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- Herculaneum and Pompeii
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- Herculaneum and Vesuvius
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- Mount Vesuvius
- Naples National Archaeological Museum
- Museo Di Capodimonte
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- Royal Palace of Naples
- Catacombs of San Gennaro, Naples Tickets
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- Veiled Christ
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- Castel Sant'Elmo
- Catacombs of San Gaudioso
Herculaneum and Pompeii Tours
Headout is an authorized and trusted partner of the venue, offering curated experiences to enjoy this attraction. This is not the venue's website.
Combos
Combo (Save 5%): Pompeii + Herculaneum Tickets
from €42.40
€40.28
5% off
Explore two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Naples with one simple low-cost booking.
- Everything you get: Access two neighboring ancient cities buried under Vesuvius' ash and save time and money with priority access to Herculaneum and entry tickets to Pompeii. Space your visits as you please, since you can select different dates for each site at check out.
- Why choose this: Simplify your trip to the archaeological sites of Naples by flexibly combining tickets.
Explore two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Naples with one simple low-cost booking.
- Everything you get: Access two neighboring ancient cities buried under Vesuvius' ash and save time and money with priority access to Herculaneum and entry tickets to Pompeii. Space your visits as you please, since you can select different dates for each site at check out.
- Why choose this: Simplify your trip to the archaeological sites of Naples by flexibly combining tickets.
Inclusions
- Entry to Pompeii
- Skip-the-line entry to Herculaneum
Exclusions
- Live guide
- This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible. Entry is free for people with disabilities and an accompanying adult.
- Facilities: restroom, cloak room.
Pompeii
- Big dogs (above the weight 10kg and the height of 40cm) are not allowed into the venue. Guide dogs with the proper certification are welcome.
- Full names are mandatory for Pompeii bookings. Double-check the names at checkout for a hassle-free entry. Be sure to bring a valid Photo ID with you to gain entry.
Herculaneum
- Dogs are allowed into the venue, without restriction of breed or size. However, they must be kept with a leash and/or muzzle (the latter is obligatory for all breeds and opportunities provided by current regulations).
- In certain areas (Antiquarium, Padiglione della Barca, mosaic-floor domus), dogs must be carried or in a pet carrier.
- These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.
Itinerary
TOTAL DURATION4 hours
MODE OF TRANSFERTrain
START POINT
Sorrento Train Station
Depart aboard a comfortable train at Sorrento Station and soak in panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples along the way.
40 km
60 minutes
1
Herculaneum
120 min
1 attractions
Tickets included
Breeze through the entrance of the expansive archaeological park with your pre-booked ticket. Meet your expert guide to kick off a memorable tour through an ancient city and fishing hub, astonishingly preserved under Vesuvius' ash, providing a vivid snapshot of daily Roman life.
Highlights
Villa of the Papyri
A luxurious sea view villa renowned for its exquisite architecture and art, and unique library of papyrus scrolls, discovered in 1750.
40 km
60 minutes
2
END POINT
Sorrento Train Station
An express train ride from Sorrento station to Herculaneum and an insightful tour.
- Everything you get: Enjoy a scenic train ride along the Gulf of Naples before uncovering the streets of Herculaneum in two hours. Avoid the ticket lines and benefit from live guidance. Don't worry about your return journey to Sorrento as that's covered too.
- Why choose this: If you're vacationing on the Sorrentine Peninsula and want to cover a historical site nearby.
An express train ride from Sorrento station to Herculaneum and an insightful tour.
- Everything you get: Enjoy a scenic train ride along the Gulf of Naples before uncovering the streets of Herculaneum in two hours. Avoid the ticket lines and benefit from live guidance. Don't worry about your return journey to Sorrento as that's covered too.
- Why choose this: If you're vacationing on the Sorrentine Peninsula and want to cover a historical site nearby.
