Our Essential Guide to Herculaneum Tickets and Tours

The Parco Archeologico di Ercolano is one of my favorite ancient sites in Italy. There is something about the way the ruins are preserved and presented that makes it fascinating to visit time and time again. Given how many times I’ve visited the archaeological park, I’m here to share all the details you need to get hold of the right Herculaneum tickets for you.

Everything You Need to Know About Herculaneum Tickets and Tours

So many people talk to us about wanting to visit the ancient sites of Campania when they are here, but the vast majority are thinking only about Pompeii.

While Pompeii is an incredible place, I personally prefer the archaeological site of Herculaneum. Connecting with the story of the city and people who lived here is easier because it is a smaller site and more original features were preserved (and left in place). Herculaneum is also not as packed as Pompeii can be and is less overwhelming for first-time visitors – especially in the heat of the summer!

The Herculaneum archaeological park gives us a glimpse into the life of wealthy ancient Romans, with stunning examples of frescoes, architecture and mosaics. Everyday life is well represented with ancient homes, bathing complexes, shops and bars. It also thoughtfully presents the deaths of those who could not escape the destruction of Mount Vesuvius.

Visiting Herculaneum and Pompeii tells two versions of a shared event, but they experienced this event very differently. Pompeii should absolutely be on your travel itinerary but Herculaneum should be given equal importance!

You can learn about what there is to see at the Herculaneum archaeological park in our full visit guide here.

The archaeological site of Herculaneum is located in the modern town of Ercolano. This town is well connected to Naples and Sorrento so it is pretty straightforward to reach Herculaneum.

Visiting Herculaneum by Train from Naples

The easiest method of reaching Herculaneum Archaeological park is to take a train from Naples.

The main station that serves the archaeological park is Ercolano Scavi. To reach this station from Naples, you have two lines to choose from, Line 1 which is the Circumvesuviana that goes to Sorrento, and Line 4.

Line 1 used to be the default train option for Herculaneum, but in recent years the schedule has changed. Ercolano Scavi is not a regular stop on this line anymore. Instead, with a few exceptions early in the morning and during the evening, only the Campania Express trains stop at Ercolano Scavi.

There are only 4 Campania Express trains a day that leave from Napoli Centrale, so this doesn’t leave you with many options.

Instead, coming from Naples I recommend you get the Line 4 train. This leaves from the same area as the Circumvesuviana and is run by the same company, EAV. However, these trains run approximately every 15 minutes and always stop at Ercolano Scavi.

When looking for your train, Line 4 ends at Poggiomarino so look out for this as the final destination. If in doubt, ask a member of staff, but Line 4 runs so often that you shouldn’t have any issues taking it.

From Ercolano Scavi it is about a 10-15 minute walk in a straight line to the entrance of the park.

The other option is to take the regular regional train from Napoli Centrale heading to Salerno, getting off at the Portici – Ercolano station. This is further away from the park however, about a 30 minute walk so is best as a back-up option.

On the CoopCulture site there is a lot of information about opening times, accessibility and more; scroll down to the bottom of the page. Here you will find a number of different options under ‘Buy’. Select the ‘Regular Entrance ticket’ option and then find the ‘Check Availability’ button under the pricing information.

Clicking this button takes you to a calendar, where days that have availability will be highlighted a pale green colour. Click on the day you want to visit to see the available time slots that you can book, and how many tickets are available.

Select your chosen time slot and you’ll get a pop-up with the different ticket options. This includes free and reduced tickets for children and other eligible categories. Add as many of the appropriate ticket types you need and then click ‘Add to Cart’. Click ‘Checkout’ once you’re happy with your selections and then enter your information and payment details.

Tickets are always digital so you will receive an email with the tickets attached. There is no need to print these, simply show them on your smartphone when you arrive at the archaeological park.

You can try to purchase in person at the ticket office, but apart from low season, this is a risky choice that I would not recommend relying on!

On the booking calendar you will see at least one day a month that is greyed out, which are days when there is free entry to the archaeological park.

The Free Sunday event takes place on the first Sunday of every month, and there are other free entry days as well sometimes.

For these events, you cannot pre-book entrance tickets. If you want to get in for free, you need to arrive early and be prepared to queue, there is no way around this! Very popular with locals as well as tourists, I suggest avoiding the Free Sundays unless you have no other choice.

Third Party Entrance Tickets

During high season, Herculaneum often sells out at peak times. While you can try alternative days or different time slots, if you have a fixed time to visit, you can try purchasing through a third party.

Our preferred partners at GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Headout have options for Herculaneum entrance tickets. Some come with an audio guide as an extra benefit as well.

Note that any third parties offering ‘skip the line tickets’ simply are referring to the ability to skip the line of people waiting to purchase tickets in person. You cannot skip the line for security or ticket checks with any type of ticket or tour, whether booked direct or with a third party.

Getting hold of Herculaneum tickets and tours is relatively easy compared to other Italian sites. But it is important that you make the right choice for you, taking into account the different transport options, timings and if you are combining your visit with Pompeii and/or Mount Vesuvius.

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