Herculaneum - Small Group Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Naples, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Herculaneum is home to some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in Italy, but it can be a challenge to interpret this ancient city on your own. With this guided tour, gain a better understanding of this UNESCO-listed treasure as you visit intact homes, shops, baths, temples, and more. Learn about daily life 2,000 years ago and how the city was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
- Cover the most important ruins inside Herculaneum in just two hours
- Visit with a guide to understand the complex ruins and their history
- A small-group tour for plenty of interaction with your guide
- Choose a morning or afternoon tour to suit your schedule
What's Included
- Visit with a tour guide licensed by Regione Campania
- Admission ticket
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Parco Acheologico di Ercolano
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 145 reviews
Michael_R, Feb 2026
Herculaneum is well worth seeing. The guide did a good job showing us around. Would recommend the tour
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Dear visitor, thank you so much for your review and nice words for our tour guide. We hope
we'll see you again during our other tours
joakim_g, Nov 2025
Francesco was great!
Lots of information that was relevant and fun at all times during the tour. Francesco has a very engaging way of communicating and answers every question along the way impeccably!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Dear visitor, thank you so much for your review and nice words for our tour guide. We hope
we'll see you again during our other tours
Ronald_D, Nov 2025
Francesco was the most advanced and informative guide one could have . His incredible knowledge of Herculean was amazing - could not fault his dialogue, well spoken , no microphone, perfect !
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Dear visitor, thank you for your review, we're really proud of our tour guide. Thank you so
much for the kind words, we hope we'll see you again.
Christine_A, Oct 2025
This was a wonderful small group tour
A total of 8 people who all spoke English. Francesco, our guide, was fabulous. He has such enthusiasm and passion and is so knowledgeable of the history. Great your and would highly recommend
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear visitor, we're so happy that you found our tour guide so amazing and enjoyed our tour. Thank you so much for recommending us.
We hope we'll see you again during our other tours
Karen_G, Oct 2025
This tour started on time and lasted exactly 2 hours. Francesco our guide did a wonderful job explaining how the eruption effected the area and the different effects between Pompeii and
Herculaneum.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear visitor,
thank you so much for your review and nice words about our tour guide. We hope we'll see you again during our other tours. Thanks.
Monica_R, Oct 2025
Francesco provides a perfectly curated tour of Ercolano, with enough background and memorable stories, but not so dense as to become a slog. He also offered helpful perspectives for our upcoming visit to Pompeii -- things to look out for to compare or contrast. A charming guide at a truly impressive and immersive site!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear visitor,
it's a pleasure to read such good words about our tour guide. We're really glad you enjoyed the tour so much and we hope we'll see you again.
Jacqueline_D, Jul 2025
Marco was a brilliant tour guide; so knowledgable and personable.
We were a small group of 4 with ages ranging between 12 and 75 and Marco kept us all engaged. We’d highly recommend this tour - we covered everything that we wanted to see and learned so much. We’re still buzzing - 5 stars!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear visitor, thank you so much for your feedback and nice words for your tour guide. We're
extremely happy that you recommend us. Hope we'll see you again. Thank you
Marcella_R, Jul 2025
Small group size was perfect. Francesco was very knowledgeable and kept us in the shade as much as possible. We were able to roam the rest of the ruins on our own and visit the museum with original pieces. Truly fascinating. Enjoyed it more than Pompeii.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear visitor,
thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
We're really happy that you enjoyed our tour and found our tour guide so helpful. Thank you so much.
Joanna_B, May 2025
Excellent guide and a great overview of the history and ruins of Herculaneum. Definitely pointed out things we would have missed on our own.
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear visitor, we're really glad you enjoyed our tour so much. We hope we'll see you again. Thank you so much
Rhonda_L, Apr 2025
Our small tour ended up being a private tour. Our guide was very helpful finding the starting place. He was very knowledgeable and made the tour very enjoyable. We would highly recommend Francesco for a tour guide.