Inclusions
- Guided tour of Herculaneum with skip-the-line entry
- Round-trip express train ticket from Sorrento
- Maps
- This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
- During the low season, from Nov to Mar, the live guide inside the ruins will be replaced with an audio guide if the group is less than 6 people.
- The following are not allowed on this tour: Large baggage and suitcases.
- You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Itinerary
MODE OF TRANSFERA/C Minibus
START POINT
Naples/Pompeii
Board your spacious AC transfers from central Naples or Pompeii. Sit back and leave aside the logistical planning. Get dropped right at the entrance to each site, with the access fees all paid and ample time to explore before moving on.
10 km
15 minutes
1
Pompeii
1 attractions
Tickets included
Show your entry tickets, jump the lines, and independently walk amidst ancient streets, villas, and theaters offering a vivid snapshot of 1st-century life.
In 79 AD, the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In the 21st century, you can discover both their archaeological excavations and climb the active volcano all in one trip.
Highlights
House of the Faun
Wander through Pompeii's largest and most elaborate residential complex, centered by a bronze statue of a dancing satyr.
8 km
15 minutes
2
Herculaneum
1 attractions
Tickets included
Explore this neighboring well-preserved Roman town, where volcanic ash sealed wooden structures, mosaics, and everyday artifacts in remarkable detail, halting entropy for nearly a couple millennia.
Highlights
House of Neptune and Amphitrite
Stop by this small yet richly frescoed villa, featuring a large technicolor mosaic of Greek sea deities.
5 km
10 minutes
3
Mount Vesuvius
Tickets included
Hike to the crater of this iconic volcano, whose explosive eruption shaped history and left behind breathtaking views of the Bay of Naples.
10 km
15 minutes
4
END POINT
Naples/Pompeii
Journey through two buried cities and a volcano – all featuring in a saga of ash and lava.
- Everything you get: Hop aboard round-trip transfers from either Naples or Pompeii. The first stop is Pompeii, followed by Herculaneum. Explore the villas, libraries, and food stalls at these two neighboring cities that faced similar fates. Then, head to Mount Vesuvius. Climb its slopes and craters to observe lava flows.
- Why choose this: With one booking and eight hours, skip the lines at three intertwined UNESCO landmarks, taking advantage of AC coach travel for the whole day.
Journey through two buried cities and a volcano – all featuring in a saga of ash and lava.
- Everything you get: Hop aboard round-trip transfers from either Naples or Pompeii. The first stop is Pompeii, followed by Herculaneum. Explore the villas, libraries, and food stalls at these two neighboring cities that faced similar fates. Then, head to Mount Vesuvius. Climb its slopes and craters to observe lava flows.
- Why choose this: With one booking and eight hours, skip the lines at three intertwined UNESCO landmarks, taking advantage of AC coach travel for the whole day.
Inclusions
- Day trip to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Vesuvius
- Round-trip transfers from Pompeii or Naples (as per option selected)
- Entry to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Vesuvius National Park
- Audio guide and map of Pompeii
Exclusions
- Live guide
- This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
- During the low season, from Nov to Mar, the live guide inside the ruins will be replaced with an audio guide if the group is less than 6 people.
- The following are not allowed on this tour: Large baggage and suitcases.
- You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
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- For history buffs, this exclusive private tour of Herculaneum with skip-the-line access will fuel your passion in the right direction.
- With the expertise of a multilingual guide, uncover the beautiful city frozen in time after the deadly Mount Vesuvius eruption.
- Experience a timelapse of emotions as you admire vivid frescoes and mosaics that once adorned the luxurious walls that talk about the Roman way of life!
- Get to see the well-preserved public baths, the engineering efforts, the shops that existed, and the lives that the inhabitants led before the eruption.
- The efforts to restore this UNESCO-listed ruins have been ongoing and this personalized tour is the best way to delve deeper into it.
- For history buffs, this exclusive private tour of Herculaneum with skip-the-line access will fuel your passion in the right direction.
