Stay away from the crowds of Pompeii and step back 2000 years with your knowledgeable guide. Get immersed in a Roman Town buried under 70 feet of volcanic debris during the Roman Empire. You will enter the ancient houses of Herculaneum, its shops, taverns, bathhouses, and more. Do not expect a visit to some old Town on ruins: you will enjoy unique visions of mosaics, frescoes, and…skeletons!
The availability of buildings open to the public changes continuously, following is just an example of a possible itinerary.
Your private guide will be holding up a sign with your name on it right at the main and only ticket office.
Herculaneum is not as large as Pompeii: it can be visited quite thoroughly in about 2 hrs.
The first approach is spectacular: the ancient town sits at the bottom of an archaeological hole about 60 feet deep. From the top, you can see the entire excavated area at once, dominated by the impressive silhouette of Mt. Vesuvius in the background: a stunning view and a great photo opportunity!
At the very bottom lays the marina, where about 300 human skeletons were found with a fossilized boat and some fishing tools.
Crossing a modern bridge, we will start to discover the garden of the “House of the Albergo”, where quince trees were replanted following the evidence of carbonized roots of these ancient fruit trees.
Our next stop is the Council Hall of the Augustali, where you can admire beautifully preserved frescoes depicting Hercules.
You will visit the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, to see the wonderful mosaics decorating the outdoor ‘biclinium’ (dining room); this was probably the house of a merchant. In fact, it was related to a shop with its counter, containers for food and wine, and fossilized wooden shelves still hanging on the walls!
Then you will discover the Bath House (an ancient Spa), still covered with mosaics. It will introduce you to the world of Roman Daily Care and social life: a gym, a changing room, a tepid room, a hot room, and at last a cold tub.
Nearby, the Grande Palestra – a large outdoor Gym – is a glorious public sporting place. It remains buried for about three-quarters, but we can move underground into the cross-shaped pool. It feels like being an archaeologist moving under the volcanic couch.
Not to be missed is at least one of the nearly intact private houses, according to availability, where we can admire luxurious mosaics, frescoes, and statues.
Herculaneum is not as large as Pompeii. In a 2-hour visit we can see most of the ancient town and most of the highlights. Our walking tour adjusts to the interests and walking attitudes of the participants. Also, the itinerary is subject to the availability of different areas that may change without notice.
Tour Reviews
My Roman Wife and I had what can be described as a flawless A to Z (info gathering, booking, pick up, informed tour and drop off) tour of Herculaneum from Naples.
Pompeii is the Big Sister without a doubt, but our tour of Herculaneum was so very very interesting and provided a lot of knowledge especially in light of the fact that Herculaneum is much less reported. Herculaneum is no poor sister
We were so very fortunate in our bilingual guide Giuseppe. Besides being a very nice person, he is very knowledgeable of both Pompeii and Herculaneum and able to contrast similarities and differences between the two. We found Giuseppe very informed, very diligent and with a good strategy to see all of the primary and secondary sites in way to optimize the experience by not getting caught up in the viewing traffic crowds. The respect the other Park workers and other guides showed him demonstrate his pleasant nature.
A special shout out and thanks to Giuseppe for the great tour and Vincenzo for an excellent process.
My husband and I like short, productive tours. We booked a two hour private tour at Herculaneum and we were so happy to have Fabrizio as our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the general history of Naples and surrounding areas, the details of the architecture and objects we saw in Herculaneum, and the day to day life of the people. The facts and stories he shared were fascinating and kept our interest the entire tour. He was also incredibly open to suggestions and tailoring the tour to us. We highly recommend and wish we had booked more tours for our trip in Italy with Leisure Italy!