Guided Day Tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum with Light Lunch
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Sorrento, Italy
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Uncover the archeological mysteries of Pompeii and Herculaneum on this enriching full-day excursion from Sorrento. In the company of an expert guide who brings the devastation of Mt. Vesuvius’ ancient eruption to vivid life, explore the volcanic ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum on foot.
- Avoid waiting in line with your pre-booked ticket
- Learn about these intriguing archaeological sites from an expert guide
- Enjoy a light lunch with wine at a local Italian restaurant
- Includes skip-the-line entrance to maximize your time
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Light lunch with 1 glass of wine
- Skip the line tickets in Pompeii and Herculaneum
- Transport by air-conditioned bus
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Parcheggio Comunale Achille LauroVia Correale, 80067 Sorrento NA, Italy
Meeting point: 08:15 Achille Lauro parking area, opposite Europa palace hotel
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.8:15 am
Itinerary
Climb aboard your comfortable, air-conditioned minibus at a central Sorrento location, or arrange for hotel pickup, before you relax during the scenic journey to Pompeii and Herculaneum, two ancient cities devastated by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79.
Feel your excitement heighten as you approach the sites of the miraculously preserved, 2,000-year-old ruins and commence a guided tour of the Herculaneum area. Receive a fascinating introduction to the city and how it was buried under a sea of volcanic ash following Mt. Vesuvius’ unexpected eruption.
Next, travel onward to Pompeii, stopping for a revitalizing Italian lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Please see the Itinerary section for a sample menu. Sated, embark on a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins with your expert guide.
Delve into the encompassing intrigue of the ancient city destroyed by the mighty volcano; see excavations of ancient monuments and admire the perfectly preserved structure of Villa of Mysteries (Villa dei Misteri), so-called because of the frescoes, statues, and walls that sustained little damage during the eruption.
Suitably impressed, return to your vehicle and relax during the journey back to Sorrento, where the tour concludes.
Feel your excitement heighten as you approach the sites of the miraculously preserved, 2,000-year-old ruins and commence a guided tour of the Herculaneum area. Receive a fascinating introduction to the city and how it was buried under a sea of volcanic ash following Mt. Vesuvius’ unexpected eruption.
Next, travel onward to Pompeii, stopping for a revitalizing Italian lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Please see the Itinerary section for a sample menu. Sated, embark on a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins with your expert guide.
Delve into the encompassing intrigue of the ancient city destroyed by the mighty volcano; see excavations of ancient monuments and admire the perfectly preserved structure of Villa of Mysteries (Villa dei Misteri), so-called because of the frescoes, statues, and walls that sustained little damage during the eruption.
Suitably impressed, return to your vehicle and relax during the journey back to Sorrento, where the tour concludes.
Sorrento (Pass By)
1
Parco Acheologico Di Ercolano
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Archaeological Park of Pompeii
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Sheila_S
This tour was well organized, and the guide made us feel very cared for. This was my second trip to Pompeii and I saw different sights and learned some new things. The lunch was actually really good! Herculaneum was amazing but I wish we had a little more time and there was an area that would have been fun to explore but we weren't taken down there ( even though we did see others there so it wasn't off limits) Overall I'd recommend this great experience. Bus was very comfortable. My one nit pick would be the pick up location was a little tricky to find. I almost missed the tour because I was waiting at the location google maps said but it was actually around the corner and down some stairs. Kind of stressful.
Reviews
4.5
based on 312 reviews
Donna_H, Oct 2025
Wonderful experience! We had an amazing tour guide who had extensive knowledge,
quite impressive! We loved it! Please Keep in mind these are ancient ruins
sites and anyone with mobility issues will find it challenging. The lunch was delicious, even though it’s described as a light lunch it was much more than we expected!!
Joseph_C, Oct 2025
The tour and lunch and Carmine the guide were all good. The bus was horrible. There was no AC it was a long brutal trip. Carmine finally got the bus company to send a replacement for the way home. I don’t think we would have survived the trip
back it was so hot in that vehicle .It’s a long day and lots of walking up and down on rough surfaces. Wear good shoes, dress in layers as it was extremely hot in the afternoon.
