The Last Days Of Pompeii: The Immersive Experience Review
Pompeii has always held a kind of spell over me. I loved studying it in my Ancient History class back in high school (which, amusingly, is starting to feel like ancient history itself!). From that moment, I longed to walk those streets, to see the remnants of a city frozen in time. For years I envied anyone who had already been.
Fast forward to 2022, and I finally found myself under the Italian sun, wandering Pompeii and Herculaneum. I can still picture the cobbled streets beneath my feet, the amphitheatre echoing with imagined voices, the grooves of sliding door tracks that whispered of everyday life. That day was pure awe—an experience that remains with me to this day.
This week, I returned to Pompeii in a different way—through The Last Days of Pompeii: The Immersive Experience, now open at Immerse London. It’s the UK debut of National Geographic’s award-winning exhibition, and it promises to transport visitors back to the ancient city with 360-degree projections, virtual reality, artefacts, and even a metaverse journey.
Created by Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD), the team behind The Legend of the Titanic and Tutankhamun: The Immersive Experience (both of which I’ve reviewed), this show felt familiar in format but still managed to capture my attention.
We began by stepping into recreated Roman architecture—stone floors, frescoes, columns—alongside artefacts and replicas. I lingered over the marble torso of Diana, Goddess of Hunting, but I’ll admit I hoped for more original Pompeii-specific artefacts. The replicas of the casts of the citizens of Pompeii made me pause and reflect on the human cost of the disaster.
The 360° Virtual Reality sequence pulled me straight into the spectacle. One moment I was seated in a chariot entering an amphitheatre, the next I was watching gladiators clash and even a naval battle (I learned the word naumachia that day). When the ash began to fall from above, I felt my chest tighten—I wanted to escape. It was a glimpse into the panic that must have gripped Pompeii’s citizens.
Then came the vast projection hall enveloping us in the daily life of Pompeii before the eruption. Over 26 minutes, I watched the city breathe, bustle, and then burn. Some sequences were breathtaking—the streets crumbling, flames engulfing. Others jarred me, like the sudden appearance of a giant golden mask speaking to us. The soundtrack, though, was a triumph. René Merkelbach’s score, performed by the Audiocult Orchestra and Choir, shifted from adventure to dread, weaving in ancient instruments that grounded the spectacle in history.
London’s world-premiere addition, the Archaeological Explorer Room, was unexpectedly fun. I became an archaeologist for a moment, brushing away digital sand to uncover treasures, pressing interactive maps to learn about Roman engineering and innovations. It was playful but also illuminating—reminders of how much of our modern world still carries Rome’s imprint.
There was even space for creativity: a graffiti corridor where visitors could leave their mark (thankfully on whiteboards, not ancient walls).
The highlight for me was the free-roaming Metaverse experience of the legendary Villa of the Mysteries. Walking through destroyed rooms—cloisters, cellars, thermal baths—and then watching them restored was effective and fit neatly into the overall flow of the experience.
I couldn’t resist the AI photobooth. Seeing myself dressed as an ancient Roman was oddly delightful (and, I’ll admit, more flattering than my turn as an ancient Egyptian).
All told, the experience takes about 90 minutes, enough time to explore without rushing. Pompeii is a city that never stops speaking, whether through its ruins in Italy or its digital resurrection in London.
The Last Days of Pompeii: The Immersive Exhibition is now open at Immerse LDN
and will run until March 15th 2026. General Admission tickets are priced from £24, children from £18.
Tickets at https://pompeii-experience.com/london/
Website: Pompeii-experience.com
Facebook: Pompeii Exhibition UK
Instagram: @pompeiiexhibition_uk
X: @pompeii_ex
Threads: @pompeiiexhibition_uk
TikTok: @pompeiiexhibition_uk
Written by Caitlin Neal
