Herculaneum (it: Ercolano) is a town close to Naples in Campania, Italy. It is named after the ruined Roman city which forms its main attraction. Herculaneum was destroyed by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79, the same eruption that destroyed Pompei. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
By bus
Frequent buses run to and from Naples.
By train
The Circumvesuviana trains take 25 minutes to get there from Naples and 40 minutes from Sorrento. To get to the ruins, get off at the Ercolano Scavi station, from where you exit into a small square. Exit diagonally right (the only way out of the square) and walk 8 blocks downhill to the big arch - the ticket office & baggage check are about a further 2 minutes walk thought the arch (pick up bag 30 minutes before site closing). The private 'tourist office' to your left when you come out of the station runs trips up Vesuvius 10 euro round trip with 8 euro admission fee. Downfall is you only have an hour and 15 min to climb the summit and back so no time to rest. If you take longer than you allotted hour and 15 min they leave you on the summit to fend for yourself or require you to pay another 5 euros per person for return. They also offer lifts to the ruins for 3 euros.
Beware - there are two train stations in Ercolano, the Ercolano Scavi Circumvesuviana station is on the Sorrento-Naples line, the trains on the Naples-Salerno stop at the Porticini/Ercolano station. The Herculaneum site is not signposted from this station.
By car
Herculaneum is on the A3 Autostrada from Naples to Salerno. There is a toll of €2 for using any part of this stretch of highway. Parking is not easy to find, particularly the type of parking you will want if your car is full of suitcases. Try the parking area behind the police station, just one block southeast of the entrance to the excavations. (One Euro an hour in advance)
