Tours/Pompeii/Pompeii and Herculaneum Small Group Tour with an Archaeologist
Viator · group up to 20 pax

Pompeii and Herculaneum Small Group Tour with an Archaeologist

4.8(1,628)Pompeii1 hour
VIATOR4.8(1,092)TRIPADVISOR4.8(536)

Description

This experience combines the two archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, famous for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius happened in 79 AD. Join the guide at the entrance of Pompeii ruins called Porta Marina Inferiore, where the tour starts. Discover the site and its best highlights with the assistance of an expert Archaeologist. You will see the Forum – the main square – the most important houses and buildings and the famous plaster casts. After the tour take a quick break, then reach the site of Herculaneum by the local metro line called Circumvesuviana at a few steps from Pompeii entrance. End your tour with the site of Herculaneum, smaller than Pompeii but better preserved: visit the beach where more than 300 skeletons were found.

Tour Options

Tour from Rome
  • Duration: 11 hours TRANSPORTATION FROM ROME: Train tickets from Rome to Naples are included. Transportation is included to/from Naples. Minibus or minivan Look for the Askos Tours sign: You will meet the guide outside Starhotels Terminus, across the street from the Naples central station. Starting point: Rome Termini station, Via Giovanni Giolitti, 40, 00185 Roma RM, Italy
Tour from Sorrento
  • Duration: 8 hours TRANSPORTATION FROM SORRENTO: TRANSPORTATION FROM SORRENTO is included for the whole day. No animals allowed Modern minibus or minivan Look for the Askos Tours sign: Pick up is next to the fountain in Piazza Angelina Lauro, Sorrento. An Askos Tours representative will greet you. Starting point: Piazza Angelina Lauro, 80067 Sorrento NA, Italy
Tour from Pompeii
  • Duration: 6 hours ENGLISH TOUR : TRANSPORTATION IS INCLUDED BETWEEN POMPEII & HERCULANEUM ONLY Meeting place: This option is a walking tour, the meeting point is the entrance of Pompeii ruins Porta Marina INFERIORE, Piazza Esedra. Starting point: Piazza Esedra, 1, 80045 Pompei NA, Italy
Tour from Naples
  • Duration: 7 hours TRANSPORTATION FROM NAPLES : TRANSPORTATION FROM NAPLES is included for the whole day no animals allowed Modern Minibus: Enjoy shared minibus transportation from Naples Look for the Askos Tours sign : The meeting for this option from Naples is outside STARHOTEL TERMINUS, in Piazza Garibaldi, 91, Naples. Starting point: P.za Giuseppe Garibaldi, 91, 80142 Napoli NA, Italy
Italian Tour from Pompeii
  • Duration: 6 hours ITALIAN TOUR : TRANSPORTATION IS INCLUDED BETWEEN POMPEII & HERCULANEUM ONLY Meeting place: This option is a walking tour, the meeting point is the entrance of Pompeii ruins Porta Marina INFERIORE, Piazza Esedra Starting point: Piazza Esedra, 1, 80045 Pompei NA, Italy

Itinerary

15 min

Basilica was an open portico that gave shelter to merchants and other activities.

10 min

Have a look of the ancient main square of Pompeii.

Pass by

Walk through the main street of Pompeii.

15 min

The house of Menander is one of the richest and most magnificent houses in ancient Pompeii in terms of architecture, decoration and contents.

15 min

In the granary you will see marble tables and baths for fountains that adorned the entrances of houses and some casts of victims of the eruption as well as that of a dog and a tree.

15 min

These occupy a vast area between the Brothel lane, the Holconius crossroads and the Via Stabiana. They represent the oldest thermal complex in the city.

15 min

Visit the most famous brothel in the ruined Roman city of Pompeii.

15 min

The house of Faun was one of the largest and most impressive private residences in Pompeii.

15 min

Have a look of the so called Teatro Piccolo of Pompeii.

15 min

Visit the most important Theater in Pompeii

Admission included60 min

After the visit of Pompeii, continue to Herculaneum together with your archaeologist guide, following the transportation method included in your selected option: From Naples, Sorrento, or Rome: travel with the guide by modern minibus directly to the Herculaneum archaeological site. From Pompeii: reach Herculaneum with your guide using the included Circumvesuviana train ticket (about 30 minutes + 10-minute walk). A quick lunch break is available before the transfer (own expense). Arrival in Herculaneum: Upon arrival, the guide leads the group directly to the Ticket Office of the Herculaneum ruins. You may access it as follows: By minibus (Naples, Sorrento, Rome options): direct drop-off near the entrance. By train (Pompeii option): a short 10-minute walk from Ercolano Scavi station.

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.

15 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.

15 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.

