Things to do in Herculaneum
Herculaneum is a town that overlooks the Gulf of Naples, famous throughout the world for the archaeological excavations of the ancient Roman city.
Legend has it that the city was founded around 600 BC by Hercules and eventually became an important trading center due to its prime location near the Gulf. The inhabitants of the town worshipped Hercules as also being the founder of the nearby Mount Vesuvius.
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city, leaving Herculaneum buried under approximately 50-60 feet of volcanic mud and ash. It wasn't until the early 18th century that the city was discovered by a well digger. Originally, Hercules and everybody was thought to have escaped from the town prior to the disaster, but there have been around 300 skeletons discovered during the excavations.
The road to the archaeological excavations up to Torre del Greco is called the Golden Mile due to the splendid villas built alongside it in the eighteenth century.
Many tourists from all over the world come to visit the ruins of Herculaneum, as well as the neighbouring city of Pompeii which was also destroyed by the same Mt. Vesuvius eruption. When entering the ruins, you can see the many fine houses of Herculaneum that consists of lavish coloured mosaics, wall paintings and marble cladding.
The excavations have been included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Our recommendations in Herculaneum
Pompeii and Herculaneum guided tour with local lunch
This tour takes you to Pompeii and Herculaneum to discover two of the world's greatest archaeological sites. Buried by Mt Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago, they offer a fascinating and at times haunting insight into ancient Roman life.
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Half-day guided tour of Herculaneum UNESCO World Heritage Site
Like nearby Pompeii, ancient Herculaneum suffered a similar fate at the hands of Vesuvius erupting in 79AD. Fortunately, archaeologists have managed to excavate parts of the city, and this half-day tour will show you what they've managed to unearth so far.
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Herculaneum shared tour from Naples
Book your tour and get ready to explore the inaugural archaeological site unearthed in the Vesuvian region.
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Vesuvio and Herculaneum transfer and skip-the-line tickets from Naples
Discover Herculaneum and Vesuvius in the same tour, enjoy stress-free transfers, learn the history and enjoy the scenery.
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Pompeii and Herculaneum guided tour with local lunch
This tour takes you to Pompeii and Herculaneum to discover two of the world's greatest archaeological sites. Buried by Mt Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago, they offer a fascinating and at times haunting insight into ancient Roman life.
en
Half-day guided tour of Herculaneum UNESCO World Heritage Site
Like nearby Pompeii, ancient Herculaneum suffered a similar fate at the hands of Vesuvius erupting in 79AD. Fortunately, archaeologists have managed to excavate parts of the city, and this half-day tour will show you what they've managed to unearth so far.
en
Herculaneum shared tour from Naples
Book your tour and get ready to explore the inaugural archaeological site unearthed in the Vesuvian region.
en, it
Vesuvio and Herculaneum transfer and skip-the-line tickets from Naples
Discover Herculaneum and Vesuvius in the same tour, enjoy stress-free transfers, learn the history and enjoy the scenery.
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Go back in time and explore Herculaneum before the terrible eruption, experience the archeological site with special augmented reality glasses.
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Campania ArteCard 365 Lite with 34 Entry Passes and 4 Audio Guides
Unlock Naples and Campania's finest attractions with the ArteCard 365 Lite. Enjoy complimentary entries and immersive audio guides. Start your journey now!
Pompeii and Herculaneum guided tour
Join this guided tour to discover two ancient roman towns in a day. Visit the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Book now!
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Pompeii and Herculaneum shore excursion
Enjoy vivid two-hour walking tours of both Pompeii and Herculaneum with a private guide and transportation from the Port of Naples with your tour booked with Musement.
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Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius audioguided tour from Pompeii
Enjoy stress-free transfers, explore authentic itineraries, experience the benefits of visiting with a small group.
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Pompeii and Herculaneum Small-Group Tour From Rome
Experience an unforgettable excursion travelling from Rome to Naples by fast train and visiting the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum with an expert guide!
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Herculaneum ruins tour with transportation
Travel to the Herculaneum ruins by shuttle bus from the centre of Naples. Take advantage of your skip-the-line admission and explore at your own pace.
Herculaneum private walking tour with an archaeologist-guide
Explore the town of Herculaneum on a 2-hour private walking tour with an archaeologist-guide.
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How to get there
Herculaneum
Naples
Italy
Reviews Herculaneum
“We enjoyed our tour around Herculaneum. However the amount of time spent on the coach before arriving at Herculaneum made us wish we had visited independently. We were picked up at 7.45am (first pickup) and were still in Sorrento at 9.15am. We finally arrived at Herculaneum at 10.20am! If we had known this we would never had booked the trip.”
“We were unsure which bus was ours at the pick up point as it was twenty minutes late. We were overloaded with information in Herculaneum.”
“We given specific instructions that our pickup was at the hotel. However, this was incorrect it should have been the bus station. The coach did eventual ly collect us from the hotel. The drive there and the tour was fine. Our return journey was not a good experience. The driver dropped us off at the bus station not the hotel and as we did not know how tho get back it turned out to a traumatic experience. Not helped by the coach driver sending us in the wrong direction.”
“appalling tui organisation. on the return to Sorrento -it took over 1 hour to drop us off AFTER reaching Sorrento. Had a 1 hour trip around the area dropping people off at 8 different hotels over a wide area. Failure of tour rep at hotel to warn of this although we are now aware of previous complaints at our hotel the Bristol on this very issue.”
