Pompeii and Herculaneum

[royal65]

Are eight hours adequate to do justice in touring both Pompeii and Herculaneum? Would it be better to have a guide and/or driver or could we do it ourselves by train? thanx

[cruisemom42]

"Sufficient" will vary by person, of course.

 

Do you want to really dig into (pun intended) each site, or is just getting a good look around all you're after?

 

Do you like to do some research/reading in advance and bring your information with you at the site, or do you prefer to have someone just tell you about it once you are there?

 

These are questions only YOU can answer. It is definitely possible to do both by train given the time and it is definitely possible to do them on your own without a guide. A couple of years ago I wrote a very comprehensive post on getting the most out of your visit to Pompeii that you might want to do a search for, and I also have notes on Herculaneum (see my post, also on Page 1) -- they only deal with what you will see at the site. not getting there and back.

[dsrdsrdsr]

If you're an average tourist, as opposed to a dedicated archaeology fan, 8 hours are more than enough. I did a 3-hour tour of Herculaneum with a tremendously knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide (it wasn't supposed to be quite so long, but he loved the job so much that he wanted to show us everything) and to me, that was sufficient. The best guide on earth (and this chap might just have been that man) couldn't make 8 hours of ruins, less travelling time, interesting. Especially if it's hot. You're feet won't take you that far even if your mind will. Unless, as I say, you can look at ruins all day and every day; in which case 8 hours may not be enough.

 

I would be inclined to do either one or the other ruined city for half a day, and climb Vesuvius for the other half. There are several threads with advice on which city to choose.