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear visitor, we're glad you enjoyed the tour and recommend our tour guide. Thank you so much, we hope we'll see you again.
leslieglazerjacobs, Apr 2025
Herculaneum/Ercolano is worth visiting. We actually enjoyed it more than Pompeii, because of its smaller scale/fewer crowds, and because it allows you to imagine what life was like before the volcano hit. Our tour guide, (whose name, unfortunately, we don't have) was not only knowledgeable but kind--In the past year I got a new knee and a new hip (I'm an otherwise youthful 67!) and he made sure that I kept up with our group, and offered his hand to help me down from a high step or ledge.
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear visitor, thank you so much for your review and nice words, we hope we'll see you again during our other tours. Thank you.
Garrett_D, Apr 2025
Francesco Pagano was fantastic in every way imaginable. He is easy to understand, personable, experienced, well-educated, and highly energetic. This is the way to do a tour. I highly recommend this guy!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Dear visitor,
first of all thank you for your review.
We're glad you find our guide so helpful .
We hope we'll also see you during our other tours.
Thanks.
Daniel_B, Feb 2025
Francesco is a wonderful tour guide. He was very responsive and helpful leading up to the tour and met us promptly. He clearly has had a lot of experience and knowledge of both Pompeii and Herculaneum. He helped us understand the history of the site and was able to answer all of our questions. He was always very respectful and his English is excellent. We highly recommend Francesco as a guide! Daniel and Ashley
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear visitor,
thank you so much for this review.
We're really happy that you enjoyed the tour so much and found our guide so helpful.
We hope we'll also see you during our other tours.
Thanks.
Michael_K, Dec 2024
This is a very positive review. We were lucky enough to get Francesco Pagano as our guide. As part of a “40th birthday” present for my girlfriend, I had booked small group tours of Pompeii for Oct. 18th and of Herculaneum for Oct. 19th through Viatour. Francesco contacted us a few days before the tours saying that the minimum number of participants for the Herculaneum tour had not been booked, so he offered us some options. We opted to have a private tour of Herculaneum on Oct. 19th for an small upcharge. Then things got a little complicated (stick with me; like I said, this is a very positive review). The Italian rail workers were supposed to strike on Oct. 19th, the day of our Herculaneum tour. I reached out to Francesco asking how we were supposed to get to Herculaneum if the trains were not running. After some exchange on WhatsApp, Francesco arranged it so that we would have both tours on the same day; he would meet us after our tour of Pompeii and drive us in his car to Herculaneum, where we would join another couple for the tour, and NOT be charged extra (very generous). When we met him at Pompeii, he waited for us to eat a quick lunch (and have a beer), and he declined letting us buy him anything. Unfortunately for the other couple, they could not get to Herculaneum because of train problems in Naples. Francesco decided to give us a private tour anyway, and again, with no extra charge. About 10 minutes into the tour, Francesco realized he lost his backpack, which had his wallet and all his identification. Instead of stopping the tour right there, he called a few of his friends at Pompeii to see if they could find his backpack, and continued our tour. He was VERY professional, and although definitely stressed about his backpack, still had a smile on his face. Fortunately, about a half hour later, someone called him and told him they found his backpack. Francesco, now in an ever better mood, finished our tour, which was EXCELLENT. Then, he actually drove the two of us to the train station. Unfortunately, another monkey wrench: that train was not running! That was a serious problem for us get back to Naples, so 5 minutes after he dropped us off, I called Francesco and told him what was going on. He immediately turned around, came back, picked us up, and drove us about 10 minutes to the “government run” train station. Amazingy, as he drove, we gave us MORE info like we were still on tour! After he dropped us off at the “government run” station, we got train tickets (thanks to another helpful soul), ran across the tracks, and got on the train in the nick of time and headed back to Naples.
Francesco saved us so much time and money by driving us from Pompeii to Herculaneum, not charging extra for a private tour when the other couple couldn’t make it, driving us to the first train station, and then the second train station. We would have been stuck for hours and probably would have had to pay 100+ euros for a cab to Naples. And all of this was on the day his younger son’s birthday! He actually gave up family time to take care of his clients, which is above and beyond.
Francesco is a great guy and a great guide. My girlfriend and I cannot recommend and thank him enough.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear visitor,
thank you so much for your review. It's been a pleasure helping you and we're so happy that you enjoyed our tours and we also thank you a lot for taking your time to send us this nice words for our tour guide. We hope we'll see you again, thank you so much again.