- With the expertise of a multilingual guide, uncover the beautiful city frozen in time after the deadly Mount Vesuvius eruption.
- Experience a timelapse of emotions as you admire vivid frescoes and mosaics that once adorned the luxurious walls that talk about the Roman way of life!
- Get to see the well-preserved public baths, the engineering efforts, the shops that existed, and the lives that the inhabitants led before the eruption.
- The efforts to restore this UNESCO-listed ruins have been ongoing and this personalized tour is the best way to delve deeper into it.
Inclusions
- 2-hour private tour of Herculaneum with skip-the-line entry
- Expert English/Spanish/German/French-speaking guide
- The Northen Cardo
- The House of the Skeleton
- The Thermal Baths
- The Temple of the Augustali
- The House of Neptune and Amphitrite
- The House of the Wooden Partition
- The Gymnasium
- The Terrace of Nonius Balbus
- The beach
- Tip: Don't forget to ask your guide about key attractions like the House of the Skeleton, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, the Thermal Baths, and the Forum.
- This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.
- Your guide dogs are welcome at the venue.
- You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Itinerary
TOTAL DURATION5 hours
START POINT
2 starting points available
17 km
45 minutes
1
Herculaneum
1 attractions
Tickets included
Follow an expert guide as you marvel at the ingenuity of the Central Baths, learn about an imperial cult at the Hall of the Augustals, and more!
Highlights
House of the Relief of Telephus
This three-storey mansion was once laden with marble walls and a panoramic terrace.
17 km
45 minutes
2
END POINT
Pompeii Archaeological Park
Easily travel between two sister cities that tell the tale of Vesuvian wrath and primeval urbanity!
- Learn the legacy of Pompeii and Herculaneum with your expert guide, relaxing on comfortable round-trip train transfers.
- Brush past queues and peek into the lives of Romans from two millennia ago as you survey the thermopolia and temples of Pompeii.
- Uncover ancient manuscripts at the Villa of the Papyri library, divine statues at the Temple of the Four Gods, and much more at Herculaneum.
- Upgrade for an AC coach and a visit to the volcanic source, Mount Vesuvius! Or choose to pair your Pompeii visit with Amalfi and Ravello.
Easily travel between two sister cities that tell the tale of Vesuvian wrath and primeval urbanity!
- Learn the legacy of Pompeii and Herculaneum with your expert guide, relaxing on comfortable round-trip train transfers.
- Brush past queues and peek into the lives of Romans from two millennia ago as you survey the thermopolia and temples of Pompeii.
- Uncover ancient manuscripts at the Villa of the Papyri library, divine statues at the Temple of the Four Gods, and much more at Herculaneum.
- Upgrade for an AC coach and a visit to the volcanic source, Mount Vesuvius! Or choose to pair your Pompeii visit with Amalfi and Ravello.
Inclusions
- Guided tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum with entry
- Expert English-speaking archaeologist guide
- Digital audio guide in Italian, English, Spanish, French & German
- Round-trip train transfers between Pompeii and Herculaneum
- Pompeii Express ticket
- Visit to Mount Vesuvius (optional)
- Round-trip AC coach transfers (optional)
- Tip: Don't miss the charming Samnite House, one of the oldest homes in Herculaneum, dating back to the second century BC!
- Shutterbugs, take note: Commercial photography and tripods are a no-go inside the venues.
- Strict dress code: No discourteous clothing or shirtless attire is allowed inside Pompeii Archaeological Park.
- Big dogs (above the weight 10kg and the height of 40cm) are not allowed into the venue. Guide dogs with the proper certification are welcome.
- This experience is not accessible by wheelchair and pram/strollers.
- Your guide will offer a flexible route/itinerary to accommodate any opening and closing restrictions or restoration work. Therefore, the exact locations you visit on your tour may vary.
- You can cancel these tickets up to 48 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Herculaneum TicketsHerculaneum and Pompeii
Top things to do in Naples
Pompeii vs Herculaneum
Same, but not quite. Here's what unites and differentiates these two ancient sites.
