Why visit Ercolano? With the stunning island of Capri, cute port town of Amalfi, and luxurious Sorrento nearby, there’s plenty of places competing for your precious time. So, is it worth visiting Ercolano if you’re in the area?
In this article – we run through five cool things to do in Ercolano (including Herculaneum) and share our experience of spending time there.
Where’s Ercolano?
Ercolano is a small town about 20 mins drive from Naples (or 25 mins by train). It’s the home of Herculaneum, one of Europe’s best-preserved Roman towns, and this drives most of its tourism. But there’s more to it than that…
Ercolano makes an excellent day trip from Naples since it’s less than 30 mins away. You can also stop off on the way to Pompeii or Sorrento as they’re on the same trainline.
Is Ercolano worth visiting?
We stayed in Ercolano for three days while on a week-long trip to the Amalfi Coast and Naples. It’s not somewhere most people stay for more than a few hours, but we like to visit places that are a little different. Sometimes it pays off as we find undiscovered gems and other times it turns out pretty average, but you never know until you try…
In Ercolano’s case, it was a great little find but one day would have been enough to see everything. Fortunately we stayed in an incredible B&B (Maison di Fiore) with a gorgeous pool almost to ourselves, so we spent the remaining time chilling out there in the sunshine.
If you’re going to Herculaneum, then it’s worth spending an extra hour or two exploring the town too. It’s a chance to wander around somewhere that feels more authentic than other tourism hotspots along the coast. There are some really pretty buildings in the centre that you’ll miss out on seeing if you only visit the Roman ruins.
💙 You might also like: our dreamy one-day Capri itinerary or guide to doing Capri on a budget.
5 Things To Do in Ercolano
We spent several days staying in Ercolano while in Italy but you can see it all in less than a day. Here are five of the best things to do in the town…
#1 – Herculaneum
Let’s start with the most famous attraction… Herculaneum, also known as the Ercolano ruins, is the reason most people venture to the town. It’s a perfectly preserved Roman town similar to Pompeii but on a smaller and more manageable scale to see in a day. It’s also much better preserved than its famous twin yet quieter and less crowded, so is well worth a visit.
Historical attractions don’t tend to be our bag – we can appreciate their architectural beauty and significance, but just enjoy exploring hidden gems and being in nature more. But we really enjoyed Herculaneum and were so glad we made the effort to visit it. The fact you can cover it all in less than half a day makes it ideal for people who want a bite-sized travel option.
The ruins are impressive on two levels, literally. When you first enter, you can enjoy views over the entire venue with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Then you walk down into the remains themselves and can explore the buildings in detail. There are the ruins of mansions, shrines, baths and incredible coloured frescos – it’s mind-blowing to think they’ve lasted this long.
The Herculaneum ruins are located near the coast, around 5 minutes walk from Ercolano Scavi train station.
#2 – Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is the infamous volcano that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79AD. It overlooks the Bay of Naples and is accessible from Ercolano via bus, train, or hike.
Vesuvius is an active volcano that last erupted in 1944, however it’s safe to visit and hike up or around it. It’s clearly visible from Ercolano, so if you just want to see it then you don’t actually need to go all the way up. It’s also visible from lots of places nearby including Naples and the ferries to Capri, Sorrento, and Amalfi coast.
But if you enjoy walks or hiking, then exploring Vesuvius National Park is a great day out. You can walk up to the crater (Gran Cono) and peer down into its depths. You’ll be rewarded with incredible views of the Bay of Naples from the top. It’s a 4km (2.5 mile) walk which takes around an hour and doesn’t require any hiking experience.
But the surrounding area has some lovely trails which meander past farms, take in unique plants like rare orchids, and give you the opportunity to see local birds and butterflies. Since most people opt for seeing the crater, exploring the park’s other pathways allows you to see the quieter and less touristy areas.
From Ercolano Scavi train station, you can catch the bus or take a taxi to Mount Vesuvius (25 mins). If you prefer to walk, it’s around 2.5 hours.
#3 – Downtown & central market
Just a few minutes from both the train station and Herculaneum is the urban centre. It’s often overlooked by visitors which means it’s not touristy and feels authentically Italian.
There’s some lovely traditional architecture and although it’s a bit faded, we thought that added to the charm. There’s also a local market where you can pick up fruit, veg, and leather goods. Wandering around the side streets to soak up the atmosphere is a nice little side activity while you’re here.
#4 – Ercolano self-guided walking tour
If you’re up for venturing slightly further than the centre, you can do your own self-guided walking tour of Ercolano. This will allow you to take in some additional sights and get a better feel for the town.
From the centre, you can walk to Parco Superiore, a large park where you can enjoy some greenery and nature. At the south-western end are some botanical gardens (Orto Botanico di Portici). From the south-east entrance it’s just a couple of minutes to the Basilica di Santa Maria a Pugliano.
💙 You might also like: our one-day itinerary & self-guided walking tour of Naples or this dreamy Capri walk.
On the opposite side of town, there’s Villa Campolieto which is really highly rated by other travellers. It’s a stunning old villa that’s been partly restored to its former glory. After Herculaneum it’s the second most popular attraction in the town. As you wander through the town there’s also plenty of cool (and controversial) street art to take in.
In terms of a walking route, we’d recommend doing a loop starting from and returning to Ercolano Scavi train station. Begin by heading to the basilica, then park and botanical gardens, before stopping for a coffee near the central market. After exploring the central streets, head to Herculaneum which is where you’ll probably spend the majority of your afternoon. From there, continue to the Villa Campolieto, before heading back towards the train station.
#5 – Sushi
This might sound crazy – who comes to Italy and eats Japanese food? But stay with us, the sushi is worth it…
While staying in Ercolano, we stumbled upon an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet restaurant. Now, you have to understand that we lived in Japan for a year (and loved it) so find it pretty hard to resist an offer like this. But that also means we were pretty spoiled for authentic food, so any Japanese restaurant has a lot to live up to.
Moji Sushi most definitely exceeded our expectations. It knew the assignment and smashed it.
The food and setting were both exceptional. For EUR 30 per person, you can order all of the sushi, yakitori, teriyaki, and ramen you want. They don’t skimp on the portions or quality – the fish was super-fresh and flavours were top class. The only thing that we didn’t rate was the ramen which featured instant noodles. But like I said, we’re pretty spoiled and everything else was incredible.
The setting was also unexpectedly impressive. It’s a little out of town, approx 5-10 mins walk from the centre. But the benefit of this is that it’s set slightly up on the hill so the views across the bay are incredible. With glass on three sides, you’ll get to enjoy them no matter which table you’re at. We went in the evening so got to enjoy sunset over the bay and then all of the twinkling lights along the coast once it was dark.
In terms of hidden gems in Ercolano, this place is high on our list.
Visiting Ercolano
So, there you have our first-hand guide to visiting Ercolano. While Herculaneum is the main draw for most people, we think it’s worth exploring the town while you’re there. It’s a little slice of authenticity in an otherwise crowded and touristy part of Italy.
