Pompeii with kids is incredible… if you go in prepared. This place is massive and there’s so much to see, but with kids we knew we wouldn’t get to it all. We went in with no expectations and lots of fun facts to share with them and it went really well! Here’s all the things we did that helped before we went, and things we wish we had done differently (hint- we made a few really dumb mistakes so learn from us!)
Also see below for my list of all the facts we shared with the kids throughout the site, the app we used, and the videos we showed the kids to prep for the day.
Tickets: Pompeii used a timed entry system during the busy season (April-Oct), so book your tickets early. We did the 9-1pm time slot, so as long as you enter before that time slot ends, you’re good to go. Earlier is better with kids IMO. Tickets are really affordable (18€ per person and kids are free). They have a skip the line ticket option here but I heard mixed reviews on if it was worth it or not so we didn’t do it, and it was fine (we went in October so it was still considered busy season).
Things to know:
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Don’t bring a stroller. Check it at the ticketing area. We brought our jogging stroller and it was really dumb of us. But at the same time, our toddler named in there when he lost interest, so that was nice. But it was pretty difficult to push around unless you only stick to the wheelchair accessible area. It’s a trade off- but if you can manage no stroller, that was definitely easier.
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This place is huge, and hard to do all in one day. Just see what you can and enjoy it.
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It can get HOT here in warmer months, so make sure you bring water (and snacks! Food is very limited around this area)
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We showed the kids some videos the night before about Pompeii and it helped them be a little more familiar with what we were about to visit and to visualize what it might have looked like before the eruption.
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With our itinerary we wanted to be a little more North to end the night since we were traveling more the next day, so we opted to stay in Naples. That was also where we found a great cooking class for the kids. The other option we considered from here is to head down to the Amalfi Coast (we’ve done that before and LOVED it). If you’re considering that route, Pompeii is a good place to hit up before heading out there.
- Bathrooms are limited in there, so make sure and have kids go before
Should we get a guide?: Short answer, if it’s in the budget, yes, this would be a great spot to do it. We didn’t and honestly, it would have been a really cool thing to do here. It can be pricey and wasn’t in our budget this time, but after going, I do think it would have been really cool to have one. There’s lots of guide options out there that do tours catered specifically to kids to keep them engaged throughout Pompeii.
If you aren’t doing a guide: Prepare before! You’ll get a lot more out of it with the kids if you have some facts or interesting things to share about Pompeii with them. Otherwise it’s easy for them to lose interest fast. We did a mix of ChatGPT and Rick Steves Audio Europe app. We asked ChatGPT to come up with a bunch of facts about Pompeii we could share with the kids which was fun for some unique fast facts (I’ll share these on my website in a blog post). The Rick Steves app has a full audio tour of Pompeii so my husband would listen to it about whatever spot we were in and then summarize it for the kids. It was a lot more work to do it all this way, but it works if you’re on a budget. Basically, the takeaway here is the more you prepare, the better it’ll be with kids if you’re the tour guide.
Sensitive topic: There is a place where you can see a plaster cast of a body embalmed in the ash and lava. We chose to skip this part because my kids have very recently been through a lot of trauma involving fire in our house and I didn’t think this would be good for them to see. Some kids might be fine with it, but just something to be aware of and either prep your kids for beforehand or skip altogether.
Resources before going to Pompeii:
- We used the Rick Steves Audio Europe app and it was so helpful
- Here's a few videos that we showed the kids before going-
- A recreation of what Pompeii looked like before the eruption (this was cool to show them when we were there too and show them what the places they were standing in looked like)
- The history of Pompeii for kids
- Here's the list of facts we shared with the kids about Pompeii (these are also some great facts to use to search more about on YouTube for short videos, like the fact about Pliny the Younger:
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- Pompeii was buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.!
- It’s like a time capsule—everything was frozen in time under the ash.
- The city was forgotten for centuries until rediscovered in the 1700s.
- About 20,000 people lived in Pompeii with shops, markets, and schools.
- You’re walking on real Roman streets that are almost 2,000 years old!
- The eruption lasted about 24 hours and covered the city in ash and rocks.
- Volcanic ash fell like snow, then came hot gas clouds that buried everything.
- Some people escaped, but many thought the eruption would pass.
- A teenager named Pliny the Younger wrote letters describing what happened!
- Pompeii had fast food! Street shops called thermopolia served quick meals.
- Some homes had running water, fountains, and heated floors!
- They decorated walls with colorful mosaics and paintings.
- Archaeologists found bread still in ovens after the eruption.
- There’s graffiti everywhere—messages, jokes, and love notes!
- Pompeii had stepping stones for crosswalks to keep feet clean.
- Romans even recycled broken pottery into building material.
- The amphitheater held 20,000 people for gladiator games and shows.
- Romans loved pets—some homes had 'Beware of Dog' signs!
- Plaster casts show the exact shapes of people and animals from that day.
- Chariot ruts are still visible on the stone streets!
- Pompeii had shopping districts with jars for wine, oil, and snacks.
- Temples were built for Jupiter, Apollo, and Venus.
- Pompeii had two theaters—one large, one small for music and plays.
- Over 40 fountains gave people fresh water across the city.
- Shops had painted signs because not everyone could read.
- Romans played board games carved into sidewalks!
- They used olive oil lamps for light instead of bulbs.
- Roman kids went to school and practiced writing on wax tablets.
- Public baths were like community spas with hot and cold pools.
- Laundry workers used urine to clean clothes (eww but true!).
- Mount Vesuvius is still active today, but scientists monitor it closely.
- Nearby towns like Herculaneum and Stabiae were also buried.
- Pompeii was covered by 15–20 feet of ash!
- Farmers once dug into the ruins without realizing it was Pompeii.
- Over 100 dog skeletons were found—one even had its collar.
- Earthquakes happened before the eruption, but no one knew what it meant.
- Some mosaics and frescoes still look freshly painted!
- Pompeii’s streets are older than most countries!
- Romans brushed their teeth with twigs and crushed shells.
- Gladiators were the sports stars of their time.
- Scientists replanted Pompeii’s ancient vineyards using found seeds.
- Rich Romans kept monkeys and exotic birds as pets.
- Their favorite condiment was fish sauce called garum.
- Bakeries baked hundreds of loaves a day in stone ovens.
- Doctors used bronze tools like scalpels and tweezers.
- Roman kids had dolls, wooden swords, and toy carts.
- The longer your toga, the fancier you were.
- Perfume shops sold oils made from flowers and herbs.
- The Forum was Pompeii’s main plaza for meetings and markets.
- The House of the Faun has a famous mosaic of Alexander the Great.
- Fast-food shops still show colorful jars and paintings.
- Pompeii’s amphitheater is the oldest in the Roman world.
- Some houses had skylights and indoor rainwater pools.
- Streets even had ancient speed bumps made of stone!
- Rich homes had indoor garden murals painted on walls.
- Romans didn’t have toilet paper—they used a shared sponge on a stick!
- Public toilets had no walls between seats—it was social time!
- Some graffiti was ancient jokes like 'I was bored, so I wrote this.'
- They used lead pipes for plumbing—not great for health!