• Private Tour
• Carbon Neutral

Do you want to see the ruins of Herculaneum? Do you want to visit corners of the city where tourists don't arrive? What better way to do it than with an archaeologist and licensed guide!

Destination

Ercolano, Italy

Category

Art Culture Tours

Duration

2 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Italiano

Included

• Private guide

Excluded

• Tickets

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Raffaele.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Parco Archeologico di Ercolano - Ercolano to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Meeting point

   Herculaneum's site Ticket Office

4. Explore Herculaneum

   Let your host take you on a two-hour journey through the most spectacular areas in Herculaneum. Visit an ancient theatre, bath and forum amongst others followed by incredible stories from your knowledgeable guide

5. Deep survey

   Experience a completely different kind of town in ruins, ancient stores, private houses, and sacred sights, all to be explored. Enjoy a panoramic view of the historic remains and interesting stories from your licensed guide

6. Tragedy

   Skeletons of the famous refugees...

7. Boat exibhit

   Let's see a 2,000 years old roman boat!

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Catherine

15 February 2025

We met Rafaelle at the site and found him to be extremely knowledgeable, easy to understand, and personable. He brought the city, and its unfortunate end, to life. Great tour, great guide.Excellent guide for ercolano

Amanda

15 February 2025

Raffaele was an excellent tour guide for our multi-generational group. From age 7 to 78. He was excellent with the kids but the adults also were engaged and we all learned a bunch! I'm so glad we decided to do a tour instead of trying to see Herculaneum on our own.Excellent tour!

Thomas🇺🇸 United States

8 February 2025

We had a delightful and informative visit to Herculaneum with Raffaele. He emphasized how tragic the eruption in 79 CE was for the residents, who fled to the water for safety. It was sad to see skeletons of bodies that were pushed into the walls by the sea. The temperature of the air was estimated to be so high that wooden beams all around the town turned to carbon rather than burning. We were surprised how many of the buildings were two stories. Raffaele showed us all the highlights of the ruins and wall paintings and mosaic fountains. It was fascinating to learn about the history and culture from a trained archaeologist. After the visit, he recommended we try a restaurant in Sorrento, so we headed there and had a lovely lunch at a seaside restaurant. Highly recommend a visit, tour or other heritage exploration with Raffaele. Informative visit with a true expert

Evan

24 December 2024

Raffaele was an outstanding guide. He orchestrated a thorough and thoughtful tour through Herculaneum that was expansive in overarching history and rich in the kind of detail that will make the site and the experience memorable for years to come. Outstanding

Bonnie🇫🇷 France

20 December 2024

Raffaele was a terrific guide for our visit to Pompei today. The site is so big, but by the end of our two-hour private tour, we had seen many important sites and learned a lot about the history of Pompei and the eruption of Vesuvius that preserved so much of the city. Raffaele was very much at ease with all the material, his archeology background and education (PhD) shining through. His presentation really made all the difference to us in making sense of the Pompei site and knowing where to look and what to find. We would highly recommend visiting Pompei with him!Terrific tour of Pompei

Chris🇺🇸 United States

14 November 2024

Raffaele was a true pleasure to work with and his knowledge was amazing. We learned so much, we had laughs and even some very somber moments. You can hear and see his passion for this piece of history and the people that lost their lives there. I would definitely recommend himAmazing and worth every penny

Philip

31 October 2024

Raffaele was the perfect guide, very knowledgeable and articulate. He paced the visit very well and gave a real sense of what life was like before and during the eruption of Vesuvius. Highly recommended Faultless

jana

27 October 2024

A very knowledgeable, great guideAmazong experience

Patricia🇺🇸 United States

23 October 2024

Raffaelle was an excellent guide for our small group of 3 for both Pompeii and Herculaneum . He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about not only the archeological ruins but also the ancient Roman culture and civilizations, and the different impact the volcanic eruption had on both locations. The result was a fascinating presentation that was delivered in a respectful and compassionate manner. He was fluent in English, efficient making the best use of the time and was able to maneuver us smoothly around the large group tours.

