You can also reach the Porta Marina entrance by buses D-E and SITA. Entrance Timings: You can explore Pompeii between 8:30 AM to 7 PM. The last entrance is at 5:30 PM. Average Wait Time: Depending on the time and date of your visit, you can expect a wait time between 1-2 hours.

In 2026, the queue at the main entrance of Pompeii (Porta Marina Superiore) can vary from 15 minutes to over 2 hours, depending heavily on the season and your arrival time. During the peak summer months (June–August) and on "Free Sundays," the line for those without pre-booked tickets is notoriously long, often snaking into the sun with very little shade. To mitigate this, the park has implemented a daily cap of 20,000 visitors as of late 2024 to preserve the ruins and manage "overtourism." This makes pre-booking a "Skip-the-Line" digital ticket or a guided tour nearly mandatory for a stress-free visit. If you arrive at "rope drop" (09:00 AM) with a digital ticket, you can usually clear security and enter in under 10 minutes. However, the "queue" is not just at the gate; in 2026, popular villas like the House of the Vettii or the Lupanar (brothel) often have their own internal queues of 20–30 minutes due to capacity limits within the fragile rooms. Planning for a 4-to-5-hour visit ensures you aren't rushed by these inevitable "bottlenecks" in the ancient city.