Temple of Apollo in Pompeii: what's there, and which gate?
Open 9:00 to 17:00 this season, on any ticket, on the way up from Porta Marina to the Forum. One of the oldest places of worship in the city: a temple on a podium inside a colonnaded court, an altar in the middle, and copies of the bronze Apollo and Diana where the originals stood.
By Chiara Vitale · Sources checked
- Sanctuary of Apollo, Regio VII: 9:00–17:00
- Included in the €20, €25 and €30 tickets; nothing extra to buy
- Nearest gate: Porta Marina, from Pompei Villa dei Misteri station; the sanctuary is the first thing on your left after the ramp
- The site admits until 15:30; the sanctuary keeps the site's full hours
What is the Sanctuary of Apollo?
One of the oldest places of worship in Pompeii, set on the road that climbs from Porta Marina to the public heart of the city. Apollo as founding god points to the Greeks and Etruscans who were here first. Deep digs found vases, votive gifts and terracotta decoration from an archaic temple of the 6th century BC.
Between the 3rd and 2nd century BC the old building was rebuilt into the shape you see, touched up under Nero: a temple on a podium, a portico around a courtyard, an altar at the center. A row of doors in the east wall, once a monumental colonnade, joined the sanctuary to the Forum square.
The games in Apollo's honor, the ludi Apollinares, included gladiators and plays, and the rites of boys and girls who took Apollo and his twin Diana as protectors. Their Hellenistic bronzes are in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples; the copies stand here.
What to see, in order
The court and the altar
Walk the portico first. The altar in the middle of the court is where the rites happened; the temple on its podium was for the god, not the crowd. Find the two bronzes, Apollo with his bow and Diana, along the colonnade.
The temple and the way to the Forum
Climb nothing: the podium is for looking. Then continue to the Forum square by the marked visitor route, with the Temple of Jupiter ahead and Vesuvius behind it.
Park Houses list, summer March 16 to October 14.
How do I get there?
- Take the Sorrento line to Pompei Villa dei Misteri. Enter at Porta Marina with your ID.
- Walk up the ramp. The sanctuary opens on your left before the Forum; the park's Path 2 lists it after the Forum and the Temple of Jupiter.
- Continue to the Forum square by the marked route, then the Basilica at the south end.
- Open until 19:00 in summer. The site admits until 15:30; you can't leave and come back.
Park "How to get there"; map and guide.
Will a guided tour include the sanctuary?
All tour selections →Most walks from Porta Marina pass through it on the way to the Forum. The Porta Marina walk with your own ticket names the Temple of Apollo, the Basilica and the Forum in its route. What I'd do: a guided walk, then the court alone at the end of the day.
Tour selections compare routes, tickets and meeting points; the tour page shows the route line. tour listings, data from September 19 and 20, 2026.
Before you go
Which ticket do I need?
Any Pompeii ticket: €20, €25 or €30. The sanctuary is inside the walls, beside the Forum.
Temple or sanctuary?
Both words are right. The park calls the whole enclosure the Sanctuary of Apollo; the temple is the building on the podium inside it.
Are the statues original?
No. The park's page says the Hellenistic bronzes of Apollo and Diana are in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, and copies stand here.
How old is it?
The archaic temple goes back to the 6th century BC. What you see is the rebuild of the 3rd to 2nd century BC, with a small renovation under Nero.
How long does it take?
The park publishes no times. Ten minutes for the court and the bronzes; it's on the way to everything else. What I'd do: don't rush it on the way in; the Forum crowd thins by the time you come back.
Which gate is nearest?
Porta Marina, beside Pompei Villa dei Misteri station. The sanctuary is on the road up from the gate, before the Forum.
Park ticket table, prices effective January 12, 2026; park page on the sanctuary.