Nápoles : Excursión de un día a Pompeya y Herculano – Excursión para grupos pequeños

We were incredibly disappointed with this tour and wanted to share our experience so others know what to expect before booking. From the very beginning, things got off to a poor start. The driver and guide couldn't figure out how to turn on the air conditioning, so we sat on a hot bus for about 20 minutes before we even left. During the drive, our guide provided virtually no information about Pompeii, Naples, or Herculaneum. There was no overview of the day's itinerary, no explanation of where we would stop, where restrooms would be available, or any of the basic information you would expect from a professional tour guide. Instead, the bus rides were mostly silent. She also made several comments that we found inappropriate and unprofessional, including remarks about people's fitness, comments related to race, and she began the Pompeii tour by saying, "Welcome to hell." Our group included a couple traveling with a 21-month-old child. There was no car seat provided, and the child cried for much of the journey. More frustratingly, the entire tour seemed to be adjusted to accommodate the stroller. We took different routes through Pompeii and missed areas because of this, which felt unfair to the rest of the group. Pompeii was one of the biggest disappointments. Despite the crowds, no headsets were provided, making it extremely difficult to hear the guide among the many other tour groups. One of the advantages of booking a small-group tour is supposed to be a better experience, but we received very little information and struggled to hear what was being said. After only about two hours in Pompeii, the guided portion ended and we were given just one hour of free time because we had purchased the lunch option. We later learned that guests who skipped the lunch receive two hours of free time instead. If you're considering the lunch upgrade, don't waste your money. Lunch was served in what felt like a hotel banquet room. The meal consisted of a small side salad with olive oil and a choice of lemon chicken, Margherita pizza, ravioli, or a Caprese salad. Only one drink was included, even water counted toward that limit. When we asked to purchase additional drinks, we were told it wasn't possible. The food itself was disappointing—the ravioli was bland with flavorless sauce, and the pizza was undercooked and overloaded with sauce. It was absolutely not worth the extra cost. Herculaneum was, by far, the better archaeological site, and the guide did provide more information there. However, she repeatedly discouraged anyone who wasn't particularly fit from walking down to some sections unless they could keep up with the group. While it's reasonable to explain that certain areas require extra walking, the attitude came across as dismissive and insensitive. Considering the group had already spent much of the morning accommodating a stroller, it seemed inconsistent that the guide couldn't wait a few extra minutes for other guests. Overall, this tour failed to deliver the experience we expected. The lack of organization, minimal historical information, poor communication, disappointing lunch, and repeated unprofessional comments from the guide overshadowed what should have been an incredible day visiting two of Italy's most remarkable archaeological sites. I would not recommend this tour.

Diana was absolutely amazing, she was very informative and clear about what she was showing us. When we asked questions she answered them fully, I would recommend anyone booking this tour

We had a wonderful experience on the Pompeii and Herulaneum tour. Our driver, Antonio, contacted us the morning of the tour and arrived on time to pick us up in a large and comfortable van. He provided excellent local information in both English and Spanish, as well as cold water during the incredibly hot and humid day. Upon arriving at Pompeii we met our tour guide, Rafaelo, who was friendly and provided excellent information at Pompeii as well as Herculaneum. The heat was excessive on this day, but Rafaelo gave us many options to manage the heat. Overall it was one of the best tours during our Mediterranean vacation.

The guided tour is compact enough to give you an overview of two amazing excavation sites, Pompeii and Herculaneum, so the length of visit is just right. Diana, our tour guide, was knowledgeable, friendly and answered any questions we had. She made the tour interesting, with a good pace and good narrative, keeping us engaged. Pick up point in the morning was exactly as described. The price included all admission fees and the group size was manageable.

Antonio Carola, our driver, and Lello, our guide were exceptional and made our visit to Herculaneum and Pompeii a memorable experience. Antonio was very professional, picking us up from our designated location in his lovely clean and air conditioned vehicle. He shared his knowledge of Naples as we drove to Pompeii. The ride was smooth, clearly he is an experienced driver. Antonio kept us hydrated and answered all of our questions. Nothing was too much trouble. Lello was passionate about sharing his deep knowledge and understanding of both sites, Pompeii and Herculaneum, having a deep connection to the archeological diggings at Herculaneum. We booked the small group day tour which suited our timeframe, however if and when we come again we would love to spend more time at both sites to absorb the history of the Mt Vesuvius eruption. The lunch was delicious, best tomatoes in Italy! Exhausted after a long day but so glad we experienced it. Thank you Antonio Carola and Lello.

The tour was excellent. Rafaela, the tour guide, was friendly, punctual, and a very good guide. In Pompeii and Herculaneum, our Spanish-speaking guide was Luca. Excellent!!!! Everything he told us about and showed us. It is a tour that no one should miss if they go to this area of Italy.

This was a fantastic experience. Our driver for the day, Antonio, was incredibly kind and helpful. He gave us really great information about Naples and the places we were passing. Very positive and comfortable ride. Teresa was our guide in Pompeii and it was a phenomenal experience. She is incredibly knowledgeable and showed us amazing things in the ruins along with sharing the history. She is also fabulous at taking photos of the highlights for you! Lunch was a lovely break with delicious Italian food classics! Lello was our guide at Herculaneum and was also very knowledgeable. He was funny and added in his own connection to the history and excavation! Again, amazing history and opportunity to see the preserved ruins. Overall the experience was an amazing experience with unforgettable history and opportunity to immerse yourself in it.

A truly well-organized experience. Kudos to Miriam, our accompanying guide, Vincenzo the driver, Leopoldo the guide for Pompeii, and Glauco for Herculaneum. Tour recommended for anyone who wants to see these two sensational archaeological sites.

This tour is really two tours in one with a needlessly long intermission. The first tour was lead by Anna (I think that is her name). She took us on a nice tour of Pompeii. Pompeii is a large place with a significant amount excavated so there is a ton to see. Unfortunately that lead to a tour that felt like we were skimming our way through the ruins with barely enough time to see anything specific. Also, the place was crowded, very sunny and hot which definitely made it feel more like an endurance contest. Pompeii is pretty much a must see, but as it turned out, I was disappointed. I would rate this portion at 3★ The tour provided what amounted to an intermission between the two sets of ruins. We ate lunch as a group, this was fine. We then had about 90 minutes to shop. Unfortunately, there are few shops in the area and we didn’t have enough time in either set of ruins. This was a waste of valuable touring time and brings the overall rating down. This bit was awful, 1★. The second tour, Herculaneum, was lead by Thomas. He was amazing. Full of information and energy with a nice dose of humility. It was refreshing to hear a guide say they don’t know but then offer his own guess at an answer. Thomas rocks! The ruins of Herculaneum are so much easier to take in than Pompeii. What has been excavated is better preserved and more interesting, though part of that might have been from our excellent guide. Did I mention Thomas rocks? This bit easily rates 5★ and pulls the whole tour up to 4★ in my book.

Excellent guides Teresa (Pompeii) and Patricia (Herculaneum) and our driver Antonio Carola, very kind and concerned about giving us an unforgettable experience.