Main entrance bridge over the ancient beach leading to the M. Nonio Balbo terrace
Herculaneum was an ancient town near Naples, Italy. In the year 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried everything around it under more than 20 feet (6 metres) of volcanic ash. The whole city was frozen in time by the lava. Unlike Pompeii, the mainly pyroclastic material that covered Herculaneum carbonized and preserved more wood in objects such as roofs, beds, and doors, as well as other organic-based materials such as food and papyrus. The position of Herculaneum meant that the ashes attacked the city with greater violence than Pompeii. As a result, the city was completely buried and remained intact.Herculaneum was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
To visit Herculaneum you should take into account about half a day. You can see the whole archeological park in about 2-3 hours. It depends on your level of interest.
It is a good idea to combine a visit to Herculaneum with a trip to Mount Vesuvius or other archeological sites such as Oplontis, the Antiquarium of Boscoreale, the Stabiae Ruins, Villa Ariana, and Villa San Marco. In this case it will take you more than a day to try to see as much as possible.
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What was Herculaneum?
Herculaneum was an ancient Roman city that was buried alive in the enormous volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D..
What is there to see at the archaeological site?
You can see houses, public baths, taverns, temples and statues that are almost perfectly preserved, giving unbelievable insight into what life was like for well-to-do families in the Roman Empire. It is even possible to see the frescoes and mosaics that still decorate the walls of the ancient mansions almost two thousand years after they were buried.
When was Pompeii discovered?
Although less popular today than Pompeii, Herculaneum was the first, and for a long time the only, buried Vesuvian city to be found (in 1709), while Pompeii was only revealed from 1748.
How are Pompeii and Herculaneum different? Why ius Herculaneum better preserved than Pompeii??
Despite being smaller than Pompeii, the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum was much wealthier, and examples of lavishly decorated villas can be found around the archaeological site. Herculaneum was buried underneath 20 meters of thick pyroclastic material, Pompeii was only covered with 4 meters of thinner ash, making it a significantly easier site to excavate.
The depth of the volcanic debris covering the two cities played a major part in how they were discovered and excavated. Mount Vesuvius covered Herculaneum in roughly 5 times the amount of ash that Pompeii was and this made the conditions of its discovery very different.
General informations
Useful information for your visit to Herculaneum.
Location
It is located about 13 km from Naples.
Opening hours
To visit Pompeii the times are as follows:
- 1 April – 31 October: 8:30 am to 7:30 pm.
1 November – 31 March: 8:30 am to 5 pm.
Closed 1 January, 1 May, 25 December.
How to get to Herculaneum
To reach Herculaneum:
- Train: catch the Sorrento Circumvesuviana train from Naples and get off at Ercolano Scavi. The journey takes about 15 minutes and costs around €2.
- Rental car: this option can work out more economical and easier if you are travelling as a group and have other excursions planned to nearby sites.
Attractions nearby
- Mount Vesuvius
- Pompeii (about 15 km)
- Naples (about 13 km)