Herculaneum: what to see when visiting the ancient Roman city

One of the great surprises that you should not miss in a trip around Naples, Southern Italy, are the archaeological remains of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum.

I already know that you are surely going to visit Pompeii, and perhaps you think that this visit is enough to discover the consequences of the great volcano eruption Vesuvius which occurred in the year 79 AD

But in your visit of Herculaneum you will verify that the pyroplastic rash The fact that it was buried under 16 meters of lava favored much better conservation than even in the aforementioned Pompeii.

Looking ahead to your trip, below I am going to give you some tips for the highly recommended visit of HerculaneumNear Nápoles.

How to get to Herculaneum from Naples by train

The remains of this ancient roman city You can visit them very close to Naples.

If you don't have a car, get to Herculaneum It is best that you take the commuter train Circumvesuviana that every 20 minutes leaves the Naples railway station.

You will have to get off at the station Ercolano Scavi, from which you can walk down to the excavations, although it will be more convenient for you to use the service of a minibus that will be offered to you as soon as you leave said station.

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 en español, which is actually the support book if you hire the audioguide, which they provide you free with the tickets.

The best things to see in the Herculaneum excavations

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.

Bas-relief House of Télefo in Herculaneum

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, to some extent it is even better than Pompeii…