Pompeii or Herculaneum

Don't worry about the artifacts that have been moved to the museum in Naples. There is still plenty to see. I would pick Pompeii, based on the Amphitheatre, the Villa of the Mysteries, and the public buildings.

In both cities, the most fragile artifacts (especially frescoes and bronze sculptures) have been replaced with replicas. Your third sentence has no effect on your choice. I much prefer Pompeii. Some people attach great weight to less destruction of some wood roof beams in Herculaneum. The fact is that there is vastly more to see at Pompeii, more than you can see in (?) four hours. Some more discussion within this link below:

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

I haven't been to Pompeii but I can tell you that my friends, my son and I spent 4 hours at the Herculaneum site and were mesmerized.

I did Pompeii and Herculaneum in Jan 2023. You cant go wrong with either, however here are my thoughts.

Pompeii is Pompeii. Larger, more vast and honestly more important. I would see it over Herculaneum based purely on that. The feeling of entering Pompeii and the things to see are vast. Its really a pick your own adventure

Herculaneum I loved. A lot more of it remains, however, it is more compact, and its a follow the route kind of visit. You will get to see most the town in your visit/. It will be less crowded than Pompeii, but will be more follow the leader as there are only a couple of realistic routes through the town.

We loved both, but based on first time, go with Pompeii. Whatever you chose, you will be impressed.

I have not been to Herculaneum but I visited Pompeii in 2021. It was much larger and more interesting than I expected. We went on a guided tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would even do it again.

I apologize for putting words in Trent's mouth, but I believe that what he means by "a lot more remains" is that the form of volcanic destruction was not quite as fierce as at Pompeii. In fact, vast amounts of both ancient cities remain unexcavated. Herculaneum is a MUCH smaller "tourist visit site" than Pompeii, which creates a false aura of "I saw it ALL at Herculaneum."

Thank you all for your answers to my question. I really appreciate the comments and suggestions. You have given me exactly what I needed to make an informed decision.

I agree with OP, thanks for the info!