Pompeii AND Herculaneum in One Visit?

When we did the Pompeii visit from Sorrento, by the time we finished in Pompeii, had no desire to do another site before heading back to Sorrento.
We probably spent more time there than many do, based on comments I have seen here. Figured it might be our only chance to see it and decided to do it well.

Have not been to Herculaneum, so can offer no comment in a comparative sense.

As long as you get an early start with Pompeii, you can totally do this! Figure on wrapping up Pompeii by 12-1pm just when you’re hitting that midday heat. Take a nice long break for lunch, then go to Herculaneum. Herculaneum is often open later. Not sure the available hours when you’ll be there, but it was terrific to visit in late afternoon 4-5pm. You could use the time between sites to go into Naples for lunch as well. The Circumvesuviana is easy enough. You will have to buy separate tickets for each leg, but they’re cheap.

I would highly recommend visiting both sites if they interest you. I thought Herculaneum was fantastic, and very different from Pompeii. You could argue which is better. It’s certainly more intimate than Pompeii. I thought the audio guide for both sites were very good, and I don’t feel like a guide was necessary to appreciate them.

Logistically...you can do it. From Sorrento and taking the Circumvesuviana, it's not difficult.

Physically, here's the thing. Pompei is huge. Not only that, but it's a ton of uneven surfaces. We were there for four hours, in good weather, and saw only about 70% of the available ruins. Before the trip, I had tweaked my ankle, not even that badly, and walking in Pompei really aggravated the heck out of it. You're forever stepping off curbs, it seems. It was wonderful, spectacular, but we were totally spent afterwards. Can't even imagine doing Ercolano too.

And mentally too. Many of these sights, whether it be Pompei or St. Peter's in Rome or the Uffizi in Florence, are simply sensory overload after awhile. I later regretted not having the mental (not to mention physical) stamina, but if you can, spread it out.

My .02.

We did it. As others noted, it is not easy, but possible. Honestly the biggest barrier is probably the hike back up the hill to the train station after you finish at Herculaneum. Do visit Herculaneum. It is really beautiful and so different from Pompeii. It is very much worth the visit!

Be prepared to be completely exhausted by the time you are done. . .

BTW - we enjoyed a lovely lunch at a small cafe by the train station just before we walked down the hill to see Herculaneum.

Yes, I visited both in one day. Actually, I also included a stop at Oplontis, but that was a little too much. I visited Herculaneum first, then Pompeii. It should not be toooooo hot in April, but especially for Pompeii, you should carry water, a hat, and sunscreen. I did not use a guide for any of this, but wish I had selected one of the guides near the entry to Pompeii, who will take you on a 2-hour guided walk through the main parts of the ruins for a reasonable amount. You can "interview" a couple or more guides, and choose one you like and whose English you can easily understand. Not only do they know the history and ruined buildings well, without getting lost, they also know which areas are closed for repairs, etc. so you don't waste time going to those places. No map or book will have those inaccessible spots marked, I found. Then you can go to some additional areas on you own after the tour. Enjoy, both are great and unique spots, very different from each other.

Physically, here's the thing. Pompei is huge. Not only that, but it's
a ton of uneven surfaces. We were there for four hours, in good
weather, and saw only about 70% of the available ruins.

I'll back up Jay here....except we were there for 5 hours and didn't cover it all. That was also the 2nd visit in my lifetime, and it's very easy to hit the exit on historical overload. As great a site as Herculaneum is, I think you may be tired and cross-eyed by the time you got there. Possible? Yes. Recommended? I'd choose one or the other if you only have one day.

I was going to go by the Circumvesuviana, but would have to jump on
again to get to the other ruins?

Yes, you would need to do that to visit both sites by train + return to Sorrento if you are not taking an organized tour or hiring a private driver.

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies!!

Hi Doublemk

I'll presume you are back form your trip to Italy. How was it. I am going to Italy in Sept and was wondering if you ended up hiring a guide at the Pompeii entrance or did you do a self-tour using Rick Steve's audio guide? I'm contemplating whether to hire a private guide or just hire one at the gate. Reading the thread I think we'll only tour Pompeii and not combine it with Herculaneum. Thank you in advance.

Posted by iwantit61
05/12/18 05:20 PM
3 posts
Hi Doublemk
I'll presume you are back form your trip to Italy. How was it. I am going to Italy in Sept and was wondering if you ended up hiring a guide at the Pompeii entrance or did you do a self-tour using Rick Steve's audio guide? I'm contemplating whether to hire a private guide or just hire one at the gate. Reading the thread I think we'll only tour Pompeii and not combine it with Herculaneum. Thank you in advance.

Hi iwantit61. We only went to Pompeii. We did not hire a tour guide, though plenty were asking while we waited in line to purchase our tickets. We chose to use Rick Steves free audio tour and it was very easy to follow and I’m glad we used it! The place is huge! Just wandering around, would be a waste of time if you have no one to explain what some of the places were, the way they lived then, etc. I would have gone to Herculaneum but my husband is not “into” this stuff like i am. Just a side note: if you are visiting other areas as well, his audio tours are really helpful! We used it in Rome and Venice as well