Location
Vis-a-vis Mount Vesuvius, the rai·son d'ê·tre of Herculaneum and Pompeii’s posthumous fame, Herculaneum is situated closer to the volcano than Pompeii. Situated on the western foothills of the mountain, it is just 13 km away from the mountain.
Pompeii is located on the south-eastern base of Vesuvius, about 27 km away. Their respective locations were crucial determinants of the type of destruction both cities underwent in 79 AD.
Visit Mount Vesuvius
Eruption
Vesuvius exploded in two phases. In phase 1, a big cloud of ash, gas and pumice stones were ejected into the air, and sped south-east towards Pompeii. The town was badly affected by this outpouring of volcanic material.
Largely spared from phase 1, Herculaneum was badly hit in phase 2 of the eruption, when the pyroclastic surges began. Here, the suspended cloud of ash, rock and gas could no longer contain its weight, leading its contents to flow down the sides of the mountain and speed towards Herculaneum.
Read more about Herculaneum and Vesuvius
Material destruction
Pompeii experienced the first half of Vesuvius’ wrath, where it rained ash and volcanic debris, collapsing roofs, columns and other structures. Massive rocks fell from the sky, obliterating buildings and people. By the time Vesuvius’ rage abated, several parts of Pompeii were buried under 10 m or more of ash.
Herculaneum’s fate was slightly different but perhaps more lethal: it suffered from the pyroclastic flows. The intense heat generated by these flows trapped roads, buildings and public monuments in a bubble, expelling air and inducing a vacuum. At certain points, Herculaneum was entombed under 75 ft of volcanic material.
Human life
In Herculaneum, the main cause of death was the pyroclastic surge — which is the collapse of the air column containing volcanic material. These flows engulfed Herculaneum and baked its citizens alive due to the scorching heat — leaching the bones of their organic matter and leaving only skeletons behind.
Researchers now believe that Pompeii’s residents breathed their last in less than 15 minutes, with their primary cause of death being asphyxiation and choking on volcanic gases (and not lava flows).
Discovery of Herculaneum bodies
Preservation
It was easier to excavate Pompeii as it was coated with a much shallower layer of ash when compared to Herculaneum. But this also meant that with the exception of a few preserved eggs and loaves of bread, organic matter was destroyed in Pompeii. The ash coating also couldn’t protect frescoes and statues from the elements for too long.
In Herculaneum, the heat effectively baked objects in place, even carbonizing organic remains like wood, food, cloth, paper and human waste. Luxurious villas were still in great shape when dug up, with two and three-storeyed houses still more or less intact (a sight unseen in Pompeii).
Excavation
Around 44 hectares acres i.e. two-thirds of Pompeii have been excavated and open to the public. However, close to 22 hectares still remain unexplored, and many archeologists are leaving this for future generations to tackle with better technology.
In contrast, only about an acre or so of Herculaneum has been fully exposed to the public, which means over 75% still lies hidden. New excavations are carried out haltingly as present-day Ercolano and the neighboring town of Portici have built settlements over Herculaneum, and subterranean digging would require the demolition of these current dwellings.
Trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum
Now that you’ve gained context on the two towns, here are your ticket options to visit them both.
Entry tickets
Suited for: Those on a budget
Duration: Flexible
- Avail standard entry to Pompeii and get skip-the-line access to Herculaneum with these tickets.
- There is no guide to assist you on this tour, so be sure you do your research before visiting! There are also no transfers from Pompeii to Herculaneum or vice versa. So plan your travel beforehand.
Recommended ticket
Guided tours
Suited for: History buffs
Duration: 5-8 hours
- Your expert tour guide/archeologist will walk you through the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, regaling you with little-known facts, historic insights and anecdotes.
- While your guide is English-speaking, you can also tune into audio guides in 5 languages: Italian, English, Spanish, French or German.
