pompeii or herculeneum or both.
 

we will be in sorrento in september and curious about travel to pompeii and herculeneum. it appears we can take the train to these ancient sites. should we tour both? some have suggested skipping pompeii as herculaneum is better?<BR><BR>please forward your thoughtful comments.<BR><BR>thanks,<BR><BR>jacob

Pompeii is great.<BR>You'll get more out of it if you can find a guide book or something ahead of time; read about some of the sites you'll see, and where these things are located around the town.<BR>The guide book I picked up (in Pompeii) showed Herculaneum as a very small site compared to Pompeii.

Yes, Herculaneum is a much smaller site than Pompeii. With its ruins much more intact, which I think makes a big difference (I saw them both in one day, although we did have a car). It's great to be able to walk inside a Roman bath -- walking on the Mosaics. <BR><BR>Try to see both, but start with Herculaneum if you can. Don't skip it just because it is smaller.

Pompeii is large, sprawling, and touristed (you'll see what I mean when you exit the autostrada or the Circumvesuviana). It certainly is well worth it, but for the same price, you can see Herculaneum (Ercolano), which has fewer people, shade, and is more intimate.<BR><BR>Pompeii has more stuff to see, but Herculaneum is more preserved/intact and is more compact.

See both. You can rent an audio guide at Herculaneum which is worth it and there are guides at Pompeii ( we joined a group, about ten of us , about ten dollars a person) It's well worth having a guide . I've visited both ways and the guides bring the place alive. If you have the time go to the archiological museum in Naples to see many of the treasures of Pompeii. Personally, I think Pompeii is more spectacular, although not as pristine as Herculaneum.

We saw Pompei without seeing Ercolano and truly loved Pompei. There is the house of mysteries, the theaters, the arena etc at Pompei that are a treat. We would have loved to see Ercolano but we were traveling with two teenagers who ahd enough ruins for their tastes. <BR><BR>What you have to make sure to do it to go to the Museo Arcologico Nazionale in Naples to see the artwork taken from the historic sites. Without that, your visit will be incomplete. You can spend a day taking in Ercolano, the Museo and Oplontis (a huge villa with incredible gardens and freschi that is thought to be the home of Nero's second wife Poppea). The next day can be spent on Pompei. <BR><BR>Lastly, you can buy a combination ticket for both Herculano and Pompei when you stop at Ercolano which will allow you to skip the lines at Pompei. It also can be used at Oplontis if I remember correctly.<BR><BR>One other point, is that Paestum south of the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento is a superb site. It is very hard to reach without a car but is quite worthwhile.<BR><BR>

Matt's comment about the shade is not trivial if it's hot. Pompeii was almost unbearable when we went there in late July, but Herculaneum later the same day was much better. And less crowded.<BR><BR>Doug

Jacob: We are very interested in Roman history and try visit archeological sites wherever we go. If time allows, by all means visit both Pompeii and Ercolano, each site is very interesting for different reasons. Ercolano was a more Patrician city, with large villas, etc. You won't see the cross-section of a city that was inhabited by all walks of life, as in Pompeii.<BR><BR>We missed Paestum the last time we were in Sorrento and hope some day to visit the Greek temples there.<BR><BR>There is a cafeteria on the grounds in Pompeii, where we stopped for a cold drink and to rest a bit. <BR><BR>As others have suggested, do some research and buy a guidebook for Pompeii (we didn't use a guide)and were able to figure out what we were seeing. A couple of the more interesting houses are apparently closed for renovation, which is unfortunate for your visit.<BR><BR>Incidentally, the Circumvesuviana stop is Pompeii Scavi, not Pompeii, which is the town. The entrance is a short walk from the station. Try this web site to whet your interest:<BR><BR>http://touritaly.org/pompeii/pompeii-main.htm<BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip.<BR><BR>j<BR><BR>

Greetings,<BR><BR>We went to both Pompeii and Paestum. The audioguide was marvelous at Pompeii--we spent the day there and learned so much. The cafeteria is very nice and provides a stop whenever needed with pleasant food and beverages.<BR><BR>Regrettably, there was no audioguide or live guide when we visited Paestum--very interesting site, but a long way from Positano, where we were staying. Still it was very interesting.<BR><BR>Take care,<BR>Robyn France

We just did both in a day , using Marcello Maresca's private car....He was helpful in getting an excellent tour guide for Pompeii (Agostino)...that made the large Pompeii managable......do the homework mentioned in other posts.....enjoy !!<BR><BR>Ciao.....Rob<BR><BR>

We ended up spending a complete day in Pompeii as they had a strike for 3/4 of the day. The next day we went to Herculaneum. See both if you can ... we enjoyed them both. We did Herculaneum on the same day as Mnt. Vesuvius. It's do-able in 1/2 a day.

I visited both in 2000. While Pompeii was fascinating, it was at Herculeneum tht I expected a Roman to come around the corner. It was so *real*. I felt like I was intruding into other people's houses! If I had to choose, I would pick Herculeneum.

Three adds-- at the cafe in Pompeii, if you go behind the self serve area there is a garden where you can have table service for the same price. its cool even on a hot july day. <BR><BR>The obnoxious stands outside of Pompeii offer some of the best Granite we ever had.<BR><BR>There are guides standing just inside the entrance to Paestum. We got Angelo for $120.00 for 4 people for an hour. He stayed with us for almost 2 hours and was wonderful. There are also guides outside the entrance to Pompeii but we did not try them. We will next time.

My wife and I were just in Sorrento in May. We took a day trip to Pompeii thru a tour agency in town(Sorrento). For 34 euro's apiece, we got a guided tour thru pompeii(via bus) which was outstanding, and then the bus takes you to mt. vesuvious, and we climbed to the top of the volcano. Highly recommend