Staying in Rome; Keen to visit Hurculaneum

Ercolano is wonderful and very, very different than Pompeii. I didn't use a tour guide but a small tour book was just fine for both my visits there. From the Napoli Centrale station go downstairs to the Circumvesuviana line. A few stops toward Sorrento is the Ercolano station. There's then a few block walk downhill towards the Bay to the entrance. Pompeii in the same day? Not for me especially in July!

Pompeii is huge. Everyone - myself included - underestimates the size of the site and many underestimate the physical labor of walking on ancient stones in the summer heat. And doing them from Rome adds the travel on both ends extending the day. I don't think it is reasonable to do both in one day.

For either site you would need to get to the main train station - Roma Termini - and there many buses that run to the train station from your area: 40, 85 etc. I would check with your hotel and/or use Google Maps or CityMapper app for these details. You can just tap your credit card on Rome buses - note each person needs their own card for their own ticket.

From Rome to Naples is just over an hour on the fast train and you can then take rickety Circumvesuviana train to either location. Note that not all trains stop at Herculaneum - Ercolano Scavi on their schedule. But all trains stop at the Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri stop. The Pompeii exit is right an the park entrance but the Herculaneum stop is a walk downhill to the sight.

Fast train tickets are much cheaper purchased in advance so if you can commit to a date and time to start off you should at least buy your outbound ticket. If you purchase a return ticket it will cap your time so you'll either need to hurry back or possibly wait at the Naples train station for your train. There are good food options at the train station. If you buy "day of" full price tickets will cost you 48e a person each way versus 22e purchased early so it makes a difference. Coming back you can trade cost for time and the Intercity train is about an hour longer and costs about half as much and the regionale train is slower than that but 13e.
I highly recommend the Trentilia app for checking and buying train tickets.

You might also arrange a guide in Naples who provides transportation which will cut out the Circumvesuviana step. There are no official guides at Pompeii but there are plenty of guides hanging around looking to get hired.

Herculaneum is more intimate because of the size and preserved nature of the site and feels "enclosed" because of the city and walls surrounding it. Pompeii is a large city that sprawls and would take multiple days to see it all. Most people concentrate on Pompeii but both sites have their appeal. If you can squeeze in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli while you are in Naples it is highly recommended and adds tons more information than just the sites.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

I am still not adept at using this Forum but I know I owe thanks to Tod and Robert who kindly replied. Thank you!

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

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pompeii-day-trip-from-rome-2c38f926-9036-480d-95fd-403dd7694e4a

You're welcome, cabraddick.

Everyone is here to share information and hopefully help the community be as informed as possible. It's nice, but not necessary to thank people and realistically they won't see it unless they happen to come by the thread again later.

Have a great trip and if you learn something that you think will help others come back by and share it.

=Tod

I've visited Herculaneum recently (2 weeks ago) but had to skip Pompeii on this trip because the heat was too intense. If you are going in late July then prepare for immense, inescapable, baking heat. Bring a sun-reflecting parasol, it helped me significantly in many places like the Roman Forum and Herculaneum. A portable fan is a must as well. I personally would not go in July at all, but you may be able to tolerate heat better if you're from a warmer climate (I am British).

Herculaneum was incredible, on a much smaller and more condensed scale than Pompeii, and a completely different experience. This was my first time and I didn't get a guide because I thought I could rely on the self-guided app, but it was unusable (can't use it and take photos at the same time, map wouldn't download, relies on consistent WiFi or mobile connection which was spotty). I hung around close to a small tour group and became friendly with them so I got some information from their guide which I wouldn't have otherwise. I would definitely suggest booking with a guide in advance, they will usually sort your ticket for you. I'm pretty sure that one I unofficially joined was called Askos Tours.

As for Pompeii and Herculaneum in one day - I feel comfortable saying that you should absolutely do not do this. Especially if you are not staying any closer than Napoli. There are a number of tours through Viator/Get Your Guide/etc. which will do both in a day, but what you get is a crappy, exhausting experience at both where you are rushed through the major checklist sites and then packed back into a bus for 7+ hours of driving total. Pompeii is absolutely immense, and I've seen so many people underestimate how much time it takes to see even a fraction of. 3-4 hours is considered a minimum visit.

If I were in your position, coming from Rome, I would take a fast train to Naples and then get a small group tour or a private taxi from there. Tours which originate in Rome will spend 2.5-3 hours (each way) on a bus driving from Rome to Naples, when you can just take Frecciarossa in about 1hr15m. The circumvesuviana (commuter train) is pretty dire, frequently late, hot, crowded, and chaotic. I found it very worth avoiding by using a private driver in an air-conditioned vehicle.

But my honest overall opinion which you may not want to hear is this - If this is your first time in Rome, with 4 nights total, I would spend it all in Rome. Pompeii and Herculaneum are both amazing and worth seeing, but they are not close. July heat is often unbearable.

Just my personal opinion! Best of luck and I hope you have a wonderful visit.

I took a day tour of both Herculaneum and Pompeii from Naples in May. The tour met directly across from the train station and ended there as well. One lady in our group had taken a high speed train down from Rome and then simply walked across the street to join the tour. At the end, another high speed train back to Rome.

Our tour was booked through get your guide and was called “Herculaneum and Pompeii small group tour with an Archaeologist”. We had a few hours at each location. Was it a complete and thorough visit at either site? Of course not. Was it a great introduction and overview for those with time constraints? Absolutely. I had one day and I was very satisfied.