Herculaneum or Pompeii

You can actually do both. You pass the stop for Herculaneum on the way to Pompeii. If you get off at the Ercolano stop and walk down the hill you'll find the ruins. You can spend two or three hours there, walk back up the hill, stop for lunch then continue to Pompeii. This is a great way to see the differences in how both cities were destroyed. Personally, I like Herculaneum much more than Pompeii because it's smaller and more intact but I do love visiting Pompeii as well. If you're going to spend the whole day in Naples you might as well see both. Grab a guide when you get to Pompeii so he/she can show you the main highlights then walk around on you own. Donna

Totally doable - and you could even go up Mt Vesuvius if the urge hit you...hubby and I - not early risers - did this - we prob left around 9:30-10am...and we got off one stn to far and had to wait 45 min to get back to the right stn...walked fr train stn to Herculaneum (and if you are hungry - eat 1st - no canteen there)...walked about for a few hrs (it was mid-Sept and a SUnday, so not crowded at all)...stopped for some pizza on our way back, took one of the vans that you can get tix from outside the train stn to Mt Vesu...they give you about an hour to look around...then back to Rome for a late supper (I can't rem if we took a slow train or fast train...it was 2008, our 1st trip, and we really didn't know the differences). Now - if you are early risers and take the fast train, you could prob even get in a visit to the Archeaological Museum...which we didn't have time for

Did they close the little cafe in Herculaneum? We had a wonderful lunch there, but it was back in 2003. We chose to do Herculaneum over Pompeii when we were staying in Naples. Really enjoyed it. Unlike Pompeii which was slowly crushed by volcanic ash over many days, Herculaneum was "flash frozen" by a volcanic mud flow. We found it very interesting and very moving. Happy travels.

Joan - if you do Mt Vesu - wear good shoes - sandals are prob not good at all - the ground is very loose rock/dirt and steep-ish - will be killer if you have sandals on...

Is it possible to do Herculaneum then train to Sorrento. I do not want to miss Amalfi coast. Coming off cruise ship in Naples.

I like the idea of a day trip combining Herculaneum and
Mt. Vesuvius. Thanks.

Good advice, Nicole. Thanks.

Am also trying to decide between Pompeii & Herculaneum, & am glad to see that we may possibly be able to do both. My daughter & I will be leaving Rome for Naples on a Tuesday morning, then will stay in Naples for the night, before leaving for Positano late Wed. morning. Is it doable to visit both places with that amount of time? What would be the best way to get there? Circumvesuviana train?

I visited both Pompeii and Ercolano in February. There were only a handful of visitors in Ercolano, lots in Pompeii. Both sites are very interesting, Ercolano is smaller, easier walking. If you have a couple of hours in Naples, visit the National Archeological Museum, where all the art from both sites (and several others) is on display.