Herculaneum was an ancient Roman city in the Campania region, the region in which Naples, Pompeii or Herculaneum are located. It was once a small village, but its more worldly traders and merchants were far richer, more cultured, and more intellectual than the elite of neighboring Pompeii.

It is known to have been preserved, like Pompeii, buried in the ashes of the eruption of the Vesuvius volcano on August 24, 79 AD. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with other archaeological sites in the area, in 1997.

 

HISTORY

In 1709, the then Duke of Elbeuf, while building his seaside residence at Portici, heard of a man who had discovered ancient marble and columns while digging a well in the nearby town of Resina. The duke bought his farm and began to dig underground shafts and galleries and discovered statues, columns and marble which he used for his Portici residence.
 
Excavations of Herculaneum began in 1738 in today’s Ercolano, a suburb of Naples.
 
At the end of the 18th century, a great diversity of objects began to be discovered, such as wall paintings, tripods, braziers, bronze statues, perfume bottles and ceramics.
 

In 1980 hundreds of skeletons of inhabitants who had taken refuge in the boathouses were found. These excavations, carried out in the port area of ​​Herculaneum, allowed the discovery of more than 200 skeletons of various ages and social status.

PRICE

The access price is 13 euros. If you buy online there is an increase of one euro and fifty. Those under 18 years of age have free access. The reduced price of 2 euros is for European citizens aged 18 to 24.
 
Free admission the first Sunday of the month between October and March.

HOW TO GET TO HERCULANEUM

Herculaneum is another of the many must-sees in the Gulf of Naples.
 The best way to get there is by train. It could also be accessed by bus or by hiring a contracted excursion with a guide and transport.
 
TRAIN
From Piazza Garibaldi Central Station, you can take the Circumvesuviana train service: the Napoli – Sorrento line and get off at the Ercolano Scavi stop (timetables and directions here). Another option is to take the Napoli – Poggiomarino line (timetables and stops here). In any case, the travel time is about 20 minutes and the price is about 2 euros.
 
Download map of the Naples railway here.
 
BUS
The bus lines that lead to the Ercolano Archaeological Park are numbers 176, 177, 254.
 
ORGANIZED EXCURSION

The most comfortable way to visit Herculaneum is to book an excursion with transportation and a guide in Spanish. It must be recognized that any guided visit to this type of archaeological center has nothing to do with visiting accompanied and explained in a particular way.

 

TIME TO COME BACK

When planning your route through Capri, we advise you to take into account the times and not be that you are going to miss the boat. Long queues form at the funiculars that go down to the port.

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