Malcolm_R, Oct 2025
Quite a slow journey along the coast road but once there Karmine was an excellent and humorous guide.
Carol_S, Oct 2025
Francesca was awesome! Extremely knowledgeable of Pompeii and Herculaneum. We love this journey, it was excellent. We enjoyed the lunch with the others on the tour. She was truly knowledgeable and really knew her stuff. It was very well organized. I highly recommend this tour.
Betty_C, Oct 2025
Put on your walking shoes! Listen to the history and take in the sights. You are going back in time. The guides are very informative about Pompeii and Herculaneum. The light lunch was plentiful! It was more than expected. The trip was well worth it!
JoeG_D, Oct 2025
It was just amazing to tour both Pompeii & Herculaneum. Tour guide was exceptional! I would highly recommend!
Michael_S, Sep 2025
The tours of Pompeii and Herculaneum were very interesting and our tour guides were wonderful! However, the tour bus made stops at multiple hotels all over the Sorrento peninsula to drop off other tour members and this resulted in extremely long return trip. The tour description should have indicated that this tour was not just leaving from our pick up and drop off point.
Tim_S, Sep 2025
The lunch was not very good. Bad pizza and sorry looking pasta. Desert was a very frozen lemon gellato.
Also did not like the earpiece. It was awkward to wear and then hurt after some time. The women guide was very knowledgeable about the ruins but I found it difficult to to understand her English with her strong Italian cadence and accent. I also think she had too many people to track--I belive there were 34. This caused issues. At Herculeum, we were broken into two groups by site mandate. That difference in size made that part of the tour much better. I think the guide company is disorganized.
Melody_C, Sep 2025
It was a very full, informative day! Definitely a little pricey but it’s a once in a lifetime thing so I think it’s worth it. Note that this tour runs more like 9 hours+ - we started about 20-30 minutes late so we were back by 515 since the traffic wasn’t bad but I would be prepared to get back by 6.
Lunch was awesome - you start with antipasti then got to choose between a whole pizza or pasta and the gelato to end. Everything vegetarian!
My only complaint is that the meet up point is confusing, but I had read previous review reviews that helped me figure out where it was. If you are in front of Deutsche Bank, you need to go down the stairs to the bus terminal on the left. You meet the guide in front of the bathrooms. The bus terminal is across the street from hotel Europa so if you are facing the hotel from the main street, it’s behind you and to the left.
They did run late, as they picked up other people from hotels prior to going to the bus terminal/main meet up place, so definitely message the Tour operator prior to starting so you can get the name of your tour guide for the day.
The drop off point is different from the pick up because there are rules about the tour bus and where it can stop during traffic hours. But the drop off point is not far from where you pick up. It’s just down the street at the train station.
We went on a really hot day so I would recommend bringing an umbrella and a a hat. I would also highly recommend wearing clothes toed sneakers as it’s quite sandy there. You cannot bring big bags to Herculean so plan accordingly - you can leave stuff on the bus though. And they sell waters on the bus for 1€ each.
There is a lot of walking - at the end of the day we probably had 12,000 steps, so if you have any injuries, I would be aware that it’s not the most handicap- friendly place and the cobblestones are quite uneven, and the steps are large. Someone in our group had a cane and had complained that they didn’t know there was a lot of walking, but I’m not really sure what they were confused about.
Our guide Carmela was great, although in Pompeii, you only have one guide and in Herculean you have to, which was better. Our Herculean guide was really great. I forgot her name. Everyone raved about Herculean, but I think I liked Pompei better. The scale is much larger and it’s more impressive.
The walk in Pompeii is two hours and Herculean was an hour and a half. There is no shade in Pompeii, but there is shade at Herculean.
All in all a really good trip! Would recommend if you have a full day!
