To maintain the city as good as possible and continue to offer travellers the chance to explore Pompeii, you do need tickets to gain admission. If you happen to time your visit to coincide, the last Sunday of every month is free entry for all visitors.

Yes, you absolutely need a ticket to enter the Pompeii Archaeological Park, and for 2026, advance booking is highly recommended. In late 2025, park authorities introduced a daily cap of 20,000 visitors and transitioned to nominative tickets (meaning your name must be on the ticket) to manage overcrowding. As of March 2026, the official ticket platform has shifted to VivaTicket. A standard "Pompeii Express" ticket costs approximately €18, while a "Pompeii+" ticket, which includes access to suburban villas like the Villa of the Mysteries, is about €22. If you visit on the first Sunday of the month, admission is free as part of Italy's "Sunday at the Museum" initiative, but be prepared for extreme crowds and long queues. To avoid the hassle of official ticket lines at the Porta Marina or Piazza Esedra entrances, you can purchase a digital PDF ticket on your smartphone and walk directly to the turnstiles for a faster entry.