A quick guide to Pompeii and Herculaneum

Pompeii

Getting there

In a previous post I explained why Sorrento is a great hub for exploring the Amalfi Coast, which you can read more about here. And, its transport connections is one of those reasons.

From Sorrento, jump aboard the Circumvesuviana train or the Campania Express Service. It’s a 40-minute train journey from Sorrento to Pompeii and the cost is minimal. Once at the train station the entrance to Pompeii is directly across the road.

Exploring Pompeii

Entry to Pompeii costs €15 (with some discounts for students, teachers and children). However, a joint pass for both Pompeii and Herculaneum can be purchased for €20 – saving €6. Entry includes these five sites: 5 sites: Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabiae and Boscoreale. Your ticket will be valid for three consecutive days.

Pompeii is a place like no other. This ancient city was buried underneath volcanic ash and pumice in 79 AD. Largely preserved, this UNSECO World Heritage Site offers insight into what life was like for the Romans.

Before you delve deeper into Roman life, you’ll need to be prepared:

• Wear and take plenty of suncream. Pompeii offers little shade, so be sure to keep your skin safe and sunburn-free
• Take a hat or shawl – anything to keep your face and shoulders out of the sun
• Carry plenty of water – there is a coffee shop inside Pompeii but the prices are extortionate, so pop to the supermarket and buy a bottle or two of water before you enter the archaeological site.

Be sure to grab a map at the entrance or even an audio guide. The map will help you wander to the four major sites and the audio guide helps to understand the ruins that lay before your eyes. There are guided tours available, but these feel cattle-like to me and with the audio guide, you can go at your own pace.

Herculaneum

Getting there

From Sorrento take the Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano. If you’re already at Pompeii station, jump back on the same line for another 18 minute train journey to another archaeological site.

Exploring Herculaneum

This lower know, better-preserved, sister town to Pompeii is definitely worth a visit. Slightly northwest of Pompeii, this smaller site is easier to navigate in a day. A simple grid maps out points of interest that are available to the public. Like with Pompeii, tourists can wander at their leisure or book a guided tour.

There are four points of interests at Herculaneum: the House of Galba, Sacello degli Augustali (a sacred shrine), the Villa of Papyri and the baths. Spend some time taking in the beauty of the coloured frescos, shop buildings and fountains.

More from Campania

• A quick guide to Sorrento
• A quick guide to the island of Capri