Hi,
We will be making our first trip to southern Italy in October. We will be staying in Sorrento for 4 days and number one on my husband's list is to see Pompeii. I'm also reading that Herculaneum is equally as interesting to see but I don't want to commit two days to seeing them separately. Is it possible/does it makes sense to see them both in the same day? I've read about train service from Sorrento to both so seems possible but wondering if we'll end up short changing the experience of both versus just enjoying one more fully. Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
I think you can do it. Neither is a full day site, in my opinion. 2 hours for a good overview of Pompeii with a great guide like Gaetano Manfredi (R.S. recommended and fabulous!), maybe 3 hours if you want to wander a bit more or self-guide. Go early, have a nice lunch break to rejuvenate, then go to Herculaneum. The latter is another 2-hour tour, but extra time to get to-and-from, of course.
One observation/bit of advice: Herculaneum is a bit of a trek from the station there (Ercolano in Italian) and when we were there the restaurant choices were not stellar. I recall there was one place not far from the station along the street to the excavation and that was about it. It was OK. Pompeii is not stellar either, but there are more options for marginal dining.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Tourists rarely spend more than half a day at either one and both sites are open 8:30 - 19:30, so you can see both pretty easily. If you can get an early start at Pompeii, you'll have several hours there, then a pizza lunch (some restaurants are open all day), before hopping back on the Circumvesuviana train to Herculaneum, or vice versa.