Vesuvius v Herculaneum

[jay44]

My sister and I are on a Mediterannean cruise in October and one of our ports is Naples. At first we thought we would book the Vesuvius/Pompeii tour, but have since been told - don't bother with Vesuvius, try and see Herculaneum as well as Pompeii.

 

Has anyone been to Herculaneum? Is it worth avoiding Vesuvius for?

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

Jay :)

[wwinfl91]

We did a private tour group where we went to both Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as stop at the Museum of Archeology in Naples where the best items that have been found at both sites are on display. If you a history buff I would suggest going to those three places during your stop in Naples. Go to Pompeii first as it is the greatest distance away. Then go to Herculaneum next and end up back in Naples and go the the Museum.

 

Herculaneum is different from Pompeii in that it was covered by layers of mud and lava coming from the floor up which means there are 2 story buildings still standing. Pompeii was covered by ash and pumice which collapsed the roofs and some of the walls which didn't happen as much in Herculaneum.

 

As you walk thru it you can almost feel like an ancient Roman is going to come out of a door or around a corner.

 

We have not done the trip to Vesuvius but the reviews I have seen say it has a good view but nothing historic or not to be missed.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[cruisemom42]

This kind of question is difficult to answer as it depends on what interests you. I have very little interest in scenery, hiking, or volcanoes. I have a huge interest in history. So for me, it would be a no-brainer to see Pompeii and Herculaneum. However, I can understand how others might want to have a day that provided some variety and included history as well as something a little different.

[schnauzersrule]

We hiked to the top of Vesuvius a few years ago and I don't think I would do it again. It was approximately 2 miles all up hill on loose volcanic rock. Half way up the weather changed from 70 degrees to sleet and high winds. I don't think the weather change is uncommon as there is a hut on the trail selling hot beverages and there were vendors selling "dry clothes" in the parking area. I walk anywhere from 2.5 - 4 miles a day and I found the hike tough. If you decide to go make certain to have hiking boots or at the very least good sneakers.

 

If you are going to just to see the view of the city and port of Naples below and not hiking to the crater, I think I would take a pass. It was pretty, but there is just so much else to see.

 

We are cruising again in 3 weeks and plan to visit Herculaneum.

[jay44]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

 

We have decided to give the volcano a miss!

 

:)

[LoisGriffin1]

When we went up Vesuvius it was a clear day which was lucky because of the 5 days we spent in Sorrento it was the only day we could clearly see Vesuvius. The views are amazing but I cant imagine it would be as good if there happened to be low cloud.

 

Herculaneum is great. You feel like you are back in time. More so than Pompeii because the volcano preserved the little town differently. There is still plently of paint on the walls and each house seemed to have amazing frescos and mosaics.

 

It was a lot less crowded then Pompeii and you can see the site in a short time. I had three hours in Pompeii and have barely scratched the surface (great reason to go back!).

[T.O. Tony]

We got off the ship with a party of 7, looking for a Taxi to Pompeii. We got the only taxi in the line that could take all 7. The driver took us for the whole day, waiting for us to see Pompeii. (He later took us to Herculaneum and wherever else we wanted to be.)

 

I had read Rick Steves write up on Pompeii and arranged to use the specific guide he recommended. (His book was well worth studying, so spend a lot of time with it - then book your tours well in advance.) After 2 hours, we felt we had a great tour and had learned a lot.

 

The driver then took us to Herculaneum. (My wife's really into that historic period, so there really wasn't a question as to whether we'd go there, too.) Herculaneum is VERY different from Pompeii. Different affect from the Volcano.

 

OK, everybody died in each location, so it wasn't that different, but the ruins are remarkably different. The interior walls, the two story buildings . . . We all loved going to both, but we particularly loved having gone to Pompeii first so we knew what to look for at Herculaneum.

 

We've been to about a dozen Volcanoes - including Mt. Etna the day before. So one more volcano couldn't compare to one more set of ruins (the quality of Herculaneum).:)