This is a very interesting and quite emotional place to visit. Although smaller then Pompeii the dramatic scenes witnessed were more than worth the visit. The location is about a 20 minute walk from Portico station or less than 10 minutes from Ercolano station. All the staff were well informed and extremely helpful. Although there is a lot of restoration work ongoing, we found plenty to take our attention for nearly 3 hours, even in the heavy rain. We recommend booking your tickets in advance and just getting your train tickets from the stations.

Well worth a visit. Much quieter and more intimate than Pompeii with many artefacts still in situ. The site is very well preserved and easy to navigate. I recommend hiring the audio tour which explains everything in detail as you walk around the site. Note that there are still excavations here, so there is more to discover in future. Allow at least two hours for your visit, preferably more. It’s so beautiful you need time to take it all in.

We did Pompeii and then Herculaneum. I would recommend doing the opposite. If you see Pompeii you will compare the two and they are nothing alike. Pompeii is like Paris and this is a small village, that still has some amazing homes, but the scale is so different. An easy walk from the train, the site was buried under 30 meters of ash, so you see alot of it from above which is really impressive. There are lots of places to explore and interesting facts sprinkled throughout the site. I wish a paper map was included, showing my age, but it would have helped to know I had seen everything. Definitely worth spending 3-5 hours at.

aller and quieter than Pompeii, but incredibly well preserved — wooden doors, mosaics, and even food remains still visible. Walking through the ancient streets feels like stepping straight into Roman daily life. The site is compact, easy to explore in a few hours, and beautifully maintained. Bring water and good shoes, as there’s little shade. A haunting, unforgettable glimpse into history frozen in time.

A must see! Herculaneum is a really well preserved little town, lost to us on the same day as Pompeii. In many ways it is similar to Pompeii, but there are a few exceptions. The town, as a whole, is better preserved, so it feels more like you are walking g through a living place. There are more items in situ, which makes the visit less up and down. It is less busy with tourists, which is obviously better for a number of reasons. It is much smaller and so you can see everything, at a leisurely pace, in about 2 hours. A wonderful experience, if you like history it is highly recommended.

I prefered the archeological site of Herculaneum over Pompeii. It's a much smaller town that was originally on the waterfront. The way it has been excavated demonstrates really well how life revolved around shipping and the waterfront trade? Town is much smaller and manageable and you get a feel for how life was in the town. Many original archaeological artefacts have been left in place. Although there are a number in the small museum attached to the site, which I personally preferred over Pompeii, it didn't require a separate museum visit to see the original artefacts. The site is still being excavated and as we toured around the town we saw archaeologist going about their day-to-day work excavating the site. I feel that this added to the experience.

Amazing Roman ruins from the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A much smaller site than Pompeii, you can see everything in around 3 hours. Pompeii takes 3 days! Some really well-preserved Roman artefacts in the museum, including a wooden fishing boat and lots of relics of life at the time. Pre-booking is an option (use the Herculaneum site, not a 3rd Party), but it's not as busy as Pompeii and you can pay on entry. Well-worth a visit, although anyone with mobility issues may find some of the site a challenge.

Interesting place and worked well to do before visiting Herculaneum. We got the train in and it was a straight walk down between the station and Herculaneum. The staff were friendly and helpful. The 3d film was good and a bit different, narrated from the perspective of Vesuvius. Some of the exhibits weren't working, but without a sign you had to guess by waving in front of them to see if anything happened! Well worth a visit.

This museum is based on videos on the walls and audios in italian or english that you can hear on your Phone. In our opinion it should be more interactive. What we found interesting was to see recreations of Pompei and Herculaneum.

If you have 8 - 10 y.o. kids than this is the place to go. The NFC doesn't always work, which is a joke in a digital museum. Luckily I had the artecard so entrance was reduced to € 5,00..otherwise itvwould have been a one star review.

An easy to miss highlight of any visit to Herculaneum. The museum is virtual so an up to date smart phone is needed. You will need to download their app and log into the wi-fi. Once that is done, you are underway. The tour starts with a 3-D film about the volcano and how the eruption covered the two towns. After that you go downstairs and each section you can interact with using your phone. There is a nice drone sequence of the Roman town using a games controller. There is another area where they have linked up different names to the images found in the ruins, and you can find out about the people on a personal level. It is well worth a visit when you come to see Herculaneum. In fact you have to pass it from the train station. The gift shop is aimed at children more than Herculaneum with rubbers, pens, pencils and imitation coins. The cafe is great and it is very cheap. Don't miss it.

I didn’t listen to all the terrible reviews because so many others rated it highly. The terrible reviews are absolutely correct. I’m positive you can find every video they show on YouTube. The augmented reality exhibits were probably cool when augmented reality came out, but now more than disappointing. Worth maybe 2 euro for the air conditioning and somewhere to sit if you need to kill some time. Otherwise skip this and walk 10 minutes down the road and visit Villa Campolieto or the Reggia di Portici.

Disappointing Experience – Not Worth the Money We had high expectations for MAV – Museo Archeologico Virtuale, but unfortunately, we were deeply disappointed. Right at the entrance, we were met by a staff member who seemed both grumpy and completely uninterested. No smile, no information – just the feeling that we were a bother. To visit the museum, you had to download an app, which was difficult to install and only worked partially. Several of the interactive exhibits were out of order or didn’t work properly. What should have been an exciting and educational experience ended up being both frustrating and boring. The place feels dull, worn-out, and neglected – as if it’s on the verge of shutting down. The exhibitions are outdated, the technology is unreliable, and there’s a complete lack of energy and enthusiasm. Overall, it was a flat experience and a waste of money. MAV has potential, but in its current state, I can’t recommend visiting. You're better off going straight to the Herculaneum ruins – they’re much more interesting and well worth the money.

Would have been good if the QR code scanner took you to the right subject rather than just opening the app. Could have been a good visit if the tech worked.

Yep

not to miss

(Translated by Google) The archaeological park of Herculaneum is magic. A dive into the past of two millennia. Every island is a discovery. This is one of the best preserved houses, a riot of colours. Everything is pure wonder!! (Original) Il Parco archeologico di Ercolano é una magia. Un tuffo nel passato di due millenni. Ogni Isola é una scoperta. Questa é una delle Case meglio conservate, un tripudio di colori. Tutto é pura meraviglia !!

(Translated by Google) House with very beautiful mosaics. The mask statues are replicas, the originals are in the antiquarian of the archaeological park. (Original) Casa con mosaicos muy bonitos. Las estatuas de máscaras son réplicas, las originales están en el anticuario del parque arqueológico.

(Translated by Google) Herculaneum: A Time Capsule on the Gulf of Naples Where Pompeii is famous, Herculaneum whispers its story—but with more power than you might suspect. Smaller, more intimate, and surprisingly better preserved, this ancient city offers an experience you not only see, but feel. What makes Herculaneum unique is the stunning state of preservation of its houses, mosaics, and wooden structures. The narrower streets and compact layout convey an intense sense of intimacy. As if you're walking through a neighborhood whose residents have just departed. The baths are impressive in their detail—from the marble benches to the decorated walls—and reveal how refined daily life once was. In Herculaneum, you're not guided by the ruins, but by the feeling of having traveled through time yourself. Those seeking less crowds, more detail, and a deeper sensory experience of Roman life will find a hidden gem in Herculaneum. A place where the past becomes tangibly close. (Original) Herculaneum: een tijdcapsule aan de Golf van Napels Waar Pompeii de bekendheid draagt, fluistert Herculaneum zijn verhaal – maar met meer kracht dan je zou vermoeden. Kleiner, intiemer en verrassend beter bewaard, biedt deze antieke stad een ervaring die je niet alleen ziet, maar voelt. Wat Herculaneum uniek maakt, is de verbluffende staat waarin de huizen, mozaïeken en houten structuren bewaard zijn gebleven. De kleinere straten en compacte opbouw geven een intens gevoel van nabijheid. Alsof je door een wijk wandelt waar de bewoners nét zijn vertrokken. De thermen zijn indrukwekkend in hun detaillering – van de marmeren banken tot de versierde muren – en maken duidelijk hoe verfijnd het dagelijkse leven hier ooit was. In Herculaneum word je niet geleid door de ruïnes, maar door het gevoel dat je zelf door de tijd bent gereisd. Wie op zoek is naar minder drukte, meer detail en een diepere zintuiglijke beleving van het Romeinse leven, vindt in Herculaneum een verborgen parel. Een plek waar het verleden tastbaar dichtbij komt.

(Translated by Google) Exciting and exciting leap into the ancient Herculaneum and the ancient culture of the powerful civilization of Rome on the slopes of Vesuvius which suffered the fury of the volcano. Its relentless eruption has left posterity a perfect snapshot of the daily life of the time. The bicentenary house reopens to the public from October 2019 (Original) Entusiasmante ed emozionante salto nell’antica Herculaneum e nella cultura antica della potente civiltà di Roma alle pendici del Vesuvio che subì la furia del vulcano. La sua implacabile eruzione ha lasciato ai posteri una perfetta fotografia della vita quotidiana dell’epoca. La casa del bicentenario riapre al pubblico da ottobre 2019

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful house in Herculaneum. The Neptune and Amphitrite mosaic is stunning with its blue, green, red and yellow colors. One of the most beautiful places to visit with terms during your visit. (Original) Très belle maison d'Herculanum. La mosaïque de Neptune et d'Amphitrite est superbe avec ses couleurs bleues, vertes, rouges et jaunes. L'un des plus beaux lieux à visiter avec les termes lors de votre visite.

The architecture in this building is wonderful. The frescos are worth a visit itself. The views from the veranda are amazing. 7 min walk from herculaneum.

Beautiful quiet villa 10 minutes down the road from Herculaneum! Excellent online guide detailing the architecture and history of the building and local area. Well worth a visit if you have some extra time! And as of June 2025 they have a temporary exhibition on daily life in Herculaneum which has some really cool artifacts like carbonized bread and other food staples, furniture, and cookware discovered from the Herculaneum site!

Great stop to spend an hour and learn about some unknown history. Nearby parking a huge bonus. We had it all to ourselves!

Fabulous villa. Setting is beautiful overlooking the bay and the free audio guide is very informative. Spent a good hour and a half here and was a reasonable price. Well worth the trip.

7€ now for a nice looking building from outside, and a small garden. Inside a lot of empty rooms, some other rooms used as offices ( I didn't even know if I was allowed in there) and no instructions and directions at all . Considering that the ruins of Herculaneum ar just minutes away, and they are amazing , this place for almost half the price is a total RIP OFF Update: Considering the reply from the villa, I want to make it clear , that once I paid the ticket, I wasn't offered an audioguide, and I wasn't told that it's the ONLY WAY I can get details about the place. A very important piece of information DON'T YOU THINK? Probably I should have had to pay extra in order to get the audioguide . Also I want to mention that on the ground floor there was a public event with audio systems, microphones,chairs, and a row of chairs that was blocking the access to the main stair case, since my adventure through offices trying to get to the upper floor. Overall a very bad experience, with NO CONSIDERATION for the tourists once you paid the ticket.

Lovely exhibition From Egg to Apples, which is on until the end of December 2025, and there is a stunning view of the Bay of Naples from the terrace, especially at dusk

The entrance feels overpriced for what you can see here, no explanation about the remainings of Erculano. Audio guide was only about the villa and a little dramatic. I wouldn’t recommend the place, better spend the time and money elsewhere

nicely maintained sculptures

Great first stop in the Herculaneum site.

My dad was there in 1944.

Impressive

(Translated by Google) Here the most prestigious citizen of Herculaneum was honoured, with a statue and funeral altar. It is to be imagined that, at the time, the terrace overlooked the sea and, therefore, the effect was notable, as was the expression of admiration towards Balbo. The archaeological park of Herculaneum is magic. A dive into the past of two millennia. Everything here is pure wonder!! (Original) Qui venne onorato, con statua e altare funebre, il cittadino più prestigioso di Ercolano. É da immaginare che, all'epoca, la terrazza, si affacciava sul mare e, quindi, l'effetto era notevole, così come la manifestazione di ammirazione verso Balbo. Il Parco archeologico di Ercolano é una magia. Un tuffo nel passato di due millenni. Tutto qui é pura meraviglia !!

(Translated by Google) There was no information about the Ara di Marco Nonius Balbo in the park during our visit. It's quite frustrating having to search for everything online. Plus, the map doesn't have much information, and you have to pay €1 for it. (Original) No había nada de información sobre el Ara di Marco Nonio Balbo en el parque durante nuestra visita. Es bastante frustrante tener que buscar todo en internet. Además, en el mapa tampoco viene mucha información y tienes que pagar 1€ por el.

(Translated by Google) The square is dominated by the monument dedicated to one of the city's most important builders. (Original) Piațeta este dominată de monumentul dedicat unuia dintre cei mai importanți constructori ai orașului.