We have purchased a tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum and are traveling from Salerno. We have train tickets from Salerno to Pompeii but need some help deciding which train to take back to Salerno once our time in Herculaneum is finished. Which is more convenient getting the train from Ercolano Scavi and then taking the Circumvesuviana train to Napoli Centrale and then transfer to a Trenitalia regional train to Salerno or walking to Portici-Ercolano ( a little over 1 mile) and taking a Trenitalia’s regional trains directly to Salerno?
Also, what are the eating options? Do we need to take lunch and snacks with us?
Posted by
San Diego, California
6342 posts
Regarding food, there are several vendors outside the gates, from whom to buy food and drinks. I would encourage you to bring pretty of water and your own snacks. Inside Pompeii, there is only one place selling food, and the lines are long. Prepare yourself for Pompeii to be quite warm, even in May, and there's little shade. Wear supportive shoes as the stones are uneven and sometimes a challenge to walking.
But Pompeii is magnificent . Enjoy you day!
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1434 posts
We opted for the Circumvesuviana to Naples and then back to Salerno and I'm glad we did. The Portici-Ercolano station just really doesn't work for getting to the ruins very well. If you plan to walk it be aware the actual destination is the Herculaneum Ticket Office on the lower right corner of the park. The most direct route takes you down a narrow, walled, trash strewn (at least on Google street view) alley to the park.
You will do enough walking that day I wouldn't add any more. If you do opt for that plan I'd see if you can take a taxi instead because you'll certainly want to at some point.
The sights are amazing, have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8284 posts
Don't overlook that the Circumvesuviana station in Ercolano is a 15-minute, uphill walk from the Scavi. At Herculaneum, there is no food inside the attraction, while Pompeii has a glorified cafeteria with a variety of choices. Neither attraction permits re-entry on a same-day ticket, so you can't go outside to eat and resume a visit at the same place. We were perfectly satisfied with the Pompeii cafeteria, because it's air conditioned, and we spent almost 8 hours at Pompeii. (Herculaneum is much smaller.)
During meal hours only, we found a small handful of nearby local restaurants in Ercolano, but even the modest one we chose was "slow food". Not whining, but we were prepared to accept lower quality on a busy day!
Posted by
Atlanta, GA area (USA)
291 posts
We were at Herculaneum in January and had lunch at La Terra d’Ercole right on the corner next to the parking lot. It doesn’t look like much but the panini and pizza were really good. There’s a narrow spiral staircase up to the dining room with a nice view of the coast, but my wife couldn’t climb it, so we took stools at the counter in the kitchen. I definitely recommend it if you’re coming by car and don’t want to try to park in town. Good luck!