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We will be staying in Naples and would like to visit the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Is it possible, using only public transportation, to visit both sites in a single day? Or do the transport connections and the number of things to see at each site make it advisable to make two trips on separate days?

If a single day trip is possible, what transport connections are the most efficient? In particular, will we save any time by going to Pompeii first, or to Herculaneum? (I assume that in terms of price it is probably best to buy a "campania>artecard Tutta la regione", which will cover the cost of admission to both sites plus all public transportation costs.)

Psychonaut
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1 Answers1

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You can do both in one day; they’re about 15km apart, and there’s a train that runs between Pompeii Scavi and Ercolano Scavi (Herculaneum) and takes about 30 minutes to span the distance between the two sites. It’s operated by Ente Autonomo Volturno S.R.L, runs about every 30 minutes, and is called Treni Turistici. Wth the Campania Artecard, the cost of the round trip is € 10 (usually € 15, see the notation at the bottom of the schedule link).

It would depend on your preferences, stamina, and season of the year which site to first visit when doing both in one day. Ercolano is smaller and more intact than Pompeii, usually less crowded, and easier to navigate. Pompeii is much larger, often very crowded and busy, and can be hot and exhausting with a huge amount of territory to cover. You could start at Pompeii early in the day (less hot, bit less busy, further from Naples), and make your way to Ercolano after lunch, where it shadier, and the architectural and archeological excavations a treat. As an estimate, you would want to allot at least 5 hours in Pompeii and 3 hours minimum in Ercolano.

Giorgio
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