The standard Herculaneum entry ticket costs €13 for adults. An optional audio guide is available. A skip-the-line guided tour with a professional archaeologist starts from approximately €28. Herculaneum can also be combined with Pompeii via a combo ticket or guided tour, which provides the best value for visiting both sites.
Herculaneum (Ercolano) is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the world — and because it sees roughly one-tenth of Pompeii’s visitor numbers, booking is simpler and the experience is calmer. But the choices are still worth thinking through: entry only, entry with audio guide, a guided tour with an archaeologist, or a combined Pompeii and Herculaneum day. This guide covers every ticket option clearly, with direct booking links and honest advice on which option gives you the best experience.
Top Tickets
# Herculaneum Entry Ticket with Audio Guide
# Herculaneum Skip-the-Line Guided Tour
# Pompeii & Herculaneum Small Group Tour
Table of Contents
Option 1: Herculaneum Entry Ticket with Audio Guide
The Herculaneum Entry Ticket with Optional Audio Guide is the standard self-guided entry option. It includes:
- Skip-the-line entry: No ticket purchase queue at the gate
- Optional audio guide: Available as an add-on; covers the main buildings with historical and archaeological commentary
- Site map: Included
- Validity: One day
Herculaneum is a complex site — the multiple storeys, carbonised organic materials, and unusual preservation make it harder to interpret without context than Pompeii. The audio guide is more valuable here than at many other sites, and we recommend including it. If budget allows, the guided tour below is even better.
Book This TourOption 2: Herculaneum Skip-the-Line Guided Tour with Archaeologist
Is a guided tour of Herculaneum worth it? Yes — more so than at Pompeii. Herculaneum’s complex multi-storey buildings, carbonised organic materials, and unusual eruption-burial story are genuinely difficult to interpret without expert guidance. A guided tour with an archaeologist reveals layers of detail that most self-guided visitors completely miss.
The Herculaneum Skip-the-Line Guided Tour with Archaeologist is the single best way to visit Herculaneum. An expert archaeologist leads a small group through the site, covering:
- The Boat Sheds — skeletal remains of 300 people on the ancient shore
- House of the Wooden Partition — the most striking example of carbonised wood preservation
- House of Neptune and Amphitrite — the finest mosaic panel in the Vesuvian area
- The Thermopolium — with original wooden shelving rack intact
- Suburban Baths — the best-preserved Roman bath complex in existence
- College of the Augustales — large civic fresco of Hercules entering Olympus
Option 3: Pompeii & Herculaneum Combo Tours
If you want to visit both Pompeii and Herculaneum, a combined tour is the most efficient and cost-effective approach. Transport between the sites on the Circumvesuviana train takes only 15 minutes, but managing two separate ticket bookings, two separate entrances, and the logistics of a full-day schedule is much simpler with a structured tour.
Small Group Tour of Pompeii & Herculaneum
The Small Group Tour of Pompeii & Herculaneum covers both sites in one full day with an archaeologist guide. Group size is kept small for a more personal experience. Entry tickets, transport between sites, and all skip-the-line access is included.
Book This TourPompeii & Herculaneum with Archaeologist from Naples
The Pompeii & Herculaneum Tour with Archaeologist Guide departs from Naples and provides a full-day expert experience at both sites. Ideal for visitors based in Naples who want a professionally managed day without any independent logistics.
Book This TourHerculaneum vs Pompeii: Which Ticket Should You Buy?
If you are deciding between the two sites, see our full Pompeii vs Herculaneum comparison guide. In brief: visit Pompeii for scale and the full ancient city experience; visit Herculaneum for preservation quality and atmosphere. If time allows, visit both — they are 15 minutes apart by train and the contrast between them is one of the most instructive archaeological experiences anywhere in the world.
Practical Information
Opening Hours
Herculaneum is generally open daily from 9:00 am. Summer closing is 7:00 pm (last entry 5:30 pm); winter closing is 5:00 pm (last entry 3:30 pm). Closed January 1 and December 25.
How Long to Allow
Allow 2–2.5 hours for Herculaneum. See our Herculaneum visitor guide for the recommended route and what to prioritise.
Getting to Herculaneum
- From Naples: Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano Scavi — 20 minutes
- From Pompeii: Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano Scavi — 15 minutes
- From Sorrento: Circumvesuviana train — approximately 50 minutes
