Herculaneum

This is the mistake the old guidebooks will lead you into. On the EAV timetable valid from March 28, 2026, almost every Naples to Sorrento train is a direttissimo that runs straight from Garibaldi to Torre Annunziata without stopping at Ercolano Scavi. Only a handful of early and late trains call there.

Use the Napoli-Torre Annunziata-Poggiomarino line instead. Its trains stop at Ercolano Scavi 18 minutes after Napoli Garibaldi, for example 8:16 a.m. arriving 8:34 a.m., with departures roughly every 20 to 35 minutes. Check the destination board for Poggiomarino or Sarno via Pompei, not Sorrento. A single ticket in the fare band for Naples to Ercolano is €2.60.

From the station, walk downhill toward the sea. The route to the ticket office on Corso Resina is about 1.25 km, 15 to 17 minutes, all downhill; the return is the uphill part. More on trains in our Circumvesuviana guide.

Pompeii was buried by falling pumice and ash, and roofs collapsed under the weight. Herculaneum was overwhelmed by hot flows that filled streets and houses and set hard, sealing organic material. That is why the park can display organic finds and a boat recovered on the ancient shoreline, both shown in its Antiquarium and boat pavilion.

The other difference is scale. You can walk every open street in an afternoon, and you look down on the town from the modern road level before descending into it. The houses are smaller than Pompeii's showpieces but far more complete, and there are fewer groups.

• The ancient shoreline and boat sheds, where the remains of people who fled to the beach were found. The park calls them "the fugitives".
• The Suburban Baths, among the best-preserved Roman bath buildings anywhere. The park ran special guided visits into the restoration site in autumn 2025; outside such openings you see them from outside.
• House of Neptune and Amphitrite, for its blue and green wall mosaic.
• House of the Wooden Partition, with its carbonised wooden screen still in place.
• The College of the Augustales and the Central and Forum baths, with their vaults and benches intact.
• The shops on the main decumanus, where the counters with sunken jars survive.

The park publishes free maps and mini-guides in its app. Buildings open and close in rotation, so follow the map at the entrance.

The park's ticket page lists two long-term closures:

• Villa dei Papiri. Closed for excavation, drainage, slope stabilisation and accessibility work linking the newer excavations to the ancient town. The page states that "the reopening date has not yet been defined". This is the villa that yielded the carbonised papyrus scrolls; you will not see it on an ordinary visit.
• Ancient theater. The underground theater stays closed "until a date to be defined" for urgent maintenance.

Neither closure is a reason to skip Herculaneum. The town itself, which is what most people come for, is open.

Ercolano is the natural base for Vesuvius. Taxis and private shuttles to the crater car park leave from outside Ercolano Scavi station, and the crater path must be booked online for a time slot. A realistic day: Herculaneum at 8:30 a.m., out by noon, a crater slot early in the afternoon. In October the crater closes to new entries at 4 p.m., and in November at 3 p.m.

Herculaneum plus Pompeii in one day works only in summer hours. In winter, with last entry at 3:30 p.m. at both sites, you will rush one of them. Our two-day plan spreads the three. The finest finds from Herculaneum, including the bronzes from the Villa dei Papiri, are at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

• Show your ticket as a QR code on your phone or printed; keep it for the turnstile.
• Children under 12 must be accompanied.
• An annual pass costs €30 (€5 for ages 18 to 25), worth it only if you will come back.
• There are municipal and private car parks on Viale dei Papiri Ercolanesi if you drive.
• On free first Sundays you cannot book online: free tickets are collected at the ticket office on the day.

Herculaneum: Skip-the-Line Guided Tour with Archaeologist

Entry is included (the park charges €16, plus €1.50 presale online). No transport: three meeting points depending on the option. Closed-toe shoes advised; not suitable for wheelchair users.

2 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(4,284 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Pompeii: Small-Group Tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Starts at Piazza Esedra in Pompeii and finishes inside Herculaneum, so getting to Pompeii and home from Ercolano is up to you. Pompeii is the Express ticket (no suburban villas). English only, up to 20; lunch not included.

5.5 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(1,059 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

From Ercolano: Vesuvio Park Entry Ticket and Roundtrip Bus

Leaves from Via Vittorio Veneto 8, Ercolano. You get about 2 hours to walk up and back before the return bus. Miss your timed slot and the crater ticket is void, with no refund. The ticket alone is €11.68 online from the park's only authorized seller.

3 hours

4.2★★★★★★★★★★(1,300 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.