Traveling from Sorrento to Herculaneum?

[AWorldCruise4Me]

Does anyone know if there is public transportation from Sorrento to Herculaneum? There isn't a ship tour and if I'm traveling solo hiring a private car is fairly expensive. Detailed (step by step instructions) would be appreciated since I don't know Italian and have previously struggled to take the trains but have done so successfully with good instructions.

 

Thanks in advance!

Michelle

[Hlitner]

Michelle, Its actually quite easy from either Sorrento or Naples. If going from Sorrento, just walk to the train station and take the Circumvesuviania Line train (its about all they have in Sorrento) towards Naples. A few stops before you get to Naples (this would be past the Pompeii stop) you want to get off at the station called "Ercolano Scavi." I think this would be about a 50 minute ride from Sorrento. From there, its a short walk to the ruins. An entry ticket used to cost 11 Euros and you can pay a few more Euros and rent an audio tour. If you want to join an organized tour, there are always some licensed tour guides organizing English speaking tours at the entrance.

 

Hank

[iancal]

The trains leave every 1/2 hour or so. This train is very popular with pickpockets so be aware of what is going on around you-especially if, on the return journey, the train is crowded. If you arriving by ship, take the bus/shuttle up to the city. The Circumvesuviana station is about six blocks from the main city square. You can buy a ticket at the train station ticket office or from the little store that is in the station which is usually much faster.

[Susan-M]

We took the train from Sorrento to Herculaneam last month. To add to the advice above, Rick Steves' Italy book provides info on this area... including details on the Circumvesuviana train. It includes a list of stops which I always find helpful so that we'll know in advance when we are supposed to get off. We really enjoyed the train ride for the scenery and views of the towns along the way.

 

There will probably be others from your ship going on the train to Pompeii and/or Herculaneum ... if you haven't already, you might want to ask on your roll call to see if there are others going, so that you can travel together ...even if it's just to get to the station in the morning.

 

From the Ercolano Scavi train stop, it's a 10-15 minute walk down the main street of Ercolano to reach the site. Coming out of the station, turn right and the main street is about 100 feet away. Turn left onto it and at the end of it, you'll be at the entrance to Herculaneum.

[GSPLover]

We were on the Sorrento-Napoli train last month. One nice addition to the trains is the scrolling sign in each car that tells you what the next stop will be. As 'Hank' said, it will be the "Ercolano Scavi" stop that you want.

Train fare from Sorrento to there will be about 2 Euro each direction.

[AWorldCruise4Me]

Thanks everyone, this is what I was looking for. It looks pretty easy. Thanks also for the reminder on the pickpockets and the pointer to Rick Steve's book.

 

Cheers!

Michelle

[Susan-M]

Thanks everyone, this is what I was looking for. It looks pretty easy. Thanks also for the reminder on the pickpockets and the pointer to Rick Steve's book.

 

Cheers!

Michelle

 

Hope you enjoy your day there.:) We got an early train to Herculaneum, spent a couple of hours there, then came back to explore Sorrento and did a Rick Steves' walking tour from his book (Sorrento is a very nice city!). Return train ticket to Ercolano Scavi was €3.1, admission €11, audio guide €6 (or 2 for €10).

[iancal]

Those scrolling signs are sometimes out of sync. We used these trains during our four day trip in September. The signs were out of sync. about half of the time

[GSPLover]

Those scrolling signs are sometimes out of sync. We used these trains during our four day trip in September. The signs were out of sync. about half of the time

Cannot argue with that. On the train from Sorrento to Napoli, we were approaching Pompei Scavi and the sign never changed the rest of the way. They are nice when they work. Saw similar signs on several Trenitalia trains as well as local buses in Firenze and Roma.

[Susan-M]

I noticed the scrolling signs on the Circumvesuviana as well but since I had my Rick Steves list of stops, I didn't keep track of the sign. From Sorrento, Pompeii Scavi is stop #14 ... and Ercolano Scavi #25. We were sitting near the back of the train and often couldn't see the station name at each stop until we were pulling out of the station. Having the list made it easy to figure out where we were and when we were approaching our stop. Getting off in Naples or Sorrento isn't a problem since they are at the end of the line.

[AWorldCruise4Me]

Thanks for the advice! I did in fact post on my roll-call to get a group of people to take the train together but ended up with a van group instead so will get to have the private tour experience.

 

Best,

Michelle