the park's rule for the whole site.

Park list of open buildings, ticket table and visitor regulations. Updated September 19, 2026.

Nearby

Large Palaestra the casts exhibitionGarden of the FugitivesHouse of Octavius QuartioHouse of Venus in the ShellVia dell'AbbondanzaPiazza Anfiteatro gate
Chiara VitaleWrites pompeii.day

I grew up in Castellammare di Stabia, under the volcano, and spent six seasons on hotel front desks in Sorrento. Which ticket, which train, which gate, how many hours: I've answered these more times than I can count.

Now I live in Pompei, ten minutes on foot from the Amphitheatre gate, and I go into the site most weeks on a MyPompeii card. The dates and numbers on this page are the park's own, from its guide and its list of open buildings. Report a correction.