Travelling to Herculaneum (Ercolano) on a budget

Getting to Herculaneum from Naples cheaply

Getting to the preserved site of Herculaneum, or Ercolano to use its modern name, by public transport is easy on a budget. With the excavations of Herculaneum (Scavi di Ercolano) a short walk downhill from the railway station.

The Circumvesuviana train runs from Napoli Garibaldi to Ercolano and takes around 20 minutes. We bought a Campania Arte Card which not only covered our entry fee into the Herculaneum ruins but included the train as well. If paying separately the train fare is about €3 (buy a return to save time and hassle).

The Circumvesuviana trains leave from the basement of the station. Check what time your train is leaving (direction Sorrento) as the coffee shop at the platform is small and here and the platforms get very busy.

The trains, of course, also get busy, and like Naples, they could do with some TLC. Keep your wits about you (as you would do anyway!) as Naples has a reputation for pickpockets but we had no issues at any point during our week-long stay so wonder if the fears are exaggerated.

Once out of the Station, follow the road to the site. There are signposts, but you don’t need them, simply cross the roundabout and keep walking on the main road downhill until the junction where you can go no further and here you will find the entrance.

If you’re hungry before or afterwards or want a coffee or alcohol there are plenty of restauranteurs trying to entice you into their restaurants but for cheap eats / drinks and to avoid the tourist traps head off the main road to Civico 33, address: Corso Italia 33. It’s budget-friendly and the staff are really friendly. Here we ate pasticciotto (a filled pastry which was a bit like a Pastel De Nata, Portuguese egg custard tart and had beer and a boozy coffee.