Herculaneum

Just for completeness, there is a five-site ticket that allows ONE admission to each of FIVE ancient sites, if you have that much interest and time. In general, the Circumvesuviana (a gritty, hot commuter train that runs from Naples to Sorrento) has stops that serve all five locations. There is also a free shuttle bus run by the ancient sites, but I worry that there could be unpredictable waiting time for that. I have not ridden it. And the only additional site we went to was Oplontis, which was very good, and very different from Pompeii or Herculaneum, as well as much smaller.

Herculaneum is a 10-15 minute downhill walk from the CIrcumvesuviana station. Unlike Pompeii, there is no food inside Herculaneum, but it is much smaller than Pompeii. You cannot re-enter any of the sites on a same-day ticket, by the way.

This link contrasts Herculaneum and Pompeii:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions

Edit: It could be argued that Herculaneum has a little more shade than Pompeii, which has about zero shade. On a day between May and September, that makes Pompeii a sun-soaked, very hot excursion, especially in the afternoon.

You can take the gritty Circumvesuviana train from the lower level of Naples train station to Herculaneum marked Ercolano Scavi. It will cost you a few euro and takes 15 minutes or so. Buy tickets at the counter before walking down to the tracks. There is a 15 or 20 minute walk down through the city to the site itself. There is also a small museum before you enter the site if you want to visit it. There is a regular Trenitlaia train as well but it drops you off further from the site in town by the coast.

Herculaneum is much smaller than Pompeii and many people feel it is more "intimate" with a better connection to experience of the people who lived there. It is a different enough experience that I think it worth doing both if ruins interest you.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Just to add on if you want a more different experience from Pompeii there is the site of Paestum. This was a Greek, turned "barbarian", turned Roman site on the coast south of Salerno. It has a museum, a huge ruins site and three standing Greek temples to explore. Now this is much more of a full day trip from Naples since the train is 1:15 by itself, the site is big and a walk from the train station but worth considering.

Watch the train schedules since they get sparse in the middle of the day and you may need to pick your time back carefully.

=Tod

Herculaneum is well worth it and you can take the Circumvesuviana train from Naples. Based on the itinerary of the RS tour, even the tour of Pompeii will be a whirlwind compared to the size of the place. Depending on your interest you may want to revisit it as well. We spent 12 hours over 2 days at Pompeii, 2 hours at Oplontis (a gem), 4 hours at Herculaneum and 3 hours at the archeological museum in Naples to tie it altogether. We needed 4 days of our two weeks in Sorrento just for these sites.

Absolutely worth going there and it's a quick train trip from Garibaldi station in Naples. Also, I would highly recommend visiting early to minimize crowds.

We did both sites last month. Husband had done Pompeii a few years ago with a friend, but wanted to do both sites, especially Herculaneum. Herculaneum was a highlight. Not crowded and very easy to get around.

Highly recommend doing Herculaneum if you have time.

The Circumvesuviana (a gritty, hot commuter train that runs from
Naples to Sorrento) has stops that serve all five locations

Gotta laugh, that is SO true! This train is very convenient, no doubt, but when I took it from Sorrento to Pompeii, I can't say it was a very enjoyable ride. It got me there, and the price was right, but I learned right away that this isn't the transportation to choose if you're traveling with luggage Naples <-> Sorrento

Thanks, everyone, for all the helpful information!

Yes, the train is gritty and I was very careful that I had my hand on my crossbody bag, and that the important stuff was hidden away under my clothing. The RS tours give you a money belt or neck wallet for good reason.