Tom🇺🇸 United States

13 October 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Raffaele. His knowledge regarding the circumstances of the burial was extensive. He answered all questions that we had and gave us a sense of the history of Herculaneum as well as the effort to excavate this treasure. We felt the personal touch as we were able to view mosaics and frescos and get a sense of the life as it was before the eruption at 79 AD. I would recommend him as a guide to either Herculaneum or Pompey. Herculaneum is less crowded, smaller and better preserved and therefore easier to navigate.California Couple at Herculaneum

David🇦🇺 Australia

18 September 2024

Two hour private tour of Herculaneum for two of us. Great communication from Raffaele leading up to the tour. His knowledge and insight definitely took our experience to the next level. Highly recommended!Herculaneum Private Tour

Anne 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

28 August 2024

Raffaele was a superb guide and our trip to Herculaneum would not have been as enjoyable without him. His knowledge is extensive and we came away feeling we had learnt so much about the eruption of Vesuvius and the devastating consequences for the people who lived there. Thank you Raffaele Brilliant Guide

Dom🇬🇧 United Kingdom

17 August 2024

We had a great tour of the site, Raffaele was very knowledgeable, and led us through the site. It was extremely hot in August, but all the family enjoyed the tourExcellent tour

Bonnie🇨🇦 Canada

1 August 2024

Raffaele was an incredible guide and source of knowledge. We were in awe of Herculaneum and all the extra information and Raffaele gave us. It was a fantastic experience -I would have been overwhelmed with everything to see had we not had Raffaele. Fantastic!

Joey & Beth🇺🇸 United States

12 July 2024

Raffaelle is very knowledgeable. A great storyteller and through these was able to make the story of Ercolano come to life. Great tour and information

Richard🇺🇸 United States

16 May 2024

Raffaele was very knowledgeable and personable. Pre-tour communication was prompt and efficient. Herculaneum, unlike Pompeii, is suited to a two hour tour. As an archeologist who has been involved in excavations, Raffaele offered great insight into the site. Highly recommend.Amazing place and great tour.

Christy🇺🇸 United States

7 August 2023

Raffaele was simply amazing. He engaged all members of our two families with teenagers and twentysomethings. A guide is necessary to get the most out of this site. His stories and information were so interesting and engaging. The 14 year said this was his favorite of the two weeks trip! Book a tour with Raffaele!Fantasticly informative

Neil🇦🇺 Australia

26 July 2023

Raffael was an exceptional guide, he was full of knowledge and passion. He was engaging, thorough and attentive during his tour. We highly recommend his service. If you want an authentic Neapolitan who knows his craft, he is your man. Raffael is an expert in his field.

Matt🇬🇧 United Kingdom

6 May 2023

Raffaele was the perfect tour guide, telling us the story of Herculanum and taking us to see the main parts of the site. He also gave us invaluable tips for visiting Naples (where to park, where to eat and what to see) which was a lovely bonus. Would recommend to anyone.Perfect tour of Herculanum

Sian🇦🇺 Australia

30 March 2023

We thoroughly enjoyed Herculaneum - although the site is smaller than Pompeii the ruins are much better preserved and the experience of seeing all of the mosaics and organic matter (bedframes, original wooden doors) in situ was really special. Raffaele was a fantastic guide - we really enjoyed his enthusiasm and would recommend this tour with Raffaele.Wonderful tour with great guide

Gina Salvatore🇫🇷 France

28 December 2022

Raffaele was absolutely wonderful in every way. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He brought Herculaneum to life. You could see that he truly enjoys archaeology and history. It was the best tour ever!! We highly recommend him without any hesitation and will use him again in the future. The best guided tour we ever had!

rozzieann🇺🇸 United States

5 December 2022

Raffaele was punctual, informative, and charming. Good for a small group because he does have an accent, and you will want to be close. There were four of us, and we were fine. Not someplace you want to go without a guide.Wonderful tour with Raffaele

Elisabeth🇺🇸 United States

10 October 2022

I had a wonderful two-hour visit to Herculaneum with Raffaele. He’s very engaging and does a wonderful job of setting the scene for the events of 79 AD. I loved the additional context he gave to the site, the events of that terrible day, and how people lived in that community, so many years ago. It’s a remarkable site. Raffaele graciously answered all of my many, many questions—on or off-topic. Treat yourself to a lively visit through history with a friendly and knowledgeable guide.A lovely and informative stroll

Andrew🇦🇺 Australia

19 August 2022

Raffaele is an extraordinary guide. Not only is he super knowledgeable about all things archaeology and anthropology, but he brings the city of Herculaneum to life, transporting you back to Roman times and inserting you into the fabric of daily life as it was, He conveys the experience of the volcanic eruption — what it looked like, what emotions were felt, how people reacted, what happened next. It is as though you are there. He also helped us navigate an aggressive taxi driver, he coordinated all logistics on-site (baggage storage, ticket purchase, money changing, drink buying), and he assisted us with transport arrangements back to Naples. He is personable, helpful, knowledgeable, and engaging. It was a captivating experience, and I cannot recommend Raffaele highly enough. Exceptional experience

Michelle🇺🇸 United States

1 August 2022

We had a great tour of Herculaneum with Raffaele. Unfortunately our train was delayed, but Raffaele ensured we were able to see the highlights during our time together. Raffaele not only has a lot of knowledge about Herculaneum, but he is also a very engaging speaker and was patient with the kids in our group.