Jan_C, Sep 2025
Wear sturdy shoes be prepared for uneven surfaces and many stairs. Cinzia was a superb guide, extremely knowledgeable,
Attentive to the needs of all participants,
And Patient. Long day.
mjspadafora, Sep 2025
Super knowledgable and our guide Raphael knew his way around the ruins to avoid getting stuck in crowds. Wear a hat, bring sunscreen!
K_M, Aug 2025
The ruins of Pompeii & Herculaneum were cool, but the tour itself felt disorganized. The bus came a few minutes late with no guide present to explain, and the drop-off at the end was in a different location than advertised. Not a big deal but it was an additional 10 minute walk from where the drop off was originally supposed to be. that just added to the disorganization. I also saw other reviewers mention they had a different drop off location as well. It wasn’t a bad tour, but it didn’t measure up to the standard set by other tours on our trip.
Joy_M, Aug 2025
Long, full day! The tour guide, Laura was amazing! She informed us of everything we needed to know about the history, geography and social aspects of both sites. We traveled in august so it was quite warm, but still enjoyable. The lunch was great too. Highly recommend!
Aimeeleigh_D, Aug 2025
We had a fantastic time exploring both sites. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and was extremely passionate when sharing his knowledge. The lunch was great and they accommodated our fussy children. After a long, hot day we all were very pleased with how we had spent it.
crossbushchris, Jul 2025
There's lots packed into the day, you do get to see a lot. The lunch was nice.
Take plenty of water.
Cynthia_R, Jul 2025
The tour was well organized and the guide was very knowledgeable. She was considerate of our group because it was a very hot day and we were not rushed too much which made the tour more enjoyable.
Jacinda_C, Jun 2025
It was so worth visiting both places. We had 2 lovely guides that kept us informed the whole day. It may not seem like much time in both places but it was enough to appreciate the incredible history. Lunch was also really good.
Sheila_S, Jun 2025
This tour was well organized, and the guide made us feel very cared for. This was my second trip to Pompeii and I saw different sights and learned some new things. The lunch was actually really good! Herculaneum was amazing but I wish we had a little more time and there was an area that would have been fun to explore but we weren't taken down there ( even though we did see others there so it wasn't off limits) Overall I'd recommend this great experience. Bus was very comfortable. My one nit pick would be the pick up location was a little tricky to find. I almost missed the tour because I was waiting at the location google maps said but it was actually around the corner and down some stairs. Kind of stressful.
Kristen_H, Jun 2025
We had a great day seeing Pompei and Herriculum
With Desiree!!! Its a long day so you need sunscreen / hat/ umbrella you are in the sun!
We had a great lunch!
Sara_W, May 2025
The was an enjoyable and informative tour. The guide did a good gob of introducing both days -- lunch was filling and everything was well planned. The views from the bus on the way to and from the sites were amazing.
Patricia_S, May 2025
Both sites are spectacular and worth seeing. However, while our guide was fine, 32 people in a Pompei tour is more than double what is ideal. Too many people with head set problems - guide was hard to hear- having to wait for people. I recommend a private or semi-private experience. Also, on the way back our bus was pulled over in Piano di Sorrento and documents examined by the police. The bus was not carrying enough insurance and was immediately sent away with all the hot and exhausted passengers standing in the street trying to get back to Sorrento in rush hour. You might think the company would reach out to us with an apology??
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear guest,
Thank you for your feedback and please accept our apologies for the inconveniences you experienced with the return transfer. We would like to clarify that the driver was only missing a document but was all solved the day after. A refreshment in a local bar has been offered by our company as goodwill gesture and in approx. 30 minutes a new coach arrived. We are really sorry that you didn't give us the time to resolve on spot this issue out of our control
We hope you will consider booking our services again in the future.
Kind regards,
Customer Service Team
Marcida_D, Apr 2025
Excellent explanation of what happened in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Our guide Tony helped us imagine it happening at each place we stood. And he helped us to understand the differences between the two cities, why they were impacted differently.
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your very positive feedback. Your comments are crucial for us to improve our services and I am glad you had a lovely experience with us.
We hope to be your choice for your future holiday destinations.
Kind regards,
Customer Service team
Louise_E, Apr 2025
Got to Pompei after many pickups on the bus. Both guides very knowledgeable who took you to the main areas of both Pompei and Herculenum. Light lunch was in a restaurant comprising of a 3 course meal with water and a drink.
Rebecca_R, Apr 2025
Well organised and prompt pick up for the coach. Our tour guide Dana was lovely and very knowledgeable about Pompeii and the Herculaneum. Our driver Pepe was lovely and the drive to pompeii was smooth and enjoyable. Dana guided us around Pompeii and thr Herculaneum providing us with the history of the two towns. Dana always checked with our older guest in our group to make sure they were comfortable with all the walking we were doing. The use of the headphones was brilliant ad we could still hear Dana giving us the stories even if we found ourselves at the back of the group. The tour was not rushed but also not slow. Dana has a good sense of time in each area before moving onto the next. When I booked I was informed this excursion included a light lunch served in the hotel next to Pompeii's entrance. We were invited into a private function room and enjoyed a 3 course meals that was a great surprise. The food was excellent and the wait staff lovely and happy to serve. The beauty of both Pompeii and the Herculaneum with it's perfectly preserved Roman art, pots, statues etc. Is quite frankly one of the best examples of Roman life.
Lori_P, Oct 2024
Excellent tour with a wonderful guide. Faulty
Equipment meant unable to hear for the full second half of the tour. A partial refund is in order.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Lori,
Thank you for your feedback. Your comments are crucial for us to improve our services and this comment will be forwarded to our local teams.
We hope you will consider booking our services again in the future.
Kind regards,
Customer Service Team
Suzanne_P, Oct 2024
Pompeii and Herculaneum were incredible!! Our guide Raphael did an amazing job! He was knowledgeable with a wealth of information for us. The lunch menu was beautiful! I am so glad and grateful that I took this tour and had the guide and safe driver we had!!🙏
Suzanne Politano
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Suzanne,
Thank you for your very positive feedback.
Your comments are very important for us to improve our services and we are glad you had a lovely experience with us and we met your travelling expectations.
We appreciate your kind words for our guide and we are happy you enjoyed every part of the tour.
We hope to be your choice for your future holiday destinations.
Kind regards,
Customer Service team
Sally_R, Oct 2024
Herculaneum was extra special. Ralph our guide was a knowledgeable helpful and friendly and brought the story of Pompei and Herculaneum to life.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Sally,
Thank you for your very positive feedback.
We appreciate your kind words for our guide and we are happy you enjoyed every part of the tour.
We hope to be your choice for your future holiday destinations.
Kind regards,
Customer Service team
Theresa_S, Oct 2024
Our guide was very knowledgeable and the pace was good. This was a 3-hour tour with lots of information. It would better if the tour would build in maybe an hour where the group could walk around freely to absorb and reflect on what we had just learned from the guide. No time was given to us to just take it all in. This site deserves to be reflected on.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Theresa,
Thank you for your feedback and the time you dedicated to write it.
Your comments really matter to our local team to improve the quality's standard service by applying the appropriate corrective actions.
Kind regards,
Customer Service Team
Stephanie_G, Oct 2024
This tour was the perfect balance of sights, lunch, and bus. Seeing both sights with a break in between for our delicious lunch with rest periods on the bus was well timed and guided by Raffaele. Our driver is a champion who can navigate between the most narrow roads lined with scooters cars and cliffs. The sights are remarkable and our guide, very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Dear valued Guest,
Thank you for your very positive feedback. We are glad you were satisfied with our services and hope to be your choice for your future holiday destinations.
Kind regards,
Customer Service team
Elizabeth_B, Oct 2024
The day was full and memorable. Our guide was knowledgeable and easily explained all the sights and kept the group, which was quite large, moving through each area of interest at a comfortable pace. Light lunch was not so light and very enjoyable. A great way to see two major sites in one day.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you for your very positive feedback.
We appreciate your kind words for our guide and we are happy you enjoyed every part of the tour.
We hope to be your choice for your future holiday destinations.
Kind regards,
Customer Service team
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