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Pompeii and Herculaneum Winter Hours 2026: What Changes on October 15
Shorter days, earlier last entry — the new gate times at both archaeological parks from 15 October 2026 to 15 March 2027.
When do Pompeii and Herculaneum switch to winter hours?
Both parks run on their longer summer schedule through 14 October 2026, with gates open into the early evening. From 15 October, the Parco Archeologico di Pompei — including the outlying sites of Boscoreale, Oplontis and Stabia — moves to 9:00–17:00 with last entry at 16:00. Herculaneum tightens further: gates open 8:30–17:00, but last entry is 15:30, ninety minutes before closing rather than the usual hour. Both parks stay on these winter hours until 15 March 2027.
The gap between the two last-entry times matters if you're doing both sites in one day — Herculaneum's shorter afternoon window means it has to come first, not as an afterthought once Pompeii's ash-cast bodies and forum have eaten the day.
Does this affect a September or early October trip?
No — anyone visiting before 15 October still gets the summer window, so a trip built around September's cooler evenings isn't touched by this change. It only bites once autumn proper arrives: from mid-October, plan a Pompeii or Herculaneum morning rather than a lunchtime start, since a 13:00 arrival now leaves barely three hours before last entry at either site, and the walk from Napoli Garibaldi or Sorrento by Circumvesuviana still needs to be factored in beforehand.
Herculaneum ticket prices and how to book
Herculaneum's full-price ticket is €13, with a €2 reduced rate for EU citizens aged 18–25; entry is free for under-18s, visitors with disabilities and one companion, accredited teachers, licensed guides and journalists. Tickets are sold online at ercolano.coopculture.it or at the park's own ticket office at Corso Resina — booking ahead is worth it on weekends even in the shorter winter window, since the site is small enough that entry can be capped. First reported by Il Mattino and Napolike, with the schedule confirmed on the archaeological park's own bulletin.
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