Keith🇺🇸 United States

30 July 2022

Raffaele was terrific in all respects. He responded quickly to inquiries before the tour. He was flexible. Upon meeting him he was gracious and welcoming - it felt like we were meeting a friend. He was knowledgeable and made the tour very interesting. We highly recommend Raffaele. Great Tour

Ann-Marie🇺🇸 United States

17 July 2022

Raffaele met us in front of the ticket office and directed us where to purchase tickets. Only recommendation would be to hold a sign with participant’s name for easy and seamless locating. Raffaele was very knowledgeable and gave us a personalized, private tour. I felt like we got much more out of the area than we would have without a private guide. Best way to see and gain information with limited time.Private Herculaneum Tour

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

17 July 2022

❤️ we worked with Raphael for over two hours in Hercules we found him to be most knowledgeable pleasant and spoke terrific English he gave us insights and observations that few would otherwise experience could not recommend him more highly in fact after the tour he recommended a restaurant downtown Saint Napoli that was absolutely extraordinary song five stars for this young man hard-working and a smart guy

jerry🇲🇾 Malaysia

13 July 2022

Raffaele was a very knowledgeable and passionate guide.herculeum

Ellen🇺🇸 United States

26 June 2022

Raffaele was a fabulous guide. As an archaeologist who works in the region, he had incredible knowledge of both Pompeii and Herculaneum. He provided a great experience for our family -- 2 parents and 3 young adults. I highly recommend him as a guide for this amazing site.Amazing guide for Hercluaneum

David🇬🇧 United Kingdom

6 June 2022

We had originally planned to visit Herculaneum but it was closed that day, so Raffaele suggested Pompeii and I'm so glad he did. Pompeii is a truly amazing place, so well preserved and epically vast. So vast infact that we would have been lost without Raffaele. Raffaele showed us (just my family, 2 adults 2 kids) all the most important and impressive places in pompeii. He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and funny, which bought this ancient ruined city to life. he showed us things we would otherwise have completely overlooked, he told us such facts that wouldn't have never occurred to us (like how they figured out pompeii had a 1 way system road network or how to order a prostitute at the bath house 🤯 🤣) he was GREAT! with my kids, answering all there slightly odd and often completely unrelated questions. If you do only one thing in Naples make it this! There are probably cheaper tours, where you will be in a group of 30+ people being hustled around listening to a crackling radio not really getting to see everything as well as you can (we saw plenty of these tours happening). But Raffaele was a spectacular tour guide who made an incredible place even more amazing and was worth every penny. I can't recommend this highly enough. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤pompeii with Raffaele = Amazing!!!

Wilma🇺🇸 United States

3 June 2022

Raffaele was personable and extremely knowledgeable. He made our tour both interactive and interesting. His passion for what he does was evident and he is a master in his position. I wouldn’t hesitate to refer him to anyone!Wonderful and informative

Sarah🇬🇧 United Kingdom

1 June 2022

Raffaele was a brilliant guide - friendly, knowledgable and intuitive. He showed us the highlights of Herculaneum and brought the place to life with his expert knowledge. He helped us imagine what the city would have been like to live in millennia ago.Herculaneum highlights

Unknown

14 May 2022

We had an amazing tour with Raffaele. He was very personable and very informative. He took his time to explain the different sites and answered all our questions. I would definitely recommend Raffaele as your tour guide.Our Experience with Raffaele

Meredith🇺🇸 United States

27 October 2021

Booking a tour to Herculaneum was one of my ‘must do’ activities for our first time trip to Italy. I knew I wanted to have a private guide, and I also knew I wanted an archeologist to help bring the past to life. Riccardo filled in for Raffaele due to a conflict, so because I didn’t know anything about him beforehand, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Riccardo was a wonderful guide and exceeded our expectations with his detailed history and stories about Herculaneum. The two hours with him went by so quickly for us, because of his knowledge and often funny way he had of sharing facts (ask about his ancient mulled wine recipes!). His English is impeccable and he is extremely kind. I highly recommend Riccardo for a Herculaneum tour. There’s just no way you’ll be able to understand all the details without a tour guide, and Riccardo will not disappoint you! Riccardo filled in, and he was fantastic!

