Photo: Commonists, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Day trip from Sorrento

Sorrento to Pompeii, by train.

The easiest day trip from Sorrento: one train, about 35 minutes, and the station is next to the site. What it costs, when it closes, and whether you need a tour.

Circumvesuviana train ~35 min one way €20 site ticket Closes 17:00 in winter
The short answer

Pompeii is the easiest day trip from Sorrento: one train, about 35 minutes, and the station is a few steps from the gate. On your own you pay the site ticket — €20, in your name — plus a short train fare. The real constraint is not the price but the clock: from mid-October to mid-March the last entry is at 15:30.

What
Cost / time
Note
Circumvesuviana train, Sorrento → Pompei Scavi
~30–40 min
trains about every 30 minutes
Pompeii site ticket, adult
€20
since 12 Jan 2026, in your name
EU citizens aged 18–24
€2
official reduced ticket
Opening, 15 Oct – 15 Mar
9:00 – 17:00
last entry 15:30
Opening, 16 Mar – 14 Oct
9:00 – 19:00
last entry 17:30
Guided “Pompeii Express” from Sorrento
from about $56–60
marketplace “from” prices

Ticket prices and hours from the Parco Archeologico di Pompei, read on 2 November 2026. The train fare is not shown: we have not been able to read it on the operator’s own table, so buy at the station and check.

Getting there

One train, last stop to Pompei Scavi

Sorrento is the last stop of the Circumvesuviana, the local line to Naples. Get off at Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri, a few steps from the site entrance, not at the other Pompei stations in town.

The journey takes 30 to 40 minutes, with a train about every half hour from early morning to late evening on the timetables we read. Those tables are third-party and show the Naples → Sorrento direction: check the Sorrento → Pompei departures on the day, at the station or in the EAV app.

The ticket

€20, and your name on it

Since 12 January 2026 the full ticket is €20, valid for one entry (you cannot leave and come back). EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2. The other sites of the park — Boscoreale, Oplontis, Stabia — are €8 each, and a one-year ticket for all of them with the shuttle is €45.

Since 15 November 2024 tickets are nominative: your name is on them, online and at the gates, and the ticket office asks for ID. The park admits at most 20,000 visitors a day, and from 16 March to 14 October entry is split into two time slots. Buy online from the park’s official seller, or at the ticket offices of Porta Marina, Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza Esedra.

Some booking sites still quote €18. That figure is out of date against the park’s own page — a good example of how a copied price goes wrong.

When to go

In winter, the closing hour decides the day

From 15 October to 15 March the site opens at 9:00, takes the last visitors at 15:30 and closes at 17:00. From 16 March to 14 October it stays open until 19:00, last entry 17:30.

In summer the problem is heat and crowds: there is almost no shade, so go at opening time and book a slot online. In winter the problem is the clock: leave Sorrento early, because once you are inside, the site is far larger than it looks.

DIY or tour?

A tour buys a guide, not a shortcut

On the booking marketplaces, a “Pompeii Express” tour by train from Sorrento starts around $56–60 per person (GetYourGuide, TripAdvisor, read on 2 November 2026); the description says the return train is included, so check whether the site ticket is too. Doing it yourself costs the €20 ticket plus the train.

Go alone if you like to wander and choose what to see. Take a guide if you want the context: a good guide changes what you see far more than the ticket does. Booking your own ticket online also skips the queue at the gate.

Another day trip
Sorrento to Capri
Half an hour by boat, about €68 in summer with the Blue Grotto.
Another day trip
Sorrento to Positano
Half a day by SITA bus, and the last bus back is earlier from November.
All the trips
Day trips from Sorrento
Every trip from Sorrento, honestly ranked.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Pompeii from Sorrento by train?

About 30 to 40 minutes on the Circumvesuviana, to Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri, next to the site entrance.

How much is the Pompeii ticket?

€20 for an adult since 12 January 2026; €2 for EU citizens aged 18–24. Tickets are in your name, and the ticket office asks for ID.

Do I need to book Pompeii in advance?

From 16 March to 14 October entry is by time slot and capped, so booking online is wise. In winter you can usually buy at the gate.

What time does Pompeii close in winter?

From 15 October to 15 March it closes at 17:00, with last entry at 15:30.

Is a tour worth it for Pompeii?

If you want context, yes: you are buying a guide. Tours from Sorrento start around $56–60 on the marketplaces; on your own you pay €20 plus the train.

Can I do Pompeii and Capri in one day?

You can; you should not. Each deserves a full day, and combining them means seeing neither.

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Sources & verification

Prices and opening hours read on the Parco Archeologico di Pompei’s own pages on 2 November 2026. Train times come from third-party timetables and are marked as such; the train fare is not published here because we could not read it on the operator’s table. Tour prices are marketplace “from” prices on the same date. We have no commercial agreement with any operator.

Parco Archeologico di Pompei, tickets and hours · nominative tickets and daily limit · EAV / Circumvesuviana fares · third-party timetables (Visit Pompeii, Sorrento Insider) · GetYourGuide and TripAdvisor (“from” prices)
Hero photo: Commonists, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons