Herculaneum, what to see on a visit to the Roman city: schedules, prices

To complete your essential Pompeii visitNear Nápoles, Southern ItalyI assure you that it is also worth visiting the Herculaneum excavations.

There you will see the surprisingly good condition of the houses of this ancient Roman city, which you will find better preserved than those of the most famous Pompeye.

In an excavation site with a much smaller area than Pompeii, walk through Herculaneum It will be a very comfortable visit to carry out and very rewarding due to the interesting corners that you will discover.

As prior information to your visit of Herculaneum, below you have some historical data and curiosities of Herculaneum and its excavations.

Curiosities of the history of Herculaneum

Although tradition says that Heraclesthat is, the Hercules of the Romans, he was the one who founded Herculaneum upon returning from Iberian PeninsulaAs you can imagine, it is obvious that this was not the case.

Origins of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum

The true ones origins of Herculaneum They date back to the 4th century BC, and after belonging to different cultures, such as the optical to etruscans, became a Roman municipality in 89 BC

small walled city of Herculaneum rested on the slope of the Vesuvius, and as was the case with Pompeii, it faced directly the sea.

When you visit it, you can see the pier pier…which you will be surprised to see that it is currently located about three kilometers from the seashore.

Herculaneum suffered the same earthquake devastating than Pompeii, in the year 62 BC, which forced the reconstruction of some of its most important buildings, such as the so-called Basilica.

But the effects of the eruption of Vesuvius It suffered them 12 hours after Pompeii, with the arrival at 100 kilometers per hour of a sudden ball of ash, rocks and volcanic gas that “froze” all of Herculaneum.

It is estimated that the walled area of ​​Herculaneum It occupied about 20 hectares, but when you now visit the excavations of the ancient roman city, you will find only 4,5 hectares in surface area.

Therefore, I can tell you that it will be a very easy visit to make, compared to the enormous dimensions of nearby Pompeii.

When did the archaeological excavations at Herculaneum begin?

The Herculaneum archaeological excavations They started when those of Pompeye, in 1738, and were made with the technique of underground galleries and ascent and descent wells.

It was in 1828 when “open sky” excavations were authorized, which were carried out until 1875.

The excavations of Herculaneum They were restarted in 1927, with work until 1961.

You will be curious to know that there is a lot of surface Herculaneum excavated by galleries, with places that are not visited, like the aforementioned Basilica.

And something very important: the reasons why it is totally worth visiting Herculaneum even if you have already seen Pompeii.

How was the eruption of Vesuvius that buried Herculaneum?

La eruption that buried Herculaneum under rivers pyroplastics that solidified up to an average height of 16 meters, favored a totally original conservation, which did not occur in the case of Pompeye.

In this way, in Herculaneum Organic remains have been recovered, such as vegetables, fabrics...

And wooden structures of buildings have been brought to light (including a boat discovered in 1982), so that in Herculaneum you can see the original upper floors of numerous buildings.

How to get to Herculaneum from Naples

To visit Herculaneum, if you go drive, from Naples The excavations are only 14 kilometers away, which will take you about 20 minutes to drive.

Tour to Herculaneum in Spanish

If you are in a hotel in Naples, you can sign up for the aforementioned guided tour that starts and ends at the Cruise Terminal and in Starhotels Terminus from Garibaldi Square.

How to go by train to Herculaneum from Naples

If you prefer go on your owna, you have the option of go on the Circumvesuviana commuter train which leaves Naples station every 20 minutes.

You must get off at the station Ercolano Scavi, which this suburban train takes 20 minutes to reach.

Once you are at the station, to walk to the excavation site You must take a downhill street that leads you to them, which are one kilometer away, and it will take about 15 minutes.

If it's too hot, or you don't feel like walking that route (especially on the way back, which is uphill...), to the left of the station exit you will see some vans that offer the shuttle service to the excavations.

They will charge you 5 euros for a round trip, as they will pick you up again after a two-hour stay visiting the Herculaneum excavations.

This is the experience of visiting Herculaneum, the best thing to see

The first thing that will catch your attention when you arrive at the Herculaneum excavations is that the remains of the ancient roman city You will find them in a huge pit.

I will tell you that this pit open to the sky has a surface area of ​​4,5 hectares, but that in reality there is much more surface excavated through tunnels, up to about 20 hectares, which is not visited.

Herculaneum sea pier viewpoint

From the gazebo that is on the southwest side of the excavations you will see clearly delimited the old Herculaneum sea pier.

Specifically, it is the so-called Nonio Balbo Terrace, which tells you where the seashore was in the 1st century, which is now almost a kilometer away.

This terrace is located right in front of the very interesting complex of the suburban hot springs, which is considered to be one of the best preserved in the Antiquity.

When buy tickets to see Herculaneum, you are interested in purchasing the joint ticket which gives you access not only to visit these excavations, but also those of Pompeii and a couple of other Roman enclaves around Vesuvius.

Only if you are going to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum You save a couple of euros.

When purchasing tickets remember to ask for the Little Guide to Herculaneum in Spanish, which is actually the support book if you hire the audioguide, which they provide you free with the tickets.

After going down to the old port area, you visit of Herculaneum It will be a walk through the three main streets that are arranged in parallel.

During this tour of the archaeological remains you will access various buildings and enclosures, some of them even have two floors, which is not common in Pompeii.

Télefo Bas-relief House

Among the different buildings that you are going to see, I highlight the Télefo Bas-relief House, the second largest in Herculano; wave House of the Corinthian Atrium, one of the oldest homes in this ancient Roman city.

It also highlights the Great Tavern, with the characteristic marble counter and the barrels embedded in it, and the Deer House, one of the most complete that you will be able to see in Herculano.

Herculaneum Baths

The feminine hot springs of the complex of Central Hot Springs You will find them in surprising perfect condition, and in the House of Neptune and Amphitrite You will see a decoration with mosaics that is really very well preserved.

It also preserves the wall decoration from the adjacent Beautiful Courtyard House.

Already close to the exit of the excavations, the House of Argos You should especially see its garden area with columns.

In short, a visit that I assure you you will not regret, and from my point of view, in some ways it is even better than Pompeii.

Herculaneum visiting hours

The Visiting hours of the Herculaneum excavations They are from April 16 to October 14, every day of the week, from 8,30:19,30 a.m. to 18:XNUMX p.m., with last admission at XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

In autumn and winter, specifically, from October 15 to March 15, the closing time is 17 p.m., with last entry at 15,30:XNUMX p.m.

Herculaneum ticket prices

The ticket prices to visit Herculaneum It is 16 euros for the general public, with an additional fee for online purchases.

There is also a reduced rate 2 euros for young people between 18 and 24 years old, and free entry for those under 18 years old.

You can also visit Herculaneum for free if your visit coincides with the first Sunday of each month and the days of April 25, June 2, and November 4.

Guided tour of Herculaneum with an archaeologist

You also have the option of signing up for a Guided tour of Herculaneum with an archaeologist in Spanish lasting two hours and whose price already includes admission.

Here you have another option to buy the guided tour of Herculaneum.

Map: where is Herculaneum

The excavations of the Roman city that disappeared after the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79 AD you find them in the Herculaneum town, on the coast, southwest of Naples.