Cornelia🇩🇪 Germany

20 October 2021

Raffaele showed me some of the highlights of Pompeii - it's so big, you cannot do it in one day. He showed me all the places I was interested in, pointed out the Pompeian Red, and of course my Domus :-). Thank you so much!Most beautiful place in the world

Mariana🇩🇪 Germany

27 July 2021

Our tour with Raffaele was exceptional. Not only is he very knowledgeable and friendly, he has a deep passion and respect for the site we visited. If you're planning on visiting Ercolano, make sure you go with Raffaele because there's so much to learn and the site itself has little to no explanations. We really enjoyed our tour with him, and I'm sure you would too. Book it!

colin🇬🇧 United Kingdom

15 June 2021

Raffaele was excellent. He got everything right. Enthusiastic, knowledgable and just the correct pace. We learned a lot but didn’t feel lectured. We were a ‘mixed’ group in terms of age, my wife and I and our 19 year old daughter but he could relate to us all and made the visits interesting and fun. Raffaele also helped us with a visit, taxi and dinner arrangements in Capri and Naples. That help was invaluable. Thank you Raffaele.Fantastic visit to Pompei and Herculaneum

Dave

6 March 2025

Raffaele was the ultimate in punctual, prepared, and very warm and entertaining. His knowledge and credentials are excellent, and he steered us to all of the best that a day trip to Capri can offer. He even helped us juggle dates of the tour so we could attend another. His recommendations for cafe, lunch and dinners were perfect. Thank you Raffaele. We will be back, and we will look you up. Highly Recommend Raffaele!!!

Jennifer

5 March 2025

We had a fantastic tour around Pompeii with Raffaele. He provided us with a lot of fascinating information about the history of the site and the inner workings of the society. We highly recommend doing a tour with him! Amazing learning experience!

Phil

4 March 2025

Raffaele is an excellent guide! He made our tour feel like a very personal experience, not only because of his amazing in-depth knowledge of the history of Pompeii (before and after the AD 79 eruption) but his stories of the people who lived there made the place come alive!The ONLY way to see Pompeii!

Leanne🇺🇸 United States

2 March 2025

Patient with our kids, such a wealth of information, easy to communicate and ask questions. Fantastic tour

Tina🇺🇸 United States

27 February 2025

This was an exceptional tour with Raffaele. He is an expert — classically educated archeologist and historian—with great insight and a wealth of knowledge. Pre-tour he quickly (and patiently!) answered all of our logistical questions. I would highly recommend this tour. Excellent!

Peter

5 February 2025

We had a great time exploiring Pompeii and Herculaneum with Raffaele. He was able to shed information on many intersting areas in both spots and really helped us understand what life and the ultimate demise of these cities was like in anchinet times. Thanks Raff, it was a great day, despite the rain!

Anna🇦🇺 Australia

3 February 2025

Raffaele was fantastic. We did a day trip from Rome with my husband and 2 kids (13 and 15). Unfortunately both kids were a bit unwell on the day, however, they still loved their Pompeii experience, largely due to the information and insights shared by Raffaele. He was friendly, easy to understand and able to answer any questions without hesitation. He is very passionate about the Pompeii site and the discoveries there. It was very busy on the day we were there, however, it did not bother us at all as Raffaele was able to take us on routes that were not overrun with people. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience and I thoroughly recommend Raffaele.Raffaele was great!

Susan🇺🇸 United States

23 January 2025

Raffaele could not have been a more perfect professore for my curious family. We had done our homework on Pompeii so Raffaele was able to tailor our adventure to our knowledge base. I would hire him again. As an archaeologist, his knowledge is extensive and current. Hire him!

Charisse 🇺🇸 United States

18 January 2025

Raffaele was wonderful! We had such a marvelous time and learned an amazing amount of history. I would highly recommend him for individuals or families! Do not miss the archaeologic museum in Naples. Raffaele shared so much history and art with us at the museum.

Peter🇧🇪 Belgium

8 January 2025

We had a such a great day , we were a group of 8 mix of children and adults and the Raffaele made a great tour of Pompei and the Museum of archaeology in Naples in the afternoon. Can only recommend him, very knowledgeable, great humour and made the ruins just come alive . Thank you! super guide

Jeff🇨🇦 Canada

6 January 2025

We had a great tour with Raffaele! He was friendly, knowledgeable and helped us understand what we were experiencing. We saw the larger tours walking around and were so happy we were alone with him. Great tour!

Kristene 🇨🇦 Canada

30 December 2024

We chose the perfect guide for our visit to Pompeii! Not only was Raffaele full of knowledge but his stories and passion made you feel what is was like to live in Pompeii and what it must have been like on that tragic day. We experienced so much history in two hours! This was a powerful and emotional tour that we will remember for life. Thank you so much, Raffaele!Raffaele brought Pompeii to life!