JENNIFER_S, Dec 2024
Ask for Francesco as your guide! We toured Pompeii in the morning and had an afternoon tour with Francesco at Herculaneum. We all enjoyed it more than Pompeii. A more intimate experience and our guide was fabulous. He has a command of the subject and his passion for the place comes through. He made us care about the people of Herculaneum and imagine the lives of the people who lived there in the first century AD before the tragedy struck.
We hope to book a tour of Pompeii with Francesco the next time we come to Italy. We would love to see that place through his eyes and brain!
Grazie to you Francesco!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear visitor,
first of all thank you for your review.
We're glad you find our guide so helpful .
We hope we'll also see you during our other tours.
Thanks.
Judith_E, Nov 2024
The thing that makes a trip like this really worth it and excellent, is the guide.
Our guide, Roberta, was terrific. She had
a real understanding of the site and the enormous effort that it took to excavate it. Listening to her speak really made the place come alive for us. We came into Naples on a cruise ship, and the staff person we talked to, Francesco, was extremely helpful in providing us information on how to get to Herculaneum. It is a visit that should not be missed if you are making a trip to the area and having a well versed guide really enhances the experience. I would recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Dear visitor,
thank you so much for this review.
We're really happy that you enjoyed the tour so much and found our guide so helpful.
We hope we'll also see you during our other tours.
Thanks.
jehwilkinson, Sep 2024
We had booked to go on a group tour first thing on Sunday morning - we got a message from Francesco a couple of days before saying that no-one else had booked that same timeslot so the group tour would be cancelled unless we wanted to change to a different slot, or upgrade to a private tour for an additional fee. We chose the private tour upgrade - and we were very pleased we did. Marzia was our friendly guide - clearly an expert on her subject, she showed us round the site, giving us great insight into what we were seeing. I would highly recommend this option!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Dear visitor,
we're so happy that everything went well with the tour and that you enjoyed it so much.
Thank you for your kind words, we hope we'll see you again
Nicole_C, Jul 2024
Days before the trip, Francesco reached out letting us know that he had to cancel and after communicating back and forth with him about options of changing the tour time and date, we decided to let him replace himself with Antonella. SHE WAS AMAZING. Our family LOVED her! Because it’s a private tour, we were able to go at a slower pace AND ask questions. She was knowledgeable, personable, charismatic, and kind. I would recommend Antonella to anyone who needs a guide. And as for my contact with Francesco, he was a wonderful contact and I’m really thankful he was communicating fully with us.
As for touring Herculaneum, do it.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Dear visitor, we're so happy that you found our tour guide so amazing and enjoyed our tour. We hope we'll see you again
james_k, Jun 2024
Francesco was very knowledgeable guide and knew his history. Gave a very thorough presentation and even helped us get the right train station to get back to Sorrento! The Ercolano station wasn’t a return stop.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Dear visitor, thank you so much for your feedbacks and nice words for our tour guide. We really appreciate it and hope we'll see you again.
sara_l, May 2024
This was excellent. The guide was nice and wasnt over whelming. She gave just enough information and kept a good steady pace which was great because it was hot.
There is no shade so I would take a hat.
I heard from other tourists that they went to Pompeii and it wasn't as nice as Herculaneum.
Highly recommend this place.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear visitor, it's a pleasure to know that your experience was excellent. Thank you so much for your kind words and we hope we'll see you again during our other tours
Giles_C, May 2024
We benefitted from a guided group of 4 led by the exceptionally knowledgeable Francesco. We enjoyed his in-depth understanding of Herculaneum and the people that lived there. Having a guide added to the enjoyment and I would strongly recommend the small group tour as it allowed us to ask questions and enjoy the benefit of information we would not have found out for ourselves. We had a 2-hour tour but also enjoyed a further hour on our own returning to the exit. A fantastic way to spend the afternoon.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear visitor, thank you so much for your feedback. We are so happy that you enjoyed our tour guide and had a fantastic afternoon. We hope we'll see you again. Thanks
Kathryn_L, Mar 2024
Francesco was an exceptional tour guide for Herculaneum. It was absolutely worth every penny to have him explain all the sights to us. There is so much to see, and it’s amazingly well preserved. However, there are no signs explaining any of the buildings, so you really need someone knowledgeable (like Francesco) with you to get the most out of a visit. Our tour didn’t meet the minimum number of people, so Francesco contacted us several days beforehand to let us know and give us the option to have a private tour for a small additional cost. I’m very glad we took the option for a private tour!
