Naples to Herculaneum by Train

[drdaddy]

We will be stopping in Naples next October. We did the Pompeii-Sorrento-Positano thing last year. Very tiring for us even with a private tour.

 

We would like to try going to Herculaneum using the train system. I understand that there is a station that has these trains. I am having trouble locating this station on a map. Does anyone have experience doing this? Would you have an idea as to the cost R/T? I think I read that you could cab it from the port. Which bus would go from the port to this station?

 

I think there is also a stop at Garibaldi station that I might utilize on the way back to get off and stroll back to the ship, after stopping for a pizza at Da Michele, which is near that station. I think I would have enough time for this?

 

Thanks.

[dogs4fun]

We will be stopping in Naples next October. We did the Pompeii-Sorrento-Positano thing last year. Very tiring for us even with a private tour.

 

We would like to try going to Herculaneum using the train system. I understand that there is a station that has these trains. I am having trouble locating this station on a map. Does anyone have experience doing this? Would you have an idea as to the cost R/T? I think I read that you could cab it from the port. Which bus would go from the port to this station?

 

I think there is also a stop at Garibaldi station that I might utilize on the way back to get off and stroll back to the ship, after stopping for a pizza at Da Michele, which is near that station. I think I would have enough time for this?

 

Thanks.

 

The station that you want is Porta Nolana (for the Circumvesuviana Train Station). You can catch the tram on the road (via Cristoforo Colombo) in front of the port (buy ticket at news stand across from Castel Nuovo. Purchase the U2 Giornaliero daily ticket - good for 24 hours on all transportation in Naples, including circumvesuviana train - tickets were € 6.30 last year. I haven't checked prices for this year). Get off the tram at Porta Nolana station (first stop right after the tram turns left onto Corso Guiseppe Garibaldi) & take the train to Ercolano Scavi. After you exit the train station in Ercolano, head directly downhill on via IV Novembre & you will see the entrance to the Herculaneum site at the bottom of the road (about a 10 - 15 minute walk).

On your way back to port, the last stop before you arrive back to Porta Nolana is Garibaldi station.

You can easily see all the stations (Porta Nolana, Ercolano Scavi) and tram stops using google maps.

Edited December 22, 2014 by dogs4fun

[drdaddy]

That must have been a record for a response! :D

 

That is the information I was looking for! And sounds pretty easy.

 

Thanks!

[cruisemom42]

Excellent post by Dogs4fun. I can only add that you might want to bring a guidebook with you, although there are also usually a few guides on site who will negotiate a price to take you around. Also, when you buy your ticket for Herculaneum, ask them for the detailed information booklet. Sometimes they have them, sometimes not ... but it has nice information if you can get hold of it.

[MeHeartCruising]

I agree that the instructions above are right on track. This trip makes a nicely-paced day in Naples. In my case, I actually chose to walk to and from the train station from the port since I'm an avid walker and enjoy seeing the city up close. The walk along the tram line is not particularly scenic or pretty -- it was pretty much gritty city -- but I enjoyed it none-the-less.

 

One note... some trains will make more stops than others on the way to Herculaneum. I had researched the number of stops needed as a way to keep track of where I was along the way. But then I got to talking to a group that was going further, on to Pompeii, and wasn't paying all that much attention. I thought I had quite a few stops. However, it turns out we were on an "express train" of sorts and before I knew it we were at the Herculaneum stop. Literally, i saw the signs at the last second and jumped off the train. So, pay better attention than I did. :-) But it all worked out fine.

 

Once back in Naples, I again walked back to the ship, but took a more indirect route that passed through a nicer section of the city.

 

All-in-all, an enjoyable day.

[euro cruiser]

There is a new fare scheme for 2015 and some of the ticket names and prices have changed.

 

The ticket from Naples to Ercolano is now called an NA2 and there is no longer an all-ticket. The "hourly" ticket, actually good for 120 minutes, costs Euro 2,50.

 

You can see the new ticket scheme here: http://unicocampania.it/uploads/testistatici/tariffario_2015.pdf