Tours/Naples/Viator
Viator · group up to 20 pax

Herculaneum Small Group Tour and Ticket With an Archaeologist

4.8(1,137)Naples1 hour
VIATOR4.8(646)TRIPADVISOR4.9(491)

Description

Get the chance to visit the site of Herculaneum being guided by an Archaeologist. Get to know more about this ancient Roman city, inhabited by merchants and nobility, whose life ended dramatically fast in 79 AD. The guide will show you the waterfront where more than 300 remains of people trying to escape by sea were found, but also the Samnite house, the thermal baths, the Temple of the Augustales, the forum, the house of Neptune and Amphitrite, the Gymnasium, the house of the wooden partition and much more. You will get an intense experience: you can see not only stone, marble and ceramics left, but also carbonized wood and even more exquisite paintings and mosaics than in Pompei. Herculaneum was destroyed by a much more powerful force which instantly burnt all wood and buried the city under a thick layer which didn’t let the air go through and cause decay.

Tour Options

German Tour
Spanish Tour
Italian Tour
English Tour
French Tour

Itinerary

Pass by

Meeting place is the Ticket Office of the Herculaneum ruins. You can get there as follows: - By car in via Pignalver (There is a not guarded parking very close the meeting place) - By train in Corso Resina 1 (Circumvesuviana train station is 10 minutes walk away)

10 min

The house receives its name from marble statues of stags/deer found in the peristyle.

10 min

M. Nonius Balbus was the city's major benefactor restoring and building many public buildings. On his death he was made patron and feted with many honours, detailed in the long inscription on his funeral altar.

10 min

It is thought that the building was a centre of the cult of the Emperor Augustus and the headquarters of the Collegium Augustalium (or possibly even the local curia).

10 min

The house possibly belonged to one of the town's leading benefactors, Marcus Nonius Balbus and is somewhat unusual in that it has its own private access to the adjoining Suburban Thermae to the south.

10 min

It is very important house for the elegant wooden partition remained.

10 min

The House of the Skeleton probably the aggregation of three smaller buildings, derives its name from the discovery of human remains in a second floor room in 1831.

10 min

The Central Thermae were built around the beginning of the 1st century AD and were divided, as was then the common practice, into men's and women's baths, each with their own separate entrances.

10 min

The House of the Black Hall is one of Herculaneum's more luxurious mansions. The house has a monumental entrance which still retains the carbonised remains of the doorposts and lintel.

10 min

The house has an arrangement that was typical of the Samnites (an ancient people of the Sabine race who occupied this mountainous part of central Italy). The splendid atrium is skirted by a gallery with Ionic columns. The rooms are decorated with frescoes.

10 min

This is one of the most original houses in Herculaneum. It has a courtyard with a stairway and a stone balcony instead of an atrium.

10 min

Beautiful domus in the Centre of the archaeological area, with various environments, collonnati, frescos e-com everywhere at Herculaneum-charred remains of wooden parts.

Highlights

Licensed guide with archaeological background
Herculaneum entry tickets
Small Group (maximum 20 people per guide)
Headsets
Guidance and assistance

What's included

Included
Licensed guide with archaeological background
Herculaneum entry tickets
Small Group (maximum 20 people per guide)
Headsets
Guidance and assistance
Not included
Meals/drinks
Private transportation

Traveller Ratings

4.8
1,137 reviews
5
1,033
4
62
3
24
2
10
1
8

Important Information

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Dogs are allowed at the Herculaneum Archaeological Park without breed or size restrictions, however they must be kept on a leash or muzzle and it is mandatory to have bags to collect any droppings. For reasons of logistics and conservation, within the Antiquarium premises, the Boat Pavilion, and the domus featuring mosaic floors, access is permitted only to dogs that are carried in arms or transported in an appropriate carrier.
  • Herculaneum ruins' entry tickets: 16 euros (adult) 2 euros (EU citizens 18-25 y.o.)

Reviews(1,137)

J
James_L
June 22, 2026
An excellent tour with a tremendous guide. I totally recommend it

Our guide Vincenzo was excellent. I think he was an archaeologist who had worked there. He showed us all of the highlights and explained things in a really interesting way. We were late due to a hold up with the train. We were contacted on WhatsApp about it plus someone waited behind for us and then showed us how to catch up with the tour. We very much appreciate that because there is no way we could have see some of the things Vincenzo showed us if we had tried to do it on our own. I strongly recommend that people try to get on this tour if they are visiting Herculaneum. The things he showed us were amazing

R
Rebecca_W
June 20, 2026
Luciano the lion

Our guide, Luciano was knowledgeable, passionate, funny and never boring. He brought the ghosts of Herculaneum to life painting a picture of a vibrant town, it's streets a hive of activity. He took care to ensure everyone on the tour was included and made sure stops were in shaded areas - a small thing but much appreciated.

J
Jessica_H
June 19, 2026
Luciano Leone was a great...

Luciano Leone was a great tour guide for Herculaneum - very knowledgeable and funny. I highly recommend!

D
David_W
June 19, 2026
Excellent tour by the...

Excellent tour by the enthusiastic Luciano Leonie. Great knowledge of the site and surrounding history.

M
merritt_h
June 17, 2026
Gorgeous Ruins in Ercolano

Wish I had 5 more hours to explore Ercolano! I had a wonderful tour with Luciano! Learning from an archeologist was a special touch!

P
Patty_C
June 15, 2026
Dont miss this tour

Our tour guide, Antonella, was an expert Archeologist. She was very informative and allowed us time to absorb the surroundings, take pictures and enjoy the experience

B
belindamV2855YI
June 15, 2026
Amazing tour of Herculaneum

We had an amazing tour of Herculaneum today with Sergio. He was so knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic and really made things come to life. The time flew by and we learnt so much. We would thoroughly recommend. A wonderful experience.

E
Eugene_H
June 15, 2026
Highly recommend.

We very much enjoyed our tour of Herculaneum with our guide, Sarah. Very informative, lots of detail and full of interesting information Would highly recommend.

A
Andrew_F
June 15, 2026
Amazing 10/10!

The tour guide was great, lots of information and open to questions by all. Lots of information to get in, in 2 hours. All I ask is for you to change the meeting point on the app as it says at the entrance but we needed to meet at the ticket office, almost late for the tour. Loved it Marilyn! ❤️

C
Catherine_V
June 14, 2026
Excellent tour and amazing archeologist Luciano!

What an excellent tour! Luciano (archeologist) was so good and we learned a lot! I would highly suggest!

You might also like...