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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Herculaneum
Ercolano
Give the ruins 2–3 hours on a half-day trip from Naples, not an overnight: the site is small, well preserved and far quieter than Pompeii.
Herculaneum is the Roman town buried by the same AD 79 eruption as Pompeii, sealed under volcanic mud that kept upper floors, charred timber, frescoes and mosaics intact. The excavated area is compact, so you can see it properly in about two hours and still be back in Naples for dinner. Most travellers sleep in Naples, Sorrento or Pompeii and visit Ercolano as a stop on the Circumvesuviana line.
- Country
- Italy
- Local name
- Ercolano
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and crowds), 1 Jan and 25 Dec (site closed)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police and general emergency 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the bar | €1–1.50 |
| Pizza or panino near the station | €4–8 |
| Herculaneum ruins admission | €16 (EU under-18 €2; free first Sunday of the month) |
| Audioguide at the ruins | €10 (€16 for two) |
| MAV virtual museum entry | €7.50 (reduced €6) |
| Circumvesuviana Naples–Ercolano Scavi | about €3 one way |
| Parking near the ruins | about €1 an hour |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NAP · Naples Capodichino
- Alibus or taxi to Napoli Centrale, then Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi; total about 1 h
Typical fares
- Circumvesuviana Naples → Ercolano Scavi
- about €3, 25 min
- Circumvesuviana Sorrento → Ercolano Scavi
- about €4, 40 min
- A3 motorway toll, Naples stretch
- about €2
Get around
The Circumvesuviana commuter line is the way in: Ercolano Scavi station is about 25 min from Naples and 40 min from Sorrento, then an 8-block downhill walk to the site entrance. Trains on the Naples–Salerno route stop at Ercolano Porticini instead, which is not signposted for the ruins. By car, the A3 toll is about €2 for this stretch; parking is scarce, try the lot behind the police station near the entrance.
See and do
Known for
- Roman ruins buried in AD 79
- Baths, House of Neptune and Amphitrite, Villa of the Papyri
- Better-preserved upper floors than Pompeii
- MAV virtual archaeology museum
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Naples | Circumvesuviana from Ercolano Scavi to Napoli Porta Nolana or Garibaldi | About 40 min |
| Pompeii | Circumvesuviana toward Sorrento, get off at Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri | About 45 min |
| Sorrento | Circumvesuviana from Ercolano Scavi | About 50 min |
| Capri | Circumvesuviana to Sorrento or Naples, then ferry | 2–2.5 h |
| Pozzuoli | Circumvesuviana to Naples, then Cumana line | About 1.5 h |
| Procida | Circumvesuviana to Naples, then ferry from Molo Beverello | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Naples city centre
- Best base: Circumvesuviana from Napoli Porta Nolana or Garibaldi, about 25 min to Ercolano Scavi.
- Pompeii
- Quieter base on the same line; two ruin sites in one trip, about 30 min from Ercolano.
- Sorrento
- Coastal base, about 40 min by Circumvesuviana; good if you also want Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
- Ercolano town
- Only worth it if you want the ruins at opening; few sights beyond the scavi and the MAV.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsee-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
| One ticket, please | Un biglietto, per favoreoon bee-LYET-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- The area around the excavations has some economic deprivation: watch bags and phones, especially at the station.
- Large bags must go in a locker at the ticket office; pick them up 30 minutes before closing.
- The ticket office closes 90 minutes before the site does, so arrive with time to spare.
- Only vending machines inside: bring water and food, and take empty bottles out with you.
The ruins themselves are safe and staffed; the main risks are pickpockets around Ercolano Scavi station and the walk down, plus summer heat on the open site. Keep bags zipped, use the lockers, and carry water.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Herculaneum yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Roman ruins buried in AD 79
- Baths, House of Neptune and Amphitrite, Villa of the Papyri
- Better-preserved upper floors than Pompeii
- MAV virtual archaeology museum
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Herculaneum ruins, official site (Parco Archeologico di Ercolano): ercolano.cultura.gov.it/?lang=en
- Wikivoyage: Herculaneum, revision 5268024 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5268024
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
HerculaneumErcolano
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ercolano; the US consulate-general and most others are in Naples, embassies in Rome.
Site hours: 16 Mar–14 Oct 08:30–19:30, 15 Oct–15 Mar 08:30–17:00; ticket office closes 90 minutes before the site. Closed 1 Jan and 25 Dec.Site hours: 16 Mar–14 Oct 8:30 AM–7:30 PM, 15 Oct–15 Mar 8:30 AM–5:00 PM; ticket office closes 90 minutes before the site. Closed 1 Jan and 25 Dec.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/herculaneum). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.