Herculaneum and Pompeii from Sorrento – Private Tour or Shore Excursion

You will be picked up from your hotel or cruise ship in Sorrento in a private air-conditioned car for your Private Herculaneum and Pompeii Tour - From Sorrento. A private guide in your preferred language (Italian, English, German, French or Russian) will accompany you throughout the tour. Your guided tours of Herculaneum and Pompeii are approximately 2 hours each. Stops will be made for refreshments and lunch (payable direct). You will drive first to Herculaneum (a journey of approximately 45 minutes). This was once a seaside holiday resort for affluent Romans. Their sumptuous way of life is reflected in the colorful, intricate mosaics which adorn the villas and the public baths. Most famous of the luxurious villas is the Villa of the Papyri, now known to be the splendid seafront residence of Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. Unlike Pompeii, which was buried by ash, lava flowed over Herculaneum and hardened. This created a sealed environment, which resulted in the perfect preservation of some of the two-storey houses with their wooden balconies still intact. You will then visit the remarkable city of Pompeii, a 15 minutes’ drive away. Pompeii was a hub of activity in Roman times. One of the most important cities of the Roman Empire, it was wiped off the map in 79 AD – buried under 6 meters of volcanic ash – and was not re-discovered till nearly 1700 years later. Although most of the Pompeii’s 20,000 inhabitants did not survive, much of their city did. This UNESCO World Heritage site has been carefully excavated to reveal its former glory. The legacy of the disastrous eruption is an extraordinary insight into Roman life. You will stroll down streets grooved by chariot wheels, see stunning mosaics and murals in the villas and walk around the public baths. An ancient brothel is testament to the fact that the ‘oldest profession’ was actively pursued in wealthy Pompeii. After this amazing trip into the past, you will be taken back to your hotel/cruise ship in Sorrento, where your tour ends.