Naples & the Amalfi Coast Travel Guide
Pompeii vs Herculaneum
The deep dive on the buried cities — how the eruption of AD 79 preserved each town differently, which to choose if you have one day, the new Pompeii rules, how to combine them with Vesuvius and the Archaeological Museum, and how to see them with kids.
In AD 79, Vesuvius erupted and buried the Roman towns around the Bay of Naples. Two of them, Pompeii and Herculaneum, are now among the most visited archaeological sites in the world, and the question every traveller asks is: which one? The honest answer is both, if you can. But they are very different experiences, and if time allows only one, the right choice depends on what you want.
What happened in AD 79. The eruption, described in letters by Pliny the Younger, who watched it from across the bay, unfolded over about a day. First, a great column of ash and pumice rose miles into the sky and rained down on the towns to the south-east, Pompeii among them, collapsing roofs under its weight. Then, as the column collapsed, pyroclastic surges and flows, avalanches of superheated gas and volcanic material, raced down the slopes, killing those who remained. Herculaneum, closer to the volcano on the coast, was engulfed by these flows and buried under some twenty metres of material that hardened into rock. Pompeii was buried under several metres of ash and pumice. That difference shaped everything we see today.
Pompeii: the whole town. Pompeii was a busy commercial town of perhaps eleven thousand people, and its excavated area is enormous, around sixty-six hectares of which about two-thirds have been uncovered. Its power lies in scale and completeness: you can walk its streets for hours, from the Forum to the amphitheatre, through neighbourhoods of houses, shops, bakeries, bars, baths, temples and theatres. Its graffiti, election slogans and painted signs make its daily life vivid, and the plaster casts of victims make its tragedy real. But the shallower burial meant upper floors and roofs were lost, much was looted or exposed over the centuries, and the site can feel like a vast maze of low walls in the sun.
Herculaneum: the close-up. Herculaneum was smaller, perhaps four or five thousand people, and wealthier, and only part of it has been excavated, because the modern town of Ercolano sits on top. What has been uncovered is astonishingly preserved: buildings with upper floors and balconies, carbonised wooden beams, doors, furniture and even food, rich frescoes and mosaics. At the ancient shoreline, the boathouses where some three hundred people sheltered and died are among the most moving places in Italy. You can see it all in two or three hours, with far fewer crowds.
If you have one day, which? Choose Pompeii if you want the famous, complete Roman town, the scale and the casts, and are happy to walk for hours. Choose Herculaneum if you dislike crowds, are short on time or energy, are travelling with young children, or want to see Roman houses in extraordinary detail. Many travellers who see both prefer Herculaneum. If you can, do Herculaneum in the morning and Pompeii in the afternoon, or spread them over two days.
The new rules at Pompeii. Tickets are nominative, carrying each visitor's name, and a daily cap of 20,000 visitors applies; once it is reached, no more tickets are sold online or at the gate. From mid-March to mid-October, you choose a morning slot or an afternoon slot. In winter, from mid-October to mid-March, the site opens in the morning and closes in the late afternoon, with last entry mid-afternoon. A basic ticket covers the main excavations, while a broader ticket adds outlying sites such as the villas around the bay. Only small bags are allowed. The park rotates which houses are open; check the official list for your dates. Free first Sundays cannot be booked online and are very crowded.
Herculaneum practicalities. The site is a ten-minute walk downhill from Ercolano Scavi station on the Circumvesuviana, about fifteen to twenty minutes from Naples. It opens in the morning and closes in the late afternoon, with last entry mid-afternoon, and keeps a weekly closing day, so check before you go. Tickets are cheaper than at Pompeii and rarely sell out.
Adding Vesuvius. The volcano rises directly behind Herculaneum, and a visit to the crater path makes the story complete. Tickets are online only, timed and capped, and the path closes on days of bad weather. Shuttles and buses run from Ercolano and from Pompeii to the car park, from where you walk or take a short shuttle to the trailhead and then climb for about two hours round trip. The classic combination is Herculaneum or Pompeii in the morning and Vesuvius in the afternoon; in winter, when the path closes in mid-afternoon, reverse it.
Do not skip the museum. The finest frescoes, mosaics, bronzes and objects from both towns were removed centuries ago and are now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples: the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii's House of the Faun (under long-running restoration), the frescoes of Pompeian villas, the bronzes and papyri from Herculaneum's Villa of the Papyri, and the erotic art of the Secret Cabinet. Seeing the museum before the sites lets you recognise what you are looking at; seeing it after fills in the colour. Either way, it is essential.
With children. Herculaneum is the easier visit with young kids: compact, manageable and fascinating. At Pompeii, focus on the casts, the bakery with its millstones, the fast-food counters, the Lupanar for older teens, and the amphitheatre, and keep it to the morning. The MAV virtual museum in Ercolano and a guide who tells stories can make all the difference.
Tours, guides and passes. A guide, whether a licensed archaeologist or a good audio guide, transforms both sites. Combined tickets and passes, including the Campania Artecard and Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius passes, can save money if you plan to see several sites. Day tours from Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast bundle transport, tickets and guides, the least stressful option if you are not confident with the trains. Buy tickets from official sellers or reputable resellers, never from touts at the gates.
The bottom line. Pompeii shows you a Roman town; Herculaneum shows you Roman homes; Vesuvius shows you why they are there; the museum shows you what they held. Together, they are one of the great experiences of any trip to Italy.