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Roman town destroyed by eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Spircle at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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You can pick up a free map at entrance as well as a booklet describing the attractions, although versions other than Italian are often out of print. Audioguides cost €10, €16 for two, ID required, turn in 30 minutes before closing. Lockers are available next to the ticket office; larger bags must be stored in a locker or at the information desk. Inside the compound, there are some vending machines offering drinks and snacks. Toilet facilities are next to the ticket office and next to the vending machines. You will need around 2 hours at a calm pace if you want to visit everything.
Terme del Foro
The male and female baths, which are next to each other, are well preserved. They were fed by a large well, which brought water from a depth of 8.25 m, heated by a large furnace and distributed around the baths by a network of pipes that also served to provide central heating.
Casa di Nettuno ed Anfitrite
Worth the visit for its stunning mosaics alone, particularly that of Neptune and Amphitrite (a sea goddess and wife of Poseidon), after which the house is named.
This large complex extends over much of the southeast side of the excavations and is on your right as you walk down to the ticket office.
The coastline was significantly altered by the eruption, but this large and luxurious villa used to stretch down to the sea in four terraces. Its seafront was about 250 m long. It is below you on your right as you leave the ticket office and head towards the audio guide kiosk. The villa contained a fine library of scrolls and, although these were badly carbonized, there is hope that modern technology will soon make it possible to read them without destroying them by opening them.
This was another luxurious waterfront dwelling.
This is one of the oldest properties so far discovered on the site. Excavations suggest that, at various times, the upper floor was rented out and the courtyard was sold off. What remains now is a large roofed and elegantly decorated atrium with a few small rooms around it.
Casa del Bel Cortile
The attractive courtyard is said to resemble an Italian medieval courtyard more than a Roman building. In a display case there are two skeletons fused with volcanic rock.
The Augustales were an order of Roman priests responsible for attending to the maintenance of the cult of Augustus, who was considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The building consists of one large, well-decorated roofed room.
Museo Archeologico Virtuale
An enjoyable interactive museum that recreates life as it was in Herculaneum and Pompeii before the eruption. Great fun for kids, although some parents may not appreciate the virtual visit to one of Pompeii's brothels! Buildings are reconstructed before your eyes at a wave of your hand; you can brush ash off a fresco; make a virtual pool of water over a mosaic ripple; see 3-D images of jewelry found at the sites; walk next to marching legionaries; learn of the lifestyle of the Roman times at an interactive table, and visit public baths and the brothel!
A beautiful 18th century villa overlooking the shore. It is open for visitors on weekends only.
4-star hotel, the result of the restoration of Villa Aprile just 40 m from the archaeological digs of Herculaneum.
By train
The Circumvesuviana trains take 25 minutes to get there from Naples and 40 minutes from Sorrento. To get to the ruins, get off at the Ercolano Scavi station, from where you exit into a small square.
By car
Herculaneum is on the Autostrada from Naples to Salerno. There is a toll of €2 for using any part of this stretch of highway.
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