Recommended ticket
From Pompeii/Naples: Pompeii & Herculaneum Guided Tour with Archaeologist
Round-trip transfers
Suited for: Families, elderly tourists
Duration: 5-8 hours
- Travel from Naples or Pompeii to Herculaneum and back with these round trip transfers, either in an AC coach or train.
- Benefit from a tour guide who will give you deeper insights into the ruins at Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius.
Recommended ticket
From Pompeii/Naples: Pompeii, Herculaneum & Vesuvius Day Trip
Getting from Pompeii to Herculaneum
By train
By car
Travel Time: Roughly 45 minutes
- Board the L44088 towards Napoli Porta Nolana from the Pompeii Santuario station.
- Get down at the Ercolano Scavi station, from where the archeological park is 6-8 minutes away by walk.
Duration: 19 minutes
- Get on the A3/E45 fromSS 18 Tirrena Inferiore/SR18.
- Follow the A3/E45 toVia Cupa Monti in Ercolano. Take the exit to Ercolano Scavi from A3/E45.
- Continue on Via Cupa Monti. Take Via A. Bordiga and Via A. Moro to SS 18 Tirrena Inferiore/SR18.
- Park at the municipal parking lot at Viale de Papiri Ercolanesi or any of the other unguarded spots near Herculaneum.
Frequently asked questions about Herculaneum and Pompeii tours
Which visiting experience is better: Herculaneum or Pompeii?
Both offer unique insights into ancient Roman life, and one isn’t necessarily ‘better’ than the other per se. Herculaneum’s ruins are better preserved, offering an intimate insight into luxurious lives well-lived until they abruptly came to a halt. It almost feels like the residents would return to their still-standing houses. In contrast, Pompeii’s destruction is more evident — most houses have lost their second and third floors, frescoes and statues have faded over the course of time, and human casts showcase the victims’ last moments of agony and helplessness. Both equally paint a picture of preserved, ongoing loss that is haunting.
What are the advantages of visiting both Pompeii and Herculaneum?
It’s interesting to note the differences and similarities in how the Vesuvius eruption played out for both Pompeii and Herculaneum. While both were undeniably destroyed and never reconstituted, the nature of preservation is vastly different in both. Seeing these sites together helps us get a better picture of the aftermath of a volcanic episode and understand its many facets.
Why is Pompeii more famous than Herculaneum?
Pompeii is touted to be the more renowned of the two ruins since a lot more of the ancient site has been excavated than its neighbor Herculaneum. Pompeii, in general, was also known for its controversial alliances with violence, sex and sensation. In contrast, Herculaneum appeared more sober and laidback. However, recent impetus on Herculaneum studies has boosted awareness and intrigue behind this site as well.
What is the distance from Herculaneum to Pompeii?
Herculaneum is about 20 minutes away from Pompeii, and it takes just about 20-30 minutes by road to get from one site to another. From the Pompeii Scavi train station, you can also ride a train to the Ercolano Scavi station and back.
Can I visit both Herculaneum and Pompeii on the same day?
That depends on your ticket and the time available. A basic entry ticket gives you the flexibility of visiting the sites either on separate dates or on the same day. However, no guide will accompany you on this tour. If you book a day trip, you can see Pompeii, Herculaneum and even Vesuvius (if you so choose) on the same day. Although this itinerary would be more packed, you will benefit from having transport facilities and an expert tour guide.
Can I take a trip to Herculaneum and Pompeii with my children?
Yes, children are likely to be fascinated by the ruins and peeling frescoes. It’s a good idea to prep them beforehand by introducing them to books like Digging up the Past: Pompeii and Herculaneum by Peter Hicks or Pompeii Lost and Found by Mary Pope Osborne. They are even likely to enjoy the audio guides. However, seeing human casts at Pompeii or skeletal remains at Herculaneum might be distressing to them, so if they’re sensitive, it’s best to avoid visiting those exhibits.
