Herculaneum Small Group Tour: Glimpse the Past with an Archaeologist
4.9
448 Ratings
Ercolano
Immerse yourself in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum on a small group tour with an archaeologist. Explore the well-preserved ruins and discover the dramatic history of this once-thriving city.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Parco Acheologico di Ercolano - Meeting place is the Ticket Office of the Herculaneum ruins.

You can get there as follows:

  • By car in via Pignalver (There is a not guarded parking very close the meeting place)

  • By train in Corso Resina 1 (Circumvesuviana train station is 10 minutes walk away)

  • Casa dei Cervi - The house receives its name from marble statues of stags/deer found in the peristyle.

  • La Terrazza di M. Nonio Balbo - 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.

  • College of the Augustales - 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).

  • Casa del Rilievo di Telefo - 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.

  • Partem Domus lignea - Casa del Tramezzo di Legno - It is very important house for the elegant wooden partition remained.

  • House of the Skeleton - 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.

  • Central Thermae - 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.

  • Casa del Salone Nero - 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.

  • Casa Sannitica - 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.
  • Casa del Bel Cortile - 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.
  • House of the Grand Portal - Beautiful domus in the Centre of the archaeological area, with various environments, collonnati, frescos e-com everywhere at Herculaneum-charred remains of wooden parts.
What's Included
  • Licensed guide with archaeological background
  • Small Group (maximum 20 people per guide)
  • Guidance and assistance
  • Herculaneum skip the line admission fee
What's Not Included
  • Meals/drinks
Additional Information

Take the opportunity to explore the site of Herculaneum under the guidance of an Archaeologist.

Learn about this former Roman city, home to traders and nobles, which met its abrupt end in 79 AD. Your guide will take you to the dock where the remains of over 300 people attempting to evacuate by sea were discovered, and will also show you the Samnite house, the thermal baths, the Temple of the Augustales, the forum, the house of Neptune and Amphitrite, the Gymnasium, the house of the wooden partition, and a lot more.

The thrill of the experience is palpable: not only can you witness remnants of stone, marble, and ceramics, but also burned wood and even a broader range of exquisite paintings and mosaics than found in Pompei. Destroyed by a force far more potent, Herculaneum saw all its wood instantly incinerated and the city covered under a deep layer that prevented air access and subsequent deterioration.

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Via dei Papiri Ercolanesi
Meeting place Ticket Office of the Herculaneum ruins. You can get there as follows: - By car in via Pignalver (There is a not guarded parking very close the meeting place) - By train in Corso Resina 1 (Circumvesuviana train station is 10 minutes walk away)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(448 Ratings)
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Debbie_l
Mar 28, 2024
Great tour - Very informative tour. Sara was great as a tour guide despite rainy weather. We enjoyed the tour very much.
Review provided by Viator
Mom929
Mar 27, 2024
Fantastic guide who knows his stuff - Excellent, excellent guide with an incredible knowledge of the site. He was a true archeologist and not someone reading a script. The group was small and intimate which made it that much better
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport145448
Mar 26, 2024
Everything I wanted and very considerate. - Really interesting tour with a committed, attentive and knowledgeable guide. This is my second tour with askos and I would not hesitate to book them again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J7952fejoek
Mar 22, 2024
Easily beats Pompeii into a very poor second place. - This is the site you should visit NOT POMPEII. It's much smaller and much better laid out but is a lot, lot more interesting. There are so many diffrent buildings avaliable to actually explore. Pompeii is basically 95% the same terraced house over and over again. Herculaneum being a wealthy side side retreat has a good variety of buildings, large villas, smaller villas, villas with gardens or 'pools', terraced homes, shops, a town square and temples etc. It suffered the same fate as Pompeii but is way more interesting due to the varied buildings their contents, floor tiling and wall paintings etc which were much better preserved. I much preferred this to the mega and over rated tourist attraction destination Pompeii has unjustly garnered.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Copelynn99
Mar 22, 2024
Amazing - Amazing experience. Our guide was Antonella. Very knowledgeable and paced the day beautifully. Pointed out the highlights. The weather was great so made the day very special. I enjoyed Herculaneum better than Pompeii purely for the size. Very manageable and felt we saw a lot without being rushed. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Megan_b
Mar 20, 2024
Can’t miss tour of Herculaneum! - Our guide, Antonella, provided an incredible tour of Herculaneum. She shared her wealth of knowledge about classical sites, both at Herculaneum and Pompeii, and gave us so much context to better understand the site and why it is so much better preserved than Pompeii. We particularly enjoyed seeing the bath house, but the whole tour was incredible! Plus, there are lots of cats roaming the grounds!!
Review provided by Viator
S8944qeangelah
Mar 20, 2024
An informative and enjoyable tour - Michael was fantastic,we were running late and not only did he wait after a phonecall but the tour was not hurried.He was friendly and had a wealth of knowledge and answered questions fully.There was plenty of time to take photos.The headsets were comfy and had no problems hearing him.I fully recommend.He also pointed out the museum,i didn't realuze what antiquarium meant!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stavros_m
Mar 18, 2024
Herculaneum is a real journey in time - Our tour guide was excellent. She had a very nice way to give us informations gradually in a simple way and she interacted continually with us. Grazzie mille Antonella !
Review provided by Viator
Nell_d
Mar 18, 2024
Excellent tour, great value for money - Really interesting and informative, was a great way to learn about the ruins, would never have been able to get so much from them by myself. Michaela was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly - a brilliant guide!
Review provided by Viator
Steve_j
Mar 14, 2024
Sara, our tour guide. - Sara, our tour guide, really loves her job and it shows. She is really very knowledgeable about the archaelogical information related to Herculaneum. We loved her enthusiasm and it was a pleasure in sharing her knowledge. A first-class guide. Nothing to do with our guide, but the instructions we received in advance were confusing. Suggesting that the meeting place was two separate locations! Luckilly, we guessed right but that may have caused delays to others if they had the same instructions.
Review provided by Viator
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1 Adult
May 2024
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