Sorrento: Pompeii & Herculaneum Tour with Skip-the-Line

This full-day tour from Sorrento visits the 2 towns destroyed by the dramatic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Departing from Sorrento at 09:00, you will head up the motorway to Naples, from where it is a short drive to Herculaneum. A residential coastal town during Roman times, Herculaneum was completely buried by a devastating eruption of the volcanic Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was superbly preserved by the volcanic mud throughout the centuries. Its discovery by archaeologists in the 1700s stunned the world. Today, the ruins are among the most important sites in Italy, if not the world. The buildings have been so well preserved, you can walk down the streets pretty much exactly as the Romans would have done over 2,000 years ago. Upon arrival, you will get a 1-hour guided tour of the amazing remains and see original timbers in the buildings, as well as clay pots stored as they would have been at the time of the eruption. The tour takes in the courtyard of the grand House of the Argus, dwarfed by the hotel across the street. You will also see the public baths, with well-preserved frescoes and mosaics, and the house of carbonized furniture, where a marital bed still remains intact! Following the guided tour, enjoy some free time to take a coffee, before departing to nearby Pompeii. The former Roman city remains one the most stunning archaeological sites on the Italian peninsula, and one of the most visited ruins in the world. Experience it much as it existed more than 2,000 years ago, as you wander with your guide through perfect stone-paved streets, houses, temples, the Forum, and theaters. At the end of this full-day of ancient history, walking in the footsteps of Roman citizens, relax as you are whisked back to Sorrento.