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Dear visitor,
it's really a pleasure to hear such good words from you. Thank you so much for your feedback and we hope we'll see you again during our other tours.
Thank you so much.
AMANDA_H, Jan 2024
Excellent communication of meeting point. Our guide was so informative with a wide range of knowledge. The tour was a perfect length and we didn't miss a thing. We highly recommend
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Dear visitor,
we really appreciate your feedback and your enthusiasm for our tour.
We hope we'll see you again during our next tours.
Thank you so much.
Jennifer_C, Nov 2023
Although I made an error in scheduling the wrong day, Francisco worked with me to accommodate my husband and I on our port day off our cruise. He conducted a private tour himself, providing great information about this impressive site. We felt we saw the entire park within the 2-hrs and had an understanding of what occurred here versus Pompeii. Francisco is fluent in English, easy to understand. He had great stories about daily life in Herculaneum. We felt the company went above and beyond despite my error. We give Francisco and his company, Pompeiify, our highest recommendation. You will not regret taking this tour. Do it!!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Dear visitor,
thank you for your kind words and for recommending us.
We're so happy you loved your experience and found our tour guide so helpful.
Thanks so much again.
Christopher_T, Nov 2023
Cancelled the day of. Why allow booking if you dont have enough people? Then offered a private tour at same cost 6 hours later. Why not just offer the private tour then at the time you booked in the first place. Oh and then bother me with a survey of the tour I didnt actually go on? here you go Viatour
Response from Host, Nov 2023
We got this booking only a few hours before the starting time of the tour and we offered a private tour at the same cost (instead of 4 times more as it is the normal price of a private tour) 3 hours later, not 6! Then, we apologize for the refund taking 5 days but that is not our fault as well we don't bother you with any survey but Viator did! Anyway, we’re sorry it didn't work but we also hope you join one of our tours in the future to change your mind about us.
Karen_N, Sep 2023
Francesca brought the history to life! She was friendly, funny and engaging and really put you in the middle of life in Herculaneum prior to 79 ad. Her vibrant descriptions of the various aspects of life in both Herculaneum and Pompeii were so interesting! Would definitely highly recommend her and and would love to have her as a guide anywhere!
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear visitor,
we're so happy to hear that you enjoyed our tour and found our guide to be so nice.
Thank your for your review and for recommending her, we hope to see you soon in Pompeii as well.
Thank you so much.
Milton_S, Jul 2023
Learning about the history of Herculaneum was very interesting. Seeing the site in person was awesome. The only thing that was not enjoyable was the extremely hot and humid weather at the end of July.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Dear visitor,
we really appreciate your feedback and nice words, it's been a pleasure to make your tour so memorable.
We hope we'll see you again during our next tours hopefully with a better weather.
Thank you so much.
David_M, Jun 2023
This tour was absolutely amazing. Our guide, Francesco, really brought the place to life. Our 6 year old was hanging on his every word and turned this tour into probably the highlight of his trip to Italy. He had lots of stories, gave us key information and was able to answer every question we had.
We only wish we booked our Pompeii trip with Francesco as well, it paled in comparison to this one.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Dear visitor,
thank your for sharing your experience with us, we really appreciate your feedback and kind words.
We care so much about your visitors and it's great to hear how awesome our tour has been.
Thank you again.
Dharmesh_S, Jun 2023
Our tour guide was Francesco. Highly recommend him. He was on time and very knowledgeable. Even our teenagers stayed engaged and learned so much from him.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Dear visitor,
we're so glad to hear that you enjoyed our tour and found our staff helpful and fun.
Thank your for your review and for recommending us, we hope to see you soon in Pompeii as well.
Thank you so much.
Anne_T, Mar 2023
Great afternoon. Our guide was very knowledgeable - he brought the experience to life.
Would certainly recommend him to anyone.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Dear visitor,
we really appreciate your feedback and nice words, thank you so much for recommending us.
We hope we'll see you all again during our next tours.
Thank you.
From $49.40
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