Private Tour: Ruins of Herculaneum Day Trip from Naples by Train

We did this as a shore excursion from our cruise. We were met at the pier by a super nice guide and then proceeded on a very long march around Naples. First to a ticket booth were we got subway tickets, then to a subway stop, on to the train station and then a run through the station to catch a train that was late and not at the station!! Once near Herculaneum we had a nearly one mile downhill walk to the site on uneven sidewalks and lots of traffic! All we could think of was the walk back!!! My husband was so tired by the time we got to the visitors center and looked down at the ruins and all the trudging around he'd have to do that he decided just to wait at the entrance. I want to stress that our guide was terrific! In no way was this lousy tour his fault, it is set up for extremely young and fit people! The travel time eclipsed the actual time at the ruins. In the end, we had our guide hire us a van taxi to take us back to the port. Not one of us wanted to repeat the long walk uphill, train, subway or walk through mad traffic to get back. BEWARE!

The four of us were met bang on time at the agreed place at the Cruise Terminal and taken by Metro and Train to the site. Our Guide Dr Lavinia De Rosa majored in Roman History and one of her tutors was an archaeological excavator at the site, so her knowledge was unsurpassed. More importantly she gave the history and detail in an easily understood way. We spent two hours or more exploring Herculaneum with her and without any doubt we saw and understood far more than we would have done on our own with a map and guide book. We have no hesitation in recommending this guide and her Tour organiser Leisure Italy.

Well worth the time and money. Patricia was a marvelous guide full of knowledge yet flexible enough to meet our need to abbreviate the tour because of othe plans. Herculaneum is a more compact and somewhat more interesting version of Pompeii to which my wife and I have both been. The way in which this seaside town was inundated, first by mud then lava preserved many beautiful remains of a different era including petrified wood that you will not find in Pompeii. Four hours of delightful learning and a trail that allowed this diabetic 60 year old to negotiate without exhaustion.