Pompeii or Herculaneum

We were in Italy in October and planned to go to Pompeii. We went on a Tuesday and I have seen less crowds in Orlando theme parks on Memorial Day weekend. We immediately pivoted and drove to Herculaneum, which we really enjoyed. The site was fascinating and while not empty, the crowd level was very manageable.

There's no wrong choice, but I would pick Pompeii for the Villa of the Mysteries and the amphitheater - at opposite ends of the site.

But if you aren't all that into crowds, opt for Oplontis and Stabiae instead - those are the real gems.

We did Herculaneum and really enjoyed it. If you go, be sure to follow the RS instructions in his Italy guidebook - it is very good and explains everything. Don't miss the ending with the skeletons - we saw many people miss that section - it was very powerful.

Hi there, Frankly I don't think you can go wrong visiting either. Do you have a long-ish day? Then I'd choose Pompeii, if much less time, Herculaneum is much smaller. And I would expect Pompeii to be less crowded in late March than in October.

Having been recently, I would say that as long as you're not going on a weekend, Pompeii is pretty fantastic and has so much to offer. We LOVED Pompeii and ended up visiting 3 days in a row! We were there over the Christmas holidays, went in early in the morning through the further, less frequented entrance and didn't encounter crowds until later, closer to main entrance near Circumvesuviana. (Names of entrances are in TR below.)

You might like to watch PBS's "New Dig" and this Youtube about Herculaneum to have a view of which suits you better. https://youtu.be/qyH13mvUzBM?si=YfR8Tk_EMTTMzNTj. In case you want more info, here's our recent Trip Report. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/great-trip-to-pompeii-naples-over-new-years-december-26-january-2nd-2026

Have a great trip whichever you choose!

I also see these new official tour options at Pompeii--wondering if I should sign up for both instead of the tour we booked with sharedtours: https://pompeiisites.org/en/about-single-visitors/

Also see these new official tour options at Pompeii--wondering if I
should sign up for both instead of the tour we booked with
sharedtours,

Those "new official tour options" are too new for anyone here to be able to weigh one against another. While a reasonable amount of posters have been able to provide their 2-cents on Mondo Shared Tours they've taken over any number of years, I'm pretty sure no one on the forums have as yet taken taken the tours you've linked as they've only become available less than a week ago.

Those "new official tour options" are too new for anyone here to be able to weigh one against another. While a reasonable amount of posters have been able to provide their 2-cents on Mondo Shared Tours they've taken over any number of years, I'm pretty sure no one on the forums have as yet taken taken the tours you've linked as they've only become available less than a week ago.
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No worries! I posted it on the off-chance someone here has taken one, as well as for general information in case someone else sees this post and learns about them.

Greetings, Travelers,

I've never been to Pompeii, but I spent 4 hours at Herculaneum, happily. Probably would have stayed longer but for the heat. It is in an amazing spot and easy to get to. If you don't make it to Pompeii, but get to Heruclaneum, consider it a win.

I personally preferred Herculaneum because so many things are still preserved in place like furniture and pottery, and there are houses with painted walls and even upper floors. Then there's the mind-blowing (literally) story of the bodies discovered in the ancient harbor…

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