15 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

Headsets for all participants
Round-trip transportation to/from Naples, outside Starhotels Terminus (Tour from Naples)
Train tickets to/from Rome to Naples + Full Day transportation service (Tour from Rome)
Guided tour service in both Pompeii and Herculaneum
Round-trip transportation to/from Sorrento, P.za Angelina Lauro (Tour from Sorrento)
Circumvesuviana one-way train ticket from Pompeii to Herculaneum (Tour from Pompeii)
Herculaneum entry tickets - 'Pompeii express' entry tickets

What's included

Included
Headsets for all participants
Round-trip transportation to/from Naples, outside Starhotels Terminus (Tour from Naples)
Train tickets to/from Rome to Naples + Full Day transportation service (Tour from Rome)
Guided tour service in both Pompeii and Herculaneum
Round-trip transportation to/from Sorrento, P.za Angelina Lauro (Tour from Sorrento)
Circumvesuviana one-way train ticket from Pompeii to Herculaneum (Tour from Pompeii)
Herculaneum entry tickets - 'Pompeii express' entry tickets
Not included
Meals and drinks
Personal expenses

Traveller Ratings

4.8
1,628 reviews
5
1,421
4
118
3
60
2
16
1
13

Important Information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Herculaneum ruins' entry tickets: 16 euros (adult) 2 euros (EU citizens 18-25 y.o.); Pompeii ruins' entry tickets: 20 euros (adult)
  • Not recommended for visitors in wheelchairs
  • Not recommended for visually impaired guests unless accompanied by a dedicated personal assistant

Reviews(1,628)

R
Rebecca_H
June 28, 2026
10/10 absolutely recommend for a more enriching experience of Pompeii and Herculaneum!

This was a great experience! Our tour guide Diego, studied archeology and he was so knowledgeable about Pompeii and Herculaneum. I typically prefer doing self guided tours, but I am SO glad i opted for this tour with Diego since both archeological sites are so vast, I feel like I wouldn’t have had as rich of an experience as I did if I went solo or even with an audioguide. The group was small so it still felt personal which was great. The itinerary was also very organized and efficient and they helped transport us from Pompeii to Herculaneum seamlessly. We also had a break in between the 2 so that we could separate for lunch and a break before reconvening. All of the tour guides/organizers made sure we had plenty of water and bathroom breaks. I would absolutely do it again and absolutely recommend it!!

R
Rochelle_A
June 28, 2026
Unfortunately we were not...

Unfortunately we were not able to do this excursion due to a rock slide on the road. Traffic was backed up for miles and we eventually had to turn around. We were in communication with the tour company on the way to let them know the situation. This rock slide was on the local news as well. We tried getting our money back but Askos Tours denied any refund as did Viator. 2 couples in the group were leaving Italy the next day so we were not able to reschedule the tour. Due to the natural disaster I feel we should have been compensated or credit for future excursion. We were given nothing.

S
Shannon_L
June 27, 2026
Nice tour!

Great tour, Lilly did a wonderful job recreating the life a times of people of Herculaneum and Pompeii. It was hot, so bring your auto fans and umbrellas for shade. It was also very convenient to have transportation included in the tours for comfort and ease.

D
david_s
June 26, 2026
Our guide was friendly,...

Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable and funny. We had a great time and learned much. It was a hot day but our guide found as much shade as possible.

T
Terry_M
June 26, 2026
We really learned a lot...

We really learned a lot more than we ever would have figured out on our own. Our guide was great. It was good to go to both Herculaneum and Pompeii for context. We highly recommend.

T
Tracy_G
June 26, 2026
Anna the archeologist was friendly and insightful.

Our tour guide / archeologist, Anna, was spectacular. The information and details provided were insightful, knowledgeable and at times, entertaining. So glad we did this tour!

K
karen_b
June 25, 2026
Highly recommend the tour

Wonderful historical and archeological exploration of Pompei and Hurculaneum sites led by Marco. We truly appreciated the accurate assessment of what is known and what is educational assumptions of how people lived, the political organization, and the consequences of the volcanic eruption. Highly recommend the tour

D
Deborah_H
June 24, 2026
Visit Pompeii in the afternoon and Experienced guide needed.

Ensure the guide is experienced as you can not cover all interest points in one tour and the guide selects. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

D
Dipankar_R
June 24, 2026
Herculaneum and Pompei from Naples

Had a fantastic trip with Askos travels. Our guide Vincenzo was great with excellent knowledge on the ancient history of the place and also how the archaeological exercise was done. Very jovial and caring person. Had a unique experience when heavy rain started. Though we got stranded for sometime but experienced how rain water were flowing along the lanes of Pompei. Overall a fabulous experience

J
johnmL7445UG
June 24, 2026
Herculaneum and Pompeii Small Group Tour

Vito was very helpful, calling the booking agency to help us out for my booking error. He was also a fun and informative tour leader. Our driver, Bruno, was also excellent. Herculaneum was interesting but Pompeii was amazing!

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