Pompeii and Herculaneum Archaeological Tour
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore ancient Pompeii ruins
- Discover Herculaneum's preserved artifacts
- Learn from an expert archaeologist
- Visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Enjoy a small group experience
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Guided tour with an archaeologist
- Transportation between Pompeii and Herculaneum
- Entrance fees to both archaeological sites
- Meals and beverages
Itinerary
Basilica was an open portico that gave shelter to merchants and other activities.
Have a look of the ancient main square of Pompeii.
Pass by: Walk through the main street of Pompeii.
The house of Menander is one of the richest and most magnificent houses in ancient Pompeii in terms of architecture, decoration and contents.
In the granary you will see marble tables and baths for fountains that adorned the entrances of houses and some casts of victims of the eruption as well as that of a dog and a tree.
These occupy a vast area between the Brothel lane, the Holconius crossroads and the Via Stabiana. They represent the oldest thermal complex in the city.
Visit the most famous brothel in the ruined Roman city of Pompeii.
The house of Faun was one of the largest and most impressive private residences in Pompeii.
Have a look of the so called Teatro Piccolo of Pompeii.
Visit the most important Theater in Pompeii
After the visit of Pompeii, continue to Herculaneum together with your archaeologist guide, following the transportation method included in your selected option: From Naples, Sorrento, or Rome: travel with the guide by modern minibus directly to the Herculaneum archaeological site. From Pompeii: reach Herculaneum with your guide using the included Circumvesuviana train ticket (about 30 minutes + 10-minute walk). A quick lunch break is available before the transfer (own expense). Arrival in Herculaneum: Upon arrival, the guide leads the group directly to the Ticket Office of the Herculaneum ruins. You may access it as follows: By minibus (Naples, Sorrento, Rome options): direct drop-off near the entrance. By train (Pompeii option): a short 10-minute walk from Ercolano Scavi station.
The house receives its name from marble statues of stags/deer found in the peristyle.
M. Nonius Balbus was the city's major benefactor restoring and building many public buildings. On his death he was made patron and feted with many honours, detailed in the long inscription on his funeral altar.
It is thought that the building was a centre of the cult of the Emperor Augustus and the headquarters of the Collegium Augustalium (or possibly even the local curia).
The house possibly belonged to one of the town's leading benefactors, Marcus Nonius Balbus and is somewhat unusual in that it has its own private access to the adjoining Suburban Thermae to the south.
It is very important house for the elegant wooden partition remained.
The House of the Skeleton probably the aggregation of three smaller buildings, derives its name from the discovery of human remains in a second floor room in 1831.
The Central Thermae were built around the beginning of the 1st century AD and were divided, as was then the common practice, into men's and women's baths, each with their own separate entrances.
The House of the Black Hall is one of Herculaneum's more luxurious mansions. The house has a monumental entrance which still retains the carbonised remains of the doorposts and lintel.
The house has an arrangement that was typical of the Samnites (an ancient people of the Sabine race who occupied this mountainous part of central Italy). The splendid atrium is skirted by a gallery with Ionic columns. The rooms are decorated with frescoes.
This is one of the most original houses in Herculaneum. It has a courtyard with a stairway and a stone balcony instead of an atrium.
Beautiful domus in the Centre of the archaeological area, with various environments, collonnati, frescos e-com everywhere at Herculaneum-charred remains of wooden parts.
Meeting point
Start Location
Unknown location
Important information
Know before you book
- The tour is conducted in English; ensure you are comfortable with the language.
- Confirm your booking details, including date and time, to avoid any issues on the day of the tour.
- Review the cancellation policy to understand any applicable fees or deadlines.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water, as the tour involves extensive walking.
- Check the weather forecast and dress appropriately for the day's conditions.
- Be prepared for potential changes in the itinerary due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Easy Public Transport
Good to know
- Herculaneum ruins' entry tickets: 16 euros (adult) 2 euros (EU citizens 18-25 y.o.); Pompeii ruins' entry tickets: 20 euros (adult)
Traveler reviews
Fantastic experience for historians - amateurs and otherwise.
Raphael was our tour guide today and managed to squeeze in so much of both sites within such a short amount of time. His delivery was informative, humorous and thoroughly entertaining - my husband and I particularly enjoyed his jokes and singing. Highly recommend others to experience these historic sites as Raphael knew all the routes to avoid the larger crowds and gave us enough time to learn some facts and take some great photographs.
Wonderful historic tour
Wonderful knowledgeable guide- both sites are so complementary in understanding the life before and destruction after the eruption of Vesuvius. Very enlightening tour.
Great info, logistics could improve
Knowledgeable tour guide. Transportation to Herculaneum from Pompeii was by local train and took about and hour. Also, there was an 1 hr way between the two sites that was not exactly depict in the original description of the tour.
A brilliant day of exploring both historical sites
This tour was one of the best that I have ever had. Because of the oppressive heat and humidity on the day, the guide went out of her way to ensure we had as much shade as possible. The benefit of having a more expert guide can't be understated: in addition to describing what we were seeing, she also provided us with heaps of background information and context. No question was too trivial. The use of the headsets also provided opportunities for us to move around at our own pace to explore areas of interest without losing her commentary.
We really felt like we were transported back in time
Michael our guide was just superb. He is one of the archeological staff at the sights and has a wealth of knowledge and makes you really understand what it was like to live in historic times. A nice stop between sights for lunch in mall and our driver Vinny was happy to look after anything we wanted to leave on the bus while we were off exploring. We had a good couple of hours at each sight. Didn’t feel rushed and again Michael was invaluable for setting the scene and imparting his knowledge.