Herculaneum: Guided Tour Departing from Naples

We had a great trip today with Clemente and the driver. Clemente was brilliant. Great fun with lots of cool information. My son really enjoyed it also. We look forward to going again when we come back in the future. All the best to Clemente from Liam and Finbarr 👍😎

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.

Very nice experience, learned and saw a lot of new things. Best thing was our tourguide Gabriel. Trough the whole day he was packed with good vibes and positive energy wich made the whole trip a lot more fun. We loved Gabriel ;)

Chiara was so amazing. She was so friendly and so knowledgeable about any questions anyone had. She managed time amazingly and was so helpful with directions. She makes it a priority that you get back to your cruise on time. If you book this tour ask for